Vol. 3 Chap. 112 Medici Family Values

Vol. 3 Chap. 112 Medici Family Values

Sophia didn't even blink. The asp wand flicked up and she tried to shoot from around knee high. Incisive saw it coming. Between the warning and her concrete-slow movement, he flicked it away with an outstretched foot.

Glad to see I raised you right. His voice was bone dry. Why dont you grill me on details of our childhood instead? Or ask what happened? You wont win a fight.

You have no idea what I am capable of. Her voice was deadly calm.

Yeah, but why dont you go ahead and list every fight I lost. Dad doesn't count.

She hesitated a moment. You tell me. You are the one answering questions, apparently.

I didnt. Largely because I picked my fights carefully, and didnt fight unless it was absolutely necessary and I was sure I could win. Eeh except against Thierrie, but he was going to rape Vig, so call it an exception. Now, did I catch a shitload of beatings from Level One gangsters while I was out scavenging or running errands or whatever? Yes. But like with Mom and Dad, that was catching a beating, not a fight. Truth kept the tone casual.

Oh really? A real tough guy, eh?

He gave her a crooked smile. Didnt you tell me once you thought I lost my cherry as both a virgin and a killer when I was about fourteen?

Did I? She kept her face flat. He was mildly impressed.

You did. It was after you and Vigor got in trouble for scrapping with those kids in your school, on account of you fucking their significant others. A habit I was happy to see you stopped, by the way. Clearly focusing on your schoolwork paid off. He smiled. He was genuinely happy for her too. Her getting into the university of Jeon was a dream for both of them.

Well, with such a long suspension, I was scared straight.

Nah, you can do better. Clearly as a top secret super spy, I researched your academic history. Discipline goes on your permanent record, and yours is clean.

Not clean-

If you graduated with a single black mark, it happened after I vanished. Vice-Principal whatshisname knew it was his ass if my sibs had any problems in school.

She hesitated a moment there. Actually, I always wondered what happened there.

Truth smiled. It wasnt a nice smile. How much do you know about the Starbrite Oath?

Same as everybody, I guess?

Notice the bit about obeying all local laws as may apply?

Sure. She shrugged.

For enough credits, Starbrite will sell you an indulgence. Terms and conditions apply, but you can literally spend money to exempt yourself from some of the terms of your oath for a limited period. I bought one. Offing a Level One D-Tier principal? I fucking overpayed. I could have caught his whole damn family with him, and still had change left over. And he knew it.

She blinked at that. You can just ignore laws with an indulgence?

I could ignore the part of my oath that made me obey the law. And that obey the law bit had let us say a very narrow interpretation. In that, it only applied in a narrow selection of circumstances.

Huh. She seemed to be considering this. And the consequences of breaking the law?

Would have been on me to deal with. But my usual C-Tier benefits would have applied, along with PMC privilege. Provided I was reasonably discreet, there would be no consequences to speak of. His voice turned grim. Those privileges came with a damn high price.

Ah. Makes sense. So. You are apparently my brother, who, for all his flaws, was downright doting and very protective of his siblings. And just vanished for five years. Or, as I was informed, in writing, by your boss, was dead.

Oh, that was nice of Clavegaugh, I guess. Sounded off.

Im pretty sure it was a form letter.

There you go. Truth nodded. THAT sounded more like it.

So. You look good for a dead man. Not much like my brother. A bit meaty. But fit.

First of all, hurtful. Second, I got better.

Explain that.

So I dont think I ever told you how I broke through? I just came back in the middle of the night.

Yes.

You thought I had died.

Did we? She asked, in a bare monotone.

You did.

Oh. To Truths pride and pain, she looked like she was shutting down more, not opening up more.

Because Im hurting. Because I built my whole life around you guys, and you were always the one thing that made all the everything worthwhile. And because you didnt let me finish explaining how I came back to life, and you didnt ask the most important question.

More important than the secret of your resurrection?

Yes. How I died.

Twenty minutes later, Sophia was staring at the wall. Truth waited patiently, then impatiently, then started looking at the door.

When do your roommates get back?

Who knows?

Sophia

Oh shut up for a minute. She didnt mutter, but her mind was obviously elsewhere.

He waited a little longer. Got anything to read here? She waved at a low bookcase of textbooks and journals.

I was thinking more cheap romance novels, mysteries, thrillers, that kind of thing. He was entirely willing to admit that he didnt even understand the titles of these publications, and had no illusions about the contents.

She wrinkled her nose at him. Ew.

What Ew, they are great!

I dont think there is a single original concept in any of them, let alone useful information.

Aha! Thats where you are wrong. I have relied on romance novels a lot.

For what? Disappointing women?

Truth felt that one land, but pressed on. First, no, my girlfriend laughed at the lines, and they kept me from saying dumb things. So thats a clean win. Second, they give me personas to imitate, and it is AMAZING how much people believe in them.

I wish I didnt believe you.

Truth looked over at her, catching her eyes. Do you believe me?

She closed her eyes and leaned back on the sofa. I dont know. Maybe. Five years. And they werent very nice years.

The way she said it tore up his guts. Can you tell me about it.

I dont want to. A teenage orphan, even with a great pension and a guaranteed C-Tier job waiting for them, does not have a nice time. Harmony tried to step up, and he did a pretty good job, but you were the only one who could ever keep Vig under any kind of control. And Harmony is doing fine, I guess, but I see less and less of him every year. And Vig said he was dropping out of sight for a long while, and he did just that, so who knows what happened to him.

Oh I know. He joined a revolutionary cell. I saw him up north. Didnt say hi, the timing was bad. Truth said with forced casualness. It got him a wild stare.

He is doing what?

Certified revolutionary, yeah. Not great, not terrible. Id rate his performance as barely passing, honestly, but my standards are pretty strict.

Yes, I, too, am concerned about my brothers professional qualifications and standards as a fucking terrorist who will be caught and executed! She hissed.

Err. Valid. Truth had neglected to mention what he was doing in Jeon, hadnt he

So what now? What exactly are you doing in Jeon?

Well. Fuck.

Looking for the Shattervoid girl, and if at all possible, murdering the shit out of the System Astrologica.

In Harban?

Where else would the system be? Truth shrugged, though he agreed with Sophia.

Under the biggest rock in the deepest trench in the middle of the ocean? Because Starbrite is Level Nine, and Starbrite, so he doesn't have to give a shit about little things like cost or practicality.

Truth immediately felt vindicated. I one hundred percent agree! But nobody has been able to run down the System, so here I am.

What do you mean, run it down?

Nobody has the faintest damn idea where it is.

Sophia nodded, then looked up at the ceiling. Then back at Truth, and gave him a weird look. You said that you dont think the Ghl operate on this level of reality?

Well, some part of them, yeah.

What if the System worked the same way?