When all the testimony was complete, the Loremaster polled the council members. Of the 493 warriors who voted, 372 voted against Ter Roshak and Aidan. Joanna, whose case was considered separately, received approval from 167 of the warriors, with 326 against.

As soon as the Loremaster announced the vote, both Aidan and Ter Roshak stood up. Roshak, as senior officer, would speak first.

"I do not accept the judgment of this council. I demand a Trial of Refusal."

"I also," Aidan shouted.

The Khan nodded wearily, then signaled to the Lore-master. Most of the warriors in the room recognized that the officers of the court were not surprised by the request. Aidan speculated on the likelihood that Roshak had called in favors from old comrades to influence the proportions of the vote to acceptable levels. He quickly calculated that the odds against them in the Trial of Refusal were three-to-one. They might be formidable odds, but at least, Aidan thought, it gave him a chance. Even before coming here, he had planned to invoke the Trial of Refusal, at that time figuring the odds against him would be much worse.

A Trial of Refusal was the right of any warrior to protest a judgment against him by the council. Conceived in the early days of the Clan, it permitted a warrior to verify his cause or his case by going into combat against some of the best available warriors of the Clan; the number of opponents was based on the odds of the vote. Because the vote against Aidan and Ter Roshak was three-to-one, they would have to face six warriors in their Trial of Refusal. Tough odds, Aidan thought, but with some skill and a well-modified 'Mech, they could be overcome. They were certainly better than the six- or seven-to-one he might have faced if not for Tier Roshak's political acumen.

As the Loremaster announced the terms of the Trial of Refusal, Joanna astounded everyone by rising to her feet with a request to speak.

"Yes, Star Captain Joanna?" the Loremaster said.

"My name is tainted by the judgment against me. Two-thirds of the warriors present believe I have committed a wrong. I will not have that. I demand to be included in the Trial of Refusal."

"But, Star Captain, your vote was different. With only two out of every three voting against you, you need not fight at three-to-one odds."

"I wish to. I am implicated in their deeds. I will exonerate myself. And the odds mean nothing to me. What is one BattleMech more or less?"

The officers of the court conferred, then the Lore-master announced that the Trial of Refusal would take place in two days, with the three tainted warriors meeting nine of their Jade Falcon judges in a contest of BattleMechs.

As they left the chamber, Aidan caught up with Ter Roshak. "When will we discuss tactics?" he asked.

"You presume too much, as always. We will discuss nothing. I have no intention of cooperating with you. Why did you not hold your tongue, as I instructed you?"

"You should know that better than I. No true warrior can pass up the opportunity to win a Bloodname. I must have mine."

"What a fool! You will not live to compete in the Trial of Bloodright. I will take great pleasure in watching you die on the battlefield. Goodbye, Star Commander Aidan. We will not speak again."

As Aidan watched Ter Roshak walk away, he wondered if the man was mad. At the very least, he seemed disoriented. Finally he decided that Roshak's actions were consistent with his past. The Falconer Commander's actions had always been difficult to read.

"What was that all about?" Joanna asked, coming up to Aidan.

"Ter Roshak refuses to discuss tactics for the Trial of Refusal. I do not think he cares whether or not he succeeds."

"Perhaps he wishes to die in a cockpit, and this is his last chance."

"If that is true, it considerably increases the odds against us."

"Yes, I do not approve of the idea of Ter Roshak acting out his own personal tragedy, all the while taking us down with him. Still, as I said in court, what is one BattleMech more or less? Or two?"

"You should have stayed out of this, Joanna."

"Do not address me familiarly."

"All right. Star Captain Joanna. I will not blame you if you withdraw. You could still initiate your own separate Trial of Refusal."

"No. I stand by my words. Besides, perhaps this will show me if there is any sense in what Ter Roshak said in his testimony. Perhaps the spirit of Ramon Mattlov does live in you."

"He said nothing about spirit."

"You were not listening. It was exactlywhat he said. So, we have two days. Let us discuss what we must do. This Trial will, after all, not be like any to which we are accustomed. All the 'Mechs in the field will go against us simultaneously. There will be none of the single engagements we are used to in Trials. In a Trial of Refusal, the odds against the challenger must be maintained. We must plan on several contingencies. Especially with Ter Roshak now an unpredictable factor."

"I agree. We must—"

Aidan suddenly stopped speaking when he saw Marthe approaching. He stared at her the whole way. She must have been conscious of his gaze. For an instant, her eyes seemed to flick past his, then she walked on without speaking or acknowledging him in any way. At one time, he might have run after her, demanding that she speak. But now, with her a Bloodnamed warrior and wearing the insignia of a Star Captain, he would not give her the satisfaction of snubbing him further.

"Look at her," Joanna said. "I trained her. I instilled in her a respect for the Clan and a desire for a Bloodname. Now she has the Bloodname and she walks by without speaking. I hope she is in one of the 'Mechs at the Trial so that I can destroy her."

Aidan's thoughts were less aggressive and his hope was not in any way related to Marthe in a BattleMech. "If it is all right with you, Star Captain," he said, "I would like to plan to dispose of all our adversaries quickly."

"Any reason for that?"

"Yes. The Grand Melee for the House Pryde Bloodname commences the next day. Without a warrior to sponsor me, it is my only path to the Bloodname."

Joanna sighed and gave Aidan a rare smile. "At this moment, I do not know who is more lunatic, you or Ter Roshak. On second thought, maybe I am the crazy one here."

28

Nine BattleMechs came over the crest of a wide hill together, rising into the sky like rockets in some kind of slow-motion launch.

"Nine little BattleMechs tempting cruel fate," Aidan whispered to Joanna over the commlink. "One got religion, and then there were eight."

"What in the name of Kerensky are you talking about?"

"Something I picked up somewhere, listening to a child's game, I think. Eight little BattleMechs reaching up to heaven, one fell to hell and then there were seven."

"Doggerel. Do not give me doggerel now, Aidan."

"All right," he said, "let us do it as we planned. Let us move out."

"What about Ter Roshak?"

"Since he has carefully disabled all his communications systems, he will just have to follow us, or not."

Slowly, they began moving toward their nine opponents. "Nine little BattleMechs . . . ," Aidan muttered to himself, softly so that Joanna would not hear.

Although Joanna had been reluctant to break with Clan trial traditions, Aidan had persuaded her that their only chance lay in the unexpected. As they lumbered forward, he in his favorite 'Mech type, a Summoner,she in a Mad Dog,Aidan was astonished by the array of heavy 'Mechs against them. Ahead he saw a Dire Wolf,a pair of Warhawks,an Executioner,a Mad Dog,and a Gargoyle.As some of these 'Mech types were not typical of Jade Falcon forces, they must have been shipped in just for this battle or else were part of the Ironhold refresher training courses. The other three BattleMechs were another Summonerand two lighter 'Mechs, a Stormcrowand an Ice Ferret.