Kai glanced at Locke and Slane. The two Elementals nodded and silently echoed Malthus' words. They offer me the highest honor they can imagine.Excitement filled Kai's chest. "Though I am not worthy, I accept your invitation and will do my best to honor the memory of the warrior who wore this armor before me."

All three Elementals smiled and congratulated him with fierce pats on the back. Kai laughed. "Provided, of course, that you can size the armor to fit me, and I get some time to practice in it."

"Agreed." Malthus gave Kai a wry grin. "We will all want time to drill again."

Gus, standing across from him, nodded his acknowledgement. "So, Malthus, you're going to stuff Kai and your men into your armor, head into Valigia in the truck, muzzle-load the cannon, and blow open the ComStar fortress, right?"

"Correct."

"Bingo!" Gus folded his arms across his chest. "I'm coming with you because you won't have time to change into your armor in the war zone."

Malthus frowned. "We prepare before we go into battle."

"Right, so unless you can figure out how to fit in the driver's seat after you pull on your tin-skin, you need a driver— and I'm him."

Kai looked from the little man's bearded face to the larger man and back. Malthus shrugged his shoulders and Gus' grin pulled the corners of his mouth halfway back toward his ears. "Never argue with a historian, Kai. The victors might write the histories, but we're the ones who do the actual work. Unless you want to be remembered as nothing more than a footnote, let the historian win."

* * *

Alone in the woods back behind the Mahler farm, Deirdre let Kai enfold her in a tight embrace. "I don't want to lose you either, Deirdre." His mind raced as he searched for the words to explain things to her. "I've seen the plans for the ComStar fortress. If I don't go in with them, they stand little or no chance of succeeding in their attempt to liberate their friends. But if they succeed, then Malthus will honor his oath to let us and the Federated Commonwealth prisoners of war go free."

"I know, I know, but I still hate the idea of being separated from you. When I thought I would never see you again ..."

Kai felt her tremble and held her more closely. "Don't worry. You will not lose me. I'm not going to die."

"Don't tease me, Kai." She pulled back from him and wiped away her tears. "You cannot tell me you are not going to die."

How do I explain?Kai took a deep breath, then sighed heavily. "I don't expect you to understand because I cannot say that I truly do. It's just that the confidence that you and they have in me has opened my eyes. I can see, now, that I have abilities and skills that let me be very good at what I do. No more than you could stop tending to the sick could I..."

"Stop killing?" She looked away disconsolately. "I think I have already lost you."

He grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly. "No, you know that's not true. I am not a killing machine. I am not!"

"Who are you trying to convince, Kai? Me or yourself?"

Kai smiled and glanced down. "Deirdre, being a warrior is different from being a killer. What I do is to prepare for conflicts to safeguard the freedoms we, as civilized people, have agreed we possess. The Clans want to dominate us and take away our freedoms, so I oppose them. ComStar has similar yet more virulent aims, and I must oppose them, too. I do not do this as an instrument of state policy, but as one human fighting to preserve what all humanity should hold sacred."

He swallowed hard. "Some might argue that by using drugs or antibiotics you wage war on a cellular level where what I do is on a multicellular level. I think that is fallacious because I realize another living creature is more valuable than some virus or bacillus. Still, in some ways the idea of combating disease does hold and I have to hope that by acting to minimize problems early, I can help prevent the spread of something that would destroy humanity.

"Can you understand that?"

Deirdre nodded. "All too well." She smiled and cupped his face in her hands. "It is just that I understand what it is and how it feels to save a life and to take one. I would not wish for you a lifetime of taking lives."

"Nor would I wish that for anyone." Kai's eyes grew distant as they focused well beyond their surroundings. "I am willing to accept that responsibility. It is my choice and my duty. I do not revel in it, but I bear it so others will not have to."

"I know, and I love you for that." She kissed him lightly on the lips. "We have a week before you go?"

"Yes. Mahler, Michaels, and Malthus plan, Slane and Locke train. Sun-up to sundown, I am theirs."

She took his hand and led him back toward the house.

"Then you will be mine for the rest of the time, Kai Allard-Liao. As your days will be filled with death and horror, let us fill the nights with life and love."

39

DropShip Serene Foresight , Teniente Transfer Orbit

Smoke Jaguar Occupation Zone

14 May 3052 (Day 14 of Operation Scorpion)

Victor Ian Davion left the airlock and crossed to the side of the needle-nosed shuttlecraft. Seeing the Federated Commonwealth's crest emblazoned above the legend Arcturusmade him smile. He patted the ship's hull as the hatchway opened and an emerging soldier saluted him. He returned the salute, then saw Galen struggle through the airlock doorway with both of their kits.

Behind him the Prince saw Shin Yodama and Hohiro slip into the shuttle bay. Hohiro leaned on his cane far more heavily than Victor thought right in the light gravity provided by the ship's acceleration. Months on the run really hurt him. Still, he and his people put up one hell of a fight.He left the ship and crossed to where his two hosts stood.

"I'll be leaving soon. My gratitude and best wishes to you and your people. If not for your intelligence services and the spirits of your men, we'd never have gotten off Teniente." Victor shook his head. "In many ways, I cannot believe we made it."

Hohiro smiled, but the smile died quickly from lack of energy to sustain it. "When I sent Shin off to get help, I never imagined he would find it in the Federated Commonwealth."

"Good help is hard to find," Shin offered.

"And we come cheaper than most," Victor finished with a laugh. "When I was asked, I felt certain you would have done the same for me had our situations been reversed. I would hope that my father would have been wise enough to accept your help."

Hohiro looked down, then glanced over at Shin. "My friend has told me how you came to be called to this task. I know what it cost and I regret causing you and my sister pain."

Victor leaned back against the cool bulkhead. "You and I did not originally see eye to eye about much of anything on Outreach. There we learned to respect each other. We learned that we would accept what we had to do to successfully fulfill our duties. Personal pain falls into that category. I know that your safe return will lessen any pain your sister might feel because of the bargain she struck with your father. As I would feel her pain more sharply than my own. By saving you, I save myself."

"You continue to amaze me, Victor." Hohiro looked to Shin for confirmation. "You do not come from our samurai tradition, but you understand giriand ninjo—duty and compassion—as well as any of us."