"Sir," I said, "Claver was a card-carrying b.a.s.t.a.r.d. That man could sell his soul to six different devils and swindle them all. But I made a deal with him. If my vote counts, Id like to honor that deal."

Drusus nodded slowly. "I felt that would be your choice. Unfortunately, I think Im going to have to go with my initial instinct and leave the man in his grave. Dismissed, Veteran."

He turned away, and I was left standing there, blinking. My baffled expression transformed into one of annoyance. I shifted from foot to foot then finally spoke up.

"Sir? Im sorry, sir, but I just cant let this lie."

Drusus frowned at me. He wasnt accustomed to noncoms arguing with him in his office. I could understand that, but I wasnt a man who could let something like that go so easily.

"What are you trying to say, McGill?"

"Tribune, whyd you even ask me to come up here? I mean, if you had your mind made up, why bother?"

"Maybe I wanted to confirm something about you. Maybe I wanted to know how a man guided by principle over logic would judge a case such as this. Now that my curiosity has been satisfied, Im moving on."

A cold, callous answer. I should have expected nothing less. Tribune Drusus wasnt like Graves. He had a soul in there somewhere. But he also had a great deal of responsibility. He looked at things differently than I did, thats all.

I left his office troubled but resigned. Claver was dead and gone. He was stardust, just like we all once were and would be again someday.

-51-.

Earth Central Command was surprised to hear our plea on the deep-link. They grumbled, but three long months after the battle with the squids was over, Minotaur came back to Machine World to pick us up.

We rode the lifters away from Machine World with a deep sense of relief. Im not sure Ive ever been happier to leave a planet behind.

From s.p.a.ce, the planet looked like a cotton ball. It was all fluffy-white with clouds on top and soft blue-grays underneath. The image belied the turmoil wed gone through to survive on an intensely hostile world.

Imperator Turov was aboard Minotaur, and I could tell right off she wasnt happy about that. Her face was a good ten meters tall, displayed on the ceiling of our units module. When she spoke to us, she never cracked a smile. She showed her teeth plenty, sure, but that was only because her lips seemed to curl away from her pearly-whites to punctuate every sentence.

"The heroic actions of Legion Varus have been duly noted," she said, sounding as if she was spitting out nails. "Hegemony has ordered me to provide every member of the legion with the Medal of Honor, bronze rank. Congratulations and welcome aboard, legionnaires."

A mild cheer went up from the a.s.sembled troops. It was nice to get a pat on the head from the bra.s.s every now and then, even if it came from the hogs back on Earth.

Turov didnt beat around the bush when it came to my role in matters, either. She summoned me to her office on Gold Deck, and this time she had me thoroughly disarmed before I was allowed into her presence. I found this stipulation disquieting, but I walked in as if I didnt have a care in the world.

"Good morning, Imperator," I said.

She eyed me coldly. "James McGill," she said slowly. "The man of the hour, if reports are to be believed."

"Happy to serve, sir. I just do my part the way any other man in the legion would."

She snorted. "Hardly. What other noncom would dare insert his unwanted nose into every official matter that comes up?"

I didnt have an answer for that, so I kept quiet. I was standing at attention, staring at the back wall of her office. There was a picture of Earth there, stylized with an image of Central emblazoned over it. I found the image vaguely disturbing. What was it meant to project? The idea that Hegemonys military ruled Earth? I told myself I was becoming paranoid and tried to listen to Turov instead.

She was reading me a list of complaints by other officers concerning my conduct on Machine World. Even Leeson had a choice comment or two which had gone into my file. That hurt a bit, even if every word of it was true.

"The same old story, McGill," Turov said. "You show initiative-to a fault. You fight well, you lead well. But you constantly disobey even basic orders and place your commanders in compromising positions. Honestly, Im not sure if youre a genius or an idiot."

"A bit of both, sir, if my mama is to be believed."

She stared at me with hooded eyes. "Let us get to the point. I came to this system with a plan. Youre aware of this, yes?"

I took a chance and glanced at her directly. She had that wet-cat look: tail-lashing, p.i.s.sed off. The cant of her hip as she leaned her shapely b.u.t.t on her desk told the story, along with the way her arms were crossed and the fact that her eyes were glittering slits.

Glancing back at the picture on the wall, I nodded. "I gathered that you had a plan, yes sir."

"And yet you sought to do whatever you d.a.m.n-well pleased? Without regard for my requirements?"

"Pardon me, sir," I said. "But am I here to be promoted, demoted, or just chewed out for the fun of it?"

"More insolence. I should never have become personally involved with you. That was a mistake, and it has come back to haunt me in countless ways."

Again, I glanced down at her. I dared to give her a small, private smile. "If its any consolation, I have no regrets in that regard. I enjoyed myself thoroughly."

"Of course you did," she snapped. "As to your question about your future status, that remains to be seen."

I nodded. I was being judged. My fate was being decided. Calm and unconcerned, I went back to staring at the wall behind her.

"What arrangements did you have with Claver?" she demanded. "Why did he choose death rather than firing the broadsides for the saurians?"

There, shed put her finger on it. For the first time, I felt a tickle of sweat under my armpits. I couldnt tell her Id agreed to steal the Galactic key from her. That wouldnt do at all.

"I believe all the details are in the reports, sir," I said, deciding to play dumb.

"Ive gone over and over all the reports. Theyre more than vague in this regard."

My face blank, I gave her the innocent confused look Id given a hundred teachers, babysitters and friends moms as a kid. I was proud of that face as it had gotten me out of countless bad spots in the past.

"Honestly, I thought you might be able to shed some light on Clavers actions," I said. "He always was a bit of a mystery to me. I had no idea he was going to come out here and try to set up some kind of t.i.tanium trading depot."

She glared at me, and I looked back down at her, straight-on.

"Did you know anything about that, sir?" I asked. "Ive been meaning to ask you about it. Even more curious was Clavers knowledge that Earth was sending an expedition here in the first place. I mean, what are the odds that all these ships would show up in orbit over Machine World at the same time? There are coincidences in the universe, but this one is a doozy."

Turovs mouth got tighter with every word I uttered. By the end of my speech, her mouth was an almost invisible, pink, pinched-looking spot on her face. Finally, as I knew she would, she exploded.

"Thats enough with your threats!" she said. "I could crush you-you know that, dont you? Even now, with your friends placed carefully all around the legion, youre not safe from me. Dont think that you are!"

My eyes were dead-ahead again. "Im sorry sir, but I dont follow you."

She began to pace around me, calming herself down with a force of will.

"All right," she said. "Keep your secrets, McGill. Youre not being helpful at all. Im faced with a difficult decision, and Id hoped you would shed light on the subject, but youve chosen to be an obstinate a.s.s as usual."

"Uh...what are we talking about now, sir?"

"About Claver, you fool. Should I revive him or not?"

That one took me by honest surprise. Thats when I realized this dressing-down wasnt about me at all. She was debating Clavers status. Their scheme-whatever it had been-had fallen apart. But maybe Claver had some hold over her, some promised prize she hadnt gotten out of him yet. If she left him dead, shed never get it.

That said, she clearly didnt trust the man and wisely so. He was double-dealing everyone, up-down and sideways.

I heaved a sigh. "I made a deal with Claver," I said. "He agreed not to operate the broadsides for the saurians, but he felt the saurians might kill him for refusing."

"And why would he do that?" she demanded.

"To gain the trading rights he planned on in the first place. His first move was to arrive with the squids and a trade ship, cutting a deal. When that failed, he tried a legal approach, backed by the Nairbs. The man is nothing if not persistent. When I blew up the Nairb ship, he brought in the saurians. Maybe he even knew the squids were coming after that, or he called them, Im honestly not sure."

"He is beyond slippery," Turov agreed reflectively. "I now doubt my wisdom at ever having had dealings with him-or you."

"He does keep his end of a bargain," I said. "He gave me the deep-link to call Earth. Part of the deal was to revive him afterward if things went badly. In turn, he agreed not to help the saurians fire the broadsides and demolish my legion."

"Hmm," Turov said. "The whole thing almost makes sense. Parts of what you say were written in your superiors reports, but it was never stated so openly. Fair enough. You made a deal. What do you think now? Should I revive that rat or leave him dead in the gutter where he belongs?"

"I always try to honor a deal, sir," I said. "He kept his part of the bargain, and he paid the ultimate price as far as I can tell. I say revive him."

She stopped pacing and stood directly in front of me, c.o.c.king her pretty face and gazing with open curiosity. "You know that hed betray you in a second, yes?"

"Yes and no, sir. Hes a trader. A man cant be successful in such a calling if he doesnt keep his deals most of the time. We might not know all his plans and deals, but I feel confident he will keep to the letter of a given bargain once it is agreed upon."

She nodded thoughtfully. "Yes. Some things are beginning to make sense to me now. He knows youre a man who will keep a deal, just as he himself would. He also knows he can talk you into foolish arrangements. Therefore, his real goal in contacting you must have been to gain an insurance policy. Perhaps he knew he was going to die. Maybe all that about the broadsides was bulls.h.i.t, and the saurians were going to kill him anyway. Who knows? What we can be sure of is he talked you into agreeing to revive him if he was killed. Now that he is dead, he hopes you will do so, even if you have to do it illicitly."

Turov gazed up at me with sudden suspicion. "Youve already done it, havent you?"

"Uh...done what, sir?"

"Revived him. You have friends who are willing to do such things. I know that. Im a woman whos built up a network of supporters-but you dont need to know about that, it doesnt matter. What I want to know is if you have brought him back yet. Have you, McGill?"

This was the sort of situation I was finding myself in more and more. People thought I was some kind of wizard. Sure, Id gotten in and out of more than my share of sc.r.a.pes, but I wasnt Houdini.

"No sir," I said. "Honestly, I havent revived anyone since Tech World."

"All right. I choose to believe you. And Ill tell you right now, you should not bother. Im going to do it, quietly."

Surprised, I studied her. The look on her face was calculating, and she wasnt even looking at me. She was working her hands in the air and staring at the deck. I could only imagine what kind of scheming was going on inside that head of hers.

"Why tell me your intentions, sir?" I asked.

She looked back up at me as if shed forgotten I was standing in front of her. She made a sweeping motion with her hand.

"So you wouldnt try to do it yourself out of some misguided sense of honor! Youd end up making a copy of him. Thats all this universe needs-two Clavers. Now, get the h.e.l.l out of my office. Youre dismissed."

Leaving in a hurry, I was left wondering about the conversation all the way back to my quarters. Whatever Claver and Turov were up to, it wasnt over with-not yet.

I had the feeling I wasnt going to like it when I learned the truth.

-52-.

Two months later, I was back home on Earth. Weary, and with the haunting light of the stars in our eyes, we marched down the ramps of our lifters, six abreast.

A cheering crowd greeted us bearing tiny flags, waving both Hegemonys blue globe and the Varus Wolfshead pennant. They were mostly relatives, but there were a few others. Members of the press, even Solstice people who felt sorry for the troops theyd left behind.

"Is it true that Varus wiped for a fourth time on Machine World?" a reporter demanded, thrusting her audio-wand into my face. A tiny camera drone buzzed over her shoulder, zooming and panning.

"No," I said immediately. "We didnt wipe on Tech World. Not completely. I stayed alive and began the long revival process personally. On Machine World, it wasnt even close. We never lost more than half our-"

The reporter was eating it up, but a pair of hands came out of nowhere and pushed her away. Leeson escorted her and that buzzing drone of hers back into the crowd and hustled me toward the terminal.

"Thats enough, McGill," he said, pushing on my back. He propelled me toward the welcoming crowd of relatives. "Noncoms dont talk to the press. Never. Dont you know that?"

"Sorry, sir," I told the Adjunct. "Her questions had implied falsehoods. I wanted to set the record straight."

"Thats the job of officers-high level ones. Your job is to keep your d.a.m.ned mouth shut."

"Yes, sir."

My parents were in the crowd. They greeted me with enthusiasm, and my mom cried. She always did that-every time I left and every time I came back.

"Im good, Mom," I said.

She grabbed me by my jacket lapels and hung on tight, looking into my eyes. "Did you die out there? They said that you all died."

"Nah Mom," I said, smiling. "Not this time. Look, Ive even got a slight limp. Do you see that? Just an injury, no death. If Id died, that would have been all fixed up with a new grow. See?"

My little dodge made her happy, and she cried all over again. I hugged them both and headed for the family tram. I was on leave, and I was looking forward to spending a few spring months in my own place on the back of their land.

The best part was my home planets air. Id been breathing farts on Machine World, followed by the canned stale air on Minotaur, for half a year. In comparison, the fresh breezes of Earth were like heaven.

That night, I drank a dozen cold beers and pa.s.sed out happily on my couch. One of the many times I had to get up to pee, I heard a knocking on my door.

It was a timid knock, the kind someone who was unsure of themselves might make. Sighing, I headed to the door and threw it wide.

I had no idea who might be visiting me. It could have been any of a dozen people. By the light of the moon outside, I judged it was the middle of the night, and therefore, couldnt be one of my parents, but that was about the only people Id ruled out.

My eyes focused in the darkness. Small, female-I thought of Natasha first. Shed come to my door like this on many occasions. But it wasnt her.

Della? I almost said the name out loud, but I caught myself in time. It wasnt her. It couldnt be her. Shed headed back to Dust World to visit her own family.

"Anne?" I said, surprised. "Howd you find me way out here?"

She smiled shyly. "I asked around. They said you lived alone-but isnt that your parents place over there behind the trees?"

"Yeah. But dont worry, theyre asleep by now. You want to come in?"

She did so with the mild trepidation all females seemed to exhibit when entering my lair. The interior was dark because I liked it that way. Soft blue lights glowed here and there, illuminating various appliances.