“You’re still here.”

“My house backs onto the cliff. I’ve got an old mine shaft there, converted to a shelter. I’ll sit things out, then see what, if anything, is left of this place after you military guys are through.”

“What about the hotel?”

“My ex-wife runs it. She’s gonna come stay in my shelter.” He grinned and poked at Erik’s arm with his finger. “I think we’re gonna get back together. Third time’s the charm.”

“Good luck on that.”

His smile faded. “We’ll probably just kill each other, but I figure it’s worth a try.”

“At least something good could come out of this.”

The bartender squinted at Erik’s uniform. “Hey, you’re somebody important, aren’t you?”

“You might say that.”

The bartender squinted at Erik’s nameplate and whistled. “A Sandoval, in my bar. That’s one to tell the grandchildren. Assuming me and the ex get back together, anyhow. So what brings you down here?”

“Came to meet someone.”

The bartender nodded. “Lonely at the top. Well, ’fraid you’re out of luck. Not much of anybody left here to meet. Even the hookers took a boat headed south.”

“I’m here to meet somebody specific. They sent me a note to meet them here.”

Erik looked around. The guy at the pool table had disappeared; the rest of the bar was still empty.

The bartender made a little “O” with his mouth. “What do they look like?”

“I’m not sure. Seen anyone strange hanging around? A woman, maybe?”

“A woman? No, nobody like that.” He paused, looking past Erik at the door. “But here’s somebody who seems to be looking for you.”

Erik turned and stood, expecting to see Elsa Harrad.

Instead, he was shocked to see the would-be mercenary from the liner. An evil grin crossed the man’s face. “Sit back down, poker boy. You aren’t going anywhere.”

Erik sat on the edge of the stool, keeping his feet planted firmly on the floor. The merc looked serious, and if Erik was reading the bulge under the man’s coat properly, he was carrying a handgun of some kind. Better to just settle down and see what he wanted. Probably just money. Erik could deal with that.

The merc grinned. “Bet you never thought you’d see me again, poker boy. Least of all here.”

“No,” he said, “I’ll admit, the thought never crossed my mind.”

“Man, you don’t know how good it feels finally getting the upper hand on you.”

“It was just a game.”

“I hate to lose.”

“You realize, of course, that I have enough forces just over that cliff back of town to turn you into a puddle about five million times over.”

“Yeah, well, I have enough just across the big water to come over and clean your guys’ clocks.”

“You’re saying you work for Liao?”

He grinned. “I’m saying I work for her.” He jerked his thumb toward the door.

Erik looked over to see Elsa, dressed in a trim maroon jumpsuit, walking toward him. She smiled. “Erik, you remember Paul, don’t you?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Oh, he’s not so bad once you get to know him. Did you know, for instance, that he knows how to fly a shuttle? Not only did he get me off St. Michael, we even made a tidy profit hauling the rest of the passengers down to the planet.”

“Does that include whatever you’re paying the spaceline when they notice their shuttle is missing?”

She laughed softly. “The way things are going, that could be some time, if ever.”

Erik frowned at her. “What do you want, Elsa? I warned you about coming down here.”

“It’s a free planet, Erik. For the moment, anyway. I came to confer with my employers, and lo, they sent me to talk to you.”

“Talk to me? About what?”

She looked at the bartender, who was hovering nearby. “There’s a table in the back corner. It would be more private.”

“Yeah,” agreed Erik, “good idea.”

They moved back to the table. Erik was relieved when the merc stayed at the bar. He looked at Elsa. It infuriated him that he was so glad to see her. “What do you want, Elsa? More spy games?”

Her smile faded, and she looked ill at ease. “Erik, I’ve come to offer you a surrender.”

“What?”

“The local commanders have sent me to offer you terms of surrender.”

He laughed. “That’s absurd.”

She reached over and put her hand on his. “It’s not in the least bit absurd, Erik. You’re vastly outnumbered. You can’t win. Your people will die, which isn’t exactly breaking my friends up. But I told you before, there will be losses on their side as well. Not as many, but it will cost them, in casualties, time, resources. That’s still worth it to them to avoid.”

She studied his face. “Erik, they’ve upped the ante. They’re offering you an officer’s commission and a command in their military. Sang-shao, that’s like a colonel.”

“I know what it is.”

“Or—” She looked into his eyes. “Or, you could just go somewhere deep inside the Confederation. They’d give you a nice country house, a generous stipend.” She paused. “We could be together.”

“So now you’re part of the package, too? I thought you weren’t a prostitute.”

She glared at him. “It’s not like that. I’m not part of any package, Erik. I go where I want to go. I’m tired of this cloak-and-dagger thing. It was fun at first. In a way, it still is. But it’s getting old, getting too personal. And… I finally found something worth quitting for.”

“I suppose I should be flattered.”

She suddenly looked angry. “You should be! You’re an idiot, Erik, if you don’t see that.”

“I suppose I do.”

“Then come with me. Let’s leave this war behind.”

“I’d like to. There’s just one problem.”

She frowned.

“I found something worth going on for.”

“I don’t understand.”

He smiled grimly. “No, you don’t. But it’s still not too late to change sides. Come with me. Less safe, less certain, but you’d die of boredom after six months in that country house, anyway. For that matter, so would I.”

“Or we can die in a few days when the Liao forces flatten your base? Do what you want, but I don’t think so. I’m sorry, Erik, but,” she glanced at her watch, “the invasion force has left Georama by now. They’re on their way.”

“That’s good information; thanks.” He stood up and grabbed her wrist. “Come with me.”

She was so surprised that she followed him the first dozen steps toward the door. Then, next to the pool table, she dug in her heels. “Stop! Let me go!”

Erik kept pulling, but out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the merc, Paul, moving rapidly for them. He hadn’t gone for the gun. Yet.

Erik’s hand fell casually onto the pool table.

Paul stormed up. “Let go of her, or I’ll—”

Erik’s hand found the end of the pool cue that he was looking for. He snapped the cue up and swung it as hard as he could. The heavy end landed across the bridge of Paul’s nose. There was a crunch, and he fell backward clutching his face, gushing blood.

Erik leaned down, reached under the merc’s coat, and fished out the Blazer pistol. He hefted the gun, and looked up to see Elsa running for the door. She ran straight into the arms of four SwordSworn security officers. “Take her back to the base,” he said. “Don’t talk to her, don’t listen to her. Put her in isolated custody. She is a suspected spy. Assume that anything she tells you is a lie. I’ll personally question her later.”

He looked back at the merc, still writhing on the floor, mixing a puddle of his own blood in with the discarded peanut shells. Erik hauled back and kicked him in the groin. “As for you,” he said to the cringing heap, “you go back the way you came. And if House Liao doesn’t kill you when you try to cross their lines, you tell them Erik Sandoval says he’ll see them in hell. You got that?”

The merc nodded desperately.

Erik reached into his pocket and pulled out a radio. “Clayhatchee, we’ve got an invasion force incoming.”

Clayhatchee sounded breathless. “Damn, sir, you’re good! The intelligence reports are just coming in. How did you know?”