Assumption of risk

by Michael A. Stackpole

  The gulf between Katrina and him was not born of nationality differences, but it was just as wide. Katrina—he reminded himself that he would have to call her Katherine in conversations with Victor—was a noble, born far above his station in the universe. Galen's parents were ordinary citizens. His father had run a repair shop. The closest they'd ever come to the nobility ruling the Federated Commonwealth was when they licked a stamp or spent a coin.

  When Victor had sent Galen out to escort his sister, Galen had entertained some fairy tale fantasies. He was a bit taller than Katrina and had almost the same coloring, which would make them a most handsome couple. He spent several hours imagining what old girlfriends and, better yet, their parents would think if he and Katrina were to wed. He would have paid money to see the kind of reactions that news would create.

  Reality, in the form of cold self-assessment, hit him before he'd finished packing for his trip. He and Katrina were worlds apart. He and Victor were peers, but that was the equality of warriors who had shared the trial of combat. That bond did not extend to Katrina. Moreover, Galen knew Victor trusted him and he would never betray that trust.

  That decision made things much easier and much harder. Because Galen knew he could never have Katrina, he had felt perfectly at ease around her and was often amused at the strained and nervous efforts other people made to impress her. He had quickly developed a sixth sense about when to rescue her from a socially awkward situation, and seeing the frustration of thwarted suitors made the game fun.

  Because of his calm openness, Katrina began to reveal herself to him. He did not become a confidant so much as a friend. She and Galen spent many long hours talking about Victor, then their conversations came around to her and, eventually, to Galen himself. Though he was usually a fairly private person, he ended up giving her details about his life that he had long assumed he would tell no one save a wife or—Curaitis' unsmiling face flitted through his mind—a professional narco-interrogator.

  About the time he realized he was telling Katrina his secrets, he realized how bad he had it for her. He immediately tried to disengage but simply could not. Because their positions and situation kept them apart physically, they had achieved a sort of intellectual intimacy that he had never known before with a woman. It was decidedly different than the bond he shared with Victor and intriguing enough that he wanted to explore it more and more.

  The elevator stopped and the doors opened. The two mountain-like Davion security men exited the box and took up positions on either side of the door. The two smaller Combine security agents moved out next and became the point men for the quartet. Katrina and Omi exited next, followed by DeLon bringing up the rear.

  As always, Katrina, your timing is impeccable!

  The previous center of attention stood at the edge of the elevator landing. The scowl on his face disappeared quickly, but not before Galen saw it and smiled to let the man know he'd been caught. A venomous look flashed through the obsidian eyes, but Galen gave no sign that he either noticed or cared.

  Katrina marched forward and gave the dark-eyed man a hug. "How good to see you, cousin! Congratulations on the purchase of your stable."

  Ryan Steiner smiled politely, though the corners of his eyes wrinkled up in a distinctly pained manner. "I trust I can talk you into coming to my box to view some of the fights?"

  "I would be delighted."

  Ryan turned his back on the two men standing on the step below him and presented Katrina to a small, wiry Asian man. "Duchess Katrina Steiner, this is your host, Mandrinn Tormano Liao."

  As with everyone else, Tormano's face lit up when Katrina smiled at him. "Your invitation was most kind, Mandrinn."

  "And your acceptance has made this an occasion that shall live forever in the social annals of Solaris." He bowed to her, then kissed her hand when she extended it to him.

  Ryan continued his introductions. "You know Mr. DeLon, of course. He has the honor of escorting her Highness, Omi Kurita."

  Omi bowed respectfully to Tormano. "I wish the fortune of the ages on you and your house."

  "Your presence, Omi-san, is proof that your wish has already come true." Tormano returned her bow in depth and duration. Coming back up he smiled and glanced expectantly at Ryan.

  Ryan looked back at him, keeping his face blank. He waited just long enough for things to become weird, then let surprise show on his face. "Oh, I thought you two had already met, Mandrinn."

  Galen took a step forward and offered the Free Capellan his hand. "Kommandant Galen Cox. Honor to be here."

  "It is my honor to have you here."

  "Indeed," Ryan laughed as he rested a heavy hand on Galen's shoulder. "What party would be complete without the presence of Victor Davion's lap dog?"

  15

  Zurich

  Sarna March, Federated Commonwealth

  30 March 3056

  "No one is going to die here tonight." Deirdre faced the gunman, her dripping hands hanging easily at her sides.

  "Deirdre, he has a gun!" Rick Bradford yelled.

  She ignored him and studied the gunman. He's nothing more than a boy and a nervous one at that. "Put the gun down. No one has to be hurt."

  The boy took a step toward her, poking the smoking muzzle at her midsection. "I'll kill you, too!"

  As he shoved the autorifle forward again, Deirdre moved slightly aside and took a step toward him with her left foot. She dropped her left hand onto the gunman's right wrist as she pivoted on the ball of her left foot and suddenly stood shoulder to shoulder with him. Her right hand closed on his as he tried to twist around to face her again. She locked his right wrist back and rotated it toward the outside, the muzzle of the autorifle describing an arc through the air as she did so. The movement froze the gunman's elbow and would have dislocated it, but off-balance and in pain, he went down onto his back with a thump.

  Deirdre kept the pressure up with her right hand and yanked the autorifle free with her left. The gunman tried to spin on her to relieve the pressure, so she reversed the torque, forcing him onto his belly and locking the arm up behind him. She dropped onto his back with a knee in the spine and was rewarded with a satisfying grunt from the terrorist.

  "Sedate him, now!" Deirdre looked up at Cathy. "I said now!" To the others she snapped, "We still have an operation to perform. Get Hsing under as well. Go. Do it."

  Cathy stabbed a needle into a pulsing vein on the terrorist's trapped arm and pumped a full syringe of trophamine into him. "That will put him out for a long time."

  Deirdre nodded and could already feel the boy's muscles slackening. She waited until he had gone entirely limp before she released him. By that time two uniformed security guards had arrived. Getting up from on top of the terrorist, she kicked the gun toward the two security men. "Get this and him out of this room. Take him to a ward and strap him in. Get someone to monitor him because he's full of a sedative. I'll look him over later and if there's a single bruise he shouldn't have, I'll have your heads. Got it?"

  "Sure thing, Doctor."

  Deirdre walked back to the sink and began scrubbing up again. "Give me his vital signs."

  Her demand got no response and she realized she'd shouted it loudly, letting the adrenaline in her system power the words. She turned and looked at the others in the room, and found them staring back at her. "We have an operation here!"

  Her milder tone seemed to bring Rick Bradford out of his shock. "Jesus, Deirdre, you took a hell of a chance."

  She shook her head emphatically. "No I didn't. Let's get going, we have to save this man's life."

  "Deirdre, he had a gun!"

  Deirdre shook off her wet hands and turned back around. "Look, he was using a standard issue Stoner-Browning automatic rifle. The bolt had retracted and locked back. The gun was empty and the kid was too nervous to know that. I used one to kill a man on Alyina, so I knew that little fact, okay? Can we go back to surgery? Cathy, I need gloves."

  Anne shivered. "But what you did to t
ake him down. You said you knew martial arts but ... you're good."

  "A black belt usually means that, yes. What are his vital signs?" She wiggled her fingers into the latex gloves Cathy stretched over her hands.

  Anne regained control of herself. "BP is sixty-three over forty-two and falling, pulse is eighty-eight and thready, respiration is forty and ragged."

  Deirdre pulled on a surgical gown and approached the patient. "Okay, let's go in and fix him up."

  Bradford looked at her from the other side of the operating table. "Are you sure you're able after what you've just done?"

  Deirdre closed her eyes and looked toward the ceiling. Give me strength! "Look, everyone, I don't have time to think about what just happened. This guy is dying on us. I've performed surgery in the middle of firelights, so I'm okay. Let's get Mr. Hsing here healthy, then we can worry about the guy down the hall."

  "Ready when you are, Doctor."

  Deirdre smiled. "Good. Scalpel. Rick, be ready with the rib spreader—wipe it down with alcohol to get rid of the cordite traces. Anne, give me some suction right there. Here we go."

  Solaris City

  Solaris, Federated Commonwealth

  Galen broadened the smile on his face. "It's true, Mandrinn, I am Victor's lap dog. He has, however, entrusted me to his sister for walkies. Don't worry, I'm housebroken."

  One of the two men with Ryan sneered at Galen. "You just look broken to me."

  Galen lifted his head and his smile died. "Even though I don't think you'll get this on the first pass, I'll only tell you once—from the duke I will tolerate abuse. From play warriors who stage fights on this toyland world, I won't."

  Ryan smiled in a cautiously civilized manner. "I would watch my words, Kommandant, when you do not know to whom you are speaking." He reached back and guided the sharp-faced man up to the same level as the others. "May I present Victor Vandergriff, the number one fighter in the Skye Tiger stable. Victor, this is Duchess Katrina Steiner."

  Vandergriff took Katrina's hand and raised it to his lips. "I am honored."

  Galen pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and held it out to her. Katrina looked from it to her hand and back, then smiled and shook her head. "Always the gentleman, aren't you, Kommandant Cox?"

  "I do my best." He put the handkerchief away and resolved to remain quiet. Her response to his offer had been tempered with amusement, but he read its true intent easily enough. He gave her a slight nod. I won't create an incident. He glanced at Vandergriff. If I can help it.

  Ryan beckoned the other man forward as well. "And this is Glenn Edenhoffer, a rising star in my stable."

  Katrina shook the man's hand. "My pleasure to meet you."

  "I had never actually hoped to be presented to the embodiment of feudalism, but I find you charming."

  Galen frowned. He had seen a holographic documentary about Edenhoffer that had suggested the man was eccentric. Galen could have told from the ill-fitting black clothes that Edenhoffer styled himself a bohemian, but he had no frame of reference to understand Edenhoffer's apparent desire to go through life as if it were one huge work of performance art. Were the man not known as being socially unschooled, his remark could have been taken as a grave insult to Katrina. Speaking so in front of Duke Ryan Steiner might even have been considered grounds for termination.

  Ryan reinforced his smile. "Glenn is quite amusing in his own way. Refreshing."

  The younger fighter raised his chin. "I am not so old that my cognitive network has ossified, blinding me to the greater realities of life."

  Omi bowed her head in his direction. "In my nation it is believed that many years of contemplation can reveal the greater mysteries of the universe."

  Vandergriff smiled politely. "Your nation is known for its grand tradition of melding mind, body, and spirit together to become one with the universe."

  "And a totalitarianism that forces adherence to a mode of life that ended its usefulness before man left Terra," Edenhoffer shot in.

  "I think, son, that your view of the universe is a tad limited by your lack of experience in it." Galen took a half-step forward and gently laid his right hand on Edenhoffer's left shoulder.

  Edenhoffer's left hand came up in a windmill parry, knocking Galen's hand from his shoulder. "This from a servant of another repressive regime. I recognize your uniform. You're one of the people who helped ensure continuity for a government of dictatorial bureaucrats by rescuing Hohiro from the Clans. You deny the people of the Combine and the Inner Sphere the freedom offered by the upheaval the Clans have caused."

  Galen's blue eyes flashed with anger. "You don't have a clue about the Clans and what they do or don't do to the people they conquer." He looked over at Duke Ryan. "Rein him in right now, or I will."

  Vandergriff slipped from Ryan's side and inserted himself between Galen and Edenhoffer. "Remember your place, Kommandant, or you will have to be reminded of it."

  Galen took a step back and laughed aloud. "By whom? You?" He laughed again and didn't mind the fact that he was attracting attention. "I've fought the Clans, boy, and I've defeated them. I've faced the best they had to offer, and I've walked away—in my Crusader. I've given better than I've gotten from the Clans, and I can guarantee you that they give better than you ever could."

  Vandergriff shook his head and infused his voice with a patronizing tone that set Galen's teeth on edge. "You see, my lords and ladies, this is the sort of attitude we learn to endure here on Solaris. I do not doubt that Kommandant Cox is quite skillful in his use of a BattleMech, but he is not trained to the same high degree of expertise as we are. It would be akin to suggesting that a school child who had taken violin lessons was somehow the equal of a soloist with the Tharkad Philharmonic. This is an attitude we find common among the military men who come here."

  Galen's eyes narrowed. "I am a member of an elite unit. I've fought more battles than you've studied in your career. You play at war here, I lived it."

  Vandergriff dismissed him with a derisive chuckle. "You may have been in an elite corps, but that is only the best of one nation. Here on Solaris, we have the best of all nations. Were you to fight either one of us, you would lose."

  Galen leaned in close to the other man. "Perhaps we ought to fight each other and find out if that's true."

  Vandergriff raised his hands. "I would love to indulge you in your bellicose fantasy, Kommandant, but I am a professional fighter. For the protection of those who are not trained in fighting, we are not allowed to duel with anyone who does not have a licensing certificate—a certificate that takes months of training to obtain. I'm afraid you'll not be able to fight either one of us."

  "I'll grant you're afraid, Mr. Vandergriff." Galen's hands knotted into fists. "You're both damned lucky you have laws to hide behind."

  "Believe me, Kommandant," Vandergriff hissed, "it's you who is lucky, for it is now my fondest wish that you had a license so I could give you the lesson in humility you so achingly need."

  "In that case, it will be my very great pleasure to grant your wish," Kai Allard-Liao said quietly. "I will give Kommandant Cox a license to fight."

  Vandergriff hesitated, then frowned. "You cannot loan him your license to fight, my lord. It is not allowed."

  Kai let Nancy precede him up the steps, then he followed and stood facing the entire group. "As Mr. Kindt, Duke Ryan's surrogate, so aptly pointed out at the last Compensation Committee meeting, I am not just a fighter. I own a stable. I can and hereby do grant Kommandant Cox an apprentice certificate. You can fight now."

  Vandergriff kept his face neutral. "I beg to differ, my lord. An apprentice certificate is equivalent to a Class Two license. This would limit Kommandant Cox to a combat exo-skeleton or a light 'Mech. I am a Class Six fighter and do not use small machines."

  Kai shrugged easily. "Ah, but you know as well as I that regulations allow the apprentice certificate to be upgraded to the level of a senior fighter if the apprentice fights on the same side as the senior i
n a duel. As the conflict between you and Kommandant Cox was an outgrowth of his discussion with Mr. Edenhoffer, and I distinctly heard him offer to fight you both, I thought he and I could oppose the two of you."

  Edenhoffer frowned. "You are in training to defend your title. I do not wish to wait a month for satisfaction."

  "Nor should you. I have granted Mr. Vandergriff a wish, and now I do that for you as well." Kai's voice took on a razor's edge. "A week. Thomas, is Ishiyama available? Could we be fit into the schedule?"

  DeLon smiled easily. "Without question, Kai."

  "Good, thank you." Kai stared at Victor Vandergriff. "I assume you will accept this challenge. Mr. Kindt wanted to see me fighting you at this time, so now he will get his wish, won't he?"

  Vandergriff straightened up, though his face had lost some of its color. "It will be my pleasure to meet you and Kommandant Cox in Ishiyama."

  "You keep saying it will be your pleasure to do all of these things, Mr. Vandergriff." Galen threw a wink at Kai. "I hope you know how to handle disappointment."

  Katrina slipped her hand through Galen's arm and smiled sweetly. "Well, now that you men have shown us how easy it is to make war, I shall show you how to enjoy peace." She nodded to Duke Ryan and his charges. "You no doubt have people to see and preparations to make, so we shall not detain you any longer. Dear cousin, I do hope to see more of you while we are on Solaris."

  Duke Ryan bowed his head. "I shall make a point of it, Katrina." He withdrew, sketching a quick salute to Tormano Liao, his two fighters trailing after him.

  Galen offered Kai his hand. "Thanks for the rescue. It's good to see you again."

  "I confess to enjoying the look on Vandergriff's face." Kai turned to Nancy. "Please, allow me to present Nancy Bao Lee. Nancy, may I present you to Duchess Katrina Steiner-Davion, Lady Omi Kurita, and Kommandant Galen Cox." Nancy looked utterly flustered and fell into a tongue-tied silence as she bowed to each one.