Phelan realized it had to be a command center of sorts. The dim lights obviated the necessity of adjusting one's eyes to the darkness common in briefing rooms. More important, the martial icons could only mean that behind these doors were the nerve centers for the various branches of Clan service. Phelan guessed that the ship had reached some new system and the Clansmen were about to take it.

The mercenary's pulse began to thunder in his ears. Why would the Khan want me present during an invasion? Even if I can't, escape, why expose me to military intelligence that I should not see? I would occasionally like to be told what is expected of me. The novelty of living like a rat in an experimenter's cage is wearing thin.

Ranna opened a door whose icon was a single eye, and led the way into a comfortably appointed chamber. Once inside, Phelan saw several JumpShips through a large, round viewport into space. Fixed to the walls, maroon leather couches provided comfortable seating. Each of the walls, save the one to his right, was decorated with holographic battlescenes.

The whole right wall was made of glass and looked out over the Dire Wolfsbattle bridge. Below, dozens of Clan officers of both sexes stood around an area containing the largest holographic display Phelan had ever seen. It covered an area at least six meters in diameter, and the images rose more than three meters above the deck to the ceiling. Beyond it, running the length of the rectangular room and side to side, hundreds of data terminals flickered with green or amber light. Down at the far end of the bridge, a giant portal looked out onto the planet under assault.

Walking within the images, Phelan recognized Ulric, but could not identify the dark-skinned man walking with him. "Ranna, who is that with the Khan?"

She frowned slightly. 'That is Leo, the ilKhan. He is a Smoke Jaguar and the current Khan of Khans. He is the invasion's leader."

Phelan looked over at her. "You don't much care for him."

She shook her head. "He is the ilKhan, and I do as he commands. But he is determined to interfere with the Khan's assault of the planet. The Khan wanted either Star Colonel Lara or Star Colonel Darren to lead the attack, but the ilKhan has forced him to use Star Colonel Marcos instead of Darren."

Phelan matched names to the individuals Ranna pointed out from their vantage point. As Leo and Ulric left the holographic area, the Precentor Martial joined them. Then two other individuals entered the display unit. Star Colonel Lara wore her blond hair midway down her back and her fingernails painted black. Marcos joined her, confidently smoothing his jet black hair against his pate. Both looked fit, and to Phelan, far too young to be Colonels.

"What is that thing where they're pacing around?"

Ranna looked at Phelan curiously. "That is a full-sized holotank. Its computers coordinate all the different datafeeds to create a three-dimensional map of the planet below. It can even get down to a one-to-one scale, though it loses some resolution at that point. Mostly it is used as a tactical display, but similar units are used for simulator combat to train the Elementals—our armored infantry. Evantha is an Elemental."

The mercenary watched the two Star Colonels stalk around the holotank. "A Colonel should be commanding a regiment, which means about one hundred-thirty 'Mechs and assorted support personnel. It's going to take more than one regiment to capture a whole planet. Why doesn't the ilKhan just send both of them?"

Ranna hesitated just long enough for Phelan to know she was leaving something out of her answer. "New Bergen—I believe that is what you call the world—has said they only have two regiments to oppose us. Each Colonel will bid for the honor of taking the world."

"Bid?" Phelan didn't understand at all. "Your 'Mechs might be good, but this isn't a game ..."

Ranna look at him with steel in her blue eyes. "No, Phelan, this is not a game." Tension filled her voice and body. When a large data monitor mounted on the wall flashed to life, her head whipped around and she watched the scene below intently.

In the holotank, the Star Colonels shook hands, then left the display. Ulric nodded to Lara and she said something, but the sound did not make it through the window. Behind her, fifteen eight-pointed, red dagger-stars lined themselves up on the wall-mounted data display beneath an icon that Phelan decided represented the Dire Wolf.At the same time, a small device clipped to Ranna's belt beeped and a red LED lit up.

Ranna smiled wolfishly and rubbed her hands together. "Yes, open with everything and see how he cuts it."

Marcos thrust a fist in the air and shouted something, but again the sound was lost to those in the observing room. Beneath the line of stars that materialized when Lara spoke, another line appeared, but this one had only fourteen stars. Lara immediately replied to Marcos, and two of the stars vanished from her line. Marcos countered and Lara matched him, leaving each row equal in length at a dozen stars.

Phelan looked over at his companion. "What just happened?"

The Clanswoman held her right hand up to forestall another question. "Preliminaries, that is all. They are both at twelve stars and it is Marcos's bid."

Marcos turned and huddled with a couple of other Clan officers, including Vlad. Phelan saw the Precentor Martial say something to Ulric, which brought a nod from the Khan and a sour look to the ilKhan's face. Lara watched her adversary through the holotank and waved off advice from her supporters.

Marcos turned and grinned confidently. He offered a bid that removed three of the dagger stars, replacing them with three small, five-pointed, blue-white stars and three green, four-pointed dagger-stars trimmed in silver. The ilKhan saluted that bid, and Marcos stared at his opposition.

Lara's return bid swept away three of the dagger-stars, but put nothing up in their place. Marcos looked stricken, and the blood drained from the ilKhan's face. Ulric nodded a silent salute to Lara, and the Precentor Martial matched the gesture.

"No!" Ranna looked down at the device on her belt as the red light died. Anger and frustration warring for control of her face, she slumped down on the couch beneath the window. "Why bid mystar away?"

Phelan folded a leg beneath himself and sat beside her. "What's the matter? Can't you explain any of this to me?"

She turned to him, staring angrily as though she didn't recognize him. Then her mood softened to take him in again. "Lara and Marcos were bidding to see who could take the world with the least amount of equipment and personnel. Each of the red dagger-stars represents a Star of 'Mechs. The small blue-white stars represent a Star of Aero-Space Fighters, and the green dagger-stars are Elementals. Marcos's bid substituting three Aerostars and three Elemental stars for three 'Mech stars surrendered him no power. Lara realized Marcos had hit the low end of his confidence, so she dropped herself down to nine 'Mech stars. It gives her room to maneuver if she runs into trouble on the planet, and will be a great victory if she does not."

Phelan frowned. "What do you mean by 'room to maneuver'?"

Ranna looked at her hands. "Lara can call down forces equal to Marcos's last bid without surrendering any booty to him. With his agreement—something she is not likely to get—she could call down forces equivalent to her opening bid, but she would have to concede all sorts of things, making the victory worthless to her."

"Oh." The mercenary peered at Ranna, trying to pierce the veil of dejection. "Why are you upset? I thought you wanted Lara to win the bidding war."