Candace grinned. "A tad late for that now, isn't it, Citizen Xiang? Besides, your maternal grandfather served in the Ministry of Information Standards for years and was made a Lord before he died. You are hardly an ordinary citizen, Justin." She kissed his lips again. "How well I know that."

She patted him playfully on the right chest, then recoiled in horror when he winced. "Oh, Justin, I'm sorry."

Justin shook his head, giving the pain time to drain away. "No problem. Everything is fairly well healed. I react more from habit than actual pain." He paused and smiled as two Development Ministry officials walked past. "Let's find a more private place to talk."

"My sentiments exactly." Candace took his hand and led him down the passageway. "For the two days since your return, they've had you debriefed and tested by just about everyone in the Maskirovka. Tonight, I've arranged an intimate dinner for just the two of us."

Justin smiled. "And afterward?"

She smiled coyly. "And after that, I thought we could slip into something more comfortable, like my bed, and I could properly welcome you home."

* * *

Lying next to him in the bed, her head resting on his left shoulder, Candace brushed the fingertips of her left hand lightly across the patch of lighter colored flesh on the right side of Justin's chest. "Aside from the skin tone, I can't really tell that you've been hit."

Justin nodded and kissed the top of her head. "Thanks to Tsen Shang's foresight, we had a fully equipped biolab on the Drop-Ship that remained with our JumpShip at Bethel. Though your father would not allow his top scientists to man the lab, those who did had enough knowledge to analyze the myomer fiber we stole. It's fortunate they also had the expertise and equipment to culture a skin graft to cover up my wound."

She shifted around so that her right forearm lay against his chest to support her chin. "The preliminary reports said you'd lost people and that the 'Mechs had been hit. I was worried."

Justin forced himself to smile. "Well, things might have been a bit worse for me if one of the JumpShips hadn't suffered a liquid helium leak. That meant its Kearny-Fuchida jump drive wouldn't work, so we had to recharge the JumpShip we were using. Because there was no transfer, and we had to wait ten days to recharge, the scientists had the time to make up the culture." He snorted a hoarse laugh. "That is, however, the last time I want research scientists to work on me. As one of them said, 'Citizen, if you were a rat, I could be sure this would work, but I cannot make a Human any promises.' Luckily, the Fourth Tau Ceti Rangers had a real doctor with them who supervised everything."

Candace smiled and kissed his chest. "I was so happy to hear you were alive that I almost took a shuttle out to meet your Drop-Ship when you finally jumped into this system. I had no desire to lose my only ally against my sister."

Justin touched her cheek tenderly, wondering what Candace would say if she knew the truth, that it wasn't a Davion security officer who'd shot him but one of her own sister's agents. Romano certainly took the news of Ling's death calmly. But then, she'd had a week of knowing I'd survived before I set foot on Sian.

Candace traced a small circle on Justin's chest with her index finger. "Did you manage to deliver the present I left in the cockpit of your 'Mech?"

Justin nodded and gave her a squeeze with his left arm. "Unless my father's people have actually sunk to the level of incompetence claimed by our propaganda, they'll find it." Justin narrowed his brown eyes. "In fact, that's how I got shot—accomplishing that little feat. The guard shot Ling and then me before Alexi killed him."

Candace smiled contentedly. "Excellent." She reached up to caress the side of his face. "I shall have to remember to thank Alexi Malenkov for saving your life. What would be a suitable gift?"

Justin chuckled lightly. "Alexi is a man of simple tastes. Perhaps making him a Mandrinn on Warlock would suit him."

Candace's eyes became gray crescents. "Good idea, lover, but slightly off target. I shall make him a Mandrinn on Teng. He will become your vassal, to remind him that you are important to both of us. I believe Dao Shan Province is within your holding. I shall give it to him as a reward for his loyalty to you."

A light tapping sounded on the teakwood door. "Mistress?" asked a timid voice that Justin recognized as belonging to Candace's maid.

Candace looked toward the door. "I left orders that we were not to be disturbed, Li."

The nervous tremor in the servant's voice survived translation through the doors. "I know, Mistress, but there are men here, and they have orders to bring Citizen Xiang to the Chancellor. I have told them you would not know where he might be ..."

Candace swung her legs around over the edge of the bed and stood. "Tell them to wait in the outer chamber." She pulled on a silken yellow robe to cover her nakedness, but let it gap open as she leaned over to kiss Justin full on the mouth. "This had better be more than one of my sister's tantrums. If she has pulled us from my warm bed for no reason, I will personally supply reasons for white ribbons to decorate her portrait."

Justin felt a sinking sensation when the two Death Commandos escorted Candace and him toward the briefing room and not the Chancellor's throne room. Something dire must have happened.

The door of the chamber retracted into the ceiling, allowing Candace and Justin access to the black chamber. Behind them, the door descended again, sealing them within a nearly featureless ebon capsule. A holographic display table dominated the center of the room, and the Chancellor stood hunched over its far end. Midway along the left side, Tsen Shang feverishly entered data requests on a keyboard, then gave soft commands to Alexi on the other side of the table to repeat his calculations.

The Chancellor did not raise his head even though an image burned to life in the air before him. "You are certain, Citizen Xiang, that this new myomer fiber will make our 'Mechs strong?"

Justin nodded. "Yes, Celestial Supremacy, it will."

The holographic display taking shape above the table distracted Justin before he had a chance to notice the effect of his reply on Maximilian Liao. The image, which represented what had been the Capellan Confederation at the beginning of the Davion invasion, glowed with different colors. The renegade Tikonov Free Republic burned with a defiant blue, while a fierce red denoted the planets Davion troops now occupied. A rich green colored the space of still loyal and intact planets, but Justin noticed that a new fork of red stabbed into the Sarna Confederation.

Justin's mouth went dry. "The fifth wave... Davion's launched a fifth wave."

Tsen nodded his head wearily. "They hit Matsu, Zaurak, Menkib, New Macao, and Mandate—all defended by militia alone."

Justin narrowed his eyes. "Reinforced militia, or just the standard stuff?"

Alexi, peering closely at his data terminal, punched up a summary of the action. "Menkib, New Macao, and Mandate had all called up reserves, and they had supplies. Matsu had done no call-up. Zaurak had initiated some activity, but this is the season of storms in the northern hemisphere so we don't know how far they got in their efforts."

Justin nodded idly as he leaned forward to see. "What have we got to oppose them on Wei, Remshield, and Tsingtao?"

Tsen glanced at his data screen. "All three battalions of Sung's