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She s to be fking up everything I did right up to now”

Holden ot up and opened the refrigerator “Hey, there’s leftover pudding Want some?”

“I’ve read your psych profile I know all about your ‘everyone should know everything’ naive bullshit But how oddamned endless pirate broadcasts? Well?”

“None of it,” Holden said “Desperate psychotic people do desperate psychotic things when they’re exposed I refuse to grant them immunity from exposure out of fear of their reaction When you do, the desperate psychos wind up in charge”

She laughed It was a surprisingly war on is at least desperate and probably psychotic to boot Dissociative at the least Let me explain it this way,” Avasarala said “You tell everyone, and yeah, you’ll get a reaction And et sorted out But you tell the right people, and we can sort it out right now”

A therht toward the coffeepot Prax followed hi Avasarala’s eyes narrowed and she said, “Maybe even save that little girl”

“Mei?” Prax said i around

Oh, that was low, Holden thought Even for a politician

“Yes, Mei,” Avasarala replied “That’s what this is about, right, Jiirl from very bad people?”

“Explain how—” Holden started, but Avasarala kept talking right over the top of him

“The UN isn’t one person It isn’t even one corporation It’s a thousand little, petty factions fighting against each other Their side’s got the floor, but that’s temporary That’s always teroup They can cut off his support, strip hih ti ith Mars And if you toss everything you know into the wind, Mars won’t have tiure out the subtleties; they’ll have no choice but to preeuyen’s fleet, Io, what’s left of Gany”

“Io?” Prax said “But Mei—”

“So you want ive all the info to your little political cabal back on Earth, when the entire reason for this problem is that there are little political cabals back on Earth”

“Yes,” Avasarala said “And I’ot You have to trust me”

“I don’t Not even a little bit I think you’re part of the proble and power games I think you want to win So no, I don’t trust you at all”

“Hey, uh, Cap?” A the top onto his ther?”

“What, A?”