Coupe

Dan shifted his crosshairs over to Morgan's Archerand saw the instruments ignored him as well. These two . . . the computer pays no more attention to them than it would to ghosts.A sudden shiver ran down his spine. Perhaps that's it. Maybe they should have died back on Mallory's World and the computers understood that. They've just been waiting for living folks to realize it as well.

Morgan's voice filled Dan's neurohelmet, but he knew instantly that Morgan was not speaking for his benefit. "I am Morgan Kell. I apologize for missing our appointment on Ryde."

Yorinaga's reply came in precise, practiced English. "I am Yorinaga Kurita. I apologize for the intervention of these other warriors." Yorinaga hesitated for a moment, then continued. "If you require time to re-arm your 'Mech, we can temporarily postpone this battle."

"I thank you for your courtesy, but that is not necessary."

The echoes of Morgan's reply still ringing in his ears, Dan keyed up a radio frequency he knew Cat Wilson monitored. "Cat, I thought Morgan was out of missiles. Did you see him re-arm?"

Cat's bass voice contained a disquieting note of concern. "No."

Dan's mouth went dry. "What's going on?"

The doubtful tone of Cat's voice undercut the confidence of his words. "Morgan knows what he's doing. This is his fight."

Morgan's Archerexecuted a slight bow in Yorinaga's direction. "Thirteen years ago, in a battle between us, I discovered something within myself that could make me invincible. I spent the next twelve years in a monastery ru

Yorinaga returned the bow with his Warhammer."In that same battle I saw, in you, the seeds of invincibility. In exile in a Zen monastery, I spent the next eleven years remembering, studying, and working to gain your secret. Now I believe I share your gift, but the only way to test that belief is to defeat you."

Controlled fury poured through Morgan's voice. "You call it a gift, but that gift is a horrible and terrible burden. I stalked the battlefields on Lyons and here on Nusakan knowing none of those I faced could touch me. Look at this Archer!After a day in the heart of battle, I am untouched! At the same time, there is not a 'Mech I targeted that did not go down. They were like children, like toys. They stood no chance."

Puzzlement underscored Yorinaga's reply. "And you consider this a burden? You are a warrior, as was your brother and as am I. Does not our vocation demand us to become as great as possible? Is that not what you see as the pi

Morgan's voice was grim and flat. "Death honors no one, and if we fight, we will kill each other. You know that, as do I. I offer you this chance. Let us both be reasonable. Let us both walk away and return to exile."

"To do this would bring shame upon us both, Colonel Kell."

"I don't care about shame, Tai-saKurita." Morgan's voice faded to a whisper. "I will not kill you."

The Warhammerbowed again. "Then I must kill you."

Searing blue snakes of man-made lightning struck from the Warhammer'sforearm-mounted PPCs. One gnawed hunks of half-melted ceramic sheeting from the virgin armor on the Archer'sright arm. The second particle beam slashed like a swordcut across the Archer'smidsection, dropping a ribbon of molten armor to the ochre talus at the pit floor.

Morgan moved the Archerto the right, but failed to bring the 'Mech's arms up to use the medium lasers mounted therein. Dan marveled at the agility and grace of the maneuver, but Morgan's lack of offense confused him. Hit him, Morgan. You picked Sword 'Mechs apart like a surgeon. Nail him!

Yorinaga's right PPC lashed the Archerwith another azure energy beam. It flayed armor from over the 'Mech's heart, blasting more shrapnel down into the debris that lined the arena. The Warhammer'smedium laser likewise ripped armor from the 'Mech's body. Two parallel scars ran from the Archer'sright shoulder to its abdomen, blackened, melted armor puckering up on both sides of them.

A flight of SRMs leaped from the launching rack on the Warhammer'sright side. They peppered the Archerwith a series of explosions that chipped armor away. One slammed into the Archer'sright shoulder, destroying Morgan's regimental identifier, but failed to pierce the Archer'sarmored hide.

Morgan lunged the Archerforward, but Yorinaga danced the Warhammerbackward, circling to his right. The Warhammer'stwin lasers stabbed out from its chest and lanced into the Archer.One melted a crater into the armor on the Archer'sleft arm, while the other whittled away all but the last of the armor over the Archer'sheart.

Yorinaga swung both of his PPCs into line with the advancing Archer,triggering another pure energy assault. The cerulean beams vaporized all the remaining armor on the Archer'sright arm, then ate away the myomer muscles driving the heavy limb. Their vitality not yet spent, they reduced the Archer'sferro-titanium arm bone to argent metallic mist and hurled the arm from the arena.

The Archer,just as it had done thirteen years before, stumbled and fell to its knees.

Dan's heart rose to his throat. It's happening again, but Morgan’s not fighting back. It's like he wants to die, to die the way he should have on Mallory's World!Dan beamed an urgent message to the Archer. "Dammit, Morgan! Do something! Do something or you're dead!"

Morgan did not reply over the radio, but Dan knew he'd been heard when the Archer'sLRM launch pods snapped open on the humanoid 'Mech's shoulders.

Yorinaga let loose with every weapon on his 'Mech. Exploding missiles wreathed the Archerin flames and shrapnel. A cloud of PPC-spawned plasma rolled over the mercenary's 'Mech, boiling off armor in its hellish heat. The Warhammer'smedium lasers raked like talons across the Archer'sarmored hulk, and its small lasers cored twin holes like a viper strike on their target's left leg. The Kuritan's chest-mounted chain gun vomited a dizzying hail of bullets into the maelstrom of destruction, blasting little bits of armor away with their metallic bites.

Dan slammed his fist against his command console. "Now, Morgan! Use the missiles!"

The Archerclosed the empty missile launching pods and struggled to its feet. More gracefully and honorably than Dan could ever have imagined, the Archerexecuted a bow. After long moments of stu

Smoke seeped from the shoulders, hips, and neck of the Warhammerin black plumes that rose straight through the still desert air to the heavens. The Kurita 'Mech tried to execute a bow in return, but the motion only produced more smoke and locked the Warhammerforward, with its head bowed.

Dan shifted his sensors over to infrared and shielded his eyes against the glare of the display. In this heat, in the desert, Yorinaga burned hisWarhammer up.Dan glanced at Morgan's Archer,comparing its relatively cool maroon outline with the Warhammer'sbright white silhouette. Did Morgan expect this?

The Kell Hound commander's voice crackled over the radio. "Forgive me for being such a coward, Yorinaga-sama. If we fought, I knew we would kill each other. I refuse to have your blood on my hands. I meant you no dishonor."

Yorinaga's reply, full of exhaustion yet somehow more serene now, sent a shiver down Dan's spine. "I see now what I should have seen so long ago: there is no shame in being unable to defeat a superior adversary. I was wrong to believe that to become invincible is the apex of the Way of the Sword. To do what you have done, to win while refusing to fight, this is the ultimate. My shame is that I failed to understand this reality before."