Who will taste the knife here?

Protocol demanded that Prosecutor and Defense approach to a point beneath the judges, abase themselves, and call out acceptance of the arena's conditions.  The Prosecutor's party, however, was in disarray.  Two of Ceylang's advisors were whispering excited advice to her.

The members of the Judicial panel conferred, glancing at the scene below them.  They could not act formally until the obeisance.

McKie passed a glance across the panel, absorbed Broey's posture.  The Dosadi Gowachin's enlightened greed was like an anchor point.  It was like Gowachin Law, changeable only on the surface.  And Broey was but the tip of the Dosadi advisory group which Jedrik had approved.

Holding his arms extended to the sides, McKie marched forward, abased himself face down on the floor, stood and called out:

"I accept this arena as my friend.  The conditions here are my conditions but Prosecution has defiled the sacred traditions of this place.  Does the court give me leave to slay her outright?"

There was an exclamation behind him, the sound of running, the sudden flopping of a body onto the arena's matted floor.  Ceylang could not address the court before this obeisance and she knew it.  She and the others now also knew something else just as important - that McKie was ready to slay her despite the threat of Wreave vendetta.

In a breathless voice, Ceylang called out her acceptance of the arena's conditions, then:

"I protest this trick by Defense Legum!"

McKie saw the stirring of Gowachin in the audience.  A trick?  Didn't Ceylang know yet how the Gowachin dearly loved legal tricks?

The members of the judicial panel had been thoroughly briefed on the surface demands of the Gowachin forms, though it was doubtful that Bildoon understood sufficiently what went on beneath those forms.  The PanSpechi confirmed this now by leaning forward to speak.

"Why does the senior attendant of this court enter ahead of the Legums?"

McKie detected a fleeting smile on Broey's face, glanced back to see Darak standing apart from the prosecution throng, alone and trembling.

McKie took one step forward.

"Will the court direct Darak to the witness pen?  He is here because of a formal demand by the Prosecutor."

"This is the senior attendant of your court," Ceylang argued.  "He guards the door to . . ."

"Prosecution made formal protest to a matter which occurred in the presence of this attendant," McKie said.  "As an attendant, Darak stands outside the conflicting interests.  He is the only reliable witness."

Broey stirred, looked at Ceylang, and McKie realized how strange the Wreave must appear to a Dosadi.  This did not deter Broey, however.

"Did you protest?"

It was a direct question from the bench.  Ceylang was required to answer.  She looked to Bildoon for help but he remained silent.  Parando also refused to help her.  She glanced at Darak.  The terrified attendant could not take his attention from the instruments of pain.  Perhaps he knew something specific about their presence in the arena.

Ceylang tried to explain.

"When Defense Legum suggested an illegal . . ."

"Did you protest?"

"But the . . ."

"This court decides on all matters of legality.  Did you protest?"

"I did."

It was forced out of her.  A fit of trembling passed over the slender Wreave form.

Broey waved Darak to the witness pen, had to add a vocal order when the frightened attendant failed to understand.  Darak almost ran to the shelter of the pen.

Silence pervaded the arena.  The silence of the audience was an explosive thing.  They sat poised in the watching ovals, all of those species and factions with their special fears.  By now, they'd heard many stories and rumors.  Jumpdoors had spread the Dosadi emigres all across the ConSentiency.  Media representatives had been excluded from Dosadi and this court on the Gowachin argument that they were "prey to uninformed subjective reactions," but they would be watching here through the transmitter eyes at the ceiling.

McKie looked around at nothing in particular but taking in every detail.  There were more than three judges in this arena and Ceylang certainly must realize that.  Gowachin Law turned upon itself, existing "only to be changed."  But that watching multitude was quite another matter.  Ceylang must be made to understand that she was a sacrifice of the arena.  ConSentient opinion stood over her like a heavy sledge ready to smash down.

It was Parando's turn.

"Will opposing Legums make their opening arguments now?"

"We can't proceed while a formal protest is undecided," McKie said.

Parando understood.  He glanced at the audience, at the ceiling.  His actions were a direct signal:  Parando knew which judges really decided here.  To emphasise it, he ran a hand from the front of his neck down his chest, the unique Rim Raider's salute from Dosadi signifying "Death before surrender."  Subtle hints in the movement gave McKie another datum:  Parando was a Gowachin in a Human body.  They'd dared put two Gowachin on that panel!

With Dosadi insight, McKie saw why they did this.  They were prepared to produce the Caleban contract here.  They were telling McKie that they would expose the body-exchange secret if he forced them to it.  All would see that loophole in the Caleban contract which confined the Dosadi-born, but released outsiders in Dosadi flesh.

They think I'm really Jedrik in this flesh!

Parando revealed even more.  His people intended to find the Jedrik body and kill it, leaving this McKie flesh forever in doubt.  He could protest his McKie identity all he wanted.  They had but to demand that he prove it.  Without the other person . . .  What had their God Wall Caleban told them?

"He is McKie, she is McKie.  He is Jedrik, she is Jedrik."

His mind in turmoil, McKie wondered if he dared risk an immediate mind contact with Jedrik.  Together, they'd already recognized this danger.  Jedrik had hidden herself on McKie's hideaway, a floating island on Tutalsee.  She was there with a special Taprisiot contract prohibiting unwanted calls which might inadvertently reveal her location.

The judges, led by Parando, were acting, however, moving for an immediate examination of Darak.  McKie forced himself to perform as a Legum.

His career in ruins, the attendant answered like an automaton.  In the end, McKie restored most of his witnesses.  There were two notable exceptions:  Grinik (that flawed thread which might have led to The Mrreg) and Stiggy.  McKie was not certain why they wanted to exclude the Dosadi weapons genius who'd transformed a BuSab wallet's contents into instruments of victory.  Was it that Stiggy had broken an unbreakable code?  That made sense only if Prosecution intended to play down the inherent Dosadi superiority.Still uncertain, McKie prepared to retire and seek a way to avoid Parando's gambit, but Ceylang addressed the bench.

"The issue of witnesses having been introduced by Defense," she said, "Prosecution wishes to explore this issue.  We note many witnesses from Dosadi called by Defense.  There is a noteworthy omission whose name has not yet been introduced here.  I refer to a Human by the name of Jedrik.  Prosecution wishes to call Keila Jedrik as . . ."

"One moment!"

McKie searched his mind for the forms of an acceptable escape.  He knew that his blurted protest had revealed more than he wanted.  But they were moving faster than he'd expected.  Prosecution did not really want Jedrik as a witness, not in a Gowachin Courtarena where the roles were never quite what they appeared to non-Gowachin.  This was a plain message to McKie.

"We're going to find her and kill her."

With Bildoon and Parando concurring, a jumpdoor was summoned and Ceylang played her trump.