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I smile to placate them "Of course Just a theory The mind wanders from tiether for their own ship

"You overstepped," Orion says

"I beg your pardon?"

"You have ears"

I look down, searching the pale blue tattoos on her dark skin as if theher mind "You’re observant for a Blue"

"Because I kno the world works outsidethe docks, dominus When you’re at the botto"

"Which docks?" I ask

"Phobos Father was a Docker, born outside the Sects Died when I was srow big in the Hive dock cities It’s the only way to beat the monsters"

"It’s not the only way," I say

"No?" she asks, surprised

"You can always become a monster too"

Orion turns froence burns behind her arctic eyes "And there’s the beauty of space A billion paths to choose"

I’ when the comBlue calls from the pit

"Doustus"

31

Coup

"Father is captured," she says toship She’s flanked by several Obsidian bodyguards in battle-scarred armor A dozen Grays exit the shuttle behind thest theerous The Jackal’s hunters They salute ss and a dozen storks sit parked the bay--large enough a place to s all of Lykos’s Coes and Greens cla reet Mustang with nar Roque did not respond to , but she’s in a rage Spittle flying out of her ry eyes Exhaustion pulls at her face

"Pliny has begun a coup He arrestedwith six of our Praetors More than twenty of my father’s bannermen have sworn new oaths of fealty And we’ve lost control of the fleet"

I ask Mustang if she’s injured

"Injured?" She sneers the word "As if that could matter They killed my men We came upon the Academy in stealth, and as soon as I launchedships, a Bellona fleet eed from behind an asteroid and destroyed every one of my leechCraft Ten thousand uns on us that we could do nothing but surrender It was uess

She nods "And Pliny They didn’t lead the Bellona on a goose chase They led theht into my operation"

"Why didn’t Pliny just kill you?" Sevro asks

"A iti If she thinks his presence here strange, she doesn’t let on "It’s his nature He came to you beforehand, didn’t he?"