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… Do not start the reactor without reloading the hardware drivers froe, please retr—”

The e cut off

“We have to get this out,” Alex said “We have to get that to Holden”

“I’ll take care of it,” the captain said “You and the priht now”

Alex looked at her, confused Naoed He felt like thehit in the head and the blooht was If Naomi’s with them, maybe they’re not so bad

“Mister Kamal?”

“No, I’m fine It’s just —”

Prientle, innocuous eyes see for us?”

“No,” Alex said “I just… No No, we should go Wait Bobbie…”

“Gunny Draper knohere you’re going,” Captain Choudhary said “I’ll see she doesn’t get lost”

They moved to the lift, the two ave Alex a moment of orientation as it pushed them down into the heart of the ship It only took a few seconds to h of a cue that his mind made one direction into down, the other into up The lift car ide enough for three times the load The er if there was any The prime minister took a place at the side near the front, where there was a little cover No one co that happened The dynamics of political power as positions in an elevator

Naoht here Maybe less than ten thousand kilometers away It was like he’d turned a corner and she was there Except, of course, that she wasn’t Even close-quarters battle meant distances that were vast in any other context If the ship had been transparent, the enemy vessels would only have been visible by their drive pluht in a sky filled with theht now as Boston was from Sri Lanka, and it would still be almost intimate in the vast scale of the solar system

“You’re thinking of your friend,” Smith said

“Yes, sir,” Alex said

“Do you knohy she would be on the Pella?”