She did. Everyone did. The message is absolute. The messenger is disposable.
The captain sighed, a wet, tired sound. He reached slowly into his heavy coat and pulled out a standard-issue pistol.
"They don't accept 'barely made it,' Mira. You know the rule of the line." Episode 02: Kill the Messenger
The captain’s eyes narrowed behind his goggles. "Excuse me?"
The captain stared at him for a long, agonizing second. Then he looked past Elias at the locked cylinder still clutched in Elias's left hand. The red standby light was blinking steadily. It was perfectly intact. She did
The rig hissed as the air brakes engaged. The heavy side door was pulled open from the outside, flooding the cabin with the smell of sulfur and grease. A captain in a heavy wool coat stood there, flanked by two men with rifles.
The colony gates loomed ahead, giant slabs of rusted iron operated by heavy chains. A lone spotlight cut through the orange haze, blinding them for a fraction of a second. Mira slowed the rig to a crawl. Heavy boots thudded onto the metal grate above their heads. The guards were already securing the roof. The messenger is disposable
"If I don't deliver it, the Spire cuts our rations," Elias snapped. "They'll send another runner. And they'll send a cleanup crew for us."