She drew in a deep breath. "On the 20th of June, three assassins disguised as members of the AFFS gained access to the Triad. Their papers were in order, and two of them were escorted to my private office. I was chatting amicably with them while we waited for Simon Johnson, head of the LIC and your father's counterpart in my realm. The third individual paid a social call on my daughter."

Dan felt as though his mind and body went numb except for one thought, Jeana, my Jeana, is Melissa's double. That assassin went to see Jeana!

The Archon nodded, as though anticipating Dan's thoughts even as she had recorded the message. "Jeana recognized the assassin as an impostor and dealt with him. She appropriated his pistol, and by traversing a series of hidden passageways in the Triad, entered my office through a secret door. She confronted the other two assassins and killed them before they could do me any harm."

The Archon paused for a moment, biting back tears. "She died without pain, but not before knowing she had succeeded in eliminating the threat to my life. For obvious reasons of security, her mortal remains were cremated. Her ashes have been interred in the Steiner crypt beneath the Triad. If you wish, the crypt will be open to you at any time."

Katrina Steiner looked out of the monitor and gave Dan a brave smile. "In the time she was here, Jeana and I became close friends. She spoke of you often and was overjoyed that her gift had indeed kept you safe. Never doubt that she loved you, Captain Allard, and know that she lives on in our hearts."

The screen faded to black and left Dan with a hollow pit in his chest. His throat ached because of the emotions beginning to choke him, yet his feelings did not flood over him. They were there, waiting, just waiting, like thunderstorms on the horizon.

Dan looked over at Morgan. "I felt I'd known her all my life, yet I knew nothing about her. That she was"—he hesitated at the word—" 'safe' on Tharkad made things easier for me. I knew we'd be apart and that I'd not hear from her, so I just walled off the worry and pain of separation." He shrugged helplessly. "Now I want to feel something, but it's empty ... just a void in me."

He pulled the green silken sash from his head and picked at the knot. "I never even knew her full name."

Morgan hesitated, then began to speak quietly. "Her name was Jeana Clay. She was born in 3002 on Poulsbo, where she lived with her father and mother. Her father died in 3005 in a raid on the Bangor military facility there, enabling Katrina Steiner, Arthur Luvon, and me to escape from the Loki agents Alessandro had sent to kill us."

Stunned, Dan looked up at his commanding officer. "How do you ... ? Why didn't you tell me before?" Anger flashed through him, but ultimately proved as elusive as the other emotions he'd sought to capture. A realization formed itself into one word and he repeated that word in a hushed voice. "Heimdall."

Morgan nodded. "Jeana and her family were Heimdall. I don't believe Clay was her original surname—I only knew her father as Grison. After our return to the Lyran Commonwealth, Arthur Luvon created and had placed into the LIC computers a whole series of new identities for the families and survivors of the Poulsbo Heimdall cell that helped us. In fact, it was through a scholarship created by Arthur that Jeana went to Sanglamore."

Dan sank back into the chair and pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes. "All this sleight of hand. Melissa's double is a woman who belongs to an opposition movement. Duke Aldo Lestrade's son belongs to the same group, and his father does the best he can to cause a whole Heimdall settlement on New Freedom to be destroyed. Secret files in the LIC computer." His hands fell away from his eyes. "Simon Johnson would go mad if he knew about this."

Morgan shook his head slowly. "I don't think so." He stood and came around to sit on the front of his desk. "Simon Johnson is the one who put Jeana's new identity in the computer, and her connection with Heimdall is the reason Johnson selected her to be Melissa's double."

In shock, Dan's jaw dropped. "Simon Johnson, the head of the LIC, is a member of Heimdall?'

Morgan smiled wryly. "Recall that we are a group formed from the loyalopposition. We knew it would be useful for us to have people inside the Lyran Intelligence Corps. Especially after Poulsbo, I must that admit Arthur, Patrick, and I used to laugh about Alessandro's elevation of Simon. The idea of Alessandro relying on a member of Heimdall to help identify Heimdall cells and destroy them is gratifying."

Dan nodded weakly. "You didn't tell me about Jeana because I'm not Heimdall?" Unspoken was Dan's sense of betrayal, but it was expressed in his tone.

Morgan reached out and squeezed Dan's forearm. "You may never have been formally inducted into Heimdall, but you might as well be a member. Regardless, I would have told you that much about her if I'd known it earlier. I didn't get that information until this message came in. Clovis appended the data."

Dan gave Morgan a feeble smile. "Thank you." He looked down at the knotted sash and used it to focus himself. His voice flattened out, barely more than a hoarse whisper. "Do they know who did it... who sent the assassins?"

Morgan drew in a deep breath, then narrowed his dark eyes. "He left no real evidence, and the man Jeana disabled gave up no information. But Katrina knows the plot originated in the Isle of Skye."

Dan unknotted the sash, then wound the loose ends around each fist until he held the cloth taut between them. "Aldo Lestrade." Staring at the garrote, Dan's blue eyes narrowed with rage. "He's been calling a lot of tunes lately. Once we've dealt with the Genyosah,it'll be time for him to pay the piper."

The fury in Morgan's voice matched the anger in Dan's. "I agree."

Dan looked up. "I'll send a message to Clovis. I won't deny him the right to kill the Duke, but I want Clovis to know he'll not travel alone to do the job."

Morgan frowned. "Remember that I said the holovid had gone to Lyons first? Clovis saw it, then forwarded it to us." Morgan sighed deeply. "I already sent such a message via ComStar to Clovis, but only got a reply from Karla Bremen. Clovis is gone."

Godspeed, my friend.Dan let the garrote sag, then snapped it taut again with a crack. I place my vengeance in your hands.

39

Kathil

Capellan March, Federated Suns

7 September 3029

The spherical UnionClass DropShip, boldly emblazoned with the death's-head insignia of the Liao Death Commandos, flew through the night sky with the ease of a condor gliding lazily on updrafts. As it slowed to hover, the guns retracted against the terrible heat of atmospheric entry popped out and searched the ground for any sign of the enemy. When the gunners found no targets, the ship began a slow descent.

Only five hundred meters above ground, the DropShip shuddered and drifted sideways. Blue sparks arced from laser mounts and PPCs. One LRM pod sprayed its missiles into the air while another belched a great gout of black smoke. Thelanding jets all pulsed out flame in a haphazard pattern, tipping the vessel right and then left. The ship righted itself and began to fight against Kathil's gravity, then the ion jets quit altogether.

The DropShip hit the ground hard, sending tremors out that Andrew Redburn could feel even in the cockpit of his Marauder.The ship's starboard hull crumpled, then an explosion in an LRM magazine blasted the ship up again. The volcanic detonations continued, spinning and bouncing the DropShip across the dark landing zone. The ship convulsed violently as it landed heavily on the port side, then a blazing red-yellow fireball blew the DropShip apart.