Hideyoshi barked a harsh laugh of triumph. "There you have your ally's honor, Kanrei! He does not send his own troops, but instead dispatches mercenaries?'Hideyoshi managed to fill the word with utter contempt. "Hanse Davion does not even deign to dirty his own hands with us. What a fool you have been."

Theodore said nothing, but watched the display intently. Shin saw the red dots of light reflected in Theodore's eyes, but could read none of the Kurita Warlord's emotions or thoughts. Hideyoshi and Yoshida clearly took Theodore's silence as weakness and hesitation, but Shin had the exact opposite reaction.

A light began to strobe on Shin's console. "Sumimasen,Kanrei. There is communication coming in from the DropShip Chieftan.Do you want me to run it through here?"

"Yes. Thank you, Shin."

Hitting the right keys, Shin supplanted the orbital scan with a holographic image of Jaime Wolf. "Komban-wa,Kurita Theodore- sama."

"Komban-wa, Tai-saWolf -sama."Theodore straightened up. "You realize that you have penetrated restricted space and appear to be on an attack vector for Imperial City?"

Wolf grinned cheerfully, and Shin felt the weight on his chest evaporating. "Hai,Theodore, I do realize that. Forgive any concern we may have caused you."

"Perhaps, Colonel." Theodore's expression eased. "Might I inquire what is your business here?"

"We request permission to land," Wolf said matter-of-factly. "Hanse Davion sent us a report that you would soon have a fight on your hands. How could we let you have all the fun by yourself?"

35

Tenth Lyran Guards Headquarters, Alyina

Trellshire, Lyran Commonwealth, Federated Commonwealth

25 December 3051

Kai Allard saw the surprise on Victor's face as he knocked at the open door of Victor's office. "Got a minute?"

Victor smiled quickly. "Sure." He stood and moved from behind his desk, eclipsing the diminutive Christmas tree set on a table in the corner of the room. "What are you still doing around here? I thought you were heading down to Mar Negro for some diving on your Christmas break?"

Kai nodded sheepishly. "I was planning to, but a storm front is threatening the peninsula down there. Leftenant Kimbal is from Alyina, so I let her have my leave to visit her family. Besides, I figure we'll see enough of Mar Negro when and if the Falcons decide to punt us off this rock."

Kai brought his left hand out from where he'd hidden it behind his back. "I also wanted to make sure you got this. Merry Christmas."

Victor accepted the gift-wrapped box and efficiently stripped it of the red ribbon and green paper. He opened the small box and set both the lid and the protective layer of cotton on his desk. Then he lifted out a carefully fashioned piece of dark jadework. Shaped like a monkey, cinnabar had been inlaid in the jade to give the creature eyes of red. In its right hand, it held a staff and its left hand clung to the leather thong to which the pendant hung. Victor looked up. "A monkey?"

"Yes, but no ordinary monkey." Kai knew from Victor's voice that he was pleased with the gift, yet puzzled and curious about it. "That is Sun Hou-Tzu, King of the Monkeys in Chinese mythology. It wasn't because you remind me of a monkey that I got it for you, but because Stone Monkey and you are very much alike."

"Calling me a monkey, are you?" A smirk lit Victor's face. "You're digging yourself a deeper hole here, Kai."

Kai raised his hands. "I don't think so. Stone Monkey was royalty who hated anyone who gave him hollow titles and deferred to him because of his nobility. He was a mighty warrior who could not be defeated by even the fiercest of the gods. He was also cunning enough to win freedom from Yen-lo-wang for his people. Because of him, monkeys are not subject to death in the way we know it. Furthermore, Sun Hou-Tzu won for himself immortality."

He shrugged. "Being as how you stand to inherit all the worlds of two nations, it's not too easy finding a gift for you. This totem is meant to remind you to always be yourself, no matter what. And if there's any justice, the Stone Monkey will share with you some of his audacious good luck. He'll keep you safe."

Victor smiled and set the box on the desk. "I won't need his protection as long as you're around, or did Sun Hou-Tzu intervene on Twycross?"

Distant echoes of battle played through Kai's mind, but the gratitude in Victor's voice kept Kai's feelings of regret at bay. "I don't know, but I don't see any reason to take chances."

"Nor do I." Victor retreated to the corner of the room and pulled a box from beneath his meager tree. "I didn't think I'd have a chance to give this to you until you'd returned." He extended the package to Kai. "Merry Christmas, my friend."

Kai accepted the package wordlessly. Its white and red striped paper felt crisp and clean beneath his fingers, and the package felt weighty. Kai tipped it up and broke the tape on the narrow end. Carefully and slowly, he unfolded the wrappings.

Victor looked petulant. "That's not how to open a present. You're supposed to tear the paper apart."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "I must have missed that law."

"It's not a law yet," Victor laughed. "Just wait till I take the throne."

Kai chuckled as he slid the box from the tube of wrapping paper. He pulled off the top and secured it to the bottom of the box. "Victor," he exclaimed, "this is great."

Victor beamed as Kai pulled the stainless steel survival knife and plastic sheath from the box. "They told me that it was treated not to rust even in what passes for oceans on this rock. The hilt is hollow and contains matches, some medical stuff, and a cord-saw. You can fix the sheath to your boot and keep it with you in your 'Mech."

"I'll bet that this baby could saw through some 'Mech armor," Kai allowed as he lightly passed his finger over the serrated edge of the blade, "but I don't think I'll want to get that close."

"I know that, but you're the one who had to find alternate transport home from Twycross, not me." Victor gave Kai a devilish grin. "I've got Sun Hou-Tzu to keep me safe, and you've got the knife."

For the first time since they'd landed on Alyina, the sense of impending doom that had weighed Kai down began to lift. "It's best to be safe, but we don't have to worry too much. I keep my bargains."

Victor's brows met, revealing his confusion. "Come again?"

"Don't you remember? When you said you'd get me a 'Mech so I could be in the fight on Twycross, I asked if I had to wait twenty years to thank you for that opportunity. You said yes, so that would mean we were certain to be alive in twenty years. Well, it worked on Twycross, and we've got nineteen more years to go."

The Prince nodded slowly. "Of course, Kai, now I remember. And thanks to you I'm able to hold up my end of the bargain."

"And I you." Kai closed the knife box. "Well, I'd best let you get on with whatever you had planned for today."

"Wait, Kai. How long until you've got duty?"

"About six hours." He hefted the box. "I'll go stash this in Yen-lo-wangand do some reading before watch. Or, if the rumors are true and they've got a holovid of Ken Tom's new discovery, Jake Lonestar, taking the title on Solaris, maybe I'll watch that."