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“Schismatic OPA faction?” she said “Well It wouldn’t be the first ti of his own side”

“It wouldn’t,” Fred agreed “What bothers h to tip their hand”

Chapter Nineteen: Naomi

The beer was vat-brewed: rich and yeasty with a little fungal aftertaste where the hops had been cut with engineeredhot-plate cousa: thin, unleavened cracker bread heavy with gum roux and hot onion With Cyn and Nao air with Karal and the hot plate both, the recyclers orking near their top rate for the space The heat and the spiced air, the closeness of bodies and the just-buzzed relaxation of the alcohol felt like falling backward through tirunge of Ceres Station but Rokku’s ship burning for the next claim or the next port

“So Josie,” Cyn said, waving one vast palm He paused and turned a scowl to Naomi “Kennst Josie?”

“I remember which one he is,” Naomi said

“Yeah, so Josie sets up shop there, sa sa? Start charging the Earthers to go down the corridor Calls it…” – Cyn snapped three ti to call up the story’s punch line – “calls it a municipal tollway Tollway!”

“And how long did that last?” Naomi asked

“Long enough we had to get off station before security grabbed us,” Cyn said around a grin Then he grew sober “That was before, though”

“Before,” Naoed after Eros”

“Everything changed after the fuckers killed the Cant,” Miral said, eyes narrowed at Naomi as if to say That was your ship, wasn’t it? Another invitation for her to tell her stories

She leaned forward a degree, hiding behind the veil of her hair “Everything changed after Metis Base Everything changed after Anderson Station Everything changed after Terryon Lock Everything changed after everything”

“Ez ed after everything”

Karal looked up His expression was a ed after the Gamarra

Nao here, with these ia that seeped into everything All of the on Eros, riding the first ship through the gate, trekking out to the first colony on the neorlds Cyn and Karal wouldn’t ask, and so the new one followed their lead And she kept her own counsel