Justin reached out to her, and she came to him. "I will leave your holodisc in the Bethel facility. After we've raped the Prince's research base, though, I would not venture a guess about his reaction."

He kissed her on the forehead. "As for any hint of treason, do not worry yourself. In my mind, your fate and that of the Capellan Confederation are inexorably linked. I accept as my sacred duty the safeguarding of both." I will keep you safe from all adversaries, my love, but who will protect me?

6

Sian

Sian Commonality, Capellan Confederation

21 March 3029

Romano Liao glanced at Tsen Shang's reflection in her vanity table mirror as he entered her bedroom. "So, did you see him off?" Her sing-song voice for once seemed to carry neither challenge nor edge to it.

Tsen nodded. "I just returned from the spaceport."

"And was my sister there as well?"

"Yes. She almost went out to be with him on the JumpShip until they left the system."

I'll bet she did. She's become positively domesticated since she started sleeping with Xiang. I doubt she knows a war is on.Romano smiled at Tsen, then dabbed gloss onto her lips with the tip of her little finger. "Why did she choose to stay planetside?"

Tsen shrugged as he dropped into a Louis XIV chair set against the pale green wall behind her. "I think Justin asked her to stay here. He said none of the others on the raid would have their paramours with them and it might cause trouble."

Of course, she listened to Justin. He must know some special tricks with that metal hand of his . . ."Why is it, Tsen darling, that everyone does what this renegade from the Federated Suns tells them to do?"

Tsen frowned. "I don't understand you."

Romano scowled for a moment, then composed a more kindly expression as she turned to face her lover. "You and I have discussed the wastefulness of Xiang's return command circuit. You agreed with me that those JumpShips could be employed more usefully elsewhere. You told me they could have been used to move troops up to retake Highspire. Yet you did not fight him in the meeting yesterday. What power does he have over you?"

Tsen stiffened. "He has no power over me."

Sarcasm set off on every syllable of Romano's riposte. "Doesn't he? You were upset that Justin had given orders to McCarron's Armored Cavalry, but your protest died. You should have seen yourself. You glowed as Justin asked you questions and you answered them correctly. You performed tricks like a trained ape."

"No!" Tsen shook his head violently. "You don't understand. Justin's plan is a good one. His reasons for needing the extra JumpShips are valid. His orders for McCarron's Armored Cavalry made sense. Justin thinks his plans through—there is very little for me to protest."

Romano gave a lilting laugh. "How foolish you are, my dearest, to believe I do not see what Justin is doing to you. You believe he keeps you around because he needs your help, and you believe you owe him because he prevented my father from having you shot after your plan led us into Hanse Davion's trap." She paused as Tsen's shame burned on his face.

Romano smiled like a mother showing sympathy for a child's scraped knee. "Lover, you must see this as well. You coordinate a massive operation—a task that is difficult in and of itself—and it meets with disaster. Justin Xiang sends a raid off to a nothing planet and claims a great victory. He also arranged the assassination attempt on Pavel Ridzik, but it failed and he now blames Davion spies for it. You live within your shame, but he refuses to let any errors spot his record."

Tsen stared at the carpeted floor. "What are you saying, my lady?"

"I am saying that Justin is using you to make himself look better. You must show initiative." As Tsen's head came up, she saw the gleam of an idea in his eyes. "What? What have you got, my love?"

Tsen Shang smiled easily. "I will find that spy and deliver his head to your father . . ." Tsen's voice trailed off, his smile dying as Romano frowned darkly.

"No, Tsen. You think in terms that are far too small!" She reached back onto her vanity, grabbed a cut-glass bottle of perfume and hurled it at him. It exploded against the wall behind him, splashing him with musk and glass slivers. "What difference will a measly spy make? What is one spy when Xiang claims the salvation of the Capellan Confederation? You need a bold stroke to eclipse his glory!"

Tsen hung his head. "There is nothing that I could plan."

"Ha!" Romano lanced Tsen with a stare like cold malachite. "You yourself told me that JumpShips are crucial for a war. That's exactly the reason Xiang's plan is wasteful. Why not cripple the Federated Suns' JumpShip fleet? Why not strike at the Kathil shipyards?"

Tsen looked at her with utter disbelief. "That's impossible!"

Show me spine. Prove your worth to me now, or you’ll end up sharing the hole where I've had my father's wife planted.She narrowed her eyes. "Impossible? What would Justin Xiang say to that plan? Would he say impossible? Would any man say impossible?" She stood and let her silken gown slip from her body ... "Perhaps I should just seduce Justin Xiang and forget about you . .."

Tsen shot to his feet, dark eyes blazing with fury. "No!" He half-turned, slashing the satiny upholstery of the chair into ribbons with the nails on his right hand. "I am not to be cast aside that easily, Romano."

She watched him, knowing better than to comment. I have seen him like this before. He fought within himself the same way on the night when he told me—in direct conflict with an order Justin had given him—that the whore my father called a wife was rutting with Pavel Ridzik. That weakened his loyalty to Xiang, and now it will be broken. My father gets Maskirovka reports from Xiang, and now I will get mine from Tsen Shang.

Tsen's head came up slowly. "It is possible for an attack to be arranged on the Kathil shipyards. I will need to plan it alone so the spy in the Maskirovka will not learn about it."

Romano nodded as he spoke. "Yes, and reveal the plan to my father at a point when no one could get word out in time to warn the Prince."

Tsen chewed his lower lip. "That will mean we must have a command circuit going to Kathil. If the troops move by conventional means, they'll arrive too slowly."

Romano stepped toward him. "No matter. We can divert some of the JumpShips from Xiang's circuit after he has used them. Instead of calling them back, we'll post them to new positions."

Tsen smiled. "And we will need crack troops."

Her breath coming quickly, Romano whispered, "We'll have the best. I'll order my father's Death Commandos to carry out your strike." She reached out and wrapped her arms around Tsen's waist.

Lost in thought, Tsen's eyes nearly closed. "It may just work."

She pulled him close and pressed her body against his. "It will work, lover. With this victory, you will ascend to your rightful place within the Maskirovka." Stroking his hair, she glanced over his shoulder and smiled confidently at her own reflection in the mirror.

7

Lyons

Isle of Skye, Lyran Commonwealth