The intercom built into the desktop chimed gently. “Excuse me.” He pushed a control. “Duke Sandoval.”

It was Clancy’s voice. “Duck, just thought you’d like to know. A ship just jumped into the point ahead of us. Got a DropShip called the Mercury on it, and they’ve got your boy, Erik.”

Erik leaned his face against the cool ferro-glass of the shuttle’s viewport to get a better look at the Tyrannos Rex. He hardly recognized the ship now, its silver hull gleaming in the light of the nearby star over whose north pole the ship was currently floating. As the shuttle moved around the egg-shaped hull, the huge SwordSworn seal came into view.

The sight of it caused a tightness in his chest that he couldn’t identify, a strange mixture of pride, anger, and revulsion. Nor could he identify the source of the negative feelings. Was it because of the symbol itself, or the fact that it was on Aaron Sandoval’s ship? There was a great deal to sort out yet, and he’d hoped for more time.

It was an unfortunate accident for them to arrive at the Ningpo jump point just as the Duke was about to leave the system. If things had gone a little differently, he might have had additional days, or weeks, to untangle that knot in his chest. Now he was going in, wounds still fresh, the sting of betrayal coloring his every thought.

He was shocked, as they approached the bay, to see an archway flanked by Greek columns grafted to the side of the ship. Perhaps Aaron really had gone mad. Perhaps the man who had come back from New Canton was not at all the uncle he had once known.

The shuttle slipped into the bay, the door slid closed, and the bay began to pressurize. Erik was the only passenger in the little ship, which was otherwise jammed with cargo, military equipment, and parts requisitioned from the Mercury to help complete the Duke’s irrational plans for the Tyrannos Rex.

The hissing of air outside became louder and finally stopped. The shuttle’s doors opened with a slight whoosh, and Erik’s ears popped. Apparently the pressure regulator on the shuttle was out of adjustment. He climbed down the line to the inner airlock, and was surprised to find Deena Onan waiting just inside the door.

She smiled as she saw him, and it seemed genuine. But the smile quickly faded as she saw his face, and she looked away. “I’m glad to see you’re well, Commander.”

“Amazingly, I escaped death several times over during my little visit to Shensi. Who knew it would be such an exciting place?” He waited for her answer.

She didn’t shift her gaze. “For what it’s worth, Erik, I thought you knew—that you were in on the plan. I wasn’t trying to deceive you that day; I just didn’t know how to tell you.”

He looked at her. His face felt still and dead. He had been attracted to this woman once—even gladly endured the hidden laughter and taunts of those who claimed she was unapproachable. Now he felt nothing, and wondered why it had ever been different. “Perhaps—” He swallowed. “Perhaps you were deceived yourself. I’d like to think so, anyway. But you’re still here.”

“I have my loyalties, Commander,” she said stiffly. “I will not apologize for them.”

“Your loyalties have been bought, you mean. The Duke is your meal ticket, your shortcut to wealth and power well above your station. I’ve always known this. I simply didn’t understand, until now, exactly what it meant.”

She did not bend, but he could see that his words had stung her. Good.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “that you feel that way.”

“I have to see the Duke. Where is he?”

“The gymnasium on the crew deck. He’s expecting you.”

Erik brushed past her. “I imagine he is.”

Aaron slipped his feet into the stirrups at the base of the resistance machine, and slid his shoulders under the bar, placing his hands around the grips. The gymnasium, and as many of its facilities as possible, was designed to function either in free fall or normal gravity.

Since weights wouldn’t work without gravity, the resistance machine allowed the user to work against computer-controlled bands of myomer, the synthetic muscle used in ’Mech limbs. The myomer could be programmed to provide any amount and pattern of resistance. Aaron currently had the machine programmed for 130 kilograms.

Working out in free fall was an old habit of his. In theory, a simple pill taken every day prevented the loss of muscle and bone density that had plagued early space travelers, but he didn’t want to take chances with his body.

Captain Clancy watched him skeptically. It was clear that what muscle the little man had came solely through honest toil. Clancy could often be seen down in the engine rooms or in the cargo bays, working right along with his men. “Don’t bust a gut there, Duck. I still got some use for you.”

Aaron tensed, pushed the bar to its stop, slowly lowered it back down. The rep-counter clicked to one.

“So you do, Captain. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. We haven’t had time yet, given the current emergency, but I wanted to assure you that, at the earliest opportunity, the Tyrannos Rex will get the finest upgrades available, to all its systems. With a special emphasis on the armor, engines, and weapons.”

Clancy squinted with one eye. “I’m wondering if my ship has just been insulted?”

“Not at all, Captain. She’s a fine ship, and I know you’ve made many improvements over the standard Excalibur specifications. Despite your ingenuity, however, I know cost has always been an object. That will no longer be the case. I want you and your engineers to draw up a wish list. Anything that can be made better, do it. For the major things, we’ll have it done in dry dock when the time comes.”

“Fair enough, Duck.”

Aaron grunted. The rep-counter read ten.

“I’ve also arranged for a team of naval architects to work on the weapons problem. Excalibur s are notoriously ill armed.”

“I’ve made some improvements, but that’s a tricky proposition.”

“I know there have been previous efforts to upgrade Excalibur weaponry, with mixed success. But in every case, it was done while trying to retain the ship’s original capabilities as a military transport. Given our somewhat different mission, we might just have enough flexibility to turn her into a formidable fighter.

“You have a problem with that?”

“If you can make it work, Duck, be my guest.”

The door opened, and someone cleared his throat.

Clancy turned and his eyes narrowed. “Well, Duck. Looks like the pup has come home.”

Erik glared at Clancy. “I’ve got no patience with you today, Clancy. Shut up, and get out. I need to talk to the Duke.”

The little man slid in close and looked Erik in the eye. “Nobody tells me where to go on my ship, pup!”

Aaron made eye contact with Clancy and shook his head. “Please, Captain, humor him. Or if not, humor me.”

Clancy glared at Erik. “I’ll do it for you, Duck. Me and the pup can settle this later.” He pushed off from a bulkhead and sailed effortlessly out through the doorway.

Erik reached over and closed the hatch.

“Erik, I’m glad to see you safe.”

“I hear a lot of that,” said Erik dryly.

“What news from Shensi?”

Erik tossed an envelope at Aaron, who snatched it out of the air. “A signed agreement, our original draft, without a word changed.”

“Excellent! Well done!” Aaron wedged the envelope between the frame of the resistance machine and the wall, then went back to lifting.

Erik watched him silently for a minute. “Is that all you have to say?”

“What else is there? You were given a mission that you fulfilled completely… Did I ever tell you the story about the sword of the First Knight?”

“A million times!”

“Well then, what more do I have to say? Good job.”