Maggie had put her shirt back on and was listening carefully to him, which he appreciated. He paced in his cabin—our cabin, he corrected himself. She sat on the bed and watched him walk back and forth. His newly boosted brain was all over the place. "Am I being weird?"
Maggie shook her head. "I don't think there's any such thing when getting news like this. Everybody reacts differently."
Nick shook his head. "I feel guilty."
"No."
"I do. If I hadn't ssed with Earth's governnt and elites, Dad would still be alive."
"Would knowing that have stopped you?" Maggie asked bluntly.
Nick had to stop and think. The honest part of him responded probably not, but he didn't want to be a person who felt that way. "I wanted him in prison, not dead."
"A lot of people belong in prison, but so of them have walled off that option, so more extre asures were needed. Nick, I'd certainly prefer it if you didn't need to kill anyone, but that's not the world...the universe we live in."
"I don't feel guilty about killing the monster SOBs who made millions suffer just for sick funsies. I do feel guilty about the 52 people who died with Ivanovich. And I feel guilty about Dad."
"You didn't pull the trigger. If you want to play the bla ga, there are a whole lot of other people far more directly responsible, and you know it. You punished them, even—without killing anyone else, right?"
"I think so? I'd have to ask Captain Telnik."
"My point stands. You didn't kill him, you didn't give the order, and your actions have a million consequences no matter what you do or don't do. And I don't care how smart Petra is or the simulation thing is, you can't predict everyconsequence. People are going to die who otherwise wouldn't have. But a whole hell of a lot more people are going to live, who wouldn't have. Or would have suffered fates worse than death."
"Maggie?" Petra cut in. "You don't care how smart I am?"
Nick could see his smart fiancee squeeze her eyes shut for a mont as she took a breath. "It was an expression, Petra. Don't read it literally. I'll explain it later, okay? I very much care that you are smart and getting smarter. But right now, Nick is having lots of feelings, and we shouldn't distract him. So can you save your questions for later and give them to after we're done talking?"
"Yes, Maggie." There was a pause. Maggie and Nick looked at each other.
"...I...will...do that?" the UMP guessed, her comnt sounding like a question.
"Yes. Good job, Petra. Talk later. Thanks."
"Okay. You're welco, Maggie."
They waited a mont to make sure Petra wasn't going to interject again. Then, Nick shook his head. "She really is getting smarter."
"She is. I taught her that."
"Thank you." For a few monts, Nick just stood still and breathed. He was grateful that Maggie waited for him to get his thoughts together. "I..." He trailed off, went back to pacing, and tried again. "I feel guilty because I don't feel bad. I an, I feel bad, but I probably should be feeling a lot worse because my Dad died."
"Are you glad he's dead?" she asked quietly.
He turned the idea over in his head. "No."
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"Are you sad that he's dead?"
Nick felt sick to his stomach, then sighed heavily. "No."
"And that's all right." He shot her a glance in surprise and she nodded at him. "It is. You're allowed to feel whatever you feel, Nick. You don't have to announce it to the world, but it's all right. Honestly, I'm glad he's dead, at least a little. The only reason I might not be is because of how it's affecting you."
"He was a fucking asshole," Nick admitted.
"Damned straight. So...Nick...I know this might be rude, but...do you think you want to contact Tricia? You know, before she finds out on social dia?"
"Yeah. I suck as a brother, but I should at least do that."
In response, Maggie grabbed him in a hug. "You were a good brother, and you tried to protect her, and you made a mistake. Call Tricia. At least break the news to her."
"You're right. Petra?"
"Is it later now?" the artifact asked.
"Not quite, Petra," Maggie cut in, "but do you have a phone number for Nick's sister Patricia Tomsun?"
"Yes. Calling."
Nick made a strangled sound and shot Maggie a look. "A work in progress," she whispered.
"Patricia has refused the call."
Nick nodded. "She probably thinks you're spam. What telephone number are you using?" Petra told him. "Does that list as anything on her incoming call?"
"Yes." Petra repeated the number.
"Try again, but change the listing. Make it read...um..."
"Calling."
"What listing did you use?"
"Petra Tomsun."
That...will probably get her to answer, actually. Out of curiosity, if nothing else.
"Hello?"
For just a mont, Nick was stunned. It was the first ti in six years that he'd heard his sister's voice. His voice opened, and no words ca out.
"Hello?" Tricia repeated.
"Tricia, it's Maggie Palr. There's...news."
"What kind of news?"
"I'm sorry, but—"
"Dad's dead." Nick blurted it out. There was silence for a few seconds. "Sobody tried to kidnap him to use as leverage against , and they fucked up and killed him. I just found out."
There was another mont of quiet, then a wordless scream from the other end of the line, and Nick felt as if his heart had stopped beating.
"You FUCKER!" Patricia yelled. "You useless piece of shit! You got him killed? You got him killed?!"
"...Yeah." Nick couldn't think of anything else to say, anything else he had the right to say.
"I...I..." his sister fumbled for words a mont, then blurted, "I wanted him to suffer!" Nick held his tongue, and Maggie took his hand in hers. She wore a grimace that probably matched his own. "I wanted to punish him! I wanted to visit him in prison!"
Another pause. When she spoke again, her voice was quieter, and cracking. "I wanted...to make him apologize for...what he did..." She broke down and started sobbing.
"I'm sorry," Nick ground out. "I'm so sorry, Trish." Then he shut up, and let her cry while he listened.
"I'm sorry for what you lost, Trish," Maggie murmured after a while.
The voice on the other end gave a sort of hiccup-laugh. "Yeah. Yeah. too." They could hear her breathe heavily a few monts. "At least the fucker's in a much warr place now. And he won't ever hurt anyone again."
"Damn straight," Maggie whispered.
"Fuck. Fucking hell. So, space brother, did he suffer?"
"Shot in the head. I don't know the details yet."
"Fuck. Too easy for him, but at least he's not coming back like a bad zombie movie."
"I could ask them to use a silver bullet, you know, just in case," Nick suggested.
"No. I'll watch him be cremated and imagine I can hear him screaming."
You were always more hardcore than .
I should have wondered why. I'm sorry, sis.
"Who did it?" Tricia asked.
"Don't know, don't care. I told Captain Telnik to make them regret it and to scare the shit out of everybody else so nobody tries for you even after I'm gone."
"Don't go killing a bunch of people for ."
"I know. I'm doing it for cousin Mike, and everybody who ever was friends with any of our friends and stuff."
"I'm serious, don't start a fucking blood feud. Don't kill thousands like so crazy old Testant shit. I don't want that on my karma."
"I'll rein Telnik in if I have to."
"Good." There was a long pause. He could hear his sister take a deep breath. "So. What happens to after you leave? I've been in hiding since the night you got back."
"Steven Horton's gonna make you a billionaire, so you can hire all the security you need and do whatever the fuck you want for the rest of your life," Nick told her, glad he could give at least one bit of news that wasn't awful.
"...Seriously?"
"Yeah. I'm not gonna need it. I know I was a shit brother, and I know this doesn't make up for it, but..."
"A million dollars wouldn't make up for it. A billion dollars? Maybe. I hope so. I'll cry about it with my $5000/hour therapist for a few years and let you know." There was a pause.
"Wait. Maggie, isn't Nick in fucking orbit? What the fuck are you doing up there?"
"I'm...gonna be your sister-in-law in a few weeks. Before we leave to see the galaxy." Maggie hesitated, then added, "You're invited, of course."
"I'm not going to Nick's fucking wedding." Nick grimaced. He'd expected it, but it still stung.
"I might go to yours, though," Patricia added after a malicious pause.
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