"A contract is a sworn bond."

"More important than your sworn vow?"

"At the time," Wolf said quietly.

Dechan sneered. "Very convenient."

Wolf took a sip of his tea and returned the cup to the tray. The action placed Dechan's comment at a distance.

"You're not talking about our fighting for Kurita, are you?"

"Yes, I am. But you're right—there ismore to it than that." Wolf waited.

If Wolf was willing to take it, Dechan was ready to give it to him. "Like a lot of Dragoons, I idolized you. I thought you knew all there was to know about the mercenary business. Everyone believed that you were a man of honor. I'd have given my life for you. Hellfire, I did.I gave my life to Kurita to be a good little spy for you. To what end, Jaime Wolf? Are you a man to whom a handful of C-bills outweighs an honorable vow?"

"No one forced you."

"I was on Misery, remember? I saw the Dragoon dead. The sight cut to my soul the way the cold wind of that hellhole never could. I remember. I've heard the voices of the dead every day I stood before the Ryuken trainees, every time I led a Kuritan unit into battle. A lot of people died on Misery and not just Dragoons. Remember the Iron Man?"

"Yes."

"Well, I can't forget him. When we worked with the Ryuken, I admired him. No one could match his dedication, courage, and skill. Except you, or so I thought. On Misery the Dragoons fought the Ryuken and nearly lost. In the end, I fought him and watched him kill my lancemates. I thought it was the proudest day of my life when I brought his Dragondown. I was a kid. I didn't really understand the honor of observing his seppukuceremony, but years of living in his world have taught me. Has the money washed your memories clean of Tetsuhara, too?"

Looking down at his teacup, Wolf said nothing.

"Well?"

Wolf remained silent.

"I thought you were an honorable man."

Fire flashed in Wolf's eyes and his expression hardened. "I acted as I thought best. I was commander."

"Is that your excuse?"

"It's all the reason there is. I thought we needed someone close to Kurita who could warn us."

"But then you beat up everything Takashi sent at you and got a whole world from Davion for your very own. Safe and sound. You didn't need to worry about old safeguards. You didn't have to; you could safely forget them."

"You weren't forgotten. It wasn't safe to communicate."

"Safe?" Dechan chuckled bitterly. "We used your Wolfnet codes, but we stopped getting answers. We were abandoned."

"You weren't."

"Weren't!" Dechan rocked to his feet. He jostled the tray as he rose and his teacup tipped over the edge, shattering on the hardwood floor. "Then why'd you send Lang to Theodore? Jenette and I were supposed to be in his inner circle. Why not tell us to get him to Outreach?"

"There were other considerations. I didn't think it was a good time to expose you. If the leaders of the Inner Sphere didn't agree to work together, we might still have needed you undercover. If Kurita had refused to cooperate, you could have been exposed to danger."

"Might have. Could have. You could have told us what you had in mind instead of letting us stumble along, never hearing from the Dragoons."

"It would have jeopardized you," Wolf said. He began to pick up the pieces of the broken cup.

"And your coming here isn't going to do that?"

"Not anymore." Wolf placed the shards on the tray. "It's not general knowledge yet, but there is something you should know. Takashi Kurita is dead."

Dechan thought of the much-publicized duel. "You killed him?"

With a shake of his head, Wolf said, "The duel never took place."

Takashi dead, and not in a duel with Wolf. It was not an outcome that Dechan had considered. "Then Theodore is Coordinator."

Wolf nodded. "There's no more need for you here."

"No need? I've served Theodore and the Ryuken longer than I did the Dragoons. No Dragoon need, you mean."

Wolf sighed and slowly got to his feet. "I understand."

"Do you?"

"Let me say that I was proud of your service with the Dragoons. I was prouder still when you agreed to go undercover with Kurita. I know what you gave up."

Dechan didn't believe it. "How could you?"

"I left my home once to live a lie. I lived my lie longer than you have yours."

"My apologies. I should have known that the great Jaime Wolf was better at anything I could do."

Wolf looked taken aback. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way."

Dechan's ready retort was cut off by the slam of a door. Jenette rushed in from the entry, slinging off her uniform jacket as she came.

"Dechan, have you heard? Takashi's dead!"

She faltered as she noticed the visitor. The jacket dropped to the floor and she bowed quickly. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize—Colonel Wolf!"

She snapped to attention and saluted.

"This is informal, Jenette," he said.

Her eyes round with surprise, she asked, "Why are you here?"

Wolf glanced quickly at Dechan, then smiled for her. "I am here to ask you both to come home."

"Home?" Her expression was puzzled.

"Yes. To Outreach. There are places for both of you waiting in the Dragoons."

"There was no place for us at the siege of Luthien," Dechan said, still bitter.

"The times have been changing, and I have altered my view of certain issues since then."

"Oh? A new contract?"

"Dechan?" Unaware of the earlier conversation, Jenette was clearly confused by the harshness in Dechan's tone.

"It's all right, Jenette," Wolf said.

"No, it's not," she said. "He's being rude."

"Fair, by his lights."

"How kind of you," Dechan drawled.

"Dechan!"

"It's all right, Jenette. Dechan and I are not seeing eye to eye," Wolf said, putting a polite face on the disagreement. "I've made the offer, and I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about. I'm just getting in the way. If you want to come home, you can. You'll be welcome. If not, I'll understand. I would appreciate an answer, whatever you decide. The Chieftainis at the palace spaceport and I'll be staying aboard. We lift in a week, after the funeral."

"We'll—"

"We'll give it some thought," Dechan said, restraining Jenette with a hand on her arm. "Meshitsu- kai! Show Colonel Wolf out."

The servant came in a flurry of polite bows. Wolf followed him out of the room. Jenette waited until she heard the outer door close before rounding on her husband. Her face was flushed with anger.

"What was that all about?"

"I don't like being an untrustworthy cog in somebody's deep plans. Wolf said he couldn't trust us to know what was happening on Outreach."

"He didn't," she said in disbelief.

"He did. We gave him our lives and it's all been for nothing. He's just calling us back to ease his conscience."

Frowning, she said, "I'm sure that the Colonel did what he thought was necessary. It's not us that he didn't trust. The ISF has always watched us. A message, or even a messenger, might have been intercepted. Contact wouldn't have been safe."

"There are ways. He's found them before when he thought it was important."