Kai dropped into the Mech's command couch and removed his long woolen trousers, leaving on his standard-issue shorts. The chill air raised goosebumps on his legs, but as he flipped the switch that started the fusion reactor burning in the 'Mech's chest, he felt warm air currents eddy up into the cockpit. Well he knew that the cockpit could become so stiflingly hot that his shorts would be all he could stand to have on.

After fastening the crisscrossing safety belts, Kai pulled the cooling vest's powercord from the small pocket on its left side and snapped it into the coupling on the left side of the command couch. It took a half-second for his flesh to get used to the sensation of a million worms crawling over it as the sluggish cooling fluid started to flow within the vest. Then he smiled, recalling one instructor's comment: "Better caressed by worms than parboiled."

Kai opened a panel on the right side of the command couch and pulled out four short cables and a strip of shiny paper. He peeled the medical-sensor adhesive pads from the paper and pressed one each to his thighs and upper arms. He then snapped the rounded ends of the cables to the four sensor pads and threaded the plug ends up through the loops on his cooling vest. The plugs clinked against one another as they flopped loosely near his throat.

Reaching up and behind his head, Kai pulled his neurohelmet from the shelf above the command couch. He settled it down over his head, letting the bulk of its weight rest on the cooling vest's padded shoulders. He worked it around, adjusting it so the ring of neurosensors built into the helmet fitted snugly against his skull. It gave him a bit of trouble, but he finally got it seated correctly. I guess I need to get my hair cut again ...

He inserted the medsensor plugs into the four sockets at the helmet's throat. Moving his head around for a test, he satisfied himself that the helmet's hexagonal faceplate was indeed centered. He pressed down on the velcro tabs that kept the helmet in place. Ready for the next step, he reached out and touched a glowing yellow button on his command console.

The computer's synthesized voice filled his neurohelmet. "I am Yen-lo-wang.Who presents himself to the King of the Nine Hells?"

"I am Kai Allard-Liao."

White noise played through the speakers for a moment before the computer replied. "Voiceprint pattern match obtained. What is the one immutable law?"

Kai swallowed hard. "Honor thy mother and thy father."

"Authorization confirmed. Know well, Kai Allard-Liao, you have made your parents proud."

Kai rocked back in his couch, barely noticing as the war machine's monitors blinked to life and the computer brought all the weapon systems on line. The computer's not programmed to say that!Then he remembered his father wanting to climb back into the cockpit "one more time" when they met before the senior Allard departed for Victor's graduation ceremony. I should have known he was up to something when he insisted on marchingYen-lo-wang into the belly of the DropShip that brought me here. I've not been in it since then.

A lump rose in his throat. His allowing me to takeYen-lowang and use it for my tour of duty was one hell of a graduation gift, but that... that was something else.The words only barely choking out, Kai made a whispered vow. "I will do nothing to betray your faith in me ... Nothing!"

He keyed the radio. "Centurionto Course Control. Can you read me?"

Rumble sounded a bit breathless. "Just got here, Leftenant. CorCon ready. Are you all set?"

"All systems go."

"Good. Turn to heading one-eighty and proceed south. Just walk it for the first klick, then you can take it up to cruising speed. The gunnery course isn't very sophisticated. Mostly scrap steel structures with sensor pods that will make your 'Mech put targets up on the display."

"Roger." Kai hit two buttons on the command console to the right. "I'm sending you diagnostic feeds on TacCom 30 and 31. That's mechanicals and gunnery, respectively."

Rumble sounded impressed. "You can do that?"

"Yeah. It's a special option used on Solaris so the bookies can monitor a Mech's performance during a fight. It lets them lay off bets when a 'Mech takes internal damage that isn't clearly visible to the spectators. Feed starts now."

Streams of data poured across Kai's secondary monitor. He watched it long enough to assure himself he was sending the right information out on the correct frequency, then called up another program that presented a computer diagnostic view of Yen-lo-wangon the monitor. The computer reported the 'Mech's trio of active weapon systems were primed and ready. Because of the 'Mech's special modifications, especially the Pontiac 1000 heavy autocannon replacing the lighter Luxor AC in the 'Mech's right arm, and the added weight, the Centurionno longer carried a long-range missile launcher and ammo bays for the same in its chest. Ammo for the autocannon was stored in the Centurion'sright breast. Yen-lo-wangalso sported twin medium lasers forward and aft in its center torso.

The neurohelmet fed Kai's sense of balance directly into the computer, enabling the fifty-ton metallic giant to lumber forward and execute the turn to the south with amazing agility. At the pilot's direction, the computer instantly translated micro-electric pulses into gross motor movements by sending out jolts of electricity to contract and expand the 'Mech's myomer muscles. With his many years of training, Kai made the death machine carry him along almost effortlessly.

The Centurionstrode from the 'Mech bay boldly and smoothly, but Kai detected and berated himself for tiny errors. He wouldn't allow himself the excuses of a two-month layoff because of his transit to Skondia or his general level of fatigue, but pushed himself to do better.

Concentrate, Kai! Your father handledYen-lo-wang as though he 'd practiced with it every day for the past twenty years. He marched into theArgus as smartly as any elite drill team member. You're sloppy and slow. You have to do better.

Kai punched another button on the command console with his right hand. A meter from his face, running from the cockpit's low ceiling down about a meter and a half and measuring two full meters from side to side, a computergenerated data display burned to life. Though the curved display took up only a 160-degree arc, it provided a full 360-degree view of the area surrounding the Centurion.Faint lines broke the display into forward, left, right, and rear arcs of fire, and two gold targeting crosshairs hovered in the center area.

The translucent display allowed Kai a clear view of his command console, its data monitors, and the all-important heat-level displays. By focusing beyond it, he could see out through the Centurion'sfaceplate, but the view from ten meters up tended to be a bit distorted. The initial display showed the terrain outside in a magnified form using visible light, making it the rough equivalent of looking through a pair of weak binoculars. The program used by the computer to digitize the external visual feeds exaggerated crucial detail and included labels for items identified. In this case, it meant an increase of resolution for the gunnery-range warning signs and the identification of a passing aerofighter as a friendly, sixty-five-ton Luciferon maneuvers from the base.

Kai keyed the radio. "I'm a klick out. I'm going to take Yen-lo-wangup to top speed." Without waiting for confirmation from CorCon, Kai leaned the 'Mech forward and started its legs pumping. Huge metal feet pounded into the snowy ground, crunching through the icy crust of early winter snow and actually digging up dirt from below. As the speed crept up to the 'Mech's maximum ground speed of 64.8 kph, Kai felt his heart begin to race. After two months of doing nothing, this feels great.