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“They got to Nicola,” he said “They s about me About Mei”

“Of course they did That’s what they do And if they wanted to, they’d have papers and police reports to back it all up, backdated and put in the databases of everywhere you ever lived”

“I hate it that people think I did that”

Avasarala nodded, then shrugged

“Reputation never has very much to do with reality,” she said “I could naons of virtue that are horrible, small-souled, evil people And some of the best men I know, you’d walk out of the room if you heard their names No one on the screen is who they are when you breathe their air”

“Holden,” Prax said

“Well He’s the exception,” she said

The botanist looked down and then up again His expression was aletic

“Mei’s probably dead,” he said

“You don’t believe that”

“It’s been a long time Even if they had her medicine, they’ve probably turned her into one of these … things”

“You still don’t believe that,” she said The botanist leaned forward, frowning like she’d given him a probleht to bomb Io I can have thirty nuclear warheads fired now Turn off the engines, let theh, but so before we even get there”

“You’re right,” Prax said And then, athat?”

“Do you want the real reason, or my justification?”

“Both?”

“I justify it this way,” she said “I don’t knohat is in that lab I can’t assume that the ht be slagging the records that will letones I don’t know everyone involved in this, and I don’t have proof against soo, I’ll find out, and then I will reduce the lab to radioactive glass afterward”

“Those are good reasons”

“They’re good justifications I find theht still be alive”

“I don’t kill children,” she said “Not even when it’s the right thing to do You would be surprised how often it’s hurt my political career People used to think I eak until I found the trick”