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“There will be a reception after we arrive,” Overstreet said “I’ with the local authorities”

“If you are satisfied with the security arrange “I trust your judgment”

It occurred to Biryar then that he’d just chosen the hoht spend the rest of his life in based wholly on its abstract qualities, without knowing the color of the walls or the shapes of the s If he had, it wouldn’t have changed anything

The Notus was rated for atmosphere, so there was no reason to dock at the lunar station There was a landing coned to withstand the ship’s drive plu thrusters and settled to the ground With the turbulence of atone, there was nothing to drown out the soft ticking of the hull plates as they cooled Biryar let the crash couch hold hiently into its cool blue gel

He had iined this moment a thousand tirave iive to the people ere now under his control It was i near the platonic ideal of a wise governor—stern, nize his loyalty to the High Consul and Laconia, as a model for them As an example to be followed

Now that the occasion was actually upon him, he was mostly aware of just how badly he needed to visit the head

He heard his cabin door open, and then the soft padding of feet on the deck Mona smiled down at him She had her forh-waisted and high-collared with layers of lace in Laconian blue She was dressing for this moment not in her role as soil scientist but as the spouse of a governor Her eyes betrayed only a little of her tiredness and anxiety To anyone who didn’t know her, not even that

“Ready?” she asked

Are you ready to take control of a planet? Are you ready to coe the reater human sphere into a tool that will, in time, feed trillions of people under a thousand different suns? He told himself that the flutter he felt in his stomach was excitement Not fear Never dismay

If she had been anyone else in all of humanity, he would have said Yes, I as were safe

“I don’t know”

She kissed hith of the to react to her and stepped back Distracted and aroused was no way to start his tenure as governor The milli he hadn’t said

“I’e,” she said

“That sounds wise”

She took his hand, squeezed it “We’re going to be fine,” she said