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Cyn blinked Whatever he’d expected, it hadn’t been that She checked the last battery on her pallet, replaced it, and shut the box back down Cyn was still looking at her, his head turned a degree to his left It made him seem wary of her

Good

She nodded at the open pallet at his feet “You going to check those?” she asked “Or d’you need some help?”

By dinner, it seemed like the attacks were done The feeds, on the other hand, were in full swar on the ship, see woman she didn’t know on her left Her plate was heaped with fried mushroom in hot sauce, the way Rokku used to make it She ate it one-handed, the way the others did, and wondered whether so over the room would have been able to pick her out as the one that didn’t fit

The screen was set to a feed co out of Tycho Station She watched it and tried not to feel anything When Monica Stuart appeared, she felt a shock of fear that she couldn’t quite explain The wo new, then turned to Fred Johnson sitting stiffly across from her He looked old He looked tired She didn’t watch hies of the screen in case Ji anyway She caught fragments

“Do you believe that you were the priet of the attack?”

“That appears to be the case”

“Fucking liar!” soalley shouted, and the others roared their approval Including Cyn

Fred moved carefully, and the ca it She’d heard once that birds back on Earth would do everything they could to hide that they were ill Any visible weakness was an invitation to attack The co was vulnerable now “The attackers are in custody, and we hope very soon to have a clear idea as behind this” So Marco, that he hadn’t ht her here to show off, hadn’t he?

Or had he? She was supposed to bring the Rocinant

e with her, and they’d been disappointed when she didn’t Was the ship what he’d really wanted? Or Jim? She wondered with a sense of dread ould have happened if she hadn’t come alone

And then, as if thinking had summoned him, Monica Stuart ended the intervieith Colonel Fred Johnson, voice of the OPA and director of Tycho Station, and turned instead to Captain James Holden

Her breath stuttered

“I understand you orking as a bodyguard for Colonel Johnson,” Monica said

“Yes, that’s true,” Jiood job of it apparently “It wasn’t really needed The people who infiltrated the security team turned out to be a very ser”