Justin shut his eyes and grinned. Don't let the paranoia infesting this place get to you, Justin. You were about to assume that Romano tried to kill Andy because she's upset at your primacy on the crisis team. It is true that she'd like to see Tsen Shang succeed, but that would be so that she might direct his efforts against House Marik. Her pathological hatred of the Free Worlds League is almost as great as her father's loathing of the Federated Suns.

Justin shook his head to flick off droplets of sweat off before they could sting his closed eyes. If she thought at all before she sent the termination team out, she probably directed them at Kittery because she wanted to spark reprisals against worlds in Candace's St. Ives holdings. If that was her intent, she's playing a dangerous game. I'll have Alexi place her under passive surveillance.

Justin smiled as he thanked God her attempt did not get Andy. Then he caught himself with a silent laugh. Careful, Justin That's treason . . .

The sound of approaching footsteps brought Justin's movements to a halt. Wiping his brow on the back of his right wrist, he opened his eyes. What he saw was a woman entering the area of the shrine. Remaining shrouded in the shadow cast by a willow, he said not a word.

Dressed in a green and gray silken robe, Candace Liao strode toward the shrine. The robe, cinched tightly around her slender waist by a green sash, reflected the moon's soft light. Reaching the shrine, she stood there with arms crossed over her chest as though attempting to control the fury that was making her tremble visibly.

Justin narrowed his eyes. I do not want to be here.Intending to circle around behind her to slip unnoticed from the shrine, he moved silently toward his left. Candace whirled with the reflexes of a cat and stabbed her right hand out in his direction. The moonlight glittered in her eyes, flashing at Justin with supernatural intensity.

"Why are you lurking here, Xiang? Are you spying on me?" The fury in her words was like the scream of a jungle cat.

He fought his initial reaction to snap back angrily, and bowed his head. "Forgive me, Duchess. I was alone here well before you arrived." Justin pointed at where his shirt and jacket lay. "My exercises had deposited me there, in the shadows, when you arrived."

Her right arm lowered and she reached across with that hand to massage her left shoulder. "Indeed, it seems to be as you say." She glanced at the rumpled pile of clothing. "Very well then. I bid you leave me now. I wish to meditate."

Without thinking, Justin snarled, "If you truly wish to meditate, then my exercises will not disturb you." Sweeping forward from the shadows in a series of circular moves, he increased the speed without sacrificing any of the precision or restrained power they demanded. Then he froze suddenly and looked at her coldly. "I am not finished here, at this time."

Candace's eyes blazed with outrage. "How dare you speak to me so, Citizen Xiang!"

Justin batted her protest aside with a parry of his right hand. "How dare you lash out at me with your anger in this place of peace!" He closed his eyes and forced the tension to flow out of his body with a sharply exhaled breath. "You expose your ire to me, and I want no part of it."

With his gaze lowered, Justin could not see Candace, but he could feel the waves of fury radiating from her like heat from an overworked 'Mech. Emotional meltdown,he commented inwardly. Meanwhile, he forced himself to ignore her and concentrated instead on opening and closing his artificial hand as he launched himself into a new series of t'ai chi chuanmovements.

Her anger broke like a fever so suddenly that Justin opened his eyes. "Citizen Xiang, I, there is . . . Please forgive me." She smiled penitently. "There is no excuse for my behavior, and though I am loathe to admit it, you were right to rebuke me here, in this place."

Justin let his arms drift down to his sides. "Apology accepted."

Candace stiffened, then caught herself and forced a smile. "Yes. I suppose that was an apology, wasn't it?"

Justin nodded slightly. "And beautifully rendered at that."

"I surprised myself," she said with a small laugh. "It's been a long time since I've apologized to anyone." She shook her head, but a gentle breeze kept her glossy black hair away from her face. "I should not have taken it out on you. I should have just gone off and strangled my sister."

Justin licked his lips, but restrained himself from replying.

"Do you know what she did?" Candace stared into Justin's eyes, then laughed. "I'm asking the head of the crisis team if he knows what Romano did on Kittery. But of course you know."

As Justin nodded, Candace continued to speak, her anxiety threading its way into the words. "Davion's likely to attack Taga or St. Loris or Spica in reprisal for Romano's stupidity."

"I don't believe so, Duchess. Duke Michael won't send his Fifth Fusiliers from Kittery, but he will demand that Prince Hanse send the Assault Guards to teach you a lesson. Because it's him, the demand will probably mean the Guards won't go anywhere. The First Kittery is waiting to ship out to New Aragon, so they won't be the ones to go, and neither the Kittery Borderers nor the Capellan Dragoons have the JumpShips needed to launch a raid." Justin smiled wryly. "Besides, the CID shut down our spy network on Kittery, so Davion's laughing up his sleeve at us. He'll do nothing that could turn out badly and sour this coup."

Candace pressed her lips together into a thin line as she considered his words. Then a sudden smile lit up her face. "So you came out here intending to find peace?"

"A sense of peace is what I usually get from a t'ai chiworkout." Justin smiled and wound his right arm through a parry and strike combination that was as beautiful as it was simple. "You should try it."

Candace shook her head as her right hand again rubbed her left shoulder. "I'm afraid I couldn't." She smiled weakly. "A 'Mech injury has left me less than graceful."

He turned to face her and extended his metal hand. "Forgive me, Duchess, but this lump of pig iron does nothing for my grace, either."

Candace's eyes glowed with renewed agitation as she slipped the robe from her left shoulder and withdrew her left arm from the sleeve. Holding the robe closed with her right hand, she turned so that her shoulder was no longer in shadow. Then, with a flick of her head, she tossed her hair back from the shoulder. "At least, Citizen, they were able to fix your arm."

Justin winced as the moonlight poured white fire over the patchwork of scars on her left shoulder. It almost looks as though she were mauled by a wild animal.Though the reconstructive surgery had no doubt been undertaken with the best intentions and meticulous care, the suture scars merely highlighted the futility of the doctors' efforts. "When did it happen?" he asked softly.

Candace's face hardened. "Eleven years ago." No. It couldn't have been ...Justin swallowed hard. "Not on Spica..."

Candace nodded slowly. "Yes, on Spica. A brash young Davion Leftenant who was quite fluent in Liao managed to convince members of my command that the effort to relieve our siege of General Sheridan Courtney's position in the city of Valencia was coming from the north. My superiors shifted their resources around and left the defense of the eastern approach to my company. Colonel Dobson's battalion hit us hard ..."