Robertson started to reply, but Justin cut him off. "The Ambassador was not, Celestial Worship, a friend per se.He worked for my father and spent much of his time pushing my stroller through the Teng Gardens and the Chou Zoological Park."

Liao stiffened. "Forgive me then, Citizen Xiang, for forcing remembrances of this servantupon you."

The Chancellor plunges the knife in, and I get to twist it."No matter, Highness, I recall him fondly. He served well."

Robertson's face flushed scarlet, but he managed to retain his composure. "If you will permit me, Chancellor, I serve still better now than I ever did before. I have a message here for you from my Prince. Hanse Davion, I am told, personally wrote and sealed the letter. It has come by JumpShip all the way from New Aval on with instructions that I deliver it into your hands." Robertson drew a small tan envelope from the breast of his suit, and extended it toward the throne.

Liao slitted his eyes. "Citizen Xiang, bring the envelope to me."

Robertson half turned to shield the note with his body, but Justin plucked it from his hands effortlessly. Never did have a MechWarrior's reflexes, did you, Victor?Sharing a smile with Maximilian Liao, Justin mounted the steps to the throne, but his head did not rise above the level of the Chancellor's own pate.

Liao took the proffered missive, but stopped Justin's retreat with a single word. "Wait." He slid a finger beneath the seal and broke open the envelope. Pulling the folded note from the envelope, he glanced at the writing on it and smiled. "As I suspected, the Prince wrote it in his native tongue. If you will, Citizen Xiang, read it."

Justin accepted the note and hesitated. Davion's own handwriting, that's certain.One word caught his eye and the shock registered throughout his body. No! I cannot believe it!Justin glanced up at Robertson and his heart sank. You know, don't you, you bastard, and all your training can't keep the mirth from your eyes.

Liao leaned forward and rested a hand on Justin's shoulder. "I meant for you to read it aloud, Citizen."

Justin nodded. "Forgive me, Universal Wisdom, but I am not sure..."

The hand tightened on his shoulder, and Liao's voice grew colder. "But I am, Citizen, read it... ALOUD."

Justin swallowed hard. "My dear Chancellor, I know this is unorthodox, and official documents and invitations will follow soon, but I wanted you to hear it from me first. On August 20 of next year, I shall wed Melissa Steiner, and the day would not be complete without your presence."

4

New Avalon

Cruris March, Federated Suns

21 October 3027

The image of Lord Victor Robertson smiled out from the holovid screen. "And so, my Prince, Justin Xiang read your note aloud, as he had been so commanded. You would have loved the look of dread that turned his face pale. Trapped between you and Maximilian Liao, he suddenly came to the realization that you could reach him even in the heart of the Capellan capital."

The Ambassador let his unbridled pleasure at the tale he was about to relate show on his face. "When Liao heard the words Xiang was reading, he snatched the paper from him and read it over to himself. Then he ripped the note into a cloud of scraps, and stared down at me." Robertson hunched his shoulders and thrust an imperious finger at the audience. In a fair imitation of Liao's hoarse and angry hiss, the Ambassador continued. "Leave here immediately, you jackanapes. Tell your master that this is an outrage!"

The Ambassador bowed his head. "I regret to report, my Prince, that I was not able to carry away a formal reply to your message."

Hanse Davion hit the pause button on the remote control and froze his Ambassador's image on the screen. He turned and smiled easily at the other two men in the room. His light blue eyes flashed with pure pleasure. "The Ambassador did well."

"Indeed." Quintus Allard, the acting Minister of Intelligence, Information, and Operations nodded his white-maned head toward the leader of the Federated Suns. "Not only does he accurately portray Chancellor Liao in a rage, but his report of the people assembled 'by chance' in the throne room indicates that something was up."

The third man in the room wore the blue and gold uniform of a Colonel in Davion's House Guards. "You don't suppose Hanse's note to Michael was being discussed in that room, do you?"

Hanse Davion stared at his best friend. "Once again, Ardan Sortek, your ability to locate a needle within a haystack amazes me."

Ardan shrugged. "As much as I hate politics, Hanse, you know I despise traitors more." Ardan turned his attention from the red-haired Prince to Quintus Allard. "Michael got his note on the tenth. Could the news have been transmitted that quickly to Sian?"

Quintus nodded. "For a huge fee, ComStar can transmit anything across space very quickly. I would guess that the information in that note to Michael would have been considered important enough to be sent by the quickest possible means. Even though we all agree that Michael must be working with Liao, proof of their collusion is not conclusive, and some facts might even contraindicate the idea of their partnership."

Hanse stood and walked from the overstuffed chair back to his ancient wooden desk. "Break it down simply, Quintus. What do we have that suggests Michael was the one who transmitted the information?"

The Minister smiled. "Within two hours of receiving your message, Michael demanded an audience with the Capellan Ambassador, Serge Korigyn. The meeting was short, and by some reports, very heated. Aides believed, at one point, that the two would come to blows."

Hanse nodded. "Nothing in the meeting has been taken as an information transfer?"

Quintus shook his head. "We only have a written transcript of the meeting. As you know, we have still been unable to get recording devices in: Michael is paranoid about them and has the place swept constantly. My cypher section has poured over the words and they cannot discover the trace of any code in them. We've even tried correlating the speech patterns with other speeches or conversations we have on file for either man. The meeting dialog came across as natural and unrehearsed."

Ardan frowned. "I had really hoped that this trap of yours would work, Hanse. We knew the information would be irresistible to Michael—and vital to Liao."

Quintus held up a hand to calm Ardan. "Michael's not out of the woods yet, Colonel. He summoned Korigyn from a hunting lodge, and the Ambassador appeared in full regalia—everything from rubber waders and a warm jacket to a bird dog. At one point, when the Duke and the Ambassador stood nose to nose arguing, the dog began to howl."

Hanse lifted an eyebrow. "The dog was trying to protect its master?"

Quintus laughed. "Reports from the field agents we slip into the Capellan Embassy from time to time report that this dog has no territorial instincts at all. In fact, the agents say that for a scratch behind the ears and some treats, the dog will stand guard while they're placing bugs around the compound. No, it was not protecting its master. I think something hurt it."

Ardan stood and crossed to the small bar in the corner to Hanse's right. "What do you mean, hurt it?" He opened a refrigerator and withdrew a bottle of soda water. "Nobody in the room hit the animal, did they?"