"I'm sure we could make at least as good a showing as Shimmer if we decided to flee, but I don't expect us to be able to keep ahead of the Queen's pursuers literally forever. And the fate of an enemy of the Queen who cannot be made anyone's vassal is unlikely to be pleasant. If we can't come up with a plan that seems likely to work, I might prefer to go back and see how long I can pretend to still be under orders. At least I'd still retain some chance of accomplishing the takeover that way, whereas 'openly on the run from the Queen' is one of the worst possible positions from which to try to overthrow her."