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The woman's gaze might have unnerved some folk. It certainly set Tex a little off-kelter. But he answered the woman nonetheless.

"Well, ma'am," he said, "I am travelling with some folks. They're an . . . odd bunch. But if you're looking to be impressed by a ship, you'd probably best look elsewhere. Considering our mechanic, I'm surprised we managed not to blow up yet. If you're looking for a few folks who have it rough, but somehow have the luck to stay alive, that'd be us."

He wasn't trying to dissuade the woman, but he was the sort who wouldn't sell you anything without telling everything that was wrong with it.

"If you've got the cash for passage, we'd be glad to take you on. But right now, we're scraping by, and the only personnel we need in the way of crew is a doc."