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arti—What artifact? Are you all right, Alacrity? What are you— God in the Void !"
    Alacrity yelled aloud too, and heard other cries, and howls from the Severeemish. Scimitar vanished in a hellish explosion, lighting the valley walls and the Blue Pearl's interior with an unbearable white glare.
    CHAPTER 3—ZAGGING IN THE ZIGGURAT
    The Pearl's attack alarms were much more shrill and unnerving than her alerts. The hull darkened instantly against the glare, sparing those inboard it blindness. There was a confusion of half-begun shrieks, bellows, and exclamations.
    The ship pealed and skirled as the roiling globe of the explosion ballooned. There was a subtle change as the shuttle's artificial gravity stood in for the real thing, anticipating maneuver forces.
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    [Fitzhugh 2]-JINX ON A TERRAN INHERITANCE
    The Pearl began to descend slowly, indecisively. She'd assumed position well out of what her Celestial captain estimated to be effective light-weapons range, but Scimitar's vaporization proved that someone had misread the situation entirely.
    The momentary debate hung almost tangibly in the air: withdraw or attack?
    Alacrity was hoping Redlock wasn't the kind to charge hellbent into battle hungry for revenge. There was the well-being of the passengers, Yumi and the others, to consider, even if the health of a rootless breakabout and a Terran functionary didn't exert any gees.
    A moment later there wasn't any point wondering about Redlock's caution. Fireballs arrowed up at them, leaving blazing trails behind.
    "Mis—" Seven Wars started to yell.
    There were giant detonations and the Blue Pearl attempted to turn turvey.
    — siles, Floyt finished to himself automatically. He fully expected to be immolated, his particles swept along by the irresistible forcewall of an explosion. He should've known that Governor Redlock wasn't the type to travel in a fragile, defenseless gaud.
    Alacrity wouldn't've been terribly flabbergasted to be demoted from rational being to elementary particles either. But he was surprised when, concussed by near misses, the shuttle's artificial gravity was knocked out. He wanted to say, I really prefer ersatz, as the actual item sent him windmilling through the air. All he got out was "Shhh—"
    All the things that people, however careful, had forgotten, physics remembered, and didn't miss a trick.
    Though plants had been anchored in their bunkertike planters, branches and fronds whipped, some breaking loose. The air was a whirlwind of leaves, petals, flying soil that had sifted through retention nets, fragments of bark, and projectile fruit. Loose glasses and a bottle overlooked by Charivari shattered into splinters.
    The furniture had remained secure, but cushions went sailing. Weapons, ammunition, and various pieces of clothing and equipment flew. Sortie-Wolf nearly lost an eye to a stylus from an inner pocket of his own uniform tunic, which he'd set aside.
    The passengers themselves set up an ululation of concerted wails, roars, and howls as they tried to protect themselves even while they whirled and fell, tumbling.
    Alacrity and Floyt slammed against the convex of the hull. Redlock, seizing a well-mounted sculpture, saved both himself and Dorraine. One of the Severeemish bodyguards tore through a section of railing.
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    [Fitzhugh 2]-JINX ON A TERRAN INHERITANCE
    The porcelain funeral urn containing the remains of First Councillor Inst remained firmly in place, but a hurtling rocket magazine hit it squarely, bursting it apart. Gray-white ashes were scattered across the passenger space.
    The Pearl swung back, righting herself. Alacrity and Floyt slid down the curve of the hull to land in a heap on the deck, stunned. The shuttle was shaking