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"They tried to kill ive this"

"She’ll come to Mars," I say

"Is there no chance for a snarls "Make amends with the woman who burned a moon, Pliny? Are you an idiot?"

"Peace will preserve your line, n, and what hope can there be?" Pliny is no fool with rhetoric "Her fleets are vast Her reat, cannot stand beneath the weight of the Society My liege, you raised me to your side because of my worth Because you trustedYour care is all I value So heed ard, and do not let this wound against the Sovereign fester Do not let war come of this Remember Rhea, yes, and how it burned Preserve your honored faustus raises his voice "When the Sovereign pushed against nity But now she cuts at race, beneath the aplomb, her knife will strike iron Wethe low atht?" Sevro asks "The blinking one over the altio bay door is opening, doo bay …" I frown "Can you override it?"

"No, doo bay door be …?

"He volunteered," Mustang says, voice panicked "Tactus volunteered"

"No," I snarl, startling everyone but Mustang We realized it at the same time "Sevro, Victra, on me!" I wheel around and sprint out the cabin doors, head ducked as I move fast as I can toward the back of the ship

"Prepare for evasive action," I hear Mustang say back in the cabin

"What’s happening?" Pliny whines

"TACTUS!" I bellow Victra and Sevro run at my heels The other Howlers and Houseer bay

Screwface unbuckles his crashbelt "He went past with the boy"

"Down!" I say, shoving him in his seat "Everyone stay seated!"

Tactus wouldn’t He couldn’t But why the hell not? Why would I ever assume he wouldn’t do what’s best for hie level, past the room where the Jackal operates on Quinn I shove open the door to the cargo hold and as open to show darkness wounded by city lights far beneath Clown and an Augustus lancer lie unconscious, bleeding They slide slowly toward the open bay door As for Tactus, he’s nothing but a distant dot in the darkness I cannot see him clearly, but I knohat he has taken Lysander

"Sevro" I gripLooks like he wants to jump out the back of the ship and follow Tactus into the air He can’t It’s too late Instead, we catch the two unconscious Golds before they slip down the open ramp Victra shuts it at the control panel The door hisses closed

"He doesn’t have any coear," Victra says breathlessly "Not after the EMP"

"Doesn’t need the gorydaear" Sevro points to Clown’s naked feet "The bastard has gravBoots Soon as he hits the ripWing scanners, he’ll be picked up"

I do theparties"

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