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“I did And I watched as he ate without co there all quiet-like, though You could tell he was nervous And then a month later, after the trade talks were coustus richer than Jove, he sends this young man A lancer One of those Martian war machines You know the type, Kalindora The sort that ot to Luna Killing in their veins Huge Not the biggest ht—Pale Horse or whatever his naer was like heat off a tank barrel His manners were flawless, for an upstart, still you could hear that Martian war-dru with Nero’s silent boast Look atkiller carried the most delicate, beautiful box Carved ivory with lions in all sorts of dramatic poses ‘Compliorydamn destroyer with helium to burn”

“What was in the box?” Kalindora asks “A head?”

“Grapes Only grapes And a little note ‘Work in progress’ Father hite as the box and didn’t sleep for a week Mother had to buy five new Stained and a whole new fleet of courtesans before Father would even use his hareain”

Kalindora grins down at her ration bar wrapper “Now, that is cold”

“None colder than old Nero,” Cicero replies “Want to hear the best part? Guess who the lancer was?”

“Darrow,” I rasp through my tattered lips

“That’s right,” Cicero says with a squint “We had hio Just after the Institute One of his first , like a time bomb”

Later, after Kalindora has gone to sleep, Cicero slides over to woman” In the darkness, Kalindora looks less like a warrior Peaceful in a way, as peaceful as a woman with a cauterized stu radiation sickness Maybe it was foolish to meet the Reaper in open battle But I cannot erase the pride I felt when she nodded to me at my decision to stay Still, how many Praetorians lie in the dust for that valor? How many men and women drowned in the sea? Cicero eyes the rancid stump where her left arm used to be “Think she’ll die of infection?”

“Not before rad poisoning,” I say “Or thirst”

He eyes the soiled bandage on my face “How much does it hurt?”

“Enough”

“You knew that story,” he says “How?”

“Youhis real question “Nero had his helium You have your metals Octavia had her information”

“Infor of information…” His voice lowers “I’ve some information an erudite mind like yours has no doubt already deduced Based on our water requirements, and our likely rate of consumption, we’ll run out several days froet all of us there The Grays will have a trial in this next stretch It’s straight desert for several hundred klicks If a patrol doesn’t find us, or we don’t get lucky with civilians…”

“No,