Warrior: En Garde

"Philip, in your last moment, try not to dwell on the thought of failure .. ."

Justin commanded his left arm to fire its weapons.

The large laser washed over the Rifleman'shead like a tidal wave devouring a sand castle. Its scarlet cylinder blasted armor from the head of Capet's 'Mech, and the pilot's canopy exploded into a million fragments that melted to the ground in a burning rain of glass.

The medium laser in the Legend-killer'sleft breast hissed through the air and blasted again into the other 'Mech'sfiead. More armor and internal structures sailed into the air. For the first time, Capet's Riflemanshuddered, as though stu

With no regrets, Justin watched the autoca

Justin nodded slowly as the headless Riflemanwavered, then crashed to the ground on its back. "So falls the Prince's champion," he said, being sure the broadcasters would pick up his words. "Can his master's fall be far behind?"

* * *

Justin stared at himself in the glass. The gold and black silk robe delivered to his locker room after the fight fit him perfectly. Cut to just below his waist and tied with a gold sash, the robe felt comfortable and yet looked formally proper. The gold embroidery over the shoulders and down the sleeves hinted at tiger-stripes, which echoed the stylized tigers on each breast and the larger tiger sewn around the midsection.

He read the card once again. Your actions bring honor to us all.Though unsigned, Justin easily recognized the holographic "chop" sealed to the card as that of Tsen Shang.

Justin opened the locker room door and hesitated. Two lean, lupine-looking Capellan youths in leather tunics stood by the door. One smiled courteously as he restrained some unruly fans, while the second one bowed. "Zao,Justin Xiang. I have been sent to conduct you to a friend." The youth's gaze flickered over the robe and silently revealed the "friend's" identity.

Justin nodded his head graciously. He followed the tongsman through the underground maze of tu

A rear door slid open and Justin stepped into the aircar's dark interior to join Tsen Shang on the wide leather seat. The tongsman climbed into the driver's seat. At a nod from Shang, the driver engaged the engine, and the car rose on its cushion of air.

"Congratulations, Justin. I am most proud of your efforts. I dare say that sentiment is shared by everyone in Cathay." Tsen Shang smiled. A muffled pop sounded as he carefully worked the cork free from a bottle. "I trust you liked the House Palos vintage I sent to you after the Armstrong fight."

Justin smiled. "I did, indeed." He brushed the fingers of his right hand against the robe. "And I very much appreciate this robe. My mother's family crest also bore a tiger."

Shang carefully poured wine into two glasses, then settled the bottle into an ice-filled bucket built into the bar opposite their seats. "Exactly the reason I specified that design." He handed Justin a glass and brandished the other one himself. "On behalf of the entire Capellan Confederation, I thank you for your efforts."

Justin nodded and they both sipped from their glasses. "What else do you know about me?"

Shang shrugged, but the warm smile on his face never faded. "As a member of the Maskirovka, I know all there is to know about you—at least, all that is important. You would be amused, I think, by our assessment of your part in the battle on Spica in 3016. Had any bookies gotten our agent's report, you would have been a long-odds favorite in all fights. Our agent did not like you at all."

Justin narrowed his eyes. "That is a flaw with the Maskirovka."

Shang nodded and sipped his champagne. "That oversight was corrected in later reports, which are quite flattering concerning your abilities and strengths." Shang reached in to a narrow pocket set in the Feicui's far door. He drew from it an envelope and passed it to Justin.

Justin drained his glass and set it down before accepting the packet. His name had been calligraphed across the front of the envelope. Flipping it over, he saw that it was sealed shut with the chop of the Ministry of Social Education. Justin broke the seal and opened it.

Inside were a host of documents. What caught his eye first was a pair of passports bearing his picture and signature, though one claimed he was a Thomas Yuan, not Justin Xiang. In addition to the passports, he poured two full sets of documents into his lap. There were identification papers, credit chips, and full transcripts of education and societal functions for both himself and this Thomas Yuan.

Justin frowned. "I don't understand . . ." He shook his head, which suddenly felt as though it was stuffed with cotton. He blinked his eyes twice, then watched everything blur beyond recognition.

He looked up. "What did you do to the drink? Why?"

Tsen Shang chuckled. "The drink was drugged. I took another drug to counteract its effects before you entered the vehicle." Though Shang easily blocked Justin's clumsy punch, the look on his face showed that the speed of Justin's strike in the drugged state surprised him. He pushed the MechWarrior back into the seat as though the other man were weightless.

Justin's world faded from view, though he struggled valiantly

to retain consciousness. As he drifted under the anesthetic's influence, Shang's voice came to him like a shout echoing through a very long tu

"Fear not, son of Quintus Allard, I follow the orders of those who believe you much too valuable to kill..."

56

Styx

Dieron Military District, Draconis Combine

26 May 3027

Dan found himself nodding as Patrick Kell finished his radioed explanation of the situation. "Don't worry, Dan. Nor you, either, Salome. The hour the Draconians gave us has gotten the Archon-Designate up and away. We've just got to buy a little more time."

Salome's voice warbled a bit as Dan's computer reconstructed the scrambled transmission. "We still attack?"

"Affirmative." Patrick's voice dropped to a grim bass. "I'll give you a signal when to initiate the attack."

Dan frowned. I don't like the sound of that."What signal?"

"You'll know it. Kell out."

Patrick's voice faded, but Dan's unease did not. Is it just that Kurita 'Mech you can't identify, or is it something more?

Dan scowled as he spoke. "What do you think, Salome? I don't like this anonymous signal business." He glanced over and saw a yellow light blinking on his console.

Salome's sigh survived the computer scrambling. "Patrick's the boss. And that gives him the right to be secretive. Time's almost up."

"I know. I think the Kurita commander is trying to reach me. Pass the plan of attack on to the others while I stall him.”

“Roger."