“They gated,” I said. “Almost as soon as they saw us.” Certainly before they’d gotten our message, identifying ourselves. “They saw us, and thirty seconds later they moved.”

The jar that had dumped tea all over my feet had waked Lieutenant Tisarwat, as well as her Bos. One of Seivarden’s Amaats had fallen and sprained her wrist. Besides a few more broken dishes, there was no other damage—everything had been secured, in case we met some accident coming out of our self-made gate.

“But… but, sir, we’re a Mercy. We look like a Mercy. Why would they run away as soon as they saw us?” Then she put that together with our own very sudden move. “You don’t think they’re running away.”

“I wasn’t going to take the chance,” I acknowledged. An Etrepa hurriedly cleared away shards of porcelain and wiped up the puddle of tea.

“Exiting gate space in forty-five seconds,” said Ship, in all our ears.

“But why?” Lieutenant Ekalu asked. Truly alarmed, truly puzzled. “They can’t know what happened at Omaugh, the gates between here and there went down before any news could get out.” Without any knowledge of Anaander Mianaai’s split, or the varying loyalties of military ships and officers in that struggle, Captain Hetnys and Sword of Atagaris had no reason to react to our arrival as though it might be a threat.

Even citizens who thought the Radch had been infiltrated and corrupted, who believed some officials and captains were potentially enemies, didn’t know the struggle had broken into the open. “Either they already know something,” I said, “or something’s happened here.”

“Take hold,” said Ship, to all of us.

“Sir,” said Lieutenant Ekalu, “how do we know where Sword of Atagaris is, when we come out?”

“We don’t, Lieutenant.”

She took a breath. Thought of saying something, but didn’t.

“We probably won’t hit Sword of Atagaris,” I added. “Space is big. And this morning’s cast was fortunate.”

She wasn’t sure if I was joking or not. “Yes, sir.”

And we were back in the universe. Sun, planet, gates, background chatter. No Sword of Atagaris.

“Where is it?” asked Lieutenant Ekalu.

“Ten seconds,” I replied. “Nobody let go of anything.”

Ten and a half seconds later, a blacker-than-black hole opened up in the universe and Sword of Atagaris appeared, less than five hundred kilometers from where we had just been. Before it was even fully out of its gate, it began transmitting. “Unknown ship, identify yourself or be destroyed.”

“I’d like to see it try,” said Ship, but only to me.

“That’s not Captain Hetnys,” said Ekalu. “I think it’s her Amaat lieutenant.”

“Sword of Atagaris,” I said. Ship would know to transmit my words. “This is Fleet Captain Breq Mianaai commanding Mercy of Kalr. Explain yourself.”