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dark-paneled office at the shipowner.
 Good for you, said Kloss.  Have you made plans as to who you want to fly
with?
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That threw Carlyle for a moment. Could Kloss have forgotten? No, no
surely he was just being polite.  Well, we hoped that you might have
Lady
Brillig back by now. And that we re not too late. I was gone longer than
I d expected to be, your time.
 I certainly can use you, said Kloss. But his next words punched Carlyle,
leaving a vacuum in his gut.  I can have a ship for you to fly, all right. But
I can t say that it s likely to be your old ship. He paused, as though to
allow Carlyle to comment; but when Carlyle kept a stunned silence, he
continued,  We are going to be adding several ships to our fleet, and we d be
happy to have you with us.
Carlyle couldn t breathe. His head spun and his stomach hurt so badly he
nearly doubled over.  You you aren t getting
Lady Brillig
? he protested hoarsely. But that was what this had all been about! What
could he tell Janofer and Skan? It had never even occurred to him that Kloss
might not reacquire the ship!  But you said 
Kloss rubbed his forehead thoughtfully.  It s possible I spoke prematurely,
he admitted.  I don t recall precisely what I said last time
but in any case, circumstances have changed, and nothing is definite yet.
 When& will you know? Carlyle asked weakly.
 Hard to say, Kloss replied.  The best thing for you to do is to stay in
touch with my assistant, Alyaca Perone. Let me call her, and I ll introduce
you. He reached for the intercom.
Carlyle s head swam in a void, with no sensation remaining. There was no will
in him to fight any longer. Whatever would happen, let it happen.
Alyaca. Of all the times& of all the people to face now.
While Kloss spoke into the intercom, Carlyle squeezed his arms together across
his chest. Trying to hold himself together. Eyes blurring.
The door paled, and Alyaca walked in. She stopped in surprise when she saw
Carlyle; but she recovered quickly and produced a businesslike smile, with
only the corners of her mouth trembling. Carlyle s chest was so tight he
allowed his face no expression at all.
 Alyaca, said Kloss,  this is Rigger Carlyle.
 Yes, we ve met before, she said.  How are you, Gev? She walked over to
Kloss s desk but faced Carlyle.
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He was stunned to be reminded of how attractive she was, and how unlike a
rigger in her poise, her control.  I m& fine, he said, before losing his
voice.
Kloss said to Alyaca,  Gev wants to be kept informed if we acquire those
ships, and particularly if we reacquire the old
Lady Brillig
. Though I ve told him that last is, I regret, unlikely.
 Certainly, said Alyaca.  I remember your being interested in that ship.
She maintained a perfectly controlled expression.
 Fine, then. Why don t you show him your office so he ll know where to go to
see you, said Kloss.  Gev, thanks for coming in. Let me know if there s
anything else we can do for you.
Carlyle numbly followed Alyaca. When they were in the privacy of her office,
he stood near the door and said,  Well& hi.
She allowed herself a flickering smile, a real one this time, and said,
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 Hello, Gev.
They looked at each other for a minute, and then he said,  Well I guess I
should be getting back. And I m sure you have work to do.
 Actually, I don t, she answered.  I was just getting ready to leave the
office.
They looked at each other again, for what seemed five minutes to Gev, but was
probably closer to five seconds. He couldn t read her expression.
There was sort of a smile at her lips, and her eyebrows were raised
expectantly. A dozen feelings rushed back to him, feelings he had forgotten in
only four months. He wondered if Alyaca had forgotten.
 You have a new job, I guess. You didn t used to handle this kind of
business, he said, gesturing uncomfortably. She nodded.  I got in touch with
my friends, he said, bobbing his head.  They re coming back here, and we ll
be together again. All but one of us.
Silence. Then she said,  That s good to hear.
 Well, yes. And Cephean s still with me. The cynthian. He s off in the woods
again, with his riffmar. I think I told you about him before.
 Yes, I remember.
 So, well, it seems as though things might be working out at least sort of the
way I d hoped.
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Alyaca finally stirred. She picked up a filled pipe from her desk, lit it
carefully, and inhaled from it. She held the smoke for a moment, then exhaled.
The scent was of brintleaf, a relaxant herb harvested to the south of Jarvis.
 Good, she said, blinking.
 Alyaca 
 If you were going to say, she interrupted,  that we should go out for the
evening, I don t think it s a good idea.
Carlyle s chest pounded with conflicting urges, and he blurted,  I think&
right now it wouldn t be such a good idea. I need to rest& and we ll be
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