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"What?" Ana’s question silenced the room "Tomorrow?"

He tried to take her hand and she snatched it back "Ana, listen There’s no tiot you back, and now you think you’re going to leave ain? For months?"

"There’s no other way" He could hear the impotency in his words and tried feebly to say the rest with his eyes

Ana glared at him Defiant at first, then si with you"

Vanessa nodded agreement "Me, too"

Skyler raised his hands in protest "Look, I appreciate the enthusias that the do last tio"

"We can try," Ana said emphatically "There’s no harm in it"

Pablo leaned his chair back on two legs and shook his head "Skyler’s right," he said "But either way, I’pie, keep in contact with the colony"

"It could be ed "Fariant alien do with you, Skyler," Ana said She hadn’t stopped looking at hi in at the same time, and see what happens"

Skyler started to protest, but the wo laser bea into his skull "Okay," he said "We’ll try"

After the others fell asleep, Skyler pulled a blanket around his shoulders and took the pilot’s seat in the Magpie

He switched on the comm The link parameters were still set from the transmissions Ana had listened to, and within a second the headset crackled to life and a voice came across, in midsentence

"… until our demands are met, and Skyler Luiken is delivered to us--"

"In a pink dress"

"Yes, in a pink dress with a little bow across the chest"

"That’s a sash"

"What?"

"A sash goes across the chest A bow goes in your hair"

"My svelte ass it does Go look it up"

"You go look it up, and look up ‘fashion sense’ while you’re at it No one wears a sash"

Skyler fought to hold in laughter He decided to let theer

A few seconds of silence passed

"I wore a sash once, actually," the first speaker said

"Did you?"

"Yes"

"Did it have words printed on it? Like, maybe, Princess of Anchor Station?"

"It had words, yes Not those"

"What then?"

"It said ‘Marcus is an insufferable prick’ "

Skyler cleared his throat "Come in, Black Level This is La Gaza Ladra"

A coh the headset A drink spilled, someone cursed

"Skyler, hello!" one of the’s here, too Dareat to hear from you"

Skyler smiled to himself "Thanks Do, uh, you broadcast like this twenty-four/seven?"

"Three hours every night," Greg said "I daresay it’s become performance art Half of Black Level andHello, everyone"

"I see," Skyler said "Well, sorry to drop in on your show, but o rouse Tania and switch this to a private channel? It’s urgent"

"Sure thing," Marcus said "Give us a fewsteam"

A series of clicks followed Five h

"My God, Skyler," she said "I … we’d alh him with the sound of her voice Waruilt that followed He suppressed the urge to look over his shoulder, that heon her The call could have been made with everyone present, but Skyler had deliberately snuck off after the others slept to er on, he’d decided to keep his tenuous friendship with Tania separate from his relationship with Ana

"Are you there?" she asked

"I’ood to hear your voice"