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Main Core Workroom


“Hey, Deels.”

The figure at the workbench tensed, hands pausing for an instant on the assembly work.

“Tolly Jones, why aren’t you gone?”

“Well, there’s a story there,” he said, moving forward slow and easy. “Short form’s my partner feels like this particular situation is defensible, and pretty much the best we’re gonna get. Might as well meet whatever’s incomin’ on known ground, is how her thinking tends, and I can’t say she’s wrong.”

Delia turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest, and leaning back against the workbench.

“You care anything about what happens to this partner of yours?”

“I do, and I’m a fool for it. Turns out, I care about what happens to a couple people, which is why you see me here. Got a present for you.”

She stared at him.

“A present.”

“I still owe you for not taking me down, that time on Mon Dawmin.”

She closed her eyes, briefly.

“Tolly, this is for realies. This station is gonna be swarming with Directors—Directors, you hear me?—in a slow count of twelve. If you don’t think there’ll be a whistle in every pocket, you got to adjust your thinking fast, and get out of here.”

She cocked her head toward the workbench.

“You know what I’m building here?”

He glanced past her, and lifted a shoulder.

“At a guess, I’d say you were building a rack-and-tile system to the pattern of the one that got liberated in a raid on Researcher Veeoni’s lab, and that the Directors think’ll give them control of Tinsori Light.”

Delia’s eyes narrowed.

“They think?”

Tolly grinned. “You met Seignur Veeoni, right?”

“Yeah.” She looked over her shoulder at the workbench, her mouth twisting a little at the corners.

“But that’s Director bidness!” Tolly said merrily. “Nothing to do with us two, right now today. Here.”

He reached into his pocket, got the pod out, and offered it to her on an open palm, so she could get a good look at it.

“What’s that?”

“Your present. Kind of a risk, but that’s never stopped either of us that I know about. Worse case, it won’t do anything. Best case, it’ll give you a choice when you most want one.”

Delia’s eyes widened just a little; he only saw it because he’d been watching for something. She was good, was Deels.

“Choice,” she repeated, and there was a little breath in her voice, too. “So, what’ll I do with it, stick it in my ear?”

“Just hold onto it ’til it’s ripe for eating.”

“It’s not ripe?”

“I don’t think so,” Tolly told her earnestly. “But I wouldn’t necessarily know. It was made for you, particularly.”

She reached out like she didn’t really want to, and Tolly felt a spurt of fellow-feeling.

Once she had it in hand, he raised both of his, fingers spread, and backed away.

“That’s it. Best I can do, even if I don’t know what it is. I’d say trust me, but it’s no joke, right?”

Deels snorted, but she put the pod into her pocket.

“You’re staying?” she asked.

“I’m staying.”

She shook her head and turned back to the workbench.


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Framed