Teng nodded his head. "Would you like tea before we begin? I've finally gotten Carrie trained to make it perfectly. It's a blend from Hsien." Teng kept the smile from his face as the Mandrinn visibly struggled over whether or not to accept the offer. I know he hungers for Hsien tea—it was always the best in the Confederation. But Hsien was one of the worlds to join Ridzik's Tikonov Free Republic. Round one of our game and the point goes to . . .

Qua shivered as he nodded assent. Teng, smiling broadly enough to bring a blush to Qua's sallow face, turned to the waitress. "Carrie, be a dear and make us some tea. Use the Hsien stock—our visitor is important." Teng looked up at Maximilian Liao's messenger. "And bring us some of the kinchafruit. That new shipment can't be all used up yet, can it?"

Carrie smiled warmly at the smaller man. "As you desire, Master Teng." She bowed and withdrew, allowing the alcove drapery to slide shut.

Fuh Teng let the Liao Minister see him flip a switch on the arm of his chair. "That should deal with unwanted eavesdroppers. The tea will be here in a moment. Now, what can I do for you?"

Qua folded his hands and settled them in his lap as he composed himself. "Over the last two years, you have put together a stable of MechWarriors that is the envy of the Successor States.. ."

Teng nodded. "We have had our share of success in the arenas here in Solaris City. Justin has graciously let me reinvest his portion of the profits to expand our training program. This ensures us a steady stream of winners."

The Minister politely waited for an opening. "Yes, I knew it was your hand in managing things that made the program prosper. The Chancellor wishes you to know that your victories have inspired and heartened many of your fellow citizens. As you know, many believe the battles on Solaris are a window onto the military future of the Successor States."

Teng leaned back in his high-backed chair. "As within, so without, as we say here on Solaris."

Qua nodded curtly, obviously annoyed by the interruption.

"Quaintly put. Your grasp of tactics is revealed in the training you give your fighters. We believe this training is the edge that allows your fighters to defeat the Davion warriors on a regular basis."

The return of Carrie stopped the Minister's speech. She set small cerulean cups before each man, then poured the steaming, green-gray tea up to the brim of each. She set the teapot on the table, handle toward Teng, and centered the bowl of kinchabetween the two men.

Qua glanced at the bowl of plum-sized fruit and frowned. A thick, golden brown skin protected the kincha'ssweet flesh. He looked up, then jerked back as Teng shook a razor-edged stiletto from the sleeve of his black and silver silk jacket.

Teng bowed his head when he saw the Mandrinn's reaction. "Forgive me, excellency. I did not mean to startle you." He looked toward the curtain warding them from the other revelers in Valhalla. "This place, as you know, is in the heart of the Silesia sector of the City. I would never be molested here in Valhalla, but the same cannot be said for the streets between here and my home in Cathay. Solaris is something of a lawless world and—" he proffered the knife hilt-first—"a tungsten lawyer is most useful in negotiating differences of opinion."

Qua took the weapon in trembling fingers and used it to slice through the kincharind. He cut a small sliver from the fruit and closed his eyes as he touched it to his tongue. An expression of pure delight relaxed his features.

Teng smiled. Kinchahad become little more than a memory for many after the Free Worlds League took Shuen Wan, the only place where the fruit could be grown. Ever since Maximilian Liao had lost the world, he had considered consuming the fruit equivalent to treason. Teng was surprised that Qua took the liberty.

The ex-MechWarrior sipped his tea as Qua lovingly pared the kinchadown to its pit. "Minister, am I to assume from your remarks that you, or the Chancellor, would like me to instruct Capellan troops in the ways of defeating the Davion hordes?"

Qua's eyes snapped open, then darted around the alcove as he reoriented himself. "Ah, well, Citizen Teng, this is certainly a subject that has been discussed in the highest Maskirovka councils, but no conclusion has been reached."

Teng smiled to himself. That I believe. Justin wants me right here making bundles of money for him."Then what is it that you want?"

The Mandrinn smiled as politely as he could manage. "The Chancellor asks that you turn all the MechWarriors in your stable over to us to fight in the war. You realize, I am sure, what it would mean for the war effort. Here on Solaris, you are fortunate that the war does not touch you."

Teng narrowed his brown eyes. "I beg to differ with you, Mandrinn. The war does touch us here. Since hostilities began, the number of championship-caliber fighters on Solaris has dropped by 50 percent. That's part of the reason the Teng/Xiang stable has done so well. All our competition is off dying out of sight of the holovid cameras."

Qua blinked his eyes and stared at Teng with the look of disbelief that only a bureaucrat can master. "I don't understand. What are you telling me? Don't you know how much the war with the Federated Suns is hurting you? Don't you want to see the war end?"

Teng laughed aloud, slapping the table hard enough to make the kinchabowl bounce a few centimeters into the air. "Oh, by all the gods, I do want the war to end. Do you realize that my revenues have dropped by 30 percent since the war began? I'd worked a deal for distribution in the Draconis Combine, but now the damned Dragons won't allow the broadcast of fights in which Mech Warriors from House Davion, Steiner, or Kurita fight—and no one wants to watch fights between just Capellans and Leaguers. I just got a call from the current champion's manager. He said my bond of 50,000 C-bills would be forfeit if I didn't find Don Gilmore a suitable challenge within a month, but I've got no one capable of fighting him right now. And this damned Interdiction by ComStar just knocked my best market out of the picture. I've not got the numbers for June yet, but I'm betting my books will be hemorrhaging C-bills when I do. And now you want me to give you my warriors? Are you mad?"

Qua's face drained of blood, making him paler even then the meat of the kincha.His mouth hung agape, then his jaw closed and his black eyes became slits. "Need I remind you, Fuh Teng, that you are a Maskirovka operative. I have rank on you, and I could order you to turn those fighters over to me."

Fuh Teng stiffened. "Order me?" He folded his hands on the table, rubbing his thumbs together in irritation. "Have you not heard a word I've said, or haven't I made myself clear? Wake up, Mandrinn! The war is over. It's old news. This is the game world, and those of us who make our living here are used to picking winners and losers. Your side is definitely a loser."

Teng hit a switch at his end of the table and gave an order to the computer controlling the holovid display. "Patch in the political map of the Capellan Confederation, with the projections for the next wave of the Davion invasion."

At his command, the screen blanked, then flashed up a map of the Capellan Confederation. Each of the Davion invasion waves was overlaid in different shades of blue. The symbols designating several worlds in the Sarna Commonality flashed, indicating the local odds-makers' belief that they were next on the path to war.

Qua stared at the map like a teetotaler watching a beer-blast erupting in his own home. "This... this..." he sputtered, pointing a shaky finger at the screen. "This is treason!"