Mahler frowned as he stared into the golden liquid in his snifter. "As I recall, Leftenant, you were on Kittery. What do you think of this Justin Xiang?"

Andrew stiffened. "Justin Allard was my commander. I knew the man and liked him very much."

"Ja, but is he not a traitor?"

Andrew frowned. "Forgive me, Hauptmann Mahler, but I do not think so. I was present at that trial and it was more like a witch-hunt sponsored by Michael Hasek-Davion. It was a travesty, not a fair trial."

Mahler pursed his lips thoughtfully. "You say Allard's not a traitor, but what about his tirades against the Federated Suns? He has singlehandedly eliminated almost every Fed fighter on Solaris. It is nothing short of a vendetta, one even a Draconian might be proud of."

Andrew carefully folded his napkin and set it down on the table. "I can understand Justin's anger and resentment. I can understand how a true MechWarrior might hate those sham warriors on the Game World, and I can see how he could easily end up killing every one he faces .. ."

Joana leaned forward. "Forgive me, Andrew, but I do not think Hauptmann Mahler was impugning Xiang's skill as a MechWarrior. Even here in the Commonwealth, we saw holovids of his outburst in the courtroom. Hanse Davion offered him life. He even agreed that the execrable trial should never have been held.

He directed that the verdict be 'Innocent,' and it should all have ended right there."

Andrew's nostrils flared. "Excuse me, Miss Barker, but I would not expect you, a teacher, to understand what it is to be a MechWarrior." Andrew turned quickly to Mahler. "You, sir, retired after years of valiant service. How would you have taken to being a desk-jockey for the rest of your career? How would you have taken to being known as 'the one Hanse Davion saved from justice?' Could you have tolerated living with the doubt you'd surely see in people's eyes, or with the knowledge that the leader you loved and served so well did not believe in you?"

Mahler shook his head without a word, but Joana was not satisfied. "If Xiang loved his leader so much, how could he villify him? In the ship's holovid theater, I saw Xiang's most recent battle and heard his remarks about Hanse Davion. The man spews pure venom. If there ever was any love in him for his Prince, it has long since died."

Andrew stood abruptly. "If it died, Miss Barker, it died on a political altar. I hope that no one—be they Archon or Periphery Bandit King—believes that he has the right to do that to another human."

Andrew bowed his head to the Mahlers. "If you will excuse me .. ."

38

Solaris VII (The Game World)

Rahneshire, Lyran Commonwealth

5 May 3027

Tsen Shang cautiously pushed open the door to Gray Noton's office. He kept his right hand parallel to the floor and pressed against his stomach. Shang had earlier applied neurotoxin to the last three razor-sharp fingernails of each hand, and the weak light from Noton's office reflected off the gold leaf also applied to the nails.

Shang closed the door and latched it. He quickly studied the file room, but touched nothing. It was much as he recalled it. Blowing a thin layer of dust from a stack of papers, he satisfied himself that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Nothing but Noton’s failure to greet me.

The Maskirovka agent half-crouched as he moved across the storeroom like a shadow. Padding his way down the short hallway to Noton's office, he caught his first glimpse of the former MechWarrior. At that, he straightened up and walked boldly into the room.

Noton sat at his desk with his feet up and his head resting chin-on-chest as though he'd just fallen asleep. Shang pressed one finger to Noton's carotid artery, but the lack of a pulse and the slight coolness of the flesh confirmed what his eyes had told him. Gray Noton was dead.

Shang grabbed Noton's chin between the thumb and forefinger of his left hand. He tipped the head up, but the moment he moved it, Noton's head slumped unceremoniously over onto his right shoulder. Hmmm, neck's broken.Shang eyed the thickness of No-ton's bull neck. Hard blow. Well-placed.

Shang turned his attention to the desk. He searched its clutter of files and papers, but found nothing of interest. Then he slipped behind the body to get at the shelves built over the desk. Reaching up, he pulled down a trophy that Noton had won in Marik's Factory years before.

Damn! So he found this, too.Shang traced the melted crescent where someone had expertly carved the lock from Noton's wall-safe with a laser. Shang swung the round door open, and the cylindrical safe yawned like an empty mouth. The Maskirovka agent shook his head.

He stared down at Noton's body. What did you do, Gray, to set him off?Shang shrugged. Even if you could speak, I doubt that you could have answered that question. So now I must learn the answer, and if necessary, avenge you.

* * *

From a shadowed doorway across the street, Justin watched Tsen Shang leave Noton's office. He waited until Shang had climbed into his Feicui model aircar and passed down the road before moving from his hiding place into the dark alley. As the car vanished around a corner, Justin drew in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly.

Crouching down, Justin once again turned his attention to the lockbox he had removed from Noton's safe. He set it down on the alley floor, then curled the fingers of his metal left hand into a fist. With one quick blow, he shattered the lock. Justin tugged the latch open and whistled at the contents of the box. "Noton, you were full of surprises, weren't you?"

Nestled on a bed of crisp C-bills were various traveling papers issued to a half-dozen individuals who all shared Gray Noton's description, picture, and thumbprint. He also found two small books: one with names and addresses, and the other in a code. Not a tough code, but it will take time. Looks like a diary of his business transactions.

Justin turned the left pocket of his coat inside out and carefully tore the fabric apart at the seam. He transferred money and documents through the hole and stashed them in the coat's lining. Finally, he pulled a ring of magkeys from the box. He stuffed them into his trouser pocket and tossed the strongbox back amid the debris strewn behind him.

Justin picked up and flipped open the folder Noton had showed him. In the dusky half-light, he studied the passenger list for the Silver Eagle,smiling unconsciously at the sight of Leftenant

Andrew Redburn's name. After closing the file, he visually guided his left hand to the fire capsule worked into the folder itself. He concentrated and crushed the lump flat. Smoke drifted up from beneath his synthetic thumb, then flames licked at his metal hand. Justin tossed the folder aside and watched it burn. When the flames died, he smashed the ashes with one foot and scattered them with a light kick.

For your faith in me, Andrew, I deny this file to the Maskirovka. It is all I can do. Now you're on your own. Good luck, my friend.

39

Summer

Isle of Skye, Lyran Commonwealth

6 May 3027

“Just a second!" Melissa Steiner pressed the other brown contact against her right eye, then turned away from the mirror. She opened the hatch to her room, then tried to shut it almost as quickly when she saw who it was. "What do you want?"

Blushing mightily, Andrew Redburn looked down at his shoes. "A truce. A truce—and to apologize."