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“She’s a VD Auroch-Z cosuess”

“Don’t equivocate We both know you’re not guessing”

I wipe sleep fromcapacity One main Gastron helium reactor Built in the Venusian yards, circa 520 PCE Crew of forty One industrial docking bay Two secondary tubes Obviously she’s a sler”

“Sounds like the huot a turd up his nose,” Pytha drawls She pours a cup of coffee from her carafe and hands it back to me I wish it were tea “The last of the beans till we hit Lacrimosa Sip wisely, peevish one”

I slip into the seat behind hers and take a lected to eat supper”

“I neglected to eat supper,” Pytha repeats,my accent Born on the Palantine Hill of Luna, I have lao accents Apparently others find it hilarious “Haven’t we servants to spoon-feed His Majesty supper?”

“Oh, shut your gory gob,” I say,my voice to mimic the Thessalonican bravado “Better?”

“Eerily so”

“Skipping supper No wonder you’re a little twig,” Cassius says, pinching h a hundred ten kilos, oodman”

“It’s usable weight,” I protest “In any ” He looks at me blankly “You have your priorities I have mine, muscly creature So piss off”

“When I was your age…”

“You despoiled half the woht it was their honor Yes, I’ivethan carnivals of flesh”

He looks atto make a pretty meal of you”

“Spoken like a man who barely escaped the lion’s jaws,” I reply

Pytha goes still and stares at Cassius for a long, aard moment as her arithmetical brain endeavors in vain to divine whether he is offended or not I sip itiirl out to the Gulf without escort Not with Ascos: wrong shade of red on that sun Should be scarlet, but that there is verlers Like Pytha said, probably hauling ore froridme, Cassius At this point, you know that I know”