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“You been swi?” Sevro says jealously

“What about the stores? Trust you didn’t put much of a dent in them”

“Just the whiskey” Kieran does a little dance “She’s stocked for a tour of the Solar System, brother Those Venusians will drool over what Quicksilver’s got in the holds Gotta say, it’s some fair bait You certain they’ll take it?”

“They had bloodydamn better,” Sevro es for nothing”

“Tharsus has a legendary appetite,” I say “He’ll bite” I unzip the front of e Sevro undoes his own Kieran steps away, snorting “We’ll depart in the ”

Sevro grunts, his scarabSkin now a crumpled shadow on theanywhere, I’ to eat”

“Shower first,” Kieran says “For the sake of the men”

“Don’t be so dramatic Ass sweat never killed a soul”

“That’s not a fact,” Kieran calls as Sevro saunters away “You can’t verify that” Kieran picks up his discarded scarabSkin with a wrench “I’ll wash this before it infests the ship Last tiht sandmites back in his hair Gave the Obsidians the worst rash Guess we don’t gotta worry about that now” He pauses “How’d irl do?”

“She was fine” We watch Rhonna sort gear froe near the starShell bays Kieran scratches his neck, leaving grease stains

“You knoe were kids and you’d sohost stories Scared the piss out ofto come from the cracks in the floor and eat my teeth”

“Golback!” I say “I thought you loved Golback”

He shudders “You wanted to tell ’em, so I let you tell ’eood of a point…I don’t like asking for things I know you’re sharp and all, but can I say so obvious to you?”

“Course”

He looks back at his daughter trudging through the snow “Was talkin’ to soet a little ar’s already dead, and we just broke into a otta be But I don’t wantwith us”