Defecting, again, partly for his sake.
He let out a breath. ]
... I've got a lot to catch you up on. If you want to be caught up.
... Please tell me that food can be involved, too? I'm hungry enough to eat a horse.
Alrigh' - so what's the last thing you remember, anyway?
Christ, alright. There's a lot to go over. [ As he just - starts eating the food with his fingers right off the tray. He's hungry. ]
Maybe we should go somewhere a little more comfortable, 'cause this is gonna be a long story.
I can eat on the way.
[ Which he proves, by shoving some of it in his mouth as he heads out into the hallway. ]
Well, first good news is that we found Mei. And stopped the war. And saved Mars from a hybrid launch.
And I wish I could say that was the most eventful part of this story.
Turned out that one of the Earth Admirals got the launch codes for - hell, must've been nearly two dozen pods - and during a battle above Io, launched 'em all for Mars. I got a few with PDC rounds, but we ended up havin' to go to the Agatha King and get the launch codes. Naomi and me, I mean. We -
No, I'm tellin' this story all wrong, I'm gonna jump the hell around, like this. Okay.
We let the kids go back to the Martian Navy with a message from Chrisjen, then we headed for Io...
[ And he proceeded to tell the story of the first half of the third Season of the Expanse while they walked. ]
They'd've been idiots not to. [ He managed to finish the story just as they reached the sixth floor, and he frowned for a second as he tried to remember where he was supposed to be - and then headed for 6.25. ]
It was an illegal war, Gunny, and you and Chrisjen basically saved the whole damn system. She ended up UN Secretary General - the least they could do was let you be a Marine again.
Us - uh - we didn't get as warm a reception. Ended up gettin' sued by Mars over the ownership of the Roci.
You did, though. It was really kind of you, actually. You checked in on 'em, for me. Told me Melas was a cute kid. [ He smiled, a little, before walking over to one of the matresses on theother side of the room and sliding down the wall with the nearly-empty food tray on his lap.]
Then you got shipped out to the Ring, right about the same time a journalist ended up chartering us to take her out there, too. Did a documentary on us and the Roci, and in return paid the legal fees for the fight with Mars.
Yeah. You went on my behalf, since I couldn't. It meant a lot. Didn't change anythin' regarding divorce procedures, though, but I think Melas appreciated it.
Hey, not remembering that's at least better than you not rememberin' me at all.
I'd be hard pressed not to. Though I almost thought I lost you, twice, but- come on, lemme finish the rest of the story.
[ He paused, leaning his head back against the wall with a hum. ]
So, we were headin' back to Ganymede, with you and Chrisjen and all the kids when it happened. The protoshit, on Venus, had been workin' away that whole damn time, and like a damn Krakken from the deeps, it rose outta the cloud bank like a giant ship.
Swore I nearly had a heart attack, when I saw the news feed.
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