He technically outranked Egorova, but she had acquired patrons in the Kremlin during her career, and a professional reputation that was whispered about over the porcelain telegraph at SVR headquarters (gossip only repeated in the headquarters toilets): recruitments, spy swaps, gunfights; this Juno had even blown the top of a supervisor’s head off with a lipstick gun on an island in the Seine in Paris on Putin’s orders. Who was going to pull rank on this fire-breathing drakon? thought Bondarchuk, who was a nervous scarecrow with a big forehead and sunken cheeks.
-- Narrator (Chapter 1)

Importance: The quote defines the reputation that Dominika has earned during her years in the SVR. She is seen not as a fragile woman but as a woman who has not only made successful recruitments but has also killed at Putin’s behest. Even though he outranks Dominika, Bondarchuk cannot imagine pulling rank on her.

I chose...
-- Ri (Chapter 1)