The most disturbing part of this unlikely occurrence, to the Commander's eye, was that the expert's report indicated the force in operation during the agent's lapses of perceptual sense was the raw will of the subordinated native personality.
It was this Agent whom the expert felt might be adequately retrained to basic operative. The Commander frowned, touched the button to activate the line to his second's desk.
"Commander?"
"Agent ven'Egut."
"Undergoing retraining, Commander."
"Yes. See to his termination. Unacceptable risk."
"Yes, Commander."
He cut the connection and swept the screen clear. Three Agents, lost to Korval. He would meditate upon the best answer to that. In the meanwhile, there was Agent yos'Phe-lium's pet Terran to consider.
A match program placing the gene-set known as Miri Robertson against the Book of Clans had yielded an—interesting—piece of data.
The genes of Miri Robertson closely matched the genes of Clan Erob, Korval's oldest ally.
This significantly altered the face of event—transforming an apparently chance meeting between yos'Phelium and a "Terran mercenary" into a bit of well-planned and longstanding subterfuge.
It also invested one place in all the wide galaxy with a reason for Val Con yos'Phelium's presence.
Commander of Agents touched the speaker-button once more. "I will have four full Agents of Change in the mid-level meeting room in twelve hours precisely. Commander's Priority.
"I will also have the history, decision point records, and current clan and strength particulars on the planet Lytaxin. I need full loyalty-compliance reports on any Agent ever on Lytaxin."
"Immediately, Commander," said his second. "Is there more?"
The Commander hesitated, considering three Agents wasted and likely a Korval dramliza responsible. Especial study was required there, with one mistake already laid to his account.
"Yes. I will have an overview of the current strengths of the various dramliz on planet, and a comparison of reputed powers. Also…" Here he hesitated. It would not do to disturb the balances quite yet. But, if Anthora yos'Galan were to call due a debt from another dramliza…
"Also please refer to me, for tomorrow's morning briefing, our contingency plans for dealing with the guilds and halls."
"That will be all for this moment," he concluded, and closed the line.
LYTAXIN
EROB'S CLAN HOUSE
The orders had come from the captain's own lips, and so, on the morning of the sixth day following the battle of the airfield, Nelirikk left the bunker-like infirmary beneath Erob's house and went out into the open air.
He marched with a steady step, eating one of the wonderful pastries the house cooks had brought to the captain's room. He wore a lieutenant's bar and captain's aide insignia, as well as the green scarf at his left shoulder—the troop-sign of The Irregulars—and a Tree-and-Dragon which the captain had very nearly been able to pin on him without assistance.
The orders. Orders. He was so pleased that she was able to give orders that he would have marched to every mountain-top on the planet for her.
"Get outta here," she'd rasped, pale against the pale pillows that supported her. "That's an order. Eat an extra dessert or two. That's an order. If you need something to do, go down the airfield and see what's cookin'. I don't want you back in this room before tomorrow unless you got a real good reason."
Her wounds were like unto a pilot's wounds. During those long hours of grief and waiting, when it was thought both would pass on to duty's reward, the Healer who was a star captain and a soldier had explained to him about wizards and the bond of lifemates. Yet, had not he seen the very real burns from the tie belts, the black eyes and pulled skin of high acceleration… Strange indeed were the lives of those who guarded Jela's Tree.
The world was strange now: Troops in good order patrolled, and while some looked on him warily, none barred his way. The air was good, the sun a pleasure, and he had elected to walk, as the captain's purpose had clearly been to insure his value to the troop and to preserve his health while she slowly regained her own.
The way he had chosen brought him to a ridge, and a view reminiscent of his not-so-long-ago vantage in the 14th Conquest Corps command shack when the courageous, silly plane had struck back with honorable intent against the Corps, and the scout's vessel had flung Jela's own challenge at the sky.
The valley was full of planes and ships of various sorts, for the mercenaries were taking no chance that the 15th would come to finish the campaign the 14th had started. There were missile units and fighters, and one odd small ship which he guessed to be the courier or personal vessel of a commander.
The blast crater where the scout's ship had been was already, and wisely, being recycled into a foundation for some new structure.
Was it a trick of his mind or was that not a scout ship dropping quickly into the valley?
His heart nearly crawled into his throat in admiration of those lines. One day, perhaps the captain would permit him inside such a vessel.
He finished the pastry in a gulp, watching as the scout ship set neatly down on the near edge of the field. In a moment he began to run.
There were three of them standing by the ship in casual uniform when he arrived: a woman and two men, all Liaden, all pilots by their stance and alertness, speaking with a soft Erob official. The official was pointing to a spot of trees and
Nelirikk heard, "Fighters… only defense left…" as he slowly approached the group.
The two men were surely of the elder pilots. One carried a cane, the other grew a mustache on his face, as if he were Terran. Both showed gray in their hair. Both were weeping openly, as the woman stood sober-faced and watchful.
Her eyes widened when she saw him, and she moved a hand, gently and with purpose. The men turned to face him, instantly alert to threat.
Nelirikk saluted.
The Liaden with the mustache—surely the first Nelirikk had seen—stood as if under great strain, face wet with his recent tears. The other man was both more at ease and more dangerous: his eyes quickly touched lieutenant's bar, scarf, Tree-and-Dragon, then lifted to Nelirikk's face.
Momentarily Nelirikk felt as he had when the captain had first walked round him. This one could take his life in a moment if need be. This one, by Jela—
"Nelirikk Explorer, Lieutenant First Lytaxin Irregulars," he stated in the Liaden High Tongue. "May I be of service, scouts?"
The three looked between themselves, and as one, they bowed, equal to equal as he had learned it. The Erob official took this as a good sign and removed herself quickly from the scene.
"Shadia Ne'Zame, Scout Lieutenant, First-In," the woman said, laying her hand over her heart. "Clonak ter'Meulen, Scout Commander," said the man with the most tears. "Forgive my display, Lieutenant. I have heard just now that my daughter died here."
The third looked him over very carefully, and drew from some inner pocket a hand on which gleamed a single, silvery ring. He opened his palm, displaying a pin which was the twin of the Tree-and-Dragon Nelirikk wore.
"I, too, serve Tree-and-Dragon, Nelirikk Explorer, and am at some pains to recall your name among our lists."
Nelirikk stood rooted, as if he faced the very scout, the scout who—
"I am recently recruited, sir. I am personal aide to Captain Miri Robertson, First Lytaxin Irregulars, who is lifemated to Val Con yos'Phelium, Clan Korval. I serve Line yos'Phe-lium."
Gently, the scout lieutenant sighed. The man with the mustache shook his head, Terran fashion, and looked piercingly at the man with the dragon in his hand.
"Clans revert to type, my friend. So here we have a true Soldier and if that ship over there isn't a Juntavas courier—a pirate, in plain speaking—I'll eat my coord book."
Ignoring his companion's speech, the nameless scout bowed deeply.
"Sir," he said to Nelirikk, "I must put myself in your hands and beg the grace of a
n introduction to your captain, she who lifemated Val Con yos'Phelium, for I, too, am pledged to line yos'Phelium. Where may she be found?"
"Sir, she is in the infirmary, recovering from wounds received in the recent glorious battle."
"Is she able to speak with me? Or perhaps her lifemate might speak with me."
"The captain is now allowed visitors. I think it likely that she would speak with scouts, although I cannot guarantee. Her lifemate…"
He paused, recalling what had been brought out of the Pilot Elite fighter.
There was sudden bleakness in the air, and the face he looked down upon was very close to one he knew in its bland intensity.
"Her lifemate, sir, is in the sealed autodoc. The medical technicians expect he may be able to speak next week, and perhaps in a month to walk."
The air warmed, the face before him all but smiled.
"Then I am persuaded you should take me to his lady with all speed." And abruptly the shift came, from High Liaden into the tongue of the Troop.
"Soldier, do your duty well, for your charge is a heavy one." He bowed, and the language was again Liaden, in the mode the scout's brother had taught him was called 'Comrade.'
"I am very pleased to see you, Nelirikk Explorer. My name is Daav yos'Phelium."
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Advance praise for Lee and Miller's I Dare!
"Followers of the Liaden Universe in particular and aficionados of intelligent space opera in general will be thoroughly entertained by Lee and Miller's latest episode in the far-future, star-spanning adventures of Clan Korval on the planet Liad. In this immediate sequel to Plan B (1999), which is recommended reading for those who wish to get the most out of this one, the action is nonstop from the first page, as the members of Clan Korval, fleeing from the Department of the Interior, aid their allies of Clan Erob in defeating the invasion of the Yxtrangs, a nasty militarized culture with overtones of ancient Sparta.
"Purely escapist this book may be (perhaps not a bad thing at this moment in history), but the authors' craftsmanship is top-notch, recalling the work of Elizabeth Moon and Lois McMaster Bujold, as well as, at a less exalted level, the military SF of writers like Robert Frezza." —Publishers Weekly November 26, 2001 .
"Even though this is the seventh and concluding volume of the Agents of Change sequence set in the Liaden Universe, it's enticing enough to captivate readers new to Lee and Miller's series. The members of Clan Korval are so far-flung and out of touch owing to battles and politics that it's impossible to know where anyone is or if anyone is still alive. Val Con yos'Phelium fights for his life in a catastrophe unit while his lifemate finds their link slipping away, but salvation may be in the hands of two giant turtlelike beings. Pat Rin yos'Phelium's adventures on a backward Terran planet are the easiest to follow as he cleverly takes control with the help of two hired guns. Any reader familiar with the series will definitely check this out, and new Lee fans will seek previous volumes to find out how this remarkable family got into its enticing adventures. The combination of wit, relationship, and space opera may appeal to readers of Lois McMaster Bujold." —Booklist December 15, 2001
"Sharon Lee and Steve Miller are so good it's scary."—S. L. Viehl, author of the Stardoc series
"I Dare lives up to its title as a perfect blend of adventure, intrigue, suspense, and wit, crisply written and deftly plotted. For those already addicted to Clan Korval, be warned: you had best be in a comfortable position when you sit down to read it, because you aren't moving until it's done, and it's like just one more potato chip—you'll end up wanting another one. For those who have yet to fall under the Lee & Miller spell, you have an even bigger treat in store—you get to go back and read the others.
"These authors consistently deliver stories with a rich, textured setting, intricate plotting, and vivid, interesting characters from fully-realized cultures, both human and alien—and each book gets better."—Elizabeth Moon, author of Speed of Dark
"The Liaden Universe novels offer that rarest of blends— rousing SF adventure with a mystical undertone. These books are irresistible, fast paced, and packed with unforgettable characters."—Janny Wurts, author of the Wars of Light and Shadow series
"In I Dare, the fourth book in the Agent of Change Sequence, Miller and Lee, gather up half a dozen major story threads and weave them into, not only a complex and exciting whole, but a truly satisfactory ending. Or possibly beginning…"—Tanya Huff author of The Better Part of Valor, DAW 2002
"When I first met Miri, Val Con, Shan, Pricilla, and the other characters populating the Liaden Universe, their personalities were so sharply drawn and their adventures so breathtaking that I found myself thinking about them as if they were real. I Dare is a book I've anticipated for along time. Now I can stop worrying about the characters I love, celebrate resolution in their lives, and begin nagging authors Miller and Lee. More, please! And hurry!"—Maureen Tan author of Run, Jane, Run
"Sharon Lee and Steve Miller have a marvelous ability to weave powerful characters, intriguing world-building, and swift action into a rich, compelling tapestry, and they're at the top of their game in I Dare, the exciting conclusion to their Agent of Change sequence. The conspiracy against Liad and Clan Korval is vast and ruthless, and a full range of characters both old and new are needed to survive, and triumph. Heroic storytelling at its best!"—Mary Jo Putney, author of The China Bride and The Spiral Path
"Imagine Georgette Heyer crossed on James Bond in a universe of starships and psychic wizardry, and you'll have something like the Liaden novels of Sharon Lee and Steve Miller—nobody else in the field combines space opera and comedy of manners with the same deftness and brio as these two."—Debra Doyle, co-author of the Mageworlds novels
"This novel concludes the sequence, and manages to conclude many intricate plot lines spawned in the previous books. Romantic attachments are resolved or strengthened, new characters are introduced and developed, old ones pass through more trials and become stronger. The plot is fast and exciting, and many favorite characters play enjoyable roles. While the book succeeds very well in its difficult task of concluding the intricate series, the necessity of accelerated plot show up in action smoother…than in the previous books.
"…this book is excellent and very satisfying to the fans of the series. Major changes take effect, several previous mysteries are resolved, the sequence is concluded while life and adventure clearly goes on (sequels are possible but not required). Liad and Korval are changed in major ways—for the better.
This is, above all, a space opera. The novel features colorful, likable, and occasionally improbably talented characters, some strange (but benevolent) aliens, barely sketched but highly evil villains, and plenty of combat and piloting where personal skills matter more than technology. There is humor, romance, courage and incredible rescues.
While new readers would be better off starting with Partners in Necessity, existing fans will be very happy with I Dare."—Other Worlds September, 2001
"The latest SF novel in the "Liaden Universe" series, this wraps up the "Agent of Change" sub-series, featuring Val Con, heir to Clan Korval, who in earlier volumes was brainwashed by the sinister Commander of Agents and his Department of the Interior. Val Con broke free of their influence with the help of his lifemate Miri Robertson, and now the pair hopes to take the battle to their enemy—while the rest of Korval has gone into hiding under the long-standing Plan B. One clan member, however, is unaware that Plan B has been activated: the gambler Pat Rin, who is led to believe the rest of his family is dead. There's definitely a fantasy feel to parts of this exuberant space opera, with such characters as wizards, a sentient tree, and even a cat who walks through walls, but it's a fun mix…and a multitude of characters who refuse to fade into the background. Once the plot starts rolling…the fun snowballs, with a gloriously mixed ending that settles the current pr
oblem nicely—while promising more such entertainment yet to come."—Locus December, 2000
An introduction to I Dare
L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
I must confess that, before being contacted by Kevin Murphy and Stephen Pagel, I had never read any of the Liaden Universe books. I had seen a web site about the Liaden Universe, and, even after paging through it, wondered exactly what it was all about. So, when Kevin asked me if I would read I Dare, I certainly came to the worlds of Sharon Lee and Steve Miller with absolutely no preconceptions. And I gulped down all of the titles, in addition to I Dare, in something like three days.
Almost immediately, I noticed that Sharon and Steve did one thing that I appreciate tremendously in authors—they don't simplify into idiocy. Of course, alas, that also may be why they don't have the readership they deserve… They also represent the "universe" as I have found it to be. By that, I mean that when matters look like they can't possibly get much worse, such matters almost inevitably do. Sharon and Steve also seem to understand that life is not a mere series of adventures, but that what moves life are the dreams and the hopes of determined people, and that those dreams are purchased most dearly, with blood, sweat, and tears—and usually, that's just the down payment.
I have my own favorites among the characters, naturally, and one of them is Pat Rin, the Liaden who is almost an outcast among Clan Korval because he seems to lack the talents necessary for piloting. My identification with Pat Rin may be because I was a Navy pilot to whom piloting did not come naturally for a long time, much as I wanted it to, and I could certainly understand spending all that time in the second seat before finally becoming a command pilot. But then, there are others, such as Priscilla and Edger…but each reader should find his or her favorite.
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