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“When you reply, make sure to tell Jizz I said ‘fuck off,’” Bobbie said The failure of the e wasn’t entirely Giselle’s fault, but Bobbie had picked Alex in the divorce, so acting like she bla was part of the best-friend pact Alex pushed against it, but she knew he also appreciated her saying all the things that he couldn’t

“I’ll send Giselle your love,” Alex said

“And tell Kit that Aunt Bobbie says hi, and I want new pictures Everything I have of hi out”

“You know it’s creepy to flirt with a kid you’ve known his entire life, right?”

“My love is a pure love,” Bobbie replied, then switched tactical to the mission parameters Freehold had a population of just under three hundred, all Earth-born They called then Citizens, whatever that meant But the colony-ship manifest had included a lot of firearms and a doard Freehold’s sun, the locals had had plenty of time to work themselves up

Reading along with her, Alex said, “Captain’ll need some backup down there”

“Yeah Talking to A on my list”

“Taking Betsy?”

“This is probably not a Betsy-level situation, sailor,” Bobbie said Betsy was Alex’s nickname for the suit of Martian Marine Recon ar on in years, but she kept it operational and charged anyway Itit was there Just in case

“Copy that,” Alex said

“Where is Amos, anyway?”

It was subtle, the difference between Alex being at ease and Alex trying to sound like he was at ease “Ship thinks he’s in the sick bay,” Alex said

Clarissa, Bobbie thought Well, shit

The Rocinante’s medical bay smelled like antiseptic and vomit

The antiseptic ca around the roo in its wake The acid-and-bile smell of vomit came from Clarissa Mao