Riposte

Short, wiry, and dark-haired, the General snapped a bow in Akira's direction, revealing his impatience and frustration. I know theTai-sho is a man of action, hence his irritation at being trapped here in his office.Akira saw the tactical map affixed to the wall in the corner. It looks as though the 5th Sword and the 36th Dieron Regulars have driven the stragglers back into the Rockspire Mountains. He wants to be there for the kill.

Palmer Conti cleared his voice. "You have been brought here, Chu-saBrahe, because of a dispute between the Genyoshaand the ISF. Orders have come down from the Dragon, but Tai-saKurita refused to acknowledge them until his entire staff had been assembled . . ."

Faud's sharp outburst cut Conti off. "Enough of sugar-coating this, Tai-sho!’His eyes like dark windows on his suspicious soul, he glared at Akira. "The Genyoshahave been ordered to kill all the mercenaries we have captured."

"What!" Akira looked at his father in disbelief. Yorinaga met his son's stare, then nodded slightly. The anger and confusion in

Akira's mind melted away as he felt his father's confidence fill him. He gives me leave to oppose these orders.

Akira turned back, spitting Faud with a sharp look. "Did these orders mention the Genyoshaspecifically?"

Faud stiffened. "The Dragon has demanded the death of the mercenaries. No quarter is to be given."

Akira narrowed his eyes. "Were these orders issued to deal with the specific situation here on Northwind?"

Faud's face darkened. "Who are you to question me? The orders have come down and they must be obeyed. By what right do you presume that I could be in error in this?"

Akira forced himself to laugh derisively. His laughter scourged Faud, shocked Tai-shoConti, and summoned the hint of a smile to Chu-saSaladin Bey's face. "You know the Coordinator himself gave the Genyoshathe orders to come here to face the Kell Hounds because the ISF told him that this is where they would be. What did we find? A ragtag mercenary battalion claiming to be the Kell Hounds' Third 'Mech Battalion."

Akira spat at Faud's feet. "If you can mistake a newly assembled unit for one of the most deadly mercenary companies in the Successor States, you can misread or misconstrueorders."

Faud puffed out his chest and attempted to melt Akira's defiance with a threatening stare. "Be careful, Chu-saBrahe. You go too far. You have no friends in the ISF."

Akira took one step toward the ISF agent, ietting his voice drop to a sharp whisper. "I would vouchsafe, Hassan Faud, that you have no friends in this room. I believe you are in more jeopardy than me. You should recall that the Coordinator has exempted the Genyoshafrom ISF monitoring because he wants a unit to train leaders and imbue them with the true spirit of bushido.He wants us to build warriors, not opportunists waiting to inform on superiors in order to advance themselves."

Faud opened his mouth to speak, but Akira cut him off with an impatient gesture. "You claim to have orders that require the Genyoshato engage in the wholesale murder of captive mercenaries. I ask why the Coordinator would not send the orders directly to Tai-saKurita if he wished such a mission performed?" Akira poked a stiff finger against Faud's breastbone. "I submit that the orders, if they exist at all, originated within the ISF and so should be carried out by the ISF. The murder of captives, especially mercenaries who have fought a long and difficult series of battles, is without honor."

Tai-shoConti grimaced and tapped his finger against a sheet of paper on his desk. "I am afraid, Chu-sa,that your assumptions are only half right. The order to execute all mercenary perso

Akira turned stiffly toward Conti. This is madness. Such orders might dissuade those mercenaries who have no honor or pride, but such units would be like autumn leaves before the wind when they faced our forces. The stouthearted units, like Wolf's Dragoons, the Kell Hounds, or even this Team Banzai, will be spurred into greater acts of heroism. They will know they can expect only death, and so they will embrace it willingly, as a warrior must. The Coordinator only whets the appetites of our enemies.

Faud forced himself not to rub the sore spot on his chest. "Mercenary scum like Wolf's Dragoons must be destroyed once and for all time."

Akira brought his head up slowly, then turned back toward Faud. His face remained as expressionless as was his father's. "That could well be so, Hassan Faud, but the Genyoshadoes its killing in the battlefield. Even if our enemies are not warriors in their hearts and souls, there is no reason we should descend to their level."

Faud narrowed his eyes, then a low laugh rumbled from his throat. "It is a pity you refuse to eliminate the captives from the Third Kell Hound 'Mech Battalion, Chu-sa."The ISF agent opened his hands solicitously. "I had anticipated that you would welcome the task."