"Try it on."

Karr laughed. "It's a bit small for me, don't you think, Captain?" He looked to Daubler. "Lieutenant Daubler. Try it on for me."

Daubler took the jacket and pulled it on.

Karr looked to Lasker. "Well?"

"Go over to the scanner," Lasker ordered his man.

They went across, Hu joining them there. As Daubler went behind the full-body screen, Hu activated the machine.

"Looks like it's broken," Karr said.

"No." Hu signaled for one of the other lieutenants to go behind the screen in Daubler's place. At once the screen showed the outline of the man and-at Hu's expert touch-focused in on the major organs.

Karr nodded, understanding. "So that's why-"

"Exactly," Hu said, switching the machine off. "As soon as it became clear that there was nothing unusual about the body, I knew there had to be some other reason why an unprotected human being could run two li through the Rift and not end up as food for the bugs."

"So how does it work?"

Hu shrugged. "I haven't a clue, General. But it's a regular Magic Coat for you. A cloak of radar invisibility. Your ship only saw it because it came within visual range and you recognized it as being human in shape. To all the other machines out there it probably registers as a mirage ... a shadow, like the 'shadows' your cruiser puts out all the time."

"I see." Karr turned, looking across at the body on the dissecting table. "So maybe they were after the coat, not the person in it."

"Could be."

It was one possible explanation. But Karr wasn't happy with it.

"The man . . . what checks have you done on him?"

"Checks?" Hu laughed. "I thought that was your department, General Karr."

Karr looked to Lasker, who shook his head. "You mean, we don't even know who this is?"

"No, sir. We assumed it was one of Lehmann's men. You want me to check the files?""At once, Captain!"

As Lasker went across and sat at the terminal in the corner of the room, Karr followed Hu back to the bench.

"You think he stole the coat, perhaps, to sell to us?"

Hu laughed. "It's the kind of thing an enterprising man would do, neh?"

"Or a foolish one."

Hu stared at the face of the dead man and shrugged. "He doesn't look a fool. Educated, I'd say. And wealthy. Look at the layers of fat on the legs and chest. This one ate well. I'd say he was-"

"Sir?"

Lasker's call sounded urgent. Karr swung around. "What is it, Captain?"

"The dead man. He's one of ours. He lives inside the Enclave."

"Inside . . ." Karr went across, then stood behind Lasker, reading the details on the screen-details which were overlaid on a face that was, without doubt, that of the dead man. "But that's ..."

He leaned across Lasker and punched in the man's ID code that was showing at the top of the screen, then REALTIME TRACE. For a moment the screen went blank, then a fresh image filled the screen. It showed a man at a desk, interviewing a young woman. A time pulse at the top right corner showed that what they were seeing was happening right now.

"But that's impossible," Lasker said quietly. "He's dead." "No," Karr said, a cold certainty gripping his insides. "But he would have been, had that thing on the bench there got through."

LI YUAN could not relax; not even here, among those he trusted most. But then, the news his Chancellor had brought him was not of the kind that gave a man great peace of mind.

Nan Ho, watching his master from across the great council table, sighed, then signaled to Hu Ch'ang to hand out the sealed copies of the report.

There were six of them about the table; Li Yuan, Nan Ho, the old General, Rheinhardt, Li Yuan's wife, Pei K'ung, Ben Shepherd, and the Minister for Transportation, Heng Yu.

The reports having been distributed, Nan Ho gestured for Hu Ch'ang to leave. Only then, when the doors had been locked and they were alone, did he begin.

"Ch'un tzu," he began, "we meet here today in the light of a most serious development. If you would slit open the reports in front of you and read the summation on the first page, we can then proceed to discuss the matter."

There were raised eyebrows from Rheinhardt and Heng, a wry smile from young Shepherd. Pei K'ung, it seemed, already knew, for she, like her husband, slit open the report with a weary sense of inevitability.

It was a sad day for the Enclave. And a momentous one.

He looked about the table, watching them read; heard Rheinhardt's grunt of surprise, Heng Yu's sharp indrawn breath.Ben, however, laughed. "What did I tell you, Yuan? Never trust a man with no vices."

Nan Ho could see how flat the joke fell on Rheinhardt's ears, but Li Yuan smiled tolerantly. "Joking aside, I wish now I had taken your advice."

"But is this true?" Rheinhardt asked, horrified. "I mean, have we proof of the man's infamy?"

Infamy . . . Nan Ho almost laughed at the word. It had a stark, old-fashioned ring about it. And yet, for once, it was almost the perfect word, for this was infamy, without a doubt: a betrayal so gross, so breathtaking, as to make all other crimes against the State seem trivial by comparison.

"There is no doubt at all," Nan Ho answered, looking to his Lord before he spoke. "The evidence is detailed on pages 35 to 168. It is quite some catalog. But the tenor of it is this, that Minister Chang is in the pay of our archrival, Stefan Lehmann, and has been these past two years. That much is true, ch'un tzu. What is less clear is how we are to deal with the man."

"Execute him!" Rheinhardt said without hesitation.

"Hear! Hear!" said Ben, his face taking on the rocklike qualities of the old General, his voice the same stentorian bluster.

But Li Yuan raised his hand. "Ch'un tzu . . . it is not so simple. If it were, I would have acted already.

Chang Hong would be dead and another appointed in his place. But Minister Chang is an important man.

His influence and connections cannot be discounted. Even with the evidence ranged against him, to simply execute the man would be to welcome the wind of fresh dissent, and things are already bad enough as it is."

"Then assassinate him."

All faces turned to Pei K'ung, who had spoken. She sat there, very still, her face composed like a mask.

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes, shocked both by the suggestion itself and by the fact that it was Pei K'ung who had suggested it. "Are you serious, Pei K'ung? Assassinate him?"

But Ben picked up the idea. "That's good. I mean, why not? And you could blame it on Lehmann. Come up with some story about Chang being a bastion against the White T'ang . . . your right-hand man in the fight against him. The media would lap it up. And his family . . . well, you could give Minister Chang a full State funeral, with the honors one might bestow on the Head of one of the Minor Families. You could stand with the family and make offerings at his tablet."

"Are you serious, Ben?" Li Yuan looked horrified. "Honor a traitor?"

"Why not?" said Pei K'ung, nodding gratefully to Ben. "It's either that or face the prospect of further divisions within your own ranks. This way you could perhaps promote someone more suitable from the Chang family ranks. Someone more reliable."

Li Yuan nodded, liking the sound of that, then turned to Heng Yu. "Minister Heng . . . what do you say?"

Heng Yu looked down, uncomfortable in such company. When he had been invited he had not known all these people would be here. He had thought his T'ang wished to speak with him alone. And to have to discuss the fate of a fellow Minister-one as much above him in status as Chang-had quite taken him aback.

"Forgive me, Chieh Hsia, but my view-""Is awaited, Heng Yu. Speak."

Nan Ho watched him, seeing how Heng weighed things before he spoke, and looked down, smiling.

"It is very difficult, Chieh Hsia," Heng began. "To act openly for once seems a course fraught with all manner of dangers. With respect to the Marshal, simply to execute Chang Hong, while it would be the most satisfactory of actions personally, could well prove the most expensive politically. In normal circumstances to even consider the use of assassination would be out of the question. But these are not normal circumstances, and the gains far outweigh the possible losses. As for the morality of it-"

"Let that hang," Ben said, interrupting him. "Do it, Yuan. And do it tonight. I'm sure that giant of yours, Karr, has a man or two who'd be good for the job. The levels could do with some entertainment-and what better than a full State funeral, neh?"

Again his voice had taken on the edge of mimicry, this time of Li Yuan himself, but only Nan Ho seemed to notice it.

Li Yuan considered, then looked about the table. "Well?"

Ben nodded. Beside him Pei K'ung did the same. Nan Ho bowed his head in agreement. Rheinhardt grunted gruffly, signifying he had no objections. Which left Heng.

"Well, Minister Heng?" Li Yuan asked. "Should I have Minister Chang assassinated tonight, as Shih Shepherd here suggests? Or should I consider the moral implications further?"

Heng Yu looked up, meeting his Master's eyes, and nodded.

"Then so be it," Li Yuan said, closing the file, then pushing it away from him. "I shall have Karr assign a man this very evening."

NAN HO SAT BACK in his chair, greeting the face on the screen.

"Gregor! At last! I've been trying to contact you this past half hour!"

Karr bowed his head. "Forgive me, Master Nan, but an urgent matter has come up. I need to speak to you at once."

"And I you," he answered, conscious of the strange tightness in Karr's face. "How long will it take you to get here?"

Karr stood back a little, giving Nan Ho a glimpse of the view behind him. "As you see, I am at the East Gate guard post. I can be with you in two minutes."

Urgent indeed, Nan Ho thought. He nodded to Karr. "Come up at once. I'll cancel all other engagements."

"Master!" Karr bowed and cut the connection. Nan Ho waved his secretaries away, then stood, feeling a charge of nervous energy run through him. What was it now? Another plot? Another batch of traitors?

Were there no more honest men in Chung Kuo?

He crossed the great study and stood by the wall-to-ceiling window, looking out across the sunlit gardens. Guards patrolled the inner courtyards and the overlooking walls. In the old days guards would not have been allowed in the inner palaces, but times had changed. Now the threat was everywhere.There was a sharp rapping on the door. He turned, facing it. "Enter!"

The door eased open and Karr came in, closing it softly behind him. As ever, Nan Ho found himself surprised by Karr's stature. How many times had he met him now-four hundred? five?-and still he felt the same strange frisson of fear in the presence of the man. If this one should run amock, then the gods help them all!

"Gregor," he said, stepping across and smiling. "How can I be of help?"

Karr came to the point directly. There was a strange sourness in his face as he spoke. "There are copies in the Enclave." "Copies? You mean . . . ?"

Karr nodded. "Like the ones DeVore sent in from Mars that time. But these are much better. These are almost indistinguishable. Not even a surgeon could tell the difference."

"Aiya . . . And are there many of these . . . copies?" Karr shifted uncomfortably. "Who knows? We were fortunate to stumble on the one we found. But if there's one, then you can be certain there'll be more."

"And the one you found . . . who was it a copy of?" Karr frowned. "That's the strangest thing. The man was a nobody. An accounts manager from the Mids. No connections, no importance. A cog, that's all."

"I see. . . ." Nan Ho went to his desk and sat, then gestured for Karr to sit across from him. He was silent awhile, thinking, then he looked up at Karr again. "Okay. What action have you taken so far?" "The copy body is isolated. We're testing it right now to determine whether there's any way-however small-to distinguish it from the original. In that vein I'm also having the original brought in for a medical.

That may help speed up the process."

"Good."

"I've also taken the step of placing all those who've had any contact with this matter under house arrest until further notice. I feel it's of crucial importance we keep this under wraps. If this gets out-"

"They would panic." Nan Ho nodded vigorously. "I agree. And what else?"

"I've got two teams working separately on the original's files-to try to work out just why he was targeted, and whether there might be any connections with other copies."

Nan Ho sat forward slightly. "But I thought you said this was the only one you had?"

"It is. But we're looking for more. I've got another two teams looking at the camera records for the stacks bordering the Rift. They're looking back a month to begin with. Anyone who hasn't a good reason for being there gets pulled in. If we can find a pattern . . ."

Nan Ho smiled tensely. "You seem to have covered all the angles, Gregor. Even so, we have little to go on. We are like blind men fishing in the dark, neh?"

Karr shrugged. "It's all we can do. That and pray we have another stroke of good fortune. One good thing has come of this, however."

Nan Ho raised an eyebrow.

"We have a coat," Karr said, smiling. "A magic coat, you might call it. It makes its wearer radar invisible.

It's what the copy was wearing in the Rift.""A magic coat! That's good!" Nan Ho shook his head in astonishment, then sat back, weary suddenly.

"There is another matter, however. One that is almost as urgent as this matter of the copy. Li Yuan has a job for you, Gregor. He wants you to arrange something for him."

Karr sat forward. "Name it."

"He wants Minister Chang Hong assassinated. And he wants it done tonight." * * *

KARR WAS CLIMBING aboard his cruiser when one of the guards from the palace ran up and hailed him.

"What is it, Sergeant?"

The sergeant knelt, his shaven head bowed low, and held out a folded printout. Karr took it and read, then let the breath hiss from between his teeth.

The Plantations. Lehmann was attacking the Plantations!