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“Yup,” Alex said, and a creeping sensation went up his spine “Which is a mite more provocative than I’d have expected”

“So there is a ship out here that’s gone dark”

Alex flipped through the databases androutines, but it was just standard procedure He hadn’t expected to find anything and he didn’t

“No transponder signal I think we’ve found the Pau Kant Iwe can find her Let’s just see e see”

He started a sensor sweep going in a ten-degree arc and popped open the comms for an open broadcast “Hey out there We’re the private ship Razorback out of Mars Couldn’t help noticing you’re pointing a finger at us We’re not looking for any trouble If you could see your way to answering back, it’d ease my mind”

The Razorback was a racing ship A rich kid’s toy In the ti them, the Roci would have had the dark ship’s profile and specs and a target lock of her own just to make the point The Razorback chimed that the profile data had been collected and ht For the first time since they’d left Mars, Alex felt a profound desire for the pilot’s chair in the Rocinante

“They’re not answering,” Bobbie said

“They’re not shooting either,” Alex said “As long as they think we’re just so, we’ll be fine Probably”

Bobbie’s couch hissed on its giht She didn’t believe it either The ain “Hey out there, unidentified ship I’ to cut thrust here until I hear fro you know so I don’t startle anyone I’d really appreciate a ping back, just so we all knoe’re good here No offense meant”

He cut the drive; the grip of acceleration gravity loosened its hold on hiainst his restraints He could feel his heartbeat in h

is neck It was going fast

“They’re deciding what to do about us,” Bobbie said

“That’s uess too”

“Taking them a while”

The Razorback announced a visual match, but it wasn’t with the data Holden had sent thehts on the out in the gates With an eighty-nine percent certainty, it was a Martian naval corvette, floating dark Behind hi and drew the same conclusions