Dechan felt Theodore start as his partner's face was revealed. The armored man no longer had the fair regular features of his youth. A ragged scar ran up his left cheek, across the orbit, and disappeared beneath his raven hair, now slicked to his skull with sweat. The eye had been savaged by the vicious wound. Its milky white iris was a shocking contrast to the deep brown of his other eye.

"I am Michi Noketsuna," the armored man said. "Most of my past is of no consequence. For years, I served Minobu Tetsuhara as a staff officer. He was trapped into a situation from which there was no escape. I stood at his side in the seppukuforced upon him by his honor. Dishonorable men brought him to that end, and I swore that they would pay.

"I hunted the Warlord Samsonov who betrayed him on Misery. I wished also to hunt the Warlord's agents who arranged the events leading to that final betrayal.

"Regrettably, the principal agent of my lord's unnecessary death, Jerry Akuma, died on An Ting. But he was aided in his schemes by two men: Quinn and Panati, assassins who maimed and would have killed my lord in an effort to frame Wolf's Dragoons as traitors. The man holding you had the honor of causing the deaths of Akuma and Quinn. Panati, however, has eluded me until now. It was he who planted the bomb that crippled Tetsuhara -sama, and I require his death."

Michi fell silent. Time stretched, long enough that Dechan began to wonder if his partner had decided to conceal the last of his prey. Then Michi took a deep breath and continued.

"My vendetta has one more target: Takashi Kurita. He was the one who set into motion the plan to discredit the Dragoons. It was he who ordered Tetsuhara -samato command the forces assigned to destroy the Dragoons. He knew that my lord had befriended Jaime Wolf, and that to face off with his friend on the battlefield would be intolerable. Had Tetsuhara -samawon that bitter battle on Misery and killed his friend as his duty required, he would have been shamed. Tetsuhara -samaknew that Jaime Wolf and his Dragoons were innocent of the heinous crimes laid to their name. There was no honor in bringing a friend, a man he considered closer than a brother, to ruin. Even so, he obeyed his orders as best he could.

"I need not elaborate on the penalty for a samurai who disobeys his lord. However the battle on Misery might have ended, Tetsuhara -samawas faced with seppukuas the only honorable solution."

"I apologize," Theodore said. "You have cause for vendetta. Panati is yours."

Michi bowed, then stepped over to the unconscious assassin. He cocked his wrist, and a blade slid from his vambrace to lock in place with a soft snick. Michi knelt by Panati and whispered, "The death I give you is too good for the cowardly murderer you are. You will not suffer pain, as you should, in payment for what you have caused."

He slid the razor edge into the soft tissues of the man's neck. The blade hesitated only an instant before slicing through the cartilage between two cervical vertebrae. Panati's head fell free from his body, and blood spurted out, befouling both corpse and pavement. Michi snapped his wrist, flicking the blood free from the shining steel. The weapon hissed back into its concealed sheath.

Dechan, absorbed in his partner's actions, was surprised by Theodore's sudden move. Almost as soon as he felt the Kuritan's hands upon him, he was flying through the air. Theodore snatched at the pile of weapons, grabbing the uppermost, a katana.The blade hissed free. Michi whirled, the muzzle of his Crowdbuster rising to cover the newly armed Theodore.

"Go no further, Noketsuna. I must oppose you."

Dechan struggled to his feet, pistol in hand. Unwilling to risk a shot past Michi, he waited for his partner to make a move.

"Do you believe that Takashi Kurita is innocent?" Michi asked the defiant Theodore.

"I don't know. But I must stand against you for my honor and for the sake of the Combine. I cannot allow you to go free so that you may attack the Coordinator."

"You have no chance against my weapon," Michi said quietly. "I can cut you down and walk away."

"I must attempt to stop you here if you insist on pursuing your vendetta at this time. If you walk away from here and leave me alive, I will hunt you down."

Michi stared up into the taller man's eyes. Neither moved for a full minute. Dechan shivered. He hated it when the malking Dracs went mystic.

Michi lowered his weapon, then slung it into carrying position on his left shoulder. He bowed, stiff and formal.

"I salute your resolution."

Theodore reversed his grip on the sword. He relinquished his right hand's grip and let his left arm fall to his side. The sword rested loosely in his hand, edge toward the sky. He returned the bow.

"The Combine cannot be deprived of the Coordinator at this time," Theodore insisted.

"I will stay my vendetta if you can prove that Takashi Kurita is innocent in this matter," Michi offered.

"That is impossible right now. I have other, more pressing business: the continued survival of the Draconis Combine."

"The Combine must survive," Michi agreed. "Allow me a day to discharge an obligation and I will aid you in your business."

Theodore nodded once. "I would be honored, Noketsuna -san."

Dechan scratched his head, bewildered at the sudden turn of events.

40

Deber's Strike Mountains, Benjamin

Benjamin Military District, Draconis Combine

8 October 3030

Dechan Fraser glanced over to the campfire near the DropShip where the crew and the Techs were finishing their evening meal. From the bursts of laughter and occasional snatches of speech, he knew they would soon fall into their habitual dice game. He turned back to stare at his own barely touched food.

The four BattleMechs that made up the Bounty Hunter's strike force stood silent sentry, arranged in a rough triangle. One apex was Vic Travers' tiger-striped Orion.At the second, the two smallest 'Mechs of the lance stood side by side, Jenette Rand's Dervishand Dechan's own Shadow Hawk,their dark-blue paint schemes blending into the night sky. The tallest of the four machines, the Bounty Hunter's bright green Marauder,made the last point. Between its deep, birdlike legs, the campfire burned, throwing its ruddy light onto their faces. Across the fire, Michi Noketsuna sat eating his supper, the Bounty Hunter's helmet resting upright at his feet.

"You were late getting back to camp. You been laying plans for what we do next?" Dechan asked.

Michi carefully set his plate on the fallen tree that served as his seat. "Wedo nothing. Igo on alone."

"What?" Seated beside Dechan, Jenette was incredulous.

"My friends, you have no common cause with the Draconis Combine. In fact, your own friends and families war with the Dragon. I, however, am still loyal to my homeland. In this matter, my feud with the Coordinator is unimportant. Though Takashi has forfeited my loyalty to his person by dishonorable behavior, I cannot let his faults and failures turn me from the Combine.

"Early this evening, I met and spoke again with Prince Theodore. What he told me of the dangers facing the Combine was chilling. He does not believe his father guilty in the matter of Minobu -sama's death, but he can offer no proof at this time. He is sincere, an honorable man who seeks to save the Dragon from desperate straits. When the Combine is safe, he will see that justice is done.