"I'm trying to hold the Dragoons together."

"This meeting is about naming a second-in-command," Stan said. There was suspicion in his voice, and I began to see what was happening.

"That's right," the Colonel said. "I was planning to appoint Kelly Yukinov. He's done a good job with Alpha Regiment."

"Scuttlebutt says that Alpin is expecting to be named your second," I said.

The Colonel shook his head. His voice was heavy, freighted with what I took to be regret. "No. He's not ready now . . . if he'll ever be."

Stan sighed, then wet his lips. He was nervous and I didn't blame him. "Jaime, Alpin's been running with the Clanner faction. They've been touting him as your successor."

"Alpin? He's no leader of men."

"You've been a little out of touch. People change. He seems to have put together a coalition."

"You're blowing things out of proportion, Stan. The Clanners don't like the idea of a family succession. Alpin couldn't convince them otherwise."

"Then maybe you should put him in. The Clanners will have to shut up. Once he screws up, you'll have grounds to replace him, and in the meantime, there'll be time for some of the integration programs to do their work. We can't afford botch-ups like the cache mission."

Stan realized his slip when the Colonel stiffened. "I'm sorry, Jaime. I didn't mean that how it sounded. It's just that things haven't worked out the way we hoped. There's still too much friction within the Dragoons."

Jaime Wolf's flare of emotion faded as quickly as it had come. The energy had fled and he spoke like a tired, old man. "It's all right, Stan. It'll all work out. Yukinov is a good commander and he's done a good job with Alpha. Give it a year or so and then, well, who knows?" The Colonel stood. "The council is waiting."

We walked down the hall to the meeting room. The council was made up of the commanders of each of the Dragoons' active regiments and the heads of the various commands and operational areas. There were thirteen members, fourteen including the Colonel as the head of the council. Most were present and, except for the Colonel and Stan, all had brought their two permitted aides. By tradition one aide was allowed at the table with the council member, while the other sat or stood around the edges of the room. I took my place at the Colonel's side. Stan sat alone next to me. His mouth quirked up in irritation, and I looked across the table to see Alpin Wolf seated next to Neil Parella of Gamma Regiment.

Of the other field commanders, only Alicia Fancher of Beta Regiment was present. Hanson Brubaker of the Contract Command leaned across his aide, deep in conversation with Gerald Kearne, the Blackwell Corporation representative, who was a non-voting member of the council. Jason Carmody was sitting bolt upright in his seat. The Outreach commander looked as though he didn't want to be present. I sympathized, but at least he had known this was coming. Next around the table from him were Chan, Nikkitch, and Grazier: BattleMech, Infantry, and Armored Operations heads. The last council member present was Hamilton Atwyl, head of the Aerospace Command.

Stan whispered to me. "Maybe it's not as bad as I thought. Epsilon's on planet, and Nichole's a strong supporter. When she gets here, we'll have the numbers."

I wished that he had let me in on his suspicions. I knew where Alpin stood. Parella was an open Clan idolator, and Carmody and Atwyl were staunch supporters of the Colonel, but I didn't know the politics of the others. How could I help if I didn't know who was safe?

The chamber door opened and Major Elson walked in with a quartet of junior officers, mostly infantrymen.

"What are you doing here, Elson?" Stan demanded.

"I stand for Epsilon," Elson said, drawing himself to attention. "Colonel Nichole and most of the command are down with an intestinal bug. It seems to have been something in the officers' mess. As I am the senior officer unaffected, Dragoon policy requires that I stand in for the commanding officer to fulfill all duties and responsibilities."

Stan frowned, then gave the Colonel a sharp glance when Wolf invited Elson to take a place at the table. Elson motioned his allowed aide to the table, but he didn't sit. Instead, he walked around the circumference and held out a flimsy to the Colonel.

"Colonel Wolf, I was given this communique on the way in."

The Wolf read what Elson offered, then passed it to me. I announced the contents. "Colonel Yukinov's DropShip has developed a drive malfunction. He is still in orbit."

"We will have to begin without him," Fancher said.

"Now we are in trouble," Stan whispered to me.

Elson took his seat and the Colonel called the meeting to order.

"There's been a lot of pressure from certain quarters," he began. "I understand your concerns, and I share them. We really need to pull together and I'm hoping you will all stand behind my choice of second-in-command."

"Come on, Jaime. Let's get on with it. I've got to lift for a contract this evening," Parella said. "Name your choice so we can get on with the arguments."

Other voices around the table echoed the sentiment. It was a sign of the confusion into which the Dragoons had sunk that some of those voices belonged to aides rather than council members.

The Colonel held up a hand for silence. When he got it, he said, "I name Kelly Yukinov as second. Considering the current situation, I expect he will turn over command of Alpha to his second and assume a position on my immediate command staff."

After the earlier reaction, I'd been expecting an outburst. No one said anything for a few moments, then Fancher stood up.

"You deny Alpin?"

The Colonel looked down at the table. "I must."

Elson spoke. "You break your own rules just as you broke the Clan's."

Atwyl's head snapped around and his face contorted. "You shut up!"

"I cannot. I am too concerned. Though I am not a medtech, I have eyes. What I see tells me that I must speak, even though others fear to say what they must know in their hearts. Jaime Wolf acts the part of a senile man. He withdraws from his responsibilities, letting others carry his burden. He will not relinquish his control over the Dragoons, yet he will not let the younger generation have its due. He is dangerous to all of us."

I was shocked that the Colonel said nothing in his own defense.

"He's your commander, Elson," Nikkitch pointed out.

Elson ignored him. "The council can act. Censure is an option."

"Not going to happen, Clanner," Atwyl said. "You can't get Jaime voted out."

"Perhaps not," Elson said. His confidence suggested that he didn't necessarily believe that Atwyl was correct.

"But we can challenge," Alpin said, looking to Elson like a trained dog checking to see if he'd performed his trick correctly.

"You'll lose, Alpin," Carmody said warningly.

"But Iwon't." Elson stood and faced the Colonel. "Jaime Wolf, colonel and too long the leader of Wolf's Dragoons, I call you unfit. You are old and have held your position beyond your time. Acknowledge your failing abilities. Acknowledge the truth and step down."

Still, Jaime Wolf maintained his silent stare at the table.

"Jaime won't step down for you," Stan answered for the Colonel.

"Then before this council, I challenge Jaime Wolf to a Trial of Position." Elson stared at the Colonel. "I will defeat you."