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“Ms Corlinowski, I’ve just seen the leaked video accusing Praxidike Meng of screwing his cute little five-year-old daughter When exactly did UN ets out that ere behind that, I would like to knohose resignation I’ it’s yours Give et back to me before I fire your inco and sent it

“She was the one that arranged it?” Bobbie asked

“Might have been,” Avasarala said, taking another bite of gin It was too good If she wasn’t careful, she’d drink a lot of it “If it wasn’t, she’ll find who it was and serve them up on a plate Emma Corlinowski’s a coward It’s why I love her”

Over the next hour, she sent a dozen es out, performance after perforation into Meng’s ex-wife and whether the UN could be held responsible for slander She put the Gany she could get about Mei Meng and the search for her She put in high-priority requests to have the doctor and the woman from Holden’s broadcast identified, and then sent a twenty-e, with a small, tacit request for the saht had changed the game If she’d had freedom, she’d have been unstoppable As it was, she had to assuainst alht and his allies were only human, and if she kept a solid flow of deht overlook soht notice the uptick in activity and look into it Or, if nothing else, her efforts ht’s sleep

It hat she had It wasn’t enough Long years of practice with the fine dance of politics and power had left her with expectations and reflexes that couldn’t find their right for her with frustration, and she took it out on who for at thebefore a full auditorium and handed a kazoo

She didn’t notice when she finished her gin She only put the glass to her mouth, found it empty, and realized it wasn’t the first time she’d done it Five hours had passed She’d had only three responses so far out of al That was soe control

She didn’t realize that she was hungry until Cotyar came with a plate, the s in with him Avasarala’s belly ith a roar, and she turned off her terminal

“You’ve just saved eant Draper’s idea,” he said “After the third ti”

“I don’t remember that,” she said as he put the dish in front of her “Don’t they have servants on this thing? Why are you bringing the food?”

“They do,the jumpy, are you?”

“As you say”

She ate too quickly Her back was aching, and her left leg was tingling with the pins and needles she got now fro woman, she’d never suffered that On the other hand, she hadn’t had the ability to pepper every major player in the United Nations and be taken seriously Tie It was a fair trade