Gray Noton stared out at the killing field and watched his fortune dissipate with the smoke from the Hermesas the maintenance crew extinguished the fire. He cursed inwardly at the loss. I should have known that anything Lestrade arranged would fail and that the little weasel will never reimburse me. I'd love to try, but I can't extort more money from Lestrade without ruining my own reputation.He also realized that Teng's victory had cost him more than just the fifty thousand credits wagered on the battle. It would cost him five thousand credits to have Teng killed, and probably another ten thousand to make sure that the investigation of Teng's death did not lead back to him. Damn! I hate the costs of doing business.

Kym reached out and squeezed Noton's left forearm. "That fight was incredible!" She paused and studied his face. "Gray, you didn't have money on it, did you?"

Noton started, then forced a smile. He shrugged. "A bit, but nothing really." He narrowed his eyes. "Teng has apparently learned to fight while recovering from his injuries."

"Foul!" someone cried behind Noton. The spymaster turned and watched as people pointed at a small holovidscreen set into a wall beside the door. The camera had focused upon the fight's victor as he climbed down from the Vindicator'scockpit. "That's not Fuh Teng!"

What in hell?Noton got up and shouldered his way through the crowd. A couple of people made to protest, but changed their minds at the look of angry concentration on Noton's face. He reached the front ranks and stared hard at the man who had just won the battle.

The MechWarrior's dark hair, almond-shaped eyes, and yellowish skin marked him as Capellan, but Noton had never seen him before. As the camera concentrated on the victor's face, Noton did recognize the wolfish look of hunger. He knew that he had once worn that same expression. This one is a killer.

"Not fair!" shouted a noble from the Federated Suns, brandishing bet stubs as though they were legal documents. "We wagered that Billy Wolfson would defeat Fuh Teng! We were cheated!"

"Shut up!" Noton snapped at him. "Just shut up. If you look at your tickets, you'll see that you bet on a Hermes IIdefeating a Vindicator."Noton stabbed a finger back at the arena viewport. "That was not a challenge match. Neither pilot specified the warrior he was to face. You may not like it, but anyone who owns stables of 'Mechs knows that a last-minute change of pilots is not illegal. The machines battle, and any fool old enough to bet should have known that a Vindicatorwould eat a Hermesalive!"

Noton posted one arm on either side of the holovision screen. The camera had panned back as the MechWarrior pulled on a jumpsuit. Noton's heart caught in his throat as he caught a glimpse of a blue-steel forearm slipping into a sleeve. Even before he had time to voice his suspicion, the name "Justin Xiang" appeared on the screen as the announcer stumbled his way through an impromptu history of the fight's victor.

* * *

Justin, freshly showered and clad in a black leather jacket over a blue jumpsuit, entered the elevator and pushed the button to close the door. "Baron von Summer's box," he said. "I am expected."

The elevator, responding to his voice command, jerked upward, then glided smoothly to the left. Halfway around the arena, it slowed and stopped.

The door opened and Justin found himself staring out at a semicircle of hostile people. "Go away, traitor," spat one white-haired gentleman. "You are not wanted here!"

Justin frowned but made no reply as Enrico Lestrade broke through the crowd to offer Justin his hand. "Pay no attention to them, Justin Xiang. They are angry because you cost them money." Behind the Baron, Gray Noton and Contessa Kym Sorenson had drifted in through the angry guests.

"He betrayed Hanse Davion, Baron!" The noblewoman who spoke wore a tartan that Justin identified instantly. She was from Firgrove.Andrew Redburn was a native of that same Capellan March coreworld and had hung a blanket of the same pattern on the wall of his Kittery quarters.

The noblewoman shook a fist in Justin's face. "This man sold out the Federated Suns to House Liao just the way he cheated here tonight."

Justin opened his mouth to reply, but Contessa Kym Sorenson thrust out a finger at the woman. "Always complaining, aren't you, Doris MacDougal? One might think Firgrove's major product was gripes. But then it'd have to beat out excuses, wouldn't it?" Kym straightened up and took in all the Federated Suns nobility with one harsh stare. "You all bet your nationality, but just because Hanse Davion's troops regularly defeat Liao's soldiers doesn't mean the same has to happen here. Perhaps gripes and excuses fall behind one other product of Firgrove—errors of judgement!"

The Davion nobles drew back from the Contessa's assault, but Enrico Lestrade did not let them escape. "This man won, and he is my guest. You'd not want me to go back on my word, would you? As I recall, all of you thought that an invitation to the victor was a good idea, especially when you thought it would be Billy Wolfson! Whoever doesn't like it here may leave right now."

Lestrade's challenge broke the ranks of the angry nobles, who drifted off in pairs or trios to stare coldly at Justin. Their remarks, which included words like "traitor" and "bastard," were voiced just loudly enough to reach Justin. Kym Sorenson glared back at the Capellan March nobles and slipped her arm through Justin's as she steered him toward the bar and well away from the deprecating whispers.

Away from the angry nobles, Justin jerked his left arm from the Contessa's grasp. "I do not need your protection, my lady!"

Kym flashed an arctic blue stare at Justin. "I am not protecting you, Mr. Xiang," she said coldly, looking past him toward the other Federated Suns contingent. "I despise boors and poor losers," she said. "You are merely a convenient vehicle for getting under their skin."

Am I?Justin snorted. "Typical behavior for a Federat."

Kym's eyes narrowed to slits. "My, we have a sharp tongue, and we've picked up the local slang quickly, haven't we?" She stabbed a finger into the center of his chest. "I'm not going to be saddled with your anger at everything to do with House Davion. I'm here because my daddy finds it embarrassing that I share the view that most Capellan Marchers are parasites on the body of the Federated Suns. I haven't been afraid to say that out loud, either, which is not very good for business. Hanse Davion kicked you out of the Federation. It was my father who booted me. Cut back on your jump jets."

Justin boldly appraised Kym Sorenson, then slowly nodded. She sees me as a way to strike back at her father and the Federated Suns. I find her very attractive, and very different."Very well. You're right. As they say, 'Enemy of my enemy is my friend.' I am Justin Xiang, and I did appreciate your help back there."

The hint of a smile broke through Kym's angry expression. "And I am Contessa Kym Sorenson. Pleased to have been of service." Kym extended her right hand and Justin enfolded it in a warm grasp.

Justin noticed that she held onto his hand just a bit longer than necessary, giving it a little squeeze before she released it and turned toward the large man with a shaved head standing beside her. "Justin Xiang, this is Gray Noton."

Justin extended his hand to Noton and met the firm grip with an equal amount of power. Neither man tried to crush the other's hand, but their grips conveyed a great deal about each man's considerable strength of personality. "Gray Noton ... I remember hearing about some of your fights on the flight insystem. You must have been very good ... Many people referred to up-and-coming fighters as 'new Gray Notons.' "