“Yes, sir,” said Senior Security, and began to consult with her officers.
“She spoke with you,” I guessed, turning back to Captain Vel. “She told you the Presger had infiltrated the Radch in order to subvert and destroy it.” I saw answering recognition on Captain Vel’s face. I had guessed correctly. “She couldn’t have told that lie to anyone who remembered what the Presger did, when they thought humans were their legitimate prey. They are powerful enough to destroy us whenever they wish. No one is subverting the Lord of the Radch except the Lord of the Radch. She has been secretly at war with herself for a thousand years. I forced her to see it, all of her here, and she will do anything to prevent having to acknowledge this to the rest of herself. Including using Mercy of Kalr to destroy this station before that information can leave here.”
Shocked silence. Then Inspector Supervisor Skaaiat said, “We can’t control all the accesses to the hull. If she goes outside and finds a launch unattended, or willing to take her…” Which would be anyone she found, because who here would think of disobeying the Lord of the Radch? And there was no way to broadcast a warning to everyone. Or to ensure that anyone believed the warning.
“Carry the message as quickly as you can, as far as you can,” I said, “and let the omens fall as they will. And I need to warn Mercy of Kalr not to let anyone aboard.” Captain Vel made a quick, angry motion. “Don’t, Captain,” I said. “I’d rather not have to tell Mercy of Kalr I killed you.”
The shuttle pilot was armed and armored, and unwilling to leave without her captain’s direct order. I was unwilling to allow Captain Vel anywhere near the shuttle. If the pilot had been an ancillary I wouldn’t have hesitated to kill her, but as it was I shot her in the leg and let Seivarden and the two dock inspectors who’d come to do the manual undock for me drag her onto the station.
“Put pressure on the wound,” I said to Seivarden. “I don’t know if it’s possible to reach Medical.” I thought of the Security, soldiers, and palace guards all over the station, who likely had conflicting orders and priorities, and hoped that all the civilians were safely sheltered by now.
“I’m coming with you,” said Seivarden, looking up from where she knelt half on the shuttle pilot’s back, binding her wrists.
“No. You might have some authority with Captain Vel’s sort. Maybe even with Captain Vel herself. You do have a thousand years’ seniority, after all.”
“A thousand years’ back pay,” said a dock inspector, in an awed voice.
“Like that will ever happen,” said Seivarden, and then, “Breq.” And recollecting herself, “Ship.”
“I don’t have time,” I said, brusque and flat.
A brief flash of anger on her face, and then, “You’re right.” But her voice shook, just slightly, and her hands.
I turned without saying anything more and boarded the shuttle, pushing off from the station’s gravity into the shuttle’s lack of it, and closed the lock, then kicked myself over to the pilot’s seat, waving away a globule of blood, and strapped in. Thunking and pounding told me undocking had started. I had one wired-in camera fore, which showed me a few of the ships around the palace, shuttles, miners, little tenders and sail-pods, the bigger passenger and cargo ships either on their way out or waiting for permission to approach. Mercy of Kalr, white-hulled, awkward-shaped, its deadly engines larger than the rest of it, was somewhere out there. And beyond all of this, the beacons that lit the gates that brought ships from system to system. The station would have gone utterly, suddenly silent to them. The pilots and captains of these ships must be confused or frightened. I hoped none of them would be foolish enough to approach without permission from dock authorities.
My only other wired camera, aft, showed me the gray hull of the station. The last thunk of the undocking vibrated through the shuttle, and I set the controls on manual and started out—slowly, carefully, because I couldn’t see to either side. Once I judged myself clear, I picked up speed. And then sat back to wait—even at this shuttle’s top speed Mercy of Kalr was half a day away.