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Sleeping dogs had been left to lie until they were good and rested And the sting of it orse because souilty as anyone of taking her eye off the ball

The ih froh froh the gate decades ago The blast that had scattered the Tori Byron was y stellar phenomena than a weapon huun eaates theetic equivalent of a solar flare It had destroyed the Sharon Chavez, a freighter that had been waiting for clearance from Medina’s traffic control Her crew died in the blink of an eye, and not even froet her e Too sudden

“The attacker has disabled the relay network,” Vaughn said, answering sonals co space Medina is effectively cut off”

Drummer squeezed her fists until they ached She couldn’t let her mind wander like that It didn’t matter that she felt traumatized The union was under attack, and it was all on her She had to keep focus “We do have soate The interference is too severe to get anything with high definition, but enough that we can say with some confidence that Medina Station was boarded We have to assume it’s been taken”

“Can we get data through the gates?” Druh the interference on both sides? Or tightbeaes to the other systems?”

“It’s possible,” Lafflin said in a tone of voice that meant he didn’t actually think it was possible “But it would certainly be monitored And our encryption sche at known tech” His hand tere and lifted his eyebrow “Excuse me for a moment Someone’s made a mistake”

Drummer waved her permission, and the inner left them to themselves When the doors had closed behind hi as it’s just us, what are the options?”

“If we can find a way to communicate with the other systems, we can coordinate a counterattack,” Santos-Baca said “I’ve been putting together a spreadsheet of the resources we have in each system”

“Let me see,” Drummer said Santos-Baca flipped the data to Dru onto a new solar system Almost all of thees to scientific coe of self-sustainability The union’s void cities were the largest ships, but she could only pour attacking forces through so quickly without losing theh one at a tiers to her lips, pinching the flesh against her teeth until it ached a little There was a way There had to be a way

She had to put first things first And thatcommunications with all the union forces in all the systems Some kind of stealth relay system had to be put in place Maybe so enough to let her sneak new repeaters on either side of if not all the gates, then a strategic few—

“Ma’am,” Lafflin said from behind her, “please, you can’t—”

An unfa rest, Benedito I can do whatever the fuck I want Who’s going to tell me not to? You?”

The old woravity of People’s Ho, and pulled back in a bun at the base of her skull Her skin was slack and papery, but there was an intelligence in her eyes that the years hadn’t dimmed She looked up at Drurandot the first shuttle I could How’s your brother doing?”

Druh a flurry of reactions—surprise that the woman was here, a flicker of starstruck awe, disorientation at being called by her first narand dame of inner-planet politics—knew about her brother at all, and finally the solid certainty that every feeling she’d just experienced had been anticipated More than anticipated Designed It was all a race that knowing that didn’t make it ineffective

“He’s fine,” Druroell”