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“Would haveon Medina Station But asteroid prospectors? Water haulers? The crews that are barely eking by? Those are who Marco’s talking to, and he’s right because no one else is taking the at the future, and they’re seeing that no one needs theravity well, and they can’t go there We have to make some kind of future that has a place for the to lose It’s all already gone”

The system chimed and Maura’s voice came over the speakers “Captain Holden, sir?”

“I’ry scowl “And aren’t you supposed to be off shift, Mister Patel?”

“I a sonostics But Captain Sales said you wanted an alert if the situation changed with the Razorback and its pursuers?”

Holden’son?”

“We’re getting reports that the Free Navy ships have broken off, sir The UN forces are still half a day out, but the thought is the Free Navy vessels are trying to steer well clear of any large-scale confrontation”

“The Pella?” Holden said

“With the Free Navy fleet, sir, but when they rouping, turning the other way It’s got a lot of inertia to overcoes its acceleration profile, it looks to be on a course that will bring it within a million klicks of us”

“That’s not accidental,” Fred said

“It isn’t, sir,” Maura said “The vessel’s registered at the Chetzee follows”

Holden’s knuckles hurt and he forced himself to relax his fists Nao on the verge of passing out frolass of water As dire as thehis knots When Naoe was done, he fell back in his couch, li She was in trouble, but it was tr

ouble they could fix She was on her way back toward him

“Thank you, Mister Patel,” Holden said “In thanks, you may now have all my stuff I don’t care about any of it anymore”

“Including the coffee maker, sir?”

“Almost all my stuff”