Niko, watching her, said, “I will give you a regular crew’s share, a tenth of whatever it is that we accrue once we set up operations again. You may draw on it ahead of time in order to outfit yourself.” She looked again at the Empress and said pointedly, “Although I would expect your government, which you have served in this capacity of diversion and quarry, to of course want to outfit you with the best of its equipment and a store of living funds as a small thank-you. I am sure they would not want to be shamed by having an outsider care for their own better than they do.”

“Of course,” the Empress said. For the first time she smiled, even though it was only the tiniest of smiles, barely visible.

Niko did not smile back. “Then I trust Your Majesty will excuse me if I take my crew member away. She has suffered some shock and distress this day, and I think she deserves solitude in which to absorb all of this.”

“You do not think I have done well by her,” the Empress murmured.

“I would not presume to judge,” Niko said.

“That is an ambiguous statement.”

“There are those that would presume to judge their betters and find them lacking.”

Atlanta was not entirely sure what the conversation was about, only that hostility and anger and something else lurked underneath its surface. She said, “May I have your permission to depart, Your Majesty?”

The Empress inclined her head in silent acquiescence. She watched them depart, and the door clicked shut after them. When it did, the sound echoing on the tiles, she let out a long breath and released the arms of her throne, leaning back. She closed her eyes.

“Judge me not, Nicolette Larsen,” she said to herself. She touched the bluestone charm around her neck, shaped like a bird, flying free.

The same charm she always wore, even when walking among her soldiers, pretending to be one of them. As she had so many years ago on Rourke’s Leap.

25

They rode back up to the ship in silence. Niko did not press Atlanta, who sat, still feeling numb and frozen, staring out the viewport at the stars. When the shuttle docked, she followed Niko into the Thing.

The sight of her startled but delighted the others. Gio whooped and threw her up into the air; Dabry produced cookies and tea. Lassite came and touched her arm, and said, “I told you that you would return.”

“Give her a little space,” Niko said. “She’s had a lot to absorb.”

“Well,” Niko said to all of them. “Now I guess we’ve got to do something I haven’t been looking forward to.”

“What’s that?” Atlanta squared her shoulders, prepared for anything.

“We need to return Takraven’s ship to him.”

Atlanta had not been prepared for that. “We’re going to return it?”