He didnat for a minute believe saKhan Sennet could be aware of his sojourn to the Falcons. The saKhan had always been a await and seea leader, basking in the glory of his subordinates, but stepping aside when failure reared its head, generally too cautious for his own good. Even so, Sha did not believe for a moment the saKhan would condone his actions, if he knew the truth. If he understood the full complexity of the plan.

Then again, saKhan Mikel, despite his station, would miss such a subterfuge, would miss most of Shaas moves, if he did not telegraph them blatantly enough to keep the saKhan and the rest of Spina Khanateas ovKhans focused on his right hand, while his left worked the real deal. Shaas lips tweaked, cold and mirthless.

Of course, so few could understand the glory he worked to bestow upon his Aimag, upon Spina Khanate. The prosperity that would elevate the Khanate to a new level.

A bootheel squeaked outside the door. Sha glanced up sharply, but turned back to his reports when he realized the guard had simply changed his stance; head have to remind the man once more about extraneous noise.

With regret, he slowly placed the enigmatic report back onto the glossy wood and retrieved the final report.

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The paperas edge tried vainly to pierce his skin as it trembled under clenching fingersa"rigid, steel bands that crushed the sheet to a small, insignificant sphere. Again.

Sha trembled. Had to breathe deeply and relax. For the first time in long years, needed to remind himself anger got you nowhere.

Look at where it got Kalasa.

Sha immediately cooled, his steel fingers turned to flesh once more, though his knuckles ached with the force of his rage, smoothed out the paper as best he could.

All they had to do was follow a slow, ponderous ship.

Unlike the rest of the Khanates and their Aimags, which bid for and fought to acquire the rights in specific regions of s.p.a.cea"worlds each Aimag and Khanate would then use to further their revenues, honor and glory for the Clana"the ilKhanate acted as an oversight governing body. Never with a set destination, the Khan and Alpha Clan Council traversed known s.p.a.ce, checking in on the activities of the subordinate Khanates and their Aimags, taking their ten percent due. Though it was generally known in which direction the ilKhanate was travelinga"as was the case right now, with the ilKhanate known to be heading in their directiona"you simply never knew when the stravag Khan and his outdated authorities would darken your skies to grasp un-worked-for glories.

And to such a wallowing ArcShip he tasked three tailsa and still they lost it.

He tried to order his thoughts once more, but felt the weight of the reports pushing at him. Pulling him. Their combined ma.s.s unbalancing the plan. Putting an erratic wobble into its forward motion which, if not corrected immediately would eventually spin it out of control, sending it tumbling to burn up in atmosphere or a stellar ma.s.s.

All the more galling, since he could do nothing about any of it immediately. If they lost their prey, he would not find it himself by blundering off; such a hunt would only waste valuable weeks and resources.

He stood slowly, pushing back the roller chair with his knees; it moved with a soft squeal just far enough for him to extricate himself before coming to a stop with a soft b.u.mp against the back wall. He gathered the papers slowly together, squared them and smoothed wrinkles.

Nothing to be done about the Falcons. If they have handed the Skye defenders the clippers to snip their own wingsa nothing to be done. At this point, he simply could not a.s.sociate with the Falcons in any way; the terse note from saKhan Sennet made it too dangerous. A new thought skewed its way into consciousness.

Disconnect.

He grimaced and moved out from around the desk, toward the java pot. Sha hated that word. Hated its implied weakness. Yet he had not gained such heights without knowing when to pull back. When to disengage. Though secondary plans were in place, with all three of his primary plans in trouble, he must accept the fact he might have to pull back. Might have to wait longer before seizing destiny for Spina Khanate.

Underneath the java pot, a small incinerator waited for its daily feeding of pulp and information too dangerous to leave in the light of day.

As he fed all three papers into the machine, Sha counted a.s.sets in his head. Tallied how many people knew about his encounter with the Jade Falcons. Balanced on scales the needs of his personnel and their future contributions to the welfare of the Aimag against the repercussions of discovery; he had purposely kept the numbers stripped low, not just to minimize leakage, but just in case such actions were needed.

Of course he would still move forward. Of course he would still move to seize the day; not all was yet lost. However, it was important to hedge your bets in every direction.

Time to clean house.

21.

Merchant House, Halifax Vanderfox, Adhafera Prefecture VII, The Republic 29 August 3134 For once, Petras disgust at the Merchant House centered on something other than the vile stench still troubling hima"especially after so many long weeks in the blissfully clean-scrubbed air of the Ocean of Stars.

aWhat would you have me do?a Tidinic said, his voice pitched to easily cut through the continual hubbub of the giant edifice. The master trader sat across from him; others occupied the large table, but only the two of them mattered. Clean lines to his suit. Well-tailored, but not extravagant. Long, chocolate-colored hair cascaded from a widowas peak to the suitas shoulders. Large eyes hung under craggy, bushy brows like bird eggs hidden from predators just under the cliffas precipice; eyes mimicked such fragility, but Petr saw the raptor within.

Petr shifted, felt the pull of gravity, the pull of the situation. Tried to forget the angry looks from his factors when he returned and thrust himself to the forefront of the negotiations, never mind his right to do so. Tried to forget his weeks of wasted effort with saKhan Sennet.

His failure against Sha. Again.

aMaster Trader,a he began, layering in respect without drowning it in sycophancy, aI would have us come to some accord. I understand you are hard pressed to meet our demands, as we are yours.a Tidinic nodded his head, though it felt more like a merchant prince accepting p.r.o.nouncements at his courta"decrees he scripted to be read by Petr. Petr kept his temper, banking the hot coals of rage for later use.

aI also understand and appreciate the hardships you and your fellow citizens have suffered following the collapse of the HPG. Nevertheless, it is time to make a decision. You have two offers before you.a They had tried ignoring Beta Aimag, to no avail. Perhaps finally recognizing the compet.i.tion and actively trying to push the locals to a decision would move them one way or another.

Frustrations gnawing at him, he felt as if he were on an EVA, with low oxygen; no matter how deep he breathed, he could not get enough air (he didnat want this air anyway). Felt he needed to make something happen.

Though head conducted negotiations that took longer, it did not happen often. More important, head never carried out such strenuous negotiations as a backdrop against so many other issues swirling around him, creating a mental and physical dervish that threatened to sweep him away.

The image of the pugnacious and repulsive Snow reared its head. He had to deal with that wild card as well. The new data cube, waiting on his desk when he returned, now burned like a hot coal against his leg. Once more she had deposited it where she should not be, and he knew it meant trouble.

As he had stared at the small cube crouching on his desk like a slumbering terror waiting to feast on his mind, head realized he had not done a single thing to further investigate her claims of a Marik-Stewart invasion. Though he should not have cared, a surreal feeling crawled across his shorn scalp, p.r.i.c.kling scar tissue like a brisk wind. He could not put a finger on it, but he suspected that she could cause him problems. Make his life difficult. Yet if he aided her, her grat.i.tude could bea generous. He shouldave dismissed such musings as stress-induced mania, but he could not. Could not forget the smoky eyes and the gleam within. Head seen power too many times, despite the unattractive package, not to recognize it.

Aff, she would cause him no end of troubles if he did not find a way to use her in return.

aovKhan.a The sound snapped him back to the present like an emergency safety line wrenching him in from an EVA gone bad. He saw that Tidinicas face held a speculative look, while the other traders at the table variously showed surprise, disgust and outright hostility; he didnat want to see his own Fox Clansmenas expressions at such a lapse.

Petr leaned back, felt the stink of the pens as a physical pressure around him (ignored the lowing, which sat in the lower part of his brain as a vibrating tumor) and steepled his fingers, tried to gain back the initiative he might have just lost. Then again, at this point, he simply wanted resolution on some front, any front. Even if that meant giving something up. At least for now.

He cleared his throat, refused to acknowledge his distraction, continued. aMaster Tidinic, you have two offers on the table. Though we wish to aid you, in fact would find great honor in it, The Republic holds numerous worlds in need of our aid as well.a aIam sure they will all welcome it with open arms, ovKhan Kalasa.a Petr sloughed off the sarcasma"oil on water.

aAff. I am confident of that as well, Master Tidinic. However, to bring such aid to those who need it, we need a resolution here. The exportation of your foodstuffs will aid many worlds, not to mention your own. What accord can we reach?a Almost completely motionless for a half hour, the portly man finally shifted, leaning forward slightly, placing his right hand on the table. aovKhan Kalasa, I have felt for some time we have been making great progress in reaching a mutually beneficial agreement. I have gone over the respective contracts numerous times and it would appear we are almost of one mind concerning what needs to be givena and taken, for an agreement to be signed.a He nodded to one of the myriad trader aides at his side and the man produced a doc.u.ment that he laid carefully upon the table, then slid delicately into the middle. The sudden silence at the table as the papers slowly wisped across wood reminded Petr of religious offering ceremonies head seen on several spheroid worlds.

Petr raked his eyes across it for a moment, before glancing back up. aIs this the agreement we have worked on most recently?a he asked, knowing full well it wasnat.

aNot exactly.a aNot exactly? Could you perhaps be a little more specific?a Time to crank up his sarcasm dial.

aThere has been a complication.a aAgain.a The man shrugged, as though to apologize; the raptor gaze never faltered. aA new JumpShip has entered the system.a Petr barely managed not to glare at his own people for not yet having this information. Petr spoke from a suddenly dry throat. aAnd what does this have to do with our ongoing negotiation?a aIt seems this ship is also a trading vessel.a Again, the insincere shrug. aHowever, it appears they are not of your Clan, but an Inner Sphere concern.a He leaned back once more; Petr felt the man might stretch and snuggle into his chair like a s.p.a.ce cat: warm, content and filled with the knowledge he held the upper hand.

aAs I would hate to allow this new concern to horn in on a business deal we have all worked so hard to cement, I have suggested two last-minute changes, which I humbly submit for your final review. With your stamp of approval, I can have a contract drafted and on your desk by tomorrow for your signature, days before the JumpShip could possibly set people on the ground to disrupt.a Petr felt the rage growing, but pushed it aside. Nodded once, thoughtfully, at the adept move.

On my desk, and Shaas as well, waiting to see who bites.

Though angry, he had to give the man his due. He managed to gain information before either Delta or Beta Aimag and made the most of it, holding it over them like a raised aMech foot, ready to smash them if they did not acquiesce.

Reaching forward, he picked up the page, and quickly read through it. Just as he thought. An additional half percentage point on gross and a year less on the absolute contract rights. Completely unacceptable.

Opening his mouth to respond, Petr caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he saw Sha, along with a small Beta cadre, moving toward their table. One look told him they knew of the arriving JumpShip, knew of their current negotiations and had come posthaste.

Though the animosity between the two of them had grown to spectacular levels, they still shared the same Khanate. The same Clan. In the end, though both would chew off their own tongues before admitting as much, they would rather see the other gain victory here than to miss the opportunity entirely, or worse yet, allow a Republic trading concern to sink their greedy talons into it.

The two ovKhans seemed to telegraph their thoughts across the closing distance. In one of the few moments when Sha and Petr absolutely agreed, the time had come for a distinctly Clan resolution to this conundrum.

Returning his attention to Master Tidinic, he allowed a smile to bloom on his face, mirth to widen his eyes. The sudden jerk in his raptor gaze told Petr the man went from total control to doubt in a heartbeat. It only fueled the smile larger.

aMaster Tidinic,a Petr said, aBeta and Delta Aimags must reach our own resolution to this problem before one of us again sits at this table to discuss your proposal. Please excuse me for a handful of minutes.a Though he tried to hide it, Tidinic floundered; the other traders could not disguise their confusion.

Standing up, Petr turned toward Sha and his own cadre moved away from the table to meet the arriving Betas. He should have been angry at this development, but he actually felt as though a load had been lifted. He stretched his tired back and neck muscles, felt the pull of strong tendons and muscles all across his body, his right shoulder hardly twinging; he breathed in deeply and, for the first time he could remember, didnat mind the stench.

Resolution. If only of one thing, resolution nevertheless.

aovKhan Kalasa,a Sha said, nodding his head slightly.

Though his rival showed no more emotion than usual, Petr thought he detected a look of relief in those too-chill eyes.

He needs this resolution as much as I. For a moment, Petr pondered that thought. Is it just this deal? Doesnat seem possible. Can his larger plans have problems? No way of knowing, but Petr smiled larger regardless. Even the possibility buoyed him.

aovKhan Clarke, I see you are aware of the new arrival.a aAff. And it changes our circ.u.mstances. I believe we are of a mind.a aAff, ovKhan. It is time we determine who shall seat themselves again with Master Tidinic and who shall concede defeat.a aAff. I name Bel,a he answered, indicating a mammoth elemental, who moved forward with the lethal grace and contained fury of a sphinx raptor.

Petr nodded. aI name Calson.a Petr looked over his shoulder as another elemental stepped forward, matching Bel grace for grace. Lethality for lethality. Their eyes met and Petr nodded once. Acknowledgment, blessing.

Petr looked back and at Sha. aBargained well and done.a aSeyla,a the small a.s.sembly of warriors spoke. Though short and abbreviated from the usual forms for a Trial of Possession, there was precedence; in the heat of the deal, customs can and will bea ma.s.saged.

The remaining Clan warriors, including Petr and Sha, immediately began to form a Circle of Equals roughly fifteen meters across, pushing aside spheroids and moving tables. Petr could see the trader group milling about in confusion, while a few chose to try and close the distance. To investigate. Some bovine wranglers moved closer, curiosity overcoming their better sense to stay out of Clan matters.

Petr turned and ignored them all. Down to Clan business now.

Even through his boots, Petr could feel the solid concrete underneath the thin, dirty layer of straw. He tapped his foot twice, felt the smack of his flesh against the unyielding surface even through the soles of his boot.

Hard, very hard. Unyielding. No forgiveness for hard landings here; likely a quick battle.

The two superlative warriors did not waste time with words, nor move into the dance Petr had seen many combatants (especially spheroids) ascribe to. Instead, like two enraged ghost bears, the two launched forward, slamming platter-sized hands at each otheras necks and midriffs in a series of blows and counterblows, which looked as though they could dent aMech armor.

Neither warrior landed a serious blow or managed to grasp the other in a lasting hold and they broke apart, this time to slouch into lower, more balanced stances as they began to circle each other slowly.

If you do not succeed, try, try again. The spheroid childrenas fable moral sprang to mind and Petras smile continued.

A burst of babble slightly behind him and off to his right momentarily pulled his attention; his smile creased his face with deep lines (head not smiled so often in long, long weeks) as he saw the fear on the faces of the local merchants. For long weeks the spheroids had blinded themselves to the nature of the traders in their midst, believing them basically the same as themselves.

Now the differences sang among the rafters of the Merchant House and the brutality of it, the force of it, sent them running scared. Would make them doubt themselves. Push them back off their guard, when either he or Sha sat down at the table in victory.

He turned back to find Calson in the midst of a stunning flying kick. The man had to be at least 2.5 meters tall and yet he knew the warrior would easily clear his own height.

The shin-high, tight-fitting boot swept through the air occupied a moment before by Belas head; the impact might have decapitated a lesser man. Bel, however, had no intention of losing his head so quickly. Ducking under the full bulk of Calson, he twisted his body down and back up to the right, latching fingers as strong as manacles on to the legs of his opponent as quick as a cloud cobra strike and continuing to twist. Using the forward momentum and Calsonas own ma.s.s, Bel further twisted his body and yanked forward, bending and crouching down quickly. With the kicking leg practically lashed over his right shoulder and Calson already committed to the move, the man jackknifed forward, straight into the concrete.

Petr winced at the smacking-meat sounda"a little too much like the occasional side of beef that came loose from its hook in the Merchant House during transport from one section to the next. Actually felt the tremble through the ground.

However, genetically engineered warriors could not be removed from the field of battle so easily. Calson had gotten both arms in front of him, and used them to bleed off some of his own velocity; he still smacked his face hard, as straight-arming such a fall wouldave snapped even elemental arms. Calson rolled four times in rapid succession, tearing lose his leg and putting a little distance between him and Bel. He spun to a low crouch; a shattered nose and pulped lips cascaded blood down his chin and onto his neck and shirt. A slow grin showed loose teeth, but blazed with the att.i.tude prized by any Clansmen.

Pain? Bring it on.

Another flurry of babbles from behind him exploded and Petr grunted in satisfaction, confident they saw the b.l.o.o.d.y, ghastly grin and trembled. Even if Calson lost, Petr would ensure he would not pay for it with any diminished honor; the fear and confusion gripping the local merchants was sufficient payment for a defeat on Calsonas part.

Sliding forward smoothly, Bel feinted left. Then dodged right. Then back one more time, before snapping a knee-capping kick forward, accompanied by an eye-and-chest strike. Calson stood as a malachite statue, unwilling to give into Belas dance of death, and only moved when the knee-capper flew; sliding backward a half step with that leg, blocking blows with brutal efficiency and then swinging that same leg back up and around with terrible force.

Catching Bel slightly off guard, the thrust slammed the other warrioras legs together, knocking him off balance for a half second.

Which is all a trained killer needs.

Like an aeros.p.a.ce fighter from a launch bay, Calson struck, raining savage blows and side cuts across Belas head. The elemental windmilled both arms to maintain balance, to drop at the feet of his opponent meant almost certain defeat. As the blows continued, Bel finally got his feet steady once more, but took almost five steps to do it. Near the edge of the Circle, Calson reared back and pounded both fists into Belas chest, sending the elemental staggering.

Whether through sheer dumb luck, or some preternatural ability that allowed Bel to literally sense the edge of the Circle, he dropped to the ground like a sack of flesh to stop his backward movement.

Breaching the Circle meant defeat.

Sensing victory, Calson launched forward and Petr flinched; perhaps the head slam had affected the elemental more than he knew. This was a cla.s.sic error.

As Calson launched forward, Bel reached up to lock his hands in a death grip on Calsonas arms, forcing his opponent to do the same. Then Bel rocked backward as he planted his feet firmly in Calsonas abdomen. Physics did the rest, as Calson sailed out of the Circle and into defeat.

Beta Aimag would be sitting at the table for Adhafera. Once more, the feeling almost unnatural after so long, Petras lips twisted upwards in a smile.

Beta Aimag wins for todaya and Master Tidinic will quickly realize he should have taken my previous generous offer.

22.

Canopian Pleasure Circus, Halifax Vanderfox, Adhafera Prefecture VII, The Republic 30 August 3134 The lascivious mermaid wove her arms and tail suggestively, sickeningly; the bare planks supporting the mud-smeared plasteel looked barely more rotted than her teeth, and her tail had seen better days.

Clan genetics? Petr sniffed in disgust at the stage manas loud cries.

As he stamped past the audience of cast-off males hooting and tossing coins displaying various visages onto the stage, he felt the vileness of the place press in against him.

On the outskirts of Halifax, in a rundown neighborhooda"wouldave seen a Clansman removed in a Trial of Grievance for inept.i.tude and inability to lead years agoa"the so-called Canopian Pleasure Circus squatted like an ancient wh.o.r.e: bruised, sullen and ugly, hiding in the shadows and trying to avoid the notice of the authorities, but still willing to spread her legs for a coin. Any coin.

A putrescence wafted up his nostrils, causing Petr to lurch for a moment and gag before he could master himself. His mood lightened as he realized he had just discovered something that stank more than the Merchant House.

Stepping around a large pile of some unidentifiable offal, he glanced in the direction of the offending stench and beheld a large, blue-and-white-striped tent, perhaps twenty meters on a side; at one point it had been a traveling tent, but the planks of rough-hewn wood around the entire lower exterior and the gra.s.s that grew profusely around it attested to the length of its stay. A large, hand-painted sign thrust up from the ground on a small tree in front of the opening, only its branches shorn off, the bark not even removed. On the shoddy sign, a worn, flaking painting of a large feline with a nova burst of poison-barbed mane sprawled, with the words See the Magnificent, Terrifying Nova Cat from the Clan Homeworlds emblazoned below.

The terrified and brutalized meowing that emerged from the tent bore no resemblance to the roaring of that magnificent feline; after all, unlike these ground-bound surats, he had witnessed a nova cat hunting in the wild in the Irece Prefecture of the Draconis Combine. The difference between the two sounds was like the contrast between the depths of night and a stellar body bursting into reality astern an arriving JumpShip.

The sun poked through tattered clouds for a moment, casting wan light across the entire area: sickly, decrepit, decaying. The words jumbled, raised his ire anew.