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wasn't thinking."
She reached across the narrow table and laid her hand on his. Her fingers were
cool.
"Would you whistle or sing, whatever you like, just one song?"
Gerswin wet his lips, half-closed his eyes, and began. The first notes were
shaky, but he let them come, hoping that no one else would walk into the lounge
while he did.
As he finished a shortened version of the lament, he realized mat both her
hands grasped his right hand.
"That was beautiful."
He tried to withdraw his hand, but her fingers tightened fractionally, and he
did not want to seem as though he were yanking his hand loose.
"I'd like to change. I'm still cold. Would you come with me?" Dara Altura stood
slowly, her grayish-green eyes fixed on his, as her fingers lingered on his hand
before slowly sliding off as she rose.
Gerswin stood also, but let his hand slide away from hers.
"You're too kind, Dara. But I appreciate it."
Her eyes hardened slightly.
"Not you. Me. Long story, and I'd rather not go into it. Not for a while. I'll see
you at the mess, if you like. And I enjoyed talking with you."
"You sure?"
Gerswin smiled, trying to convey the mixture of sadness and confusion he felt.
"Unfortunately."
"Friends, at least?"
"Friends."
She laughed, with a gentleness he had not heard before. "You're probably
right." Then she shivered. "I am cold, and I will see you later."
The auditor closed her mouth and studied his face. Gerswin looked at the
sideboard and the two steaming pots-one for cafe, one for liftea.
"Oh ... I think I understand. Do you talk about your impressions of the
Empire?"
"Sometimes."
"What about Old Earth? Not what's happened in the Service, but your own
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feelings."
"Home. Like to see her restored. Don't know if it can be done. Like to see it."
The captain took another sip of the tea, holding the old-fashioned mess mug in
two hands and letting the steam drift up and around her face, so near her chin
was the mug.
Gerswin took a sip and placed his own mug back on the dark gray plastic of the
table.
"How did you end up an I.S.S. officer?"
"Why not? Good reflexes and enough brains to scrape through the Academy.
Besides, didn't know enough Imperial culture to do it any other way. Devilkids
don't know all the graces. The Academy assumes nothing."
"Do you regret it?"
"The Academy? The Service? No."
"You paid a high price, Greg."
He stiffened fractionally at the use of his first name, but said nothing, and
nodded for her to continue.
"You've been commissioned what, ten years, and you're a Senior Lieutenant? I
was commissioned eight years ago, and not from the Academy."
"And you're a captain. You're an auditor."
"You're a pilot. Direct line. I'll bet most of your contemporaries are captains."
"You may be right."
He took another sip of the liftea before adding, "But it always takes longer in
non-Fleet commands."
"I hope you're right." She pursed her lips, wet them with her tongue, and
pursed them again. Then she looked at the sideboard, before glancing down at
the table. Finally, she met his eyes. "How can you whistle like that, like you did
outside?"
Gerswin wondered if he had made a mistake. Captain Altura was nice enough,
outside of her role as Imperial nitpicker and auditor, and attractive in a stiffly
friendly way. But she was no Caroljoy, nor even a Faith Hermer, who was always
warm and friendly even when she disagreed violently on specific issues.
Gerswin looked at the tabletop.
"Can you whistle like that again?"
"Captain-"
"Dara, please."
"I don't often. Personal. Escaped me outside. Was watching the clouds and
wasn't thinking."
She reached across the narrow table and laid her hand on his. Her fingers were
cool.
"Would you whistle or sing, whatever you like, just one song?"
Gerswin wet his lips, half-closed his eyes, and began. The first notes were
shaky, but he let them come, hoping that no one else would walk into the lounge
while he did.
As he finished a shortened version of the lament, he realized that both her
hands grasped his right hand.
"That was beautiful."
He tried to withdraw his hand, but her fingers tightened fractionally, and he
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Click here to buy
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did not want to seem as though he were yanking his hand loose.
"I'd like to change. I'm still cold. Would you come with me?" Dara Altura stood
slowly, her grayish-green eyes fixed on his, as her fingers lingered on his hand
before slowly sliding off as she rose.
Gerswin stood also, but let his hand slide away from hers.
"You're too kind, Dara. But I appreciate it."
Her eyes hardened slightly.
"Not you. Me. Long story, and I'd rather not go into it. Not for a while. I'll see
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