He pa.s.sed the tent with a final, Clan-like epithet: if this miserable excuse for an entertainment establishment actually managed to capture such an animal, Clan Nova Cat would have descended to raze the whole, filthy locale to the ground. Peace or no peace.

I have not even been to the Clan homeworlds. No melancholy, just a statement of reality and acknowledgment of the horrors that had cut off the Inner Sphere Clans from their birthplace, likely forever.

Petr pa.s.sed into a region filled with stalls and their hawkers, foisting a supposed universe of bounty upon those lucky enough to walk these dirty stallsa but only for today! Fried branth from Lopez (poison to most human metabolisms); Mycosia pseudoflora from Andalusia (too many buds); real Canopian women for any pleasure (too white-skinned and thin-boned); a Kurita officeras katana from before the Jihad (blade too long, not folded); even a whispered call to view a Word of Blake robe (wrong material and st.i.tching): the entire charade made him ill. The wh.o.r.e putting on her paints and perfumes to blind the customer to her stench, her sham, her total lack of joy.

No Canopian Pleasure Circus here.

In fact, like the Nova Cats, Petr felt confident a real Canopian Circus would use the fusion drive of their DropShips to scour the entire region clean.

Why did Snow pick this location for a meeting?

He closed in on a large, makeshift arena, with stacked and rough-nailed seating; perhaps a thousand people might be able to view the enclosed arena, though he doubted the entire Circus saw that many customers in several weeks, much less a single show.

Moving between the two rows of stacked bleachers, the sour tang of old urine seeped into the pores of his tongue. He swallowed, tried not to gag again. Even after the unbearable reek of the Merchant House, the monstrous-sized smells of this place almost defied description, overpowering olfactory senses bred for shipboard living.

Why?

Petr came to a stop, ignoring the commotion on the arena floor, and immediately scanned the crowd: about fifty people of ages ranging from teenagers to those so long in the tooth they held themselves away from death with their fingernails. He did not immediately spot her and so began to move along the front of the bleachers.

Those who thought to shout at him for blocking their view quickly thought better of their comments at the sight of his uniform and the angry storm raging across his face. Almost immediately, those on the front benches began to move back and up a seat or two as he neared; the killing instinct in his eyes became a glaring torch that strove to burn all before him.

Reaching the end of the occupied seats, he continued on for a half dozen paces, then took three large steps to reach the top row. He rocked the entire section of bleachers as he sat, though no one commented on that, either.

Petr turned hot eyes on the ridiculous spectacle before him.

His thoughts churned sluggishly, as they always did when he could not control himself; he sat unseeing.

Why here? Why now? aYou should not trust what you see?a Was the message to look for a deeper meaning? Could not possibly be that. Surely she held enough respect for him she would consider such a message unnecessary. What then?

He shifted slightly and winced as a sliver found its way with a pinp.r.i.c.k of agony into his b.u.t.tocks, probably would need to be disinfected.

Are you jealous?

The words swept toward him like a teleoperated capital-cla.s.s missile. He suddenly felt like a lumbering Overlorda"cla.s.s DropShip attempting to evade the mechanical raptor that swept the void with its electronic eye and zeroed in on its prey, mocking its futile attempts to escape.

Though saKhan Sennet did not say as much, the words resonated within, regardless of his efforts to ignore them.

Are you selfish?

Another ping and another missile dropped into the void from a launch tube, sending out its powerful radar to sweep the emptiness and drive relentless, to run its target to ground.

The roar of a hurt animal from the arena floor did not impinge on the raucous sound between his ears; he tried to shift on the bench again and settled after another white-hot jab from the stravag sliver.

He did not wish to face either accusation; the words resonated too closely with those often spoken by Jesup. He trusted himself. Knew himself and did not lie to himself. Such self-deception was for spheroids and Snow Ravens. Not an ovKhan.

And yeta The question hung, balanced over the knifeas edge of his self-image. Waiting like the sword of Damocles for him to make one wrong move, contemplate one wrong word that would unleash the blade and cleave his life in twain.

aA stone for your thoughts.a aSavashria slipped out before he could stop it; he flinched, hated himself for it. Not often anyone took him by surprise.

Looking to his left, he gazed into the smoldering depths of smoky gray eyes. For nearly ten seconds he took no notice of his surroundings. The sword within, which felt like the weight of a ArcShip keel, vanished in those depths.

In those stormy currents.

aYou know, sweetness, I told you last time what would happen if you kept staring at me like that.a She batted her eyes coquettishly, canted her head slightly. aBut since I see you went and let someone work you over with the ugly stick, I may just have to reconsider letting you take me to bed.a Petras tunnel vision collapsed and he could finally take her in completely. Noticed the dirt and caked grime limning her face, spattering down her neck and even onto her clothing, only increasing her unattractiveness. For just a moment, he felt the urge to pull away. Until he realized there was not a hint of repugnance in her gaze at his horribly scarred head.

aWell, I guess I could simply close my eyes, right, sweetness?a Her words, though playful, simply did not match the frank look in her eyes. Those eyes told him she might not be joking.

Though he had banked the coals of his ire since yesterdayas encounter with the merchant traders and the lost trial against Sha, he felt the embers starting to grow dark. For the first time in his memory, someone who should have fired his rage to nova-hot temperatures actually managed to calm him. It was disconcerting, especially when she also managed to aggravate him at every turn.

He didnat stop to contemplate this strange effect she had on him, however, because he wanted to take advantage of it to put her off guard. To score after their last meeting, and to forestall her likely anger at his lack of progress.

He opened his mouth and she smoothly cut him off, pointing to the arena.

aDonat you just love these shows, sweetness? The fun, the thrills. The excitement.a He turned his attention to the floor and noticed it, really noticed it, for the first time. Approximately a hundred meters long and a little under half that wide, the arena was more properly a pit: simply dug straight into the ground about eight meters, with earthen ramps descending on both ends; a series of wooden barricades with small trap doors allowed any to enter, but none to leave except at the sufferance of the arena magister. One look, even at this distance, at the cruel set of his face and large whipa"supplemented by an old blazer rifle strapped across his backa"told of few returning back through those gates.

Staring hard into the pit (difficult to do, with a good portion of a view of the floor blocked by the steep drop of the side), Petr spotted a small cl.u.s.ter of tall humans, wearing loincloths and with their hair arranged in topknots, using studded tridents to keep at bay a three-meter-tall, four-armed horror. For the first time at this travesty of entertainment, Petr found his interest piqued.

How in the worlda?

The living nightmare moved forward at blinding speed, claws and jaws snapping at the human fighters. Petr leaned forward slightly, ignoring a new stab from the sliver, intent on the response of the warriors. With almost practiced precision, they formed a phalanx, the first row dropping to their knees and all thrusting forward to create a double-row walla"with slightly curved ends to keep the creature from flankinga"of hard steel. The monster almost pulled a warrior out of place when it stopped abruptly, lashed out, grasped one of the tridents and wrenched it hard to the side. The warrior let go and several tridents lashed forward to draw blood, eliciting a scream of pain and rage.

aNow, sweetness, donat tell me you like blood sports, too?a He turned to find Snow avidly watching the unfolding gladiatorial fighting: she had predicted his interest, which would keep him distracted. aI may just propose to you on the spot, and weall find a place for nuptials under the bleachers.a aIt is filled with the stench of urine,a he responded. Her lips began curling into her usual sarcastic reply, but he injected his rejoinder first. aThen again, you stink enough now, I probably would not notice.a Snow froze (imperceptible, except that he had been watching for just such a tell), then replied, aNow sweetness, themas loving words. All Iam saying is aloving words.aa He allowed himself a small smile, which widened when he caught the brief eye blink. Head surprised her. And she knew that he knew.

Ah, the games we play in negotiations.

aA Nolan,a he said, trying to throw her off her game by switching back to her own bait.

aYes, theyave held it here for some time.a aHow? Not even the Sea Fox have managed to keep them alive off Engadine for very long.a aNow how would I know that?a She smirked. aI know lovers like to think their partners are omniscient and all, but please.a He watched her attempt to put her hair into some semblance of order and he actually laughed.

aYou laughing at me?a Her eyes twinkled with merriment.

He sucked his teeth (wondered for a moment if he would ever get the taste-smell of urine off his tongue), and actually reached out and patted her knee, drawing a startled look. aOf course not, Snow. Iam laughing with you.a aAh, no talking dirty to me, sweetness. And hands off until the wedding night.a A terrible, gurgling cry interrupted their repartee. They turned their heads in time to see the decapitation of one of the warriors, as one set of arms simply tore the body in two. The Nolan took several gashes from the warriors in return, however, and actually was forced back a step.

With a new understanding, Petr shifted his gaze to the magister and saw the panic on his face, even across such a distance.

The warriors are doing much better than you expected. He just might lose his Nolan.

He nodded thoughtfully at the warriors in acknowledgment of their obvious skills, considered, for just a moment, striking out for the magister in the hopes of ending the match; there would be a good market in Nolans if they could be bred off Engadine and in captivity.

aSo, sweetness, about my offer?a The words brought him back from the potential of a good deal, to the immediacy of a deal in the works.

aWhich offer would that be?a aDonat go all coy after offering to drag me off and have your way with me under the bleachers.a Snow shifted and winced; he imagined shead gotten a sliver in her own ample rump.

Petr maintained his silence until she actually looked put out and broke the silence between them, though her voice dropped several decibels and lost some of its playfulness.

aThe invasion of The Republic. Have you decided what use you might make of that information?a Petr raised his right hand, rubbed the fingers together (ignored the grime transferred from the wood) and looked at them casually; glanced back up. aPerhaps.a She looked at his hand, back into his eyes, her own smoky gaze suddenly burning with renewed intensity.

Fool me once, Snow, shame on me. Fool me twicea? A spheroid saying, but apt nonetheless. This time, he would do the playing.

aaPerhaps.a Thatas all you have to say, sweetness?a That came out between gritted teeth. aYouave been doing what for the past few weeks? Not making headway sealing up the beef trade on this sorry-a.s.s planet.a aI have made progress where progress has been needed. And what have you been doing? Sealing up your own deals?a A look he could not identify came and went on her face. aThat, sweetness, is none of your business. Jealous?a He leaned back and away from her, resting his arm along the short railing that ran across the back of the top bencha"a casual gesture that surprised her and wouldave shocked his own people. aPerhaps.a She swallowed. Once. Twice. Blinked.

aWhat news have you for me?a aNews. Didnat you read the data cube?a aI felt the news would smell sweeter coming from you.a He sniffed audibly. aObviously, I was mistaken.a They both ignored another warrioras dying agonies shredding the air, too intent on their own world.

aNow, sweetness, you really are pulling out all the stops. I hope the tales of you trueborns are true, acause I got a feeling weare going down under before too long and I got no intention of getting knocked up.a Try as he might, her blatant reference to his actually siring a freeborn child (it could not happen, of course) caused him to flinch with loathing; bile washed up in his throat.

Her knowing look said wonders. Point to her and the battle pulled back more to a neutral ground.

aI told you before, Snow, I will move when and if I feel it is necessary.a He spoke in a tone reminiscent of their previous encounter. He would not lose more ground.

Snow gazed at him steadily for several long seconds before she responded, the hubbub of the crowd surging around them, accompanied by the smell of stale sweat and the sickly stench of old age and rot.

aThen it might be of some interest to you to know that I believe someone, or some ones, from Beta Aimag recently held a secret rendezvous with elements of Clan Jade Falcon.a Petr straightened up, thunderstruck. aWhat?a aSweetness, do I need to lick out those ears of yours? You heard me.a He reeled, not even registering her comment. They met with elements of Jade Falcon? When, where, how, why? The questions came fast and furiousa"a fusillade of emerald laser fire, boiling away his calm demeanor.

aI believe the Jade Falcons have invaded The Republic,a she said softly, answering his unasked question. She had once more managed to obtain vital information before his own contacts. His own people.

aSweetness,a she began, her voice almost serious, aIam sure Beta Aimag would have every reason in the world to be in contact with a Jade Falcon force that is right now attacking several worlds in The Republic.a She stopped, opened her mouth and tapped her lower lip with her right index finger, as though just now thinking of something. aBut, if they have a legitimate reason, why are they keeping the meeting a secret? I mean, considering what a bungled job youave made of negotiations here, youad think ola ovKhan Clarke would be crowing the triumph of landing a deal with the Falcons, right? But his own people donat even know about it.a Petr glanced at her sharply at such a statement, read the knowledge in those words. He also did not for a moment believe shead suddenly thought of this; she had delivered the data exactly as planned. If the information turned out to be correcta"he was surprised to realize that, in some strange way, head come to trust hera"it would change everything.

A new thought blossomed, and a horrifying idea began to coalesce. Something so monstrous and vile he could not suppress the involuntary gasp of his strained lungs.

No. That could not be. Not even Sha would go so far.

As though frozen between one breath and the next, he ran numerous scenarios through his head. Slowly, he realized he needed more information. Had to make his own inquiries among Beta Aimag personnel. And to do so, he must get Sha off-world.

Slowly wrangling his runaway thoughts until they were under control, he looked once more at Snow and stretched a taunt, pain-filled smile across lips abruptly as dry as a G.o.danas scales.

aI believe, Snow, I will be moving to take care of your alleged invasion sooner than I thought.

Her eyes lit up, and she parted her lips, teasing them with her tongue for a moment. aThat, sweetness, is what Iave been waiting to hear. Anytime you want to drag me under the bleachers, you just let me know.a Still trying to grapple with the sickening possibilities, he looked her full in the face. aSnow, if this information proves as useful as I believe it will, I may just take you up on that offer.a And he meant it.

23.

Merchant House, Halifax Vanderfox, Adhafera Prefecture VII, The Republic 2 September 3134 Atoo-early sun lifted off from the distant tarmac, slowly picking up speed as the ungainly spheroid DropShip gained alt.i.tude and velocity. Petr, along with his miserable companion, watched as a second and then a third DropShip lifted: a man-made celestial trinary of fire to prematurely illuminate most of Halifax.

Petr felt warm, though the ships were too distant for him to feel the heat waves of the drives. His warmth came from the glow of misdirection. Of a.s.sured victory s.n.a.t.c.hed from the jaws of defeat. Of putting a lesser in his place.

Another handful of minutes slipped by, as the DropShips ascended to the point at which their silver hulls could no longer be seen, only the contrails of smoke and the pinp.r.i.c.ks of light that still hurt the eye.

Finally, Petr broke the silencea"no sense in salting the wound unnecessarilya at least, not too unnecessarily. aMaster Tidinic, I believe we have some business to conclude. Shall we adjourn inside?

The man nodded slowly. They turned in unison and made the trek to the central negotiation table, past the ubiquitous lowing cattle and shouting workmen, where a handful of both locals and Sea Fox personnel, including Merchant saFactor Tia, were waiting; her averted gaze said she would not soon forgive him for wrenching control of the negotiations away from her when he had been preoccupied and absent for so many weeks.

Deal with it. She had had disappointments before and would have them again.

After everyone was seated, Petr waited; events still pulled at him, but head gained some breathing room. Some time to finally, absolutely, close this deal and move on to other things.

Particularly, verifying the truth of Snowas intel.

People shuffled their feet, coughed behind their hands and shifted in their seats as Petr let the silence stretch.

Eyes darting left and right, trying to find an escape that did not exist, Master Tidinic transformed from a raptor to a rabbit. Petr curled his lips at the manas apparent total collapse and finally spokea"time to finish him.

aMaster Tidinic, it would appear there has been a reversal. Though ovKhan Clarke won the right to negotiate with you, apparently he is no longer interested in the deal.a aSome of his personnel are still here; I have a meeting with them this afternoon.a The words sounded weak, almost petulant.

aAff, that is true. However, I can a.s.sure you they are the lowest level of negotiators in Beta Aimag, and can hardly bargain with you without constantly affirming their words with ovKhan Clarke. Something very difficult to do with him out of system.a aThey are heading for Stewart,a the man said sullenly, accusatorily.

aReally? I wondered at their destination.a He managed not to smile at such a blatant lie.

The raptor gaze returned momentarily, as Tidinic knew full well where Beta had gotten its information. aYes, Iam sure you did. However, whoever let such valuable information slip has to understand the Stewart markets are, to be frankaa"he paused, swept his hand around to include the entire beef industry on Adhaferaa"amuch larger. Though we would like to consider ourselves a prize, we are a much smaller catch compared to Stewart. It makes one wonder what value could be placed on our world, which Stewart does not have.a Petr leaned back, ignored the creak of the chair and felt the satisfying pop of his spine adjusting.

Not such a rabbit after all. Good. But I still have you caught in the field, with no cover.

aMaster Tidinic, though I am sure I do not know where such information might have come from, I can a.s.sure you we also have business of our own that must be attended to.a Petr glanced at his chronometer, as though he cared about either the time or the date.

aBoth ovKhan Clarke and I answer to higher authority than ourselves, and we have both been delayed too long on this world. A world, at your own admission, which is a small catch, did you call it?a Petr quirked the corner of his mouth and watched Tidinic wince at his own error.

Petr raised his hand and a hard copy immediately appeared from the hands of an aide. He settled the paper onto the table, flicked it with the edge of his index finger, sent it shooting across the distance, the stapled pages fluttering like broken wings and spinning askew. This is how much I care.

aYou will see our new terms, Master Tidinic,a Petr said, finally pulling away the glove to reveal the glint of steel beneath. aYou have exactly seventy-two hours to respond, before we lift off.a As Petr stood abruptly, turned and moved away with his entire cadre, the shocked looks and uproar that erupted among the local merchants felt very satisfying indeed. Not even the squelch of his boot in a dung pile could dissuade him from his good mood.

A deal ready to seal and Sha out of the way momentarily. Now to find out what he could.

aJesup,a he said, dismissing the rest with a nod, as they walked back into the morning, where the real stellar ma.s.s of the system moved behind sullen storm clouds ready to dump their heavy burden.

aovKhan.a His aide attended him as usual, but his voice did not seem normal. Petr glanced at Jesupas face, but could not find anything on which to hang his reaction. Ever since coming to this world, their relationship had become more and more strained. He mentally shrugged.

I will worry about it later. There is too much to do now.

aI need your help. I need information from Beta Aimag, and I cannot get it for myself. It would be difficult, if not impossible, for me to insinuate myself among their personnel even at the local bars they frequent. I take a single step into such a place, and they will clam up tighter than a Lyran fist over C-bills.a Moving to the waiting hoverjeep, Petr pulled himself into the driveras seat while Jesup climbed into the pa.s.senger side. He tapped in the start code, and the humming motors sent vibrations up through his body to match the keening pitch from without. Petr spun the small vehicle in a half circle, spitting out a small cloud of detritus, and then poured on the speed as they whipped down the road toward their encampment. The soft-top of the jeep was brokena"in the open positiona"and he wanted to reach the encampment before the potential rain began to fall.

Raising his voice over the chill wind, Petr continued. aI know our personnel mix now and then.a aReally? But we hate each other so.a Petr laughed, the comment so Jesup; he was surprised to realize he missed the witty comments of his XO, regardless of their aggravation.

This surprises you because you are selfish.

The words insinuated themselves from the depths of his subconscious. He refused to listen, to deal with it now. If these words were true, there would be time to examine them, to examine his relationships, later. aRegardless of the hatred dividing Sha and me, I know it does not spill down the ranks. You may think I am oblivious to such things, but I am not. I know the lower castes mingle freely, and I am confident the same applies to many of our warriors. I need you to start asking discreet questions.a aAnd what secret mission, oh great and powerful ovKhan, have you tasked me with?a The aggravation that rose at Jesupas sarcasm felt familiar and comfortablea"almost enjoyable. The voice within him laughed at the thought that he might miss Jesupas att.i.tude if it was taken from him. He swallowed to clear the grit of the road in his mouth.

aI believe ovKhan Sha had a secret rendezvous with the Jade Falcons.a A particularly large rut in the road caused the hoverjeep to slew sideways, and Petr missed the flicker of shock that washed Jesupas features.

aWhy do we care?a Jesup said. aIt would be good to know what deal they might have landed so we can counter it, but why send me? You should be able to get that information just by talking with the lower castes, quiaff?a aNeg. The lower castes do not know of it. Most of the warriors do not know of it. Why keep it a secret, especially from his own personnel?a Petr disliked giving Snow her due, but he continued regardless. aConsidering how badly we proceeded in our negotiations, would not ovKhan Sha shout a deal with Clan Jade Falcon from the depths of s.p.a.ce, quiaff?a aAff,a Jesup responded slowly, as though thinking his way through it. Petr flinched as a particularly noxious beetle the size of his hand splattered across the front windshield; it immediately sloughed off the anti-dirt film in rivulets of broken purple sh.e.l.ls and almost fluorescent green pulped guts.

aIt could be nothing,a Jesup finally responded, as Petr moved into the city proper; with so few cars about this early in the morning, he felt reasonably safe in opening up the throttle, shooting the little vehicle down towering mountains of steel (as if local law enforcement would stop them).

aAff. But it could be everything.a aWhere are you getting this information?a aThat is not something you need to know.a Not even loyal Jesup would likely give Petr the time of day, ovKhan or not, if he knew where such information originated. If Jesup knew of the strange relationship he was developinga aOh magnificent ovKhan, I apologize if I have offended. This little one is not worth your trouble.a The man actually managed to turn and bow several times in the close confines of the hoverjeep. Once more, the words carried humor, and Petr warmed to the friendship.