"Forgive me for asking, Chu-sa,but you were a Chu-sain the 2nd Sword of Light, were you not?" Tarukito, being well-bred, did not look Narimasa in the face as he asked the question, the better to avoid their mutual embarrassment.

Narimasa Asano nodded his head slowly. "The Dragon's memory is long and unshakable. After the disgrace on Mallory's World, the Coordinator broke up the Command Lance and sent us to different places. I believe that they thought what we had witnessed in the battle between Yorinaga and Morgan Kell had shattered our spirits."

"Sumimasen,Narimasa-san, but I do not follow what you are saying. What could have been so horrible?"

The elder MechWarrior shook his head. "At times, I recall it as a nightmare. I watched Kell's Archer—plainly visible through my Marauder'scanopy—vanish from my tactical displays. I shifted through all the scanner modes, but it would not register. Though I could see the Archerwith my eyes, my weapons refused to acknowledge it."

Tarukito shivered. This is every MechWarrior's nightmare. The foe that cannot be destroyed.

Narimasa nodded as though he'd read Tarukito's thoughts. "After we were scattered through the Combine, I became a Chu-iand once again commanded a single lance, as I had done in the early days out of Sun Zhang."

He suffered a reduction from Lieutenant Colonel to Lieutenant!Tarukito shook his head. "Forgive me the inquiry."

Narimasa smiled easily. "Ie.I have endured much, Tarukito-kun, but I never abandoned my duty during that time. I must admit, however, that I might one day have committed seppukuif this chance had not revived my hopes of honor."

Tarukito frowned. "Why would you do that, Chu-sal"

Narimasa's eyes narrowed to slits. "I was almost assigned to Duke Ricol's service."

Tarukito blanched, then caught himself. "Surely you would have been able to deal with the Gray Death Legion, Narimasa-san."

The elder MechWarrior nodded slowly. "Perhaps, but not as the leader of a Pantherlance. That is all they would have let me do. Fortunately, I learned of this assignment and began my journey." Narimasa's head came up and he looked hard at Tarukito. "Be wary, Tarukito-kun, for the Gray Death Legion is not that far behind Wolf's Dragoons or the Kell Hounds in deadliness."

"But Chu-sa,Wolf's Dragoons now work for the Dragon, and the Kell Hounds will soon be destroyed." Narimasa Asano stiffened suddenly, but it was not because of Tarukito's words. Feeling a shadowy presence behind him, Tarukito whirled to see what it was. Then, like the Chu-sa,he bowed to Yorinaga.

Yorinaga returned their bows as best his kendo armor would allow. He carried the helmet under his left arm and his wooden, swordlike shinaiin his left hand. He quickly glanced at Narimasa and the uniform, then allowed himself a small smile and nodded his head. Tarukito saw that the two men shared something more—a look, nothing else—before they bowed to one another.

Narimasa turned to Tarukito. "Please remember, Sho-sa,that the Kell Hounds escaped death once before, years ago, and even the first half of the operation set into place on Pacifica went less well then planned."

Yorinaga withdrew a folded sheet of paper from his chest armor and extended it to Tarukito. Opening it carefully, the Sho-saread it with an expression that seemed to mix horror and relief. "This is horrible, Tai-salFor Shinzei Abe to die in a kendo accident. To have his windpipe crushed by a strike." Tarukito shivered. "Shouldn't I transmit this message immediately?"

Yorinaga shook his head slightly, then turned as Shinzei Abe, similarly attired in kendoarmor, came up to where they stood. The ISF liaison officer stopped before Yorinaga, and glared at the two junior officers. "Well, Yorinaga-san, shall we? I have meetings this afternoon and," he added, staring at Narimasa, "investigations to complete."

29

Pacifica (Chara III)

Isle of Skye, Lyran Commonwealth

15 April 3027

Damn! ThatVictor runs cool.Seated in the cockpit of his Valkyrie,Daniel Allard adjusted his infrared scanner to a finer gradation of heat. The display immediately redrew the Victorin shades of red and blue. Also within the scan zone, the other 'Mechs in his lance brought the nickering of color to the edges of his scanner.

Over the land connection, Dan called to Salome Ward. "He's coming our way, Major. We expect contact in fifteen seconds."

"Luck, Dan. Don't let the fox bite the hounds." Her calm reply brought a smile to Dan's face. Looking at his heat scanner again, he brought the crosshairs for his LRMs into line with the Victor'sheat shadow. Three, two, one."Flight away!"

Computer-projected trajectories scored red paths for his missiles across his combat monitor, but the Victorsuddenly hit its jump jets. The sudden burst of heat released by the ion jets overloaded Dan's screen and bathed his cockpit in white fire. Alarms screamed in his ears as his sensors reported heavy scanning and a preliminary lock onto his Valkyrie.

"Punch it, now, Scout Lance! I'm marked!" Dan wheeled his Valkyrieblindly amid the jungle and smashed into a tall tree. He rebounded, then punched his jump jets and flew straight up through the tree's branches. I hope I can see to come down.

"Move it, Baker!" Austin Brand's voice knifed into his ears.

"Damn! Victorcame down on top of him and used the AC on his head. Baker's gone!"

"Flight away!" Meg Lang spoke more calmly and Dan visualized her systematically coaxing data up on her monitors as she sent two SRMs at the Victor."No hits for the LRMs, but Brand's SRM salvo hit seven out of ten in center torso. Damn! I only hit a leg."

Dan squinted and his control panel swam into view. He saw the opening in the jungle where the Victorhad come down on top of Baker's Jenner.Turning the Valkyrie,he jetted toward the opening on another ion cloud. Come in behind and POW!His finger caressed the fire button and another flight of LRMs coursed toward the Victor.

Suddenly the Victorrose up through the canopy and hung suspended on a jet of ion flame. As the autocannon that was the enemy 'Mech's right forearm came up, alarms again wailed in Dan's ears. Stabbing a button, he abruptly cut his jump jets. The Valkyriestarted to fall as the Victor'sautocannon rose into line, but the surprise move did not save him.

Lights exploded across his control panel. The computers told him that the autocannon's stream of slugs had peeled his Valkyrie'schest armor like an orange, and had juiced the center of his 'Mech to boot. Warning lights flashed to tell him that the fusion engine's shielding had been chipped away. The internal heat monitor readouts spiked into the critical red band. In a slow voice that mocked the urgency, his computer suggested, "Evacuation would be prudent."

The Valkyriewas dropping like a rock. The trees in Pacifica's jungle might have broken the 'Mech's fall, but the Valkyrie'slanding snapped off branches and crushed whole trunks. As his 'Mech came down finally, Dan smashed back against the rear wall of the cockpit so hard that it stunned him. Helpless as a turtle on its back, Dan lay sprawled and his 'Mech faithfully imitated his nerveless body.