Is it going to work? she wondered for a moment. It seemed like it would. Modal’s cunning, and his understanding of corporate psychology and human nature seemed unchanged since the old days. Improved with practice, if anything. The body of rumors, evidence, lies and wild speculations that he’d concocted certainly seemed to paint the picture of someone who’d sold out his corporate masters to an old lover. Unless there was some angle that she was missing, Modal’s name had to be worse than drek with Yamatetsu, and the corp would probably have soldiers out gunning for him as well as for her. And that was the goal, of course, to remove any possible benefit Modal could gain from killing her or turning her in. Sure, down the road apiece he might try to buy his way back into the Yamatetsu fold with her head, but any move like that would be very risky. The Yamatetsu reps he contacted would be more likely to set up an ambush than a clean meet.