Draj listened. The two of them were alone in a holding cell, one of the places used by the sanctioners before onward movement of prisoners to either the chasteners or the standard cell blocks. It smelled very bad. The steel walls and floor were thick with patina and desperate graffiti, and the lumen strobed in a way that guaranteed a headache. But it was secure, lined with thick plates to ensure no comms could get through, and since it fell under Draj’s purview, they wouldn’t be disturbed.

‘For what purpose?’ the sergeant asked, sceptically.

‘Avro Lascile controls the warehouses. Udmil Terashova is now hooked up with him, so I assumed she knew about them. I assumed she planned it all to gain control of the stem-culture trade, deprive Mordach of any benefit from what he’d been planning. That seemed reasonable – she’s ruthless enough. But now I think I was wrong. Yes, she did all those things – made Adeard disappear, got the Vidora’s operations shut down, angled to hurt Mordach, and now stands to become richer than she ever was before. But it was to kill it, not to profit from it. She doesn’t know it’s still going on. She doesn’t know.’

Draj continued to look unsure. ‘You’re certain of that?’

‘Nothing’s certain, sergeant, save the Glory of the Throne and the rain in winter, so that’s why I need to get to her. To talk.’

‘Won’t be easy.’

‘I know. So I need you too.’

Draj thought on that. Watching his big, scarred face wrestle with an idea was an interesting experience. You could almost see the synapses fire. ‘I don’t see how it’s possible.’

‘Oh, it’s possible, even without roping a squad in. It’s like Kharkev told me – they’re only vulnerable when they’re on the move. Their groundcars are armoured.’ He smiled. ‘But there’s armour, and there’s armour. How fast can you push a Bulwark, when you need to?’

‘In a straight line, as fast as anything on wheels. Just don’t ask to make a turn.’

‘We know where she goes, the places she’s active in. Both her and Avro have just got what they wanted, and they’ll be more worried about Mordach than anyone else. They have every reason to believe I’ve dropped the case. We strike now, or we can forget about it forever.’

Draj leaned forward, jabbing a thick finger at him. ‘And this’ll do it? This’ll get that place burned? That’s the only reason I’m even thinking about it.’

‘It’s the one shot we have. We can’t touch Lascile. She can.’

He thought some more. ‘And it’s still on the quiet.’

‘No one knows. Not Vongella, not anyone. We’re on our own, and if this goes wrong, you know what that means.’