"In both Trials, Aidan, you overreached your—"

"I do not care about that. This time I achieved the goal. You should be satisfied."

"I am."

"Enough people had to die to satisfy you. I hope you have no more killings to—"

"Stop. I want to explain my reasons to you."

Aidan's face became hard. It very much resembled a warrior's defiance. "You are my commanding officer. If you wish to explain anything, I must listen. But, as I must tell you, I would prefer not to hear it."

"You will, you piece of filth. You will."

Ter Roshak smiled as he spoke the insult. Then he told Aidan about Ramon Mattlov, all his memories of the man, and how he had manipulated events in tribute to his former comrade. He tried to convey some sort of emotion, but expressing emotion was not his forte and the story came out, he knew, cold and dispassionate. At the end of it, he looked at Aidan and said, "Well?"

Aidan shrugged. "It is a good tale. Why do you not petition to have it inserted into The Remembrance?"

Then he stood silently, stoically, and Roshak knew he could not convince the new warrior that it had been respect for Aidan that contributed to his decision to take a hand in his success. He could have tried to say more, but instead changed the subject: "You know, then, that you must retain this identity? That you are still, in the eyes of others, a freeborn, albeit a freeborn warrior?"

"Joanna explained that to me just moments ago. I had hoped otherwise, but I belong to the Clan, especially now. I must serve the Clan however I can, in whatever identity I can."

"Then you also know you have no hopes of serving in the front line of battle?"

"I am told that, yes."

"And many of your assignments will not be pleasant, quiaff?"

"Aff."

"And you will not earn a Bloodname, for that would be a lie, too, quiaff?Why do you not answer?"

"I wish to earn a Bloodname."

"But you are freebirth now. You cannot."

Roshak noted the tightening of Aidan's shoulders at the word freebirth.

"If you clam to be otherwise at any time," Roshak continued, "I will have you killed. If others found out what I have done in your cause, it would threaten my position, taint my own Bloodname. Your former identity may never be revealed. You are Jorge, now and forever. Is that clear? Is that clear, warrior?"

"Yes. It is."

"Good. Dismissed."

As Aidan left, Ter Roshak wondered if he could count on Aidan to remain silent. The young man's volatility ran deeper than Roshak had suspected. Well, the risk had been taken, the risk would have to be taken.

He sat back in his chair, rested his prosthetic hand upon the table, and thought back again to the times when he had piloted a BattleMech in combat beside Ramon Mattlov.

* * *

On Tokasha a warrior-to-be was going through its first Trial, and a long, hard one it was. Sliding through liquid and skimming along wet surfaces, it pressed forward, always struggling to achieve its goal. Around it, surfaces expanded and contracted, pushing the warrior-to-be forward. It was a long Trial, conducted in darkness. But gradually light came and grew larger. With a final effort, the warrior-to-be shot forward, suddenly bursting into the light and seeming to hang in air for a very brief moment, and then settling into the hands of a waiting collaborator in the Trial. The warrior-to-be heard voices but could not understand the words.

"What? What? Tell me, Watson. Please."

"It is a girl, Peri. Healthy. Fiercely healthy, from the look of her."

Other voices made sounds that the warrior-to-be did not realize were utterances of approval for her.

"What will you name her, Peri?" one of these people said.

"Diana," she said.

The voices sounded their approval of what they deemed a lovely name.

Peri was thinking that she had hoped for a boy, which she would have named Aidan, thus revealing the identity of the father to all. As it was, the cleverer among them might realize that Diana was an anagram for Aidan.

Listening to the satisfying cries of the newborn, Peri leaned back and fell into an exhausted half-sleep. In one dream she gleefully told Aidan about the baby.

Glossary

AUTOCANNON

This is a rapid-firing, auto-loading weapon. Light auto-cannon range from 30 to 90mm caliber, and heavy autocannon may be 80 to 120mm or more. The weapon fires high-speed streams of high-explosive, armor-piercing shells.

BATTLEMECHS

BattleMechs are the most powerful war machines ever built. First developed by Terran scientists and engineers, these huge, man-shaped vehicles are faster, more mobile, better-armored, and more heavily armed than any 20th-century tank. Ten to twelve meters tall and equipped with particle projection cannons, lasers, rapid-fire auto-cannon, and missiles, they pack enough firepower to flatten anything but another BattleMech. A small fusion reactor provides virtually unlimited power, and BattleMechs can be adapted to fight in environments ranging from sun-baked deserts to subzero arctic icefields.

BLOODHERITAGE

The history of Bloodnamed warriors of a particular Bloodright is called the Bloodheritage.

BLOODING

This is another name for the Trial of Position that determines if a candidate will qualify as a Clan warrior. To qualify, he must defeat at least one of three successive opponents. If he defeats two, or all three, he is immediately ranked as an officer in his Clan. If he fails to defeat any of his opponents, he is relegated to a lower caste.

BLOODNAME

Bloodname refers to the surname of each of the eight hundred warriors who stood with Nicholas Kerensky during the Exodus Civil War. These eight hundred are the foundation of the Clans' elaborate breeding program. The right to use one of these surnames has been the ambition of every Clan warrior since the system was established. Only twenty-five warriors, which corresponds to twenty-five Bloodrights, are allowed to use any one surname at one time. When one of the twenty-five Bloodnamed warriors dies, a trial is held to determine who will assume that Bloodname. A contender must prove his Bloodname lineage, then win a series of duels with other competitors. Only Bloodnamed warriors are allowed to sit on the Clan Councils or are eligible to become a Khan or ilKhan. Most Bloodnames have gradually been confined to one or two warrior classes. However, certain prestigious names, such as Kerensky, have shown their genetic value by producing excellent warriors in all three classes (MechWarriors, Fighter pilots, and Elementals).

Bloodnames are determined matrilineally, at least after the original generation. Because a warrior can only inherit from his or her female parent, he or she can only have a claim to one Bloodname.

BLOODRIGHT

A specific Bloodname lineage is called a Bloodright. Twenty-five Bloodrights are attached to each Bloodname. A Bloodright is not a lineage as we define the term, because the warriors who successively hold a Bloodright might be related only through their original ancestor. As with Bloodnames, certain Bloodrights are considered more prestigious than others, depending largely on the Bloodright's Bloodheritage.

BONDSMAN

A captured warrior, called a bondsman, is considered a member of the Laborer Caste unless and until the capturing Clan releases him or promotes him back to Warrior status. A bondsman is bound by honor, not by shackles. Custom dictates that even Bloodnamed Warriors captured in combat be held for a time as bondsmen. All bondsmen wear a bondcord, which is a woven bracelet. The base color of the bondcord indicates to which Clan he belongs and the striping indicates which unit captured him.