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another. They were all the same. Thousands—no, millions, maybe billions of living forms. BB closed and blanked completely, totally dulled. (Your friend’s in there.) Ed came in both gentle and sad. BB opened slightly, still dulled. (What?) (When he hadn’t appeared at the Station, that’s the only answer.) BB still blanked. (He’s in there?) (Yep.) (What is it! There wasn’t anything like that during the TSI cruise, when we stopped over …) (You were focused totally on physical matter. Cruise groups pop through the Intermediate Area, like avoiding a bump in the road.) BB blanked again. (Road? Bump?) (Forget it, not important, human terms.) (But all those living forms …) (Repeaters.) (Repeat, repeat what?) (They want to go through another experience as human.) BB closed tightly. Rote was coming so fast it was almost beyond control. Incredible that anyone would want to go the route a second time. The first looked bad enough. Yet the percept was obvious. Knowing AA, it was obvious. He opened. The shock wore off. (Can we find him among all those others?) Ed smoothed. (Good possibility. Most First-Timers hitting the repeat route usually end up in the outer band. Can you spot him? I mean, could you get a percept on him easily?) BB lighted. (AA? Got more rote on him than anyone in KT-95. No problem.) (Then you may well be able to turn him out of it.) Ed swung around. (We better get over to the processing gate.) CLICK! BB scanned intently the multitude of animate forms passing under him. AA and his impulses. Never did know when to stop if he got