Jake had come to remind him that it was his first anniversary, and now they were smoking bracky together.
“Sheer luck, Jake,” Doc repeated. “You Martians are tough. But some day someone is going to die under my care, with the little equipment I have. Then—”
Jake nodded slowly. “Maybe, Doc. And maybe some day Mars will break free of the Lobbies. You’d better pray for that.”
“I’ve been—” Doc stopped, realizing what he’d started to say. The old man chuckled.
“You’ve been talking rebellion for months, Doc. I hear rumors. Whenever you get mad, you want us to secede. But you don’t really mean it yet. You can’t picture any government but the one you’re used to.”
Doc grinned. Jake had a point, but it was not as strong as it would have been a few months before. The towns under the Lobby were c
