Malcolm Reed was tough as nails. He could take a truly astonishing amount of punishment and still be "fine." His small, thin build belied that, though, and some, like Major Hayes, had to learn the lesson the hard way. There were still things, however, that could give Reed butterflies: Night watch high in the crow's nest of the tall ship Endeavour in the North Sea, a shuttlepod ride through an asteroid field with Travis Mayweather at the controls, the "thunk" of a gravitic mine attaching itself to the hull and the sight of Trip Tucker stepping out of the shower.