I think I’m starting to, and it’s certainly an elegant idea. Okay, I’ve got evidence that some faction within the Telestrian empire is doing the dirty with bioweapons. But if Lynne-slitch has proof I’ve become voluntarily involved in something highly illegal—like a paramilitary raid on a private corp facility, for instance—I can’t release my dirt without incriminating myself. My data still retains its value as a life insurance policy—if I’m dead, I won’t care whether I’m incriminated in the raid or not—but it’s no longer grist for the blackmail mill. "Smooth move, lady," I tell her, and again my admiration’s sincere.