Assumption of risk

  "Pfennig for your thoughts, Galen." Katrina stole up gently behind him and rested her chin on his shoulder, then wrapped her arms around him. "It looks so decadent and corrupt."

  "Save yourself the pfennig because you've got my thoughts for free." He disengaged himself from her arms, regretting the separation immediately. "Duchess, we need to talk."

  "We do that quite a bit already, Galen." She smiled playfully, then glanced down almost shyly. When her eyes came back up he sensed a change in her. "Yes, we probably should."

  Taking his right hand in both of hers, she led him over to the couch that had been the site of their nocturnal conversations. "I want to thank you for everything over this last week, Galen," she said, patting the seat beside her. "I couldn't have survived it without you. If not for you, I would have exploded or broken down."

  He shook his head. "That's not true. You are much stronger than that, Katrina. Had I not been here, you would have coped."

  "Maybe so, Galen, but you made it easier for me." She reached up and caressed his face, "I feel so close to you,

  I ..." Katrina leaned forward and kissed him full on the mouth.

  Galen returned her passion in kind, then regained control of himself. He took firm hold of her shoulders and gently eased her back away from him. "Wait, Duchess, wait."

  "No, Galen, no. There is no rank between us." She plucked his right hand from her left shoulder and kissed his palm. "I want to hear you call me Katrina. I want to feel your caress on my face, my throat." She pressed his hand to her cheek and slowly let it slide down as her blue eyes closed.

  "Katrina, Duchess, stop." Anguished frustration twisted through his words. "Please, don't make this any more difficult for me than it already is." Galen brought his hand back up to her cheek. "Please, don't do this."

  "Do what, Galen? What I feel for you I've never felt for any other man." She pulled away from him and slumped on the arm of the couch. "You don't know what it is to live your life in a fishbowl. Ever since I was fourteen years old I've been matched up with every eligible bachelor from age eighteen to eighty. Politicians consider me chattal best suited to sealing alliances. Petty nobles see me as a way to make their grandchildren special. The scandal vids see me as a way to spike sales."

  Her gaze flicked up at him. "When we started on this tour I expected to see the scandal vids link us. They did, but it was different this time. They weren't nasty. And everywhere we went, on every world, people seemed pleased to see you and me together. They say we make a beautiful couple, a fairy-tale couple."

  Galen held his hands up. "I know. I've heard them too, but I know better than to believe them. You are incredibly beautiful and desirable. I would give anything for us to be together."

  "But you push me away." She leaned forward and pressed a finger to his lips. "Let me finish, Galen. I noticed you at my father's funeral, then again when Morgan Kell retired. You struck me as a man of dignity and Victor's trust in you impressed me. Victor and I do not always see eye to eye, but he is a shrewd judge of men. You stand up to him and force him to recognize things he doesn't want to acknowledge. That takes a strength of character few men possess."

  Katrina looked down. "That is a trait I would have in the man who becomes my husband."

  Husband? "No, Duchess, it would never work."

  "Why not?"

  "I'm twelve years your senior."

  "So? My father was twenty-seven years older than my mother."

  "He was also Hanse Davion and no one could have stopped him from winning your mother."

  "And I am his daughter. Do you think I will compromise any sooner than he would?" Katrina threw her head back and laughed aloud. "I'm not a little girl, Galen. I'm twenty-four and I do have a brain. You would be an excellent choice for my husband. You are a war hero who is loyal to my brother. You are from the Isle of Skye. You have won fame here on Solaris and you helped rescue Hohiro Kurita from the Clans. You even know and have fought in concert with a Khan of Clan Wolf. You are a prize, Galen, and I know more about you than just the surface material."

  Katrina playfully poked him in the chest. "I have seen your heart. I know you are a thoughtful, compassionate man. You can be supportive without trying to solve my problems for me. You are considerate and kind. You work tirelessly in service to others, be it my brother or earthquake victims. You are brave and strong. You would make any woman proud to call you husband."

  'This is going too fast." Galen shook his head, not even permitting himself to consider the possibilities. "I am no one, Duchess. I am not a noble."

  "Perhaps not in blood, Galen, but in here you are." Again she tapped a finger against his chest. "If you want a title, I can arrange that. Victor just made Grayson Carlyle a baron. He can do that or even better for you. Would you like to be Duke of Solaris? It can be arranged. I would do that for you, Galen, if it would make you happy."

  Galen felt his resistance crumbling. "And I would accept it, if bestowing a title on me would make you happy."

  Katrina shook her head. "It would only make me happy if it were something you truly wanted."

  "I want whatever makes you happy, Duchess."

  "And if I tell you having you in my bed tonight would make me happy?"

  Galen closed his eyes and made a decision. "I would have to tell you that it would force me to betray the trust your brother has placed in me, and that would make me very unhappy. Don't play games with me, Katrina."

  "Just hearing you say my name makes me happy, Galen." She smiled radiantly. "And I will not force you to choose between Victor and me, if you will promise me something."

  Galen swallowed hard. "And that is?"

  "When next you see Victor, you will ask him for my hand in matrimony."

  26

  Solaris City, Solaris VII

  Tamarind March, Federated Commonwealth

  19 April 3056

  It took Kai a couple of seconds to shift his attention from the 'Mech duel he was about to fight to the two men entering his dressing room. A smile followed the flash of recognition in his eyes, then he stepped forward and offered Galen his hand. "I didn't expect to see you here."

  Galen shrugged. "You've been cloistered away out in Joppo all week getting ready for the match, so I figured this was my only chance to wish you good luck before the fight." He pumped Kai's arms, then half turned toward the other man with him. "Duke Peter Steiner-Davion, may I present Kai Allard-Liao?"

  Kai nodded and shook Peter's hand. "We overlapped at the New Avalon Military Academy. The duke wasn't in my company, but I remember him well. I've not seen you since your mother's funeral."

  "Good to see you again, Kai." Peter nodded rather formally. "I, too, wish you good luck tonight."

  Peter's words were proper, but his tone was a strange mixture of apathy and mild hostility, and he held his body very stiffly. I'm obviously missing something, Kai thought.

  "Thank you," he said aloud. "You will be in my box for the fight, yes? And then, tomorrow night, you will be my guest at the Sesame Inn for dinner?"

  Peter glanced at Galen briefly, then nodded. "If I must, I mean, I would be honored. Forgive me, please, I am still getting acclimated."

  "I understand." Kai glanced at the holovision monitor built into the dressing room wall. It showed a closeup of his box, with Katrina and Omi standing side by side in conversation. A digital counter in the corner of the screen reeled off the time until his fight. "Only half an hour left, gentlemen. So now I must go to work again. Please, consider my box another home. Fuh Teng will see to it that you have whatever you need."

  "Well, again, good luck." Galen waved as he turned back toward the door. Peter looked as if he was about to take offense at the dismissal, then turned brusquely and followed Galen from the room. Kai bowed to their retreating backs, then straightened his spine so Tsen Teng could zip up the back of his cooling suit. "Tsen, go up to my box and make sure your grand uncle takes care of Peter. Have him pamper the man and, if he deems it appropriate, make sure
to moderate his alcohol intake."

  "Wo dong, Kai." The young man bowed and exited the room, leaving his master alone.

  Kai preferred solitude before a fight, and Peter's presence had disturbed him. Even during his training for the match, Kai had worked as much on his mental preparedness as the physical. Because of the pressures generated by Tormano's antics concerning the fight, Kai had even absented himself to the little town of Joppo, where he had friends at a villa who were able to put him in the properly martial frame of mind. Their efforts had worked remarkably well, though Peter's actions threatened to distract him.

  Peter had seemed grossly out of sorts. He and Kai had not mixed much at the New Avalon Military Academy. It was easy to attribute that to the division of classes, but Kai knew it was more than that. In those days Kai had been so unsure of himself that being around Peter and his egocentric view of the world had been downright painful to him.

  Despite the strengthening of Kai's self-confidence that the war had wrought, he still felt uneasy with Peter. The duke seemed resentful of his duties on Solaris, as though he still hadn't decided whether to endure them or not. If he was dissatisfied, felt he had no purpose, no goal, Kai knew that Peter Davion was a man who could make for trouble.

  Maybe Kai could help by getting the young man involved with Cenotaph in some way. Then he frowned, knowing he must clear these thoughts from his mind. They were distractions from the task at hand.

  "Tonight I face Wu Deng Tang," he said to no one in particular, shaking off the strange mood. "He is worthy of my respect and my concentration, and he shall have them entirely."

  Tormano Liao smiled politely as Nancy Bao Lee brought Ryan Steiner a snifter filled with a clear mixture of peppermint schnapps and grain alcohol known as a PPC. "I trust, Duke Ryan, that you will find this to your liking."

  Ryan accepted the drink, but set it down on the arm of his chair without tasting it. "Yes, Mandrinn. I'm sure it will be perfect. I thank you for the invitation to join you in your box to watch this fight."

  Tormano followed Ryan's gaze to the holovision screen set up in the corner of the room. It showed Peter Davion and Galen Cox joining Katrina Steiner and Omi Kurita in Kai's box. "Yes, I'll wager neither of us would have been welcome guests up there." ,

  Ryan shrugged. "I've never seen the virtue in being a gracious loser."

  "I have never seen the virtue in being a loser." Tormano smiled cautiously. "I do, however, see the virtue in not stealing from another or meddling in his affairs."

  "Yes, quite," said Ryan. "Personally, I consider defeat merely a temporary obstacle on the road to total victory." He finally took a sip of his PPC and managed to choke down a swallow of it without too much trouble. "My compliments to your aide."

  "Graciously accepted, Duke Ryan." Tormano smiled at Nancy, who returned the smile. "If you will permit me, I have a matter to discuss with you."

  "Please proceed."

  Tormano again looked at the holovision screen as the camera zoomed in for a close-up of Peter. "As you know, Prince Victor has given his brother Peter the assignment of liaison between the Federated Commonwealth government and my Free Capella movement."

  "So I have heard." Ryan looked supremely indifferent to Victor's action. "Does this concern me?"

  "I believe, my lord, that you have a certain proprietary interest in Peter. It is because of your actions that he has come here to Solaris."

  Ryan leaned forward, more amused than anything else, it seemed to Tormano. "That is, if you believe the gossips who take Davion coin to spout Davion lies."

  "I have always felt actions speak more loudly than words, Duke Ryan. Peter was an obstacle in the Isle of Skye. He is removed." Tormano also sat forward and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "What I wish to ask of you is this: are you through with Peter? May I have him?"

  Ryan took another drink of PPC, then cupped the snifter in both hands as he swallowed. "Will your plans for him discomfit Victor?"

  "I imagine so, yes."

  "Then, by all means, he is yours." Ryan looked straight at Tormano, his dark eyes full of fire. "Will you get him killed?"

  "That is entirely likely."

  "Then do me one favor. Make sure there is no question about who caused his death."

  "That, my dear Duke, is not a problem." Tormano sank back into his chair and steepled his fingers. "When I am done with Peter Davion, no one in the Inner Sphere will doubt who took his life."

  * * *

  The assassin smiled as Sergei Chou entered the back room of the Mongolian barbecue restaurant on the border between the Black Hills and Cathay. "Buona sera, Sergei. It has been a long time."

  "It has indeed, my friend, a very long time." The Capellan sat down across from the assassin, his face betraying nothing. The assassin wondered for a moment if Sergei had missed the signal, but the other man's next words banished that worry. "Come sta?"

  "I am well." The assassin pulled an optical data disk from Ins pocket and slid it across the table. "On this you will find the plans for some special ammunition I will need. I also require the custom rifle your people made for me."

  "Bene." Chou looked around at the small room. "How many rounds?"

  "Fifty. Use half to run some ballistics checks on them for me. Bring me the data, the brass, and the unused shells when next we speak. É importante."

  "Capisco." Chou shook the man's hand and walked out of the room. As he did, the assassin observed that a couple who had been siting near the door also got up and followed him out, by which he identified two more of the team they had watching him. That made for eight, and he knew they must have at least four times that many keeping track of him.

  One shell for Ryan, and twenty-four more to use as I make my escape. He smiled for an instant, then killed the smile as the ice-eyed man entered the room. "Chou will not fail me."

  "Good." The security agent jerked his head toward the doorway. "You've done your shopping. It's time to go."

  The assassin nodded, forcing resignation into the motion. It won't fool this one, but his other people will believe I'm beaten. That will make them sloppy, less attentive. One slip and I am away.

  27

  Solaris City, Solaris VII

  Tamarind March, Federated Commonwealth

  19 April 3056

  Strapped into the cockpit of Yen-lo-wang, Kai Allard-Liao allowed himself a smile. All the weapons systems reported themselves operational, all armor appeared whole and strong, and the 'Mech's limbs were all working fine. Cathy Kessler—an artist of unparalleled skill—had overseen the painting of the Centurion, returning it to the bold red and white color scheme his father had used when piloting this same 'Mech in The Factory.

  The image of Yen-lo-wang stalking Peter Armstrong's Griffin through the tangled warren of metallic debris and crumbling ferrocrete appeared in Kai's mind's eye as vividly as if he had ridden in the cockpit alongside his father twenty-nine years before. How odd that my father was masquerading as a loathsome Capellan, and Armstrong was out to kill him for being a Liaoist. That would have been my uncle's way today. If it were up to him, he'd have me out to kill Wu Deng Tang merely because of his nationality.

  Kai would never forget the time his father had talked to him about killing Peter Armstrong. It was a deed that had haunted Justin Allard all his life, a deed he could never stop regretting. Thinking about it made Kai angry at Tormano for wanting him to destroy Wu Deng Tang like some kind of overture to a war over rule of the Capellan Confederation that would only result in massive death and destruction. This is not a fight of nation against nation, but of man against man. My father would not have killed Peter Armstrong if he could have avoided it, and I will find a way to keep from having to kill Wu Deng Tang.

  He knew the odds-makers were having a field day with this match-up. Wu had twenty tons on Kai because his Cataphract weighed in at seventy tons. Both machines had comparable armor, though Wu's 'Mech had a slight advantage in the chest and on the arms. The pulse lasers of
the two 'Mechs canceled each other out, but Kai's Gauss rifle was more powerful than Wu's extended-range PPC. Wu's LB-10-X autocannon more than made up the difference, however.

  Kai's main advantage was that the Centurion's weapon balance was better than the Cataphract's. By approaching from the left, he could bring all his weapons to bear while Wu would have trouble bringing the autocannon mounted on the 'Mechs right side into play. The Factory's relatively close quarters eliminated the PPC's advantage at long ranges, but Wu was known for his ability as an in-fighter. Kai had planned his strategy with that in mind.

  He took one last look around the cockpit and decided everything was ready. He hit a switch on the console. "Fight Control, Yen-lo-wang is good to go."

  * * *

  Galen looked up as Keith Smith pointed with his beer stein out through the picture window toward the huge display area that the luxury boxes surrounded. "They're bringing the laser holosimulator online."

  Because The Factory had once been a working industrial complex, the only way to watch fights held here was through closed-circuit holovision transmissions. The holosimulator built a map of the whole complex, then slowly zeroed in on the starting points for the two 'Mechs involved in the match. The display itself expanded or shrank to whatever scale best showed the relative positions of the BattleMechs. It could even zoom up to one-for-one scale if the pilots actually closed and started physically beating on one another.

  Keith directed Galen's attention to the glowing gold Centurion model in the upper area of the tallest building. "That's Kai. They gave him a good position. If Wu comes up after him, Kai will have the high ground."

  "What if Wu waits for him to come down?" Peter Davion asked as he joined the other two men at the window. "Wu could ambush Kai."

  "Possible, but not likely. Kai's not easy to ambush."

  Galen laughed. "As the Jade Falcons discovered on Alyina."