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.But I cannot prove it.""He killed Galen.He killed our mother." Tears filling her eyes picked up enough light to make them glitter."He wants to destroy us, Victor.Kill him."Victor slowly nodded his head."I concur.That is what I will do.""How soon?"The prince shook his head."As soon as can be arranged.""How?""You don't want to know.""Make it soon, Victor, very soon." Katherine's head sank again and he saw her shoulders wracked with sobs."Only then will our dead rest in peace.""They will, Katherine." Victor withdrew from the room and left her suite.He met Curaitis in the hallway outside."Tell the people on Solaris it's time to act."The agent nodded."Did she tell you anything useful?""She wants Ryan dead." Victor shook his head."So do I.Your people can do it?""By the end of the week."Victor looked up at the man walking beside him."Shouldn't I feel something in ordering a man's death?""The lack of feeling is not a problem, Highness." Curaitis did not look at Victor, but stared unseeing down the hallway."It's when you start enjoying it that you've got trouble."Solaris City, Solaris VIITamarind March, Federated CommonwealthKai Allard-Liao smiled in spite of the distracted look on Peter Steiner-Davion's face."Sorry to surprise you, Peter.I tried to call before coming over, but I couldn't get through.""I'm not answering right now." Peter hung in the doorway of his room blocking the view of the interior."Is there something you want?"What's going on here? Kai kept his smile in place."I wanted to apologize for not getting in touch with you before this.The night of my title fight there wasn't time, then, well, after the explosion I had to get Caren Fung to the hospital because she went prematurely into labor.I should have been here sooner."Peter's expression eased just a bit."Apology accepted, but I can't talk long.I have some things to do.""Things to do with my uncle?""Are you spying on me?" Peter's face flooded with color as his hands tightened on the door jamb."I knew Victor would put you up to that.""Hold on, Peter." Kai looked both ways down the hotel corridor and noted the concern of the security people posted nearby."Don't you think we should go into your room to discuss this?""Don't evade my question! What have you told my brother about me?"Kai paused for a moment to rein in the anger and suspicion that he knew were more rightly directed at Tormano."I am not spying on you.The only reason I know that you visited my uncle is because I do have people watching him.I have no idea of the nature of your meeting.But from some things I've recently learned, I'd have to classify my uncle as an unsavory individual.I would prefer to insulate you from him.""There's nothing wrong with your uncle.""He meddles in affairs of state that are beyond him.""Better than to be like you, hiding here, acting as a spy for my brother." Peter stabbed a finger into Kai's chest."He told you to come here, didn't he? Don't deny that you've talked to him about me.A million different ways to phrase his reply as a shield for Victor came to Kai, but he rejected all of them in favor of the truth."Your brother did send me a holodisk with a message saying he hoped we'd become friends.It arrived while I was in training.I have failed him in that I did not attend to his request immediately.I have come so I do not fail you as well.""So you showed up because I talked to your uncle.You don't think I can take care of myself, do you?"Kai held up his hands and took a step back."I know you are a very capable individual.""But you came here today, now, because you think Tormano has found a way to force me to do something I don't want to do, right?"Kai couldn't reconcile the question with the confident grin on Peter's face, but he answered in spite of the paradox."I was concerned, yes.""And if I had not met with him, you might not have come today, right?"Kai winced."Probably not.""I thought not." Peter folded his arms across his chest."Listen up, Kai.I don't need you to watch over me.I'm a big boy.I know Victor wants me to fail, and he wants you to witness it.Well, no sale.I'm not going to fail at anything.I wouldn't give either one of you the satisfaction."This is not going at all the way I expected or intended.Right then and there Kai decided to back off and try again later.If I meet with the same problem, or he meets with Tormano again, my uncle and I will have a showdown.Should I have the Red Cobras watch Peter the way they watch Tormano or.? No, if Peter or his security men spotted them, there could be trouble."Peter, forgive me.I've come at an awkward time for both of us." He thought for a second."I'll tell you what, why don't you come down to my training facility and log some 'Mech time.How about tomorrow morning? Shall I come by for you at ten?"Peter nodded."Sure, ten is fine.""Until tomorrow, then.""Until we meet again."30Solaris City, Solaris VIITamarind March, Federated Commonwealth24 April 3056Kai saw a smile blossom on the hotel manager's face when she recognized him."May I help you, my lord?"Kai nodded."If you would be so kind as to ring Duke Peter's room for me.I'm here to pick him up."The dark-haired woman hesitated."There must be some mistake."Kai glanced at his chronometer."Well, I was supposed to meet him at ten, so I guess I'm a bit early.""No, not that." She hit some keys on a computer console."Duke Peter checked out last evening.He is no longer a guest here.""Gone?" Kai blushed.His mind raced back over their conversation of yesterday, and suddenly Peter's final remark hit him as both incongruous and ominous."Has the room been cleaned? I have to get in there now!""No, not yet, but I don't know if I can.""You have to." Kai pointed to the ComStar satellite office just off the Armored Fist's lobby."I can have a priority message sent to Tharkad and have their answer back immediately if you want."The manager thought for a second, then shook her head.She punched some numbers into the computer, then slipped a blank magnetic key into a slot.Lights flashed and the machine beeped before spitting out the key.Then she came around from behind the desk and ran with Kai to the elevators."What will you be looking for?""I don't know." Kai fought to keep his anger down."Anything that will help me stop Peter before he gets himself in real trouble."DropShip Zarevo, Transient Pirate Point -1.33763Solaris VII, Federated CommonwealthPeter felt the familiar tremors run through the DropShip as it linked up with the JumpShip Remagen."Your crew is to be commended," he told his companion."That link was quite smooth."Nikolai Khorsakov nodded proudly."Discipline and training are the two things that keep MechWarriors alive.""That is so." Peter glanced at his chronometer."How soon until we jump out?"Khorsakov's face darkened."We could jump now, but that wouldn't put us any closer than six days from the planet at one gravity acceleration.We can get closer, but because of the gravitational dynamics of the Shiloh system, pirate points open and close with annoying irregularity [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]