The face of Sen Uru Dukarr swam up into Chetta’s forebrain. ‘Considerable resources. You mean, such as a Navigator house?’

‘This is the sort of filth that I’ve been tracking,’ Ngiri agreed. ‘I had wondered if Brobantis was responsible, given Lord Azariel’s leanings. However, he’s now dead, and the assassins who bore these killed Lord Vittariel. I might have suspected you, but you’d have to be the greatest fool in the sector to stage an assassination attempt on yourself with Salludo shards involved.’

‘I can assure you,’ Chetta told her bitterly, ‘I had nothing to do with Vittar’s death.’

‘Sef, look over the rest of their effects and see if there’s anything that can give us a firmer lead,’ Ngiri instructed her enginseer. ‘It’s unlikely that we’ll find out much,’ she added, addressing Chetta again. ‘Anyone who can pay for Salludo shards can pay for operatives professional enough to leave no clues as to who hired them. Still, it’s worth a try.’

‘Of course, there is every possibility that this was completely unrelated to whatever may have happened to Gallimo Prime,’ Chetta said. She smiled, without much humour. ‘One of the advantages of being such a prominent citizen of the Imperium is that there is never a shortage of suspects for an attempt upon your life, no matter how outlandish.’

‘Perhaps we should compare notes,’ Ngiri said dryly.

‘The opportunity to swap stories with an Imperial inquisitor?’ Chetta snorted in amusement. ‘I might take you up on that, if I thought you meant it.’

‘I was not speaking wholly in jest,’ Ngiri replied. ‘Although I was not referring to how outlandishly we may have cheated death. I have resources, but so do you, and different ones at that. The fate of Vorlese is of concern to us both. I could theoretically commandeer your staff, but I prefer to keep my true identity hidden where possible, I have satisfied myself that you are no enemy of the Imperium, and I find that allies are more useful when they don’t consider themselves to be under duress.’

She proffered her hand, long and slim. ‘Lady Brobantis, I propose an alliance between us, with the aim of determining what happened to Gallimo Prime, and whether or not the culprit or culprits have made their way to Vorlese.’

Chetta looked down, then up into Ngiri’s face. ‘If I shake that, there’s no chance of your rings firing accidentally, is there?’

‘That hand’s already been used up,’ Ngiri replied, with no hint of a smile.