“Yes, but what if the empire is just a source for the tech? We have as little information for the space stations, especially those outside our jurisdiction. We know for sure that Khandro comes from off-world. I could fly up there three days from now and see what they’re up to.”

“And how the hell do you propose to do that?”

Shit. Of course he didn’t know. “Way back, after everything went down in Marrakech, Connor and I applied for lottery spots on all of the space stations. We found out a few days ago that we got seats on a launch to Eko-Yi for the twenty-fourth. I had assumed I wouldn’t go since I’d be heading to the Maghreb.”

“You’re still headed there, aren’t you? You were the one who said you didn’t want in on this operation unless we were serious about opening a theater in North Africa. We finally have the authorization to go in after years of waiting. You’d give that up?”

“No, but I want to stop the Machinehood more. If we’re wrong about the caliph, we’ll be missing a chance to get a pair of eyes on the station.”

Olafson frowned. “Eko-Yi will know who you are.”

“So?”

“You trained to be an intelligence liaison, Ramírez, not to work espionage. You wouldn’t know how—”

“Troit can help me.”

“He was an analyst! He doesn’t know shit about human intelligence gathering.” Olafson took a breath. “I admit you’re the best shot we have at getting someone on that station, but you’re also one of our most qualified to get into the empire.”

Welga dug her nails into the back of her neck. Olafson had a point. She wanted a chance to settle the debts of the past, but she couldn’t ignore the pain the Machinehood had caused either. If the empire was the source of both, she’d go into the Maghreb with no qualms, but with the dakini admitting to living on Eko-Yi, someone had to get up there. If only she could clone herself, she could go everywhere, do everything, because goddamn it, she did have experience with the al-Muwahhidun, but double goddamn it, no one else had a way onto Eko-Yi Station, and that brought her full circle.

“It kills me to say this,” she said, “but I think I’m better off not going to the Maghreb.”

Olafson stared at her with a mixture of exasperation and irritation. “Let’s see what Rice thinks.”

The director strode into the room with storm clouds chasing her expression. A hush fell across the room as others noticed her mood.

“At sixteen hundred hours, the president will make a statement on the emergency channels that confirms Eko-Yi Station’s collusion with the Machinehood and announce an embargo on all shipments to them. Private rocket launches will remain grounded until further notice.”

Murmurs flew around the room.