Sun-Tzu saw that his barb about Kai ordering the deaths of his men had hit home. He thrust a finger at the Diamond Sunburst ribbon on Kai's chest. "You go to war and drive men to their deaths, but you reap medals and rewards! Were you the heir, to the Universal Throne, what could my people look forward to except the butchery of their young men and women as you concocted some new military crusade to sate your thirst for blood? The Capellan Confederation has not been the aggressor. We were not in 3028, when the Federated Suns launched their attack against us, and we were not in 3030, when Andurien violated our borders."
Sun-Tzu's voice lashed Kai with its ridicule. "And the most perverse of all is that you earned that medal by treachery. You lured honorable Clan warriors into a deathtrap with the promise of single combat. No matter how expedient it might have been, the deed reveals the moral rot in your soul."
Victor saw the mask descend over Kai's face and knew his friend would not reply. That bastard's aim is true. Give Kai half a chance and he'll always doubt himself.Victor started forward to rescue his friend, but the situation changed before he could intervene.
Kali had started to drift over like a vulture to pick further at Kai, but Kuan Yin reached out and lightly touched Kali on the arm. Victor would have sworn that Kuan Yin's fingertips merely brushed Kali's flesh, but Romano's daughter jumped back as though she'd been lashed with a neural whip. Kali's eyes flashed and her hands knotted into fists, but Kuan Yin's unwavering hazel-eyed stare cowed her cousin and held her at bay.
At that moment, the lovely young Kurita woman stepped forward. "Forgive me for interrupting, gentlemen." The softness of her voice was soothing. "Perhaps it is not my place, but the intensity of this discussion has become so painful that I would ask, please, that you postpone it until another time."
"Sumimasen. Shitsurei shimash'ta."Kai gave her a respectful bow. "I have been most rude. Please forgive me." He straightened up, then turned and walked into the ballroom, leaving the field of battle to Sun-Tzu. The heir to the Capellan Confederation gave the young woman a polite nod, then let Isis Marik steer him out into the shadows of the garden surrounding the terrace.
Victor suddenly found himself face to face with the Kurita woman. The blue of her eyes was a startling contrast to the black hair that shimmered down her back. The delicate beauty of her features put Victor in mind of ancient Japanese woodcuts showing women as perfect as they were serene.
Though she stood almost twelve centimeters taller, the smile on her face did not mock his size.
"Thank you for stepping in to stop that fight." Victor shot a glance back to where he had been standing. "I was going to do something myself, but you beat me to it. And," he added with a sheepish grin, "you certainly did it more gracefully than I could have managed."
"I saw that you intended to help your friend." She hesitated, as though seeking for more precision in her English. "My fear was that you would accept the role as aggressor in the fight. My solution was to make both of them the aggressor. That way, they had to stop or else be branded my torturer. Your friend Kai has courage and strength in him, as well as manners. Sun-Tzu has cunning and strength. I do not think the resumption of this conflict will be pretty."
"Your assessment of Kai is quite accurate. I fear that your reading of his cousin is equally so. If they fight again, I will try to remember your solution to the situation." Victor smiled and gave her a half-bow. "By the way, I am ..."
She laughed lightly. "I know quite well who you are, Victor Ian Steiner-Davion, Crown Prince of the Federated Commonwealth, Duke of the Sarna March, Kommandant of the Tenth Lyran Guards."
Victor decided immediately he liked the sound of her laughter. "I am afraid you have me at a disadvantage."
"I am simply Omi."
Omi. The name is familiar. I should know it from somewhere.Victor took her hand and kissed it lightly. "I am most pleased to make your acquaintance, Omi. I would try that in Japanese, but I am afraid languages were never my forte."
"Do itashimash'ta.The Nagelring's reputation for languages is not such that you are dishonored by not having mastered a difficult tongue."
Victor allowed himself a frown. "You seem to know a great deal about me, yet I know nothing about you. If you wish, we could remedy that in a pleasant walk through the garden."
Victor saw her about to accept the arm he proffered, but the sharp sound of clicking heels on the terrace tiles stopped her. They both glanced back to find Hohiro standing there, his expression stern.
"Please excuse me, Prince Victor," Omi said quietly, "but I must go. Perhaps we will have another opportunity for that walk."
She turned away and like a curtain descending on a play, Hohiro cut off Victor's view of her. Victor looked up at the Kuritan, but ignored the cold expression on his face. "Who is she, Hohiro? Why did she have to leave?"
The muscles of Hohiro's jaw bunched tightly as he visibly struggled for inner mastery. "She is my sister, Victor Davion, and you will never speak with her again."
7
Clan Council Chamber, Hall of the Wolves
Strana Mechty, Beyond the Periphery
28 February 3051
"I, Natasha Kerensky, swear on my honor as a member of the Wolf clan to tell the entire Truth and not to rest until Justice is done in this matter."
Seated behind Cyrilla, Phelan smiled at Natasha's defiant tone. It was news to none that she resented being called up for "interrogation by her peers."The way she said it left no doubt how few of the Council she considered her equal. The day's session promised to be full of fireworks.
The Loremaster looked down at Natasha as she settled uncomfortably into the witness chair. "Your cooperation in this investigation is most appreciated, Colonel Kerensky. The matter of whether or not Wolf Dragoons are guilty of treason against the Clans is a matter for the Grand Council. We are here to decide if there is sufficient evidence to warrant recommending the Grand Council's jurisdiction."
Natasha looked around the Council with a hard stare not muted by its expansion onto the screens above the central dais. "I believe, Loremaster, that I understand quite well what is going on here." In her black jumpsuit unzipped enough to reveal a red t-shirt with a black widow design, Natasha looked, to Phelan, much more the warrior than the other Council members.
Carol Leroux started to position herself as Interrogator, but Natasha waved away the other flame-haired woman. "Go away, child. I don't want these jackals hiding behind you. If they have questions, let them ask me directly. It's time we deal with the puppeteers, not the puppets."
Leroux appealed mutely to the Loremaster, but before he could respond, one Council member stood up near the front now. "Loremaster, I request you instruct ColonelKerensky that in this place we conduct our business in a civilized manner. She should comport herself with more dignity."
The Loremaster stared the Council member back into his seat, then glanced at Natasha. "Colonel Kerensky, Carol Leroux has been appointed your Advocate in this matter. Burke Carson will be your Inquisitor."
A slender man moved down to the floor of the Council Chamber and adjusted the listening device in his right ear. Even though his head had been shaved to promote good contact with a neurohelmet, the man's build and ease of movement would have told Phelan he was a MechWarrior. And the sneer on his face revealed his contempt for Natasha.