Trusko flipped the switches. ‘Drozna,’ he said, swallowing hard before carrying on. ‘That return may or may not have been real. Probably there’s nothing out there, but we’re coming back as a matter of routine. Have Surt check the sweeper. We’ll be in dock in fifty minutes.’

‘It was real,’ Drozna said. ‘Whatever I saw. But Surt’s looking into it anyway.’

‘Very good.’ Trusko closed the connection, then twisted back to look at us. ‘Tell me what you meant about the auguries, Fura.’

‘Ask Proz,’ I said.

He switched his gaze onto her. ‘Well?’

Prozor sighed, shook her head slowly. ‘You’d have found out in a few hours. The window’s tighter than I said it was. Much tighter. We’d have had time for one more trip into the bauble, and that’d have been cuttin’ it nice. The way those stars were starting to quiver, maybe not even that much time.’

‘Why?’ Strambli said. ‘Why did you lie about that?’

‘Because we needed the Ghostie stuff, and you wouldn’t have gone into the bauble if you’d known the odds,’ Prozor said.

‘We,’ Trusko said. ‘So it’s true. You’ve been working against us, both of you, this whole time . . .’ Then a dark thought seemed to settle behind his forehead. ‘Gathing. Surt. Please don’t tell me . . .’

‘Surt’s fine,’ Prozor said. ‘She had to be put out of commission, that’s all. And I didn’t see none of you shedding any tears over Gathing.’

Trusko made to reach for the console.

‘What’re you doing?’ I asked.

His hand stilled over the switches. ‘Calling Drozna. Telling him to make arrangements to put the two of you in irons, soon as we dock.’

‘I wouldn’t,’ Prozor said. ‘For a start, it’ll clue Bosa in that there’s something odd goin’ on, and that’s the last thing you want. Secondly, the only way you’re getting through to the end of this day is by doin’ exactly what I tell you. You think we wanted the Ghostie stuff ’cause we’re short of a few quoins? I had my share of quoins and Black Shatterday showed me what they’re worth. I ain’t in this for money.’ Prozor shot me a guarded look, not hostile but not exactly what you’d call companionable. ‘Nor’s she. What we’re in this for is payin’ back Bosa, and it’s the Ghostie stuff that’s key to it. Bosa won’t be ready for it.’

‘And we will be?’ Trusko asked. ‘If Drozna’s already picked up a return on the sweeper, she can’t be far out.’