The place was dark, the white of the ice walls long since covered over with grime or worse. But I had never particularly cared for her. Not toward me, of course-I wasn't a person, I was a piece of equipment, a part of the ship. On the contrary, her manners were those of an educated, well-bred person of good family. I had obeyed her orders, of course, and she had never abused any ancillaries, never harmed any of my segments (as the occasional officer did). And she had never been one of my favorite officers. Seivarden Vendaai was no concern of mine anymore, wasn't my responsibility. I crouched down and felt for a pulse, for the faintest stir of breath.
I had thought her a thousand years dead, but she was, undeniably, here. Her name was Seivarden Vendaai, and a long time ago she had been one of my officers, a young lieutenant, eventually promoted to her own command, another ship. So I can't explain to you why I stopped and with one foot lifted the naked shoulder so I could see the person's face.įrozen, bruised, and bloody as she was, I knew her. Even after all this time it's still a new thing for me not to know, not to have orders to follow from one moment to the next. Sometimes I don't know why I do the things I do. Bodies in the street were none of my concern. I was only here, on this planet, in this town, because I had urgent business of my own. This was the icy back end of a cold and isolated planet, as far from Radchaai ideas of civilization as it was possible to be. But it was hardly possible I knew this person. There was something itchingly familiar about that outthrown arm, the line from shoulder down to hip. Or what passed for a tavern in this town. The snow stretched smooth in the wan sunrise, only a few tracks leading into a nearby ice-block building. It was minus fifteen degrees Celsius and a storm had passed just hours before. The body lay naked and facedown, a deathly gray, spatters of blood staining the snow around it. The Imperial Radch trilogy begins with Ancillary Justice, continues in Ancillary Sword and concludes with Ancillary Mercy Read Excerpt "ESTABLISHES LECKIE AS AN HEIR TO BANKS." -Elizabeth Bear "ASTOUNDINGLY ASSURED AND GRACEFUL." - Strange Horizons "UTTER PERFECTION, 10/10." - The Book Smugglers "THRILLING, MOVING AND AWE-INSPIRING." - Guardian
Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance. Once, she was the Justice of Toren-a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy. On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest. Clarke Awards: This record-breaking novel follows a warship trapped in a human body on a quest for revenge. Winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C.
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