"Not a path to be taken lightly."

Before she could reply, another voice pierced the night. "Omi?"

Recognizing it instantly as Hohiro's, Victor sank back into the shadows. The lights from the building silhouetted Omi's brother as she turned to face him. "Hai,Hohiro-san?"

"Oh, you are alone." Hohiro looked around, but gave no sign he saw anything amiss. "I came looking for you because I saw Kai Allard down near the shuttle bay. He had been forbidden to leave the shuttle area so he asked me to seek out a friend of his. Kai said they had been 'busted' and faced serious disciplinary action if they did not report to their ship immediately."

Victor knew Hohiro addressed his sister in English for his benefit. Omi obviously understood this, too, because she replied, "I think, if he were here, Kai's friend would thank you very much. If I see Kai's friend, I will pass the message on to him."

"Good, I would not like to see him in trouble. You might add that I, Hohiro Kurita, am betting him ten ounces of gold per enemy 'Mech that I claim more enemy kills than he."

Victor almost stepped from the shadows to accept that wager, but Omi raised her hand to stop her brother's words. "And I tell you, Hohiro, that I would be most saddened if either one of you died because of such a bet. You wager far more than gold in this war against the Clans. It is the future of the Inner Sphere that is at stake. Work together as you have here, and we all shall win."

Hohiro gave his sister a short bow of respect, then retreated from the garden. Omi waited for the sound of his footsteps to fade away, then turned back to Victor. "You heard?"

Victor abandoned his shadowy sanctuary. "Yes. I have to go."

"Wait." From around her neck, Omi pulled an oval-shaped piece of bronze on a leather thong. She held it out to Victor. In the half-light he saw Japanese symbols and realized it was a dragon biting its own tail. The center of the bronze had a square hole in it, through which the thong had been looped to let the medallion hang lengthwise, but Omi slipped it off the leather before placing it in Victor's hands.

"This is a swordguard, isn't it?"

"Hai."Omi nodded. "It and a swordsman's skill are all that saves him from an enemy. You have the skills of a warrior, but I want you to have this, too."

"Domo arigato."Victor smiled and slipped it into his pocket. "I will keep it with me." He shrugged helplessly. "I regret that I have nothing to give you."

She reached out and caressed his right cheek. "Give me your promise that you will be safe."

'That is the one thing I cannotpromise you," he said.

Her voice returned stronger. "Give me your promise and it will be so."

Victor stepped closer and slipped his arms around her slender waist. "Yes, Omi, I promise."

His mouth found hers, and though their kiss was brief, the warmth of it stayed with Victor long after he had left the garden and Outreach and Omi behind.

26

DropShip Dire Wolf

Nadir Jump Point Engadin, Wolf Clan Occupation Zone

15 October 3051

Phelan Wolf heard a hiss as the ComStar shuttlecraft cracked its hatch. The boxy yellow ship had touched down lightly in a shuttle bay manned by Elementals in their armor. Once the Dire Wolf'shatch was secured, the Techs provided the bay with a breathable atmosphere and Phelan entered through an access port on the deck level.

The shuttle's hatch twisted sideways, then slid into the interior of the ship. A short ramp telescoped out and down, but even before it had touched the deck, the Precentor Martial appeared in the hatchway. Tall enough that he had to dip his white-maned head to get through it, the ComStar envoy steadied himself with a strong grip on either side of the opening. His long white robe was loosely belted at the waist with a piece of white rope. The only other color on him was the black of the patch covering his empty right eye socket.

The Precentor Martial smiled at the sight of Phelan, and the MechWarrior returned the smile heartily. He met the older man at the base of the gangway and offered him his right hand. The Precentor Martial accepted it in both hands and shook it firmly.

"It appears, Phelan Kell, that you have fared well since we said our goodbyes on this very deck."

"That I have, Precentor Martial." Phelan directed two bondsmen to haul Focht's baggage to his room. "I was adopted into the Wolf Clan Warrior caste just after you left. I am known as Phelan Wolf."

Focht bowed his head. "Please excuse my ignorance and accept my congratulations. If I remember the symbolism correctly, the red star patch on your shoulder means you are a MechWarrior as well?"

The younger man nodded. "For about three months now. This black and red jumpsuit is the uniform of my regiment. Officially, we are the Thirteenth Wolf Guards, otherwise known as the Wolf Spiders."

"And led by Natasha Kerensky herself."

Phelan chuckled lightly. "You don't miss a trick, do you?"

"ComStar knows all." Focht smiled enough for Phelan to know he was making a joke, but the young MechWarrior suspected the statement was not far from the mark. "Natasha's passage from Outreach was noted by some of our waystations, so we assumed she had made contact with the Clans. We took that as confirmation that the Dragoons were once part of the Clans, though that alliance no longer appears to be in force."

"I believe the history is correct, but I do not know the Dragoons' current status." Phelan waved the Precentor Martial toward the exit port. "As much as I am enjoying talking with you and look forward to another such opportunity, the ilKhan has asked me to escort you to him immediately upon your arrival. If you don't mind."

"Not at all." Focht adjusted the patch over his right eye. "I am most pleased to see you have been made a MechWarrior." His voice dropped to a discreet whisper. "It should make it much easier to gather information, as we discussed a year ago."

Phelan chewed his lower lip. "I know I agreed to spy for you, but that was before. Much has happened since then. I am afraid I cannot betray the Clans."

Focht looked surprised. "Cannot? Phelan, these people are still attacking your home."

The MechWarrior shook his head. "These people are now my people, and this is my home."

"I see." Focht looked hard at Phelan, who felt as though he were being x-rayed. "I should have expected this. Converts are always more zealous than someone born to a cause."

"As well you would know, Precentor." Phelan's face closed up. "Before I was thrown out of the Nagelring, I do not recall seeing any ComStar initiates studying there. That means you had a life before ComStar, which makes you, too, a convert."

They continued down the corridor in silence until they reached an elevator tube. Focht broke the silence. "Even as a convert to ComStar, I have been willing to bend the rules, for a friend."

Phelan's head snapped around. "You sent my parents a message about me?" He felt his pulse begin to pound as images of his family and friends began to float before his inner eye. Then and there he realized no matter how fully he accepted the Clans as his new family and friends, he could never let go of the people he had known before. This concern for both sides is what the ilKhan wants from me. Natasha and I both have loyalties to the Clans and to the Inner Sphere. Are we here to temper the Clans in their fight?