Warrior, coupe

by Michael A. Stackpole

  Hanse frowned sharply. "What?"

  Melissa glanced at the place where he had been sitting and waited until he seated himself again before continuing. "Yes, my husband, I cannot deny the times when I wished we could have traveled together to New Avalon, or that I ache to appear at your side at some important function here in Avalon City, but the lack of ail that does not really make me unhappy."

  She gathered up his hands in hers. "Being here, being with you is important to me. The elaborate dramas we've had to create so that we could be together reflect the depth of our feelings for one another. Were I nothing more than the means to securing an alliance, I would still be in the Commonwealth now—possibly shot dead in Jeana's place—and a mistress would be here with you instead."

  The Prince slowly shook his head. "At least a mistress would have free passage within my palace and my world. You've only been permitted visits by people who can meet the highly restrictive requirements of security."

  "Hanse, I cannot say that it hasn't been difficult, but you grossly overestimate the problem." When she smiled, joy woke somewhere in Hanse's heavy heart. "The people I've been allowed to meet have given me an insight into you and the realm I'm now part of. Riva Allard, for example, is a brilliant young woman full of life and the desire to make things better. Though I don't understand half the things she talks about in connection with the New Avalon Institute of Science and her doctoral work there, I do sense her buoyant optimism. The conformity demanded of those in the Draconis Combine, or the rampant paranoia of the Capellan Confederation would probably have broken her spirit by now. Even in my own Lyran Commonwealth, her work would be scrapped if her studies did not show a profit potential."

  Melissa laughed lightly. "And it meant a great deal to me that you brought your old friend Kincaid Fessul here to meet me. I felt as though his approval of me meant more to you than all the advisors who ever said our marriage was the politically brilliant move. I was so nervous, then he cracked a grin and we started talking as if we'd known each other forever."

  Hanse nodded as a smile spread across his face. "Kin may be only a fisherman, but he's uncommonly wise. I was overjoyed when you two hit it off so famously."

  Melissa drew Hanse's right hand forward and kissed its palm. "Through him, through Riva and Morgan and Kym, I have seen your realm. I see why they love you and why they are willing to serve you despite personal disappointments. Morgan Hasek-Davion may want a 'Mech command in the field with every cell in his body, but he'd never dream of disobeying your orders that keep him here. That sort of loyalty can only be earned, never bought or coerced or compelled. Your ability to inspire it is your greatest gift and the secret heart of the Federated Suns."

  Hanse felt a tightening in his throat as her words touched him deeply. He caressed the shadowed side of her face with his right hand. "Thank you for speaking these things, but I don't know if I'm worthy of such words."

  "Hush." Her command came softly but with a strength that demanded immediate compliance. "You doubt your worthiness because of what you have been forced to do. You knew that forbidding General Hartstone to land his Fifth Syrtis Fusiliers before the mercenary regiments joined in the Sarna attack would goad him into an act of self-destruction, and I watched you agonize over that decision for a week. Even though you knew he was fanatically loyal to Duke Michael's memory and that removing him from command could have ignited a revolt in the Capellan March, you still fought within yourself over the problem. You knew the handful of MechWarriors who did not share Hartstone's politics would suffer right along with the majority who did, and that almost stayed your hand."

  Her gray eyes reflected the silver moonlight as her voice dropped to a whisper. "What you don't acknowledge, my love, is that yours was not a decision that condemned those people to death. They would have died in any event—fighting in the Confederation, or leading a rebellion against you. You sought a way to save those who did not deserve death, and the very act of searching proves your sincerity and integrity."

  Hanse chewed on his lower lip, then nodded wearily. "Perhaps you are correct, but I cannot allow myself to accept your assessment fully, nor be completely comfortable with the troublesome decisions I make. If I did, I might stop searching beyond the easy answers."

  Melissa smiled at him. "Have no fear, my husband. In the most unlikely event you were to become complacent, I will always be there to remind you of who and what you truly are." She chuckled warmly. "And if I cannot manage it, I am certain Kincaid Fessul will be more than equal to the task."

  Hanse joined her in laughter, then a wave of guilt overcame the happy sense of well-being. Letting her laughter die, Melissa noticed the change immediately and looked at the Prince with new concern.

  Hanse slid forward on the edge of the bed and hugged his wife close. "Melissa, you are far more than I ever imagined, and you mean more to me than you can ever know." Hands on her shoulders, he held her at arm's-length to look at her. "I do have one regret, Melissa Arthur Steiner. In all the preparations and negotiations, in all the ceremony and politics, in the holodisk messages and your visit, I never actually asked you to marry me."

  Melissa smiled gently, cupping his jaw gently in her hands. "Why stand on tradition, Hanse Adriaan Davion?"

  Hanse dropped to one knee beside the bed, clasping her left hand in both of his. "Melissa Steiner, will you consent to be my wife, the keeper of my conscience and mother to my heirs?"

  An expression of overwhelming happiness lit her face. "With all my heart and soul."

  Hanse stood, sweeping her into his arms, and kissed her deeply. Melissa clung to Hanse, fiercely returning the kiss. The scent of her skin and hair was a delicate perfume that he would forever link with what had become the happiest moment of his life.

  Melissa looked up and smiled as Hanse gently laid her on the bed. "It strikes me, husband mine, that I have already wed you, and I accept responsibility for your conscience." She slid over toward the center of the bed. "That means the only part of your proposal I have not fulfilled is becoming mother to your heirs. As I am leaving tomorrow, I would suggest we take the rest of this night to see what we can do about fulfilling that third promise."

  Hanse nodded, his smile broadening. Those who imagined that our wedding was merely the forging of a political alliance will be sorely disappointed. From this union will spring nothing less than a dynasty.

  27

  Elgin

  Tikonov Free Republic

  21 July 3029

  Colonel Pavel Ridzik, Supreme Lord of the Tikonov Free Republic, stroked his reddish beard as he struggled to keep his temper in check. He glared at the tall, handsome, dark-haired man he'd lately come to think of as his "keeper."

  "But General Sortek," he said, forcing lightness into his tone, "it is totally impractical for me to shift my ships from their ward stations at the jump points of Acamar, Terra Firma, Carver, and Pollux. Their removal from that last site I consider especially risky because of the potential for a Marik counterstrike."

  Ardan Sortek smiled in a manner Ridzik found decidedly patronizing. "I understand your apprehension, Colonel, but perhaps I did not make myself clear. I make requests of you. Prince Hanse Davion gives orders. His orders are, quite simply, for those jump points to be cleared of troops. He gives no reason, and he only expects compliance."

  Ridzik leaned back in his red leather chair and steepled his fingers. I am not so stupid as to believe that, Sortek. I have seen the change in your demeanor since you received that message from the Federated Suns. You have been edgy and worried. I know what goes on in your head, and I use it in our little game here.

  Ridzik lifted his eyes. "Your Prince demanded that I strike out at the Free Worlds League, and I have done so. My troops have done remarkably well, but that is because they are fighting for me and a free Tikonov. Your Prince promised that the occupied portions of the Tikonov Commonality would be returned to my rule if I complied with his orders. I have done so, yet they remain under martial law and yo
ur thumb."

  Ardan laughed and shook his head in mocking disbelief. "Again you try to link two distinct and separate issues. You already have administrative control of half the worlds we took. We maintain garrisons on those worlds so you will not have to waste your precious troops on little rebellions. Our presence there makes your government all the more welcome, and you know it."

  Hanse Davion's liaison pointed toward the huge map hanging on Ridzik's wall. "Furthermore, my dear Colonel, we have made no demands on or claims to the worlds you have conquered in this campaign of yours. I think we have more than held up our side of the bargain."

  Ridzik slammed his fist onto the top of his heavy wood desk. "You know as well as I that we're not talking about control of a dozen minor worlds. We're talking about the world. How can my Tikonov Free Republic have any standing and validity when you still hold the jewel of my realm? Tikonov has ever been the centerpiece of the Commonality, yet you deny it to me. If Hanse Davion wants these worlds cleared, I want Tikonov!"

  Ardan flushed red with fury. "You are in no place to make demands, Colonel. My Prince denies you Tikonov, but he could deny you things that will hurt more." Ardan waved a hand that took in Ridzik's sumptuous office and the gilt framing that surrounded the mythical scenes painted on the walls and ceiling. "My Prince could pull the plug on the billion C-bills he infuses into your economy on a weekly basis. Or perhaps you would prefer our munitions shipments to stop?"

  Ridzik felt a pain in his chest as Sortek threatened the pull-out of Federated Suns economic and military aid. He raised his hands and forced a smile to his lips. "Now, General Sortek, there is no need for—"

  Ardan cut him off with a sharp wave of a hand. "Yes there is, Colonel Ridzik. I told Hanse that it would come down to this one day, that I was not a diplomat who could stroke you with one hand while pushing you around with the other. I say what I mean and I can't stand dancing around points and sensibilities." He skewered Ridzik with a hot stare. "You and I are military men. We don't need the deceptions and false courtesies required by diplomats."

  Ridzik's nostrils flared as his voice dropped to a rime-touched whisper. "Indeed, Colonel." The red-haired man spread his arms expansively. "Please, speak your mind. I am certain I will find your opinion of me enlightening."

  "I hope like hell you do, Colonel." Muscles bunched at Ardan's jaws. "You've been acting like a puffed-up dictator who believes he's the major partner in this little alliance. Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but that's just not true. I'll not deny—hell, I'll be the first to agree—that you've got a good military mind, a great one even. Still, as Frederick Steiner of the Lyran Commonwealth shows, that does not mean you are a political genius."

  Ardan smiled as Ridzik's hands curled into fists. "Sure, get angry, but realize a few basic facts first. You know your worlds cannot hold us off it we decide to take them. You know you've got no basis to make demands on Hanse Davion, and no real reason to expect him to dance to the tune you call. Most important, you know you're a puppet and it's about time you remember who pulls your strings."

  How dare you! Ridzik's dark eyes flashed with unbridled fury. Do you imagine your status as Davion's watchdog will protect you so far from home? This is hostile territory, Sortek. Many strange things can happen here.

  Ridzik forced his anger down. "Very well, General Sortek. You have made your point. I shall acquiesce to Prince Hanse Davion's order and clear those worlds." He hesitated, groping for the right words. "As well I appreciate your frankness. Now I know where I truly stand, and I shall take steps to be sure I do not make attempts to slip my leash again."

  Ardan Sortek bowed his head, then turned crisply on his heel and left the room. Ridzik fondled a crystal paperweight as Sortek departed, but resisted the temptation to hurl it in his enemy's direction. Instead, he set it down deliberately, then rose from his chair and paced his office.

  Yes, General, you have told me precisely where I stand. In doing so, you narrow my choice of actions until there is but one. Ridzik paused at the map on the wall and studied the string of four worlds Hanse Davion had ordered cleared of defenders' ships at the jump points. They make such a pretty line across my territory, linking a path from Tharkad to New Avalon. Now who might be making use of that little route?

  Ridzik laughed aloud to himself. "Are you that much of a sentimental fool, Hanse Davion? Do you so desire to have your wife with you on your first anniversary that you will place my star systems at risk to have her by your side? People do such foolish things when they're in love. That's why I've avoided such entanglements."

  Ridzik tapped the small dot representing Terra Firma on the map. The ambush will have to be here. We will ensure a helium failure on the JumpShip waiting to carry Melissa toward her beloved. We will divert her ship to the planet. .. No, it would be better to transfer her to one of my ships at the jump point. The diplomats traveling with her will not want to risk an affront to my dignity by refusing my offer of aid. Then I will have her, and I will treat her very nicely. Once Hanse gives me what I want, once he returnes to me what is rightfully mine, I will return his wife to him.

  Ridzik spun as someone knocked lightly on his door. "Yes, what is it?"

  A Corporal opened the door to hand the Colonel a slender box tied with a string. "We've scanned it, sir. Nothing dangerous. It came to you, marked 'Personal.' "

  Ridzik smiled and quickly read the soldier's name tag. "Thank you, Borosky." He accepted the slim parcel, but waited until the door had closed before he took the box to his desk and sat down. He smiled to himself as a giddy excitement bubbled up inside him. He had always loved surprises. Feeling like a child at Christmas, he slipped the string from the box and opened it.

  His heart leaped to his throat. Oh, I must have been a very good boy this year. Lying on a bed of cotton was a pale green sheet of note paper that reflected rainbow lights from its glazed surface. Grasping it by the corners, he lifted it from the box. He recognized the handwriting immediately, and the shock of it made the presence of a hotel room magkey also in the box insignificant.

  The verigraphed note trembled in his hands. Barely able to believe it, he read, "I have escaped him and now I will be with you for all time." Though he did not need verification, he let light play across the surface of the holographic seals encasing and fused with the paper. The beautiful, smiling face of a young woman with long black hair looked back at him.

  Ridzik sank back in his chair. Incredible! This is perfect! He smiled like a cat with a belly full of milk. Elizabeth Jordan Liao leaves her husband and joins forces with me. That gives me even more political pull in Davion's occupied areas. I could easily force more concessions from him because Elizabeth's influence could make holding his worlds a nightmare.

  Suspicion ripped a gash through his happiness, but he shook it off. The verigraph proves she wrote the note. The holographic image is seared into the paper's coating while being processed.

  Prying the layers apart to substitute messages destroys the original. You cannot forge one of these. He glanced at the image again. No matter how good a dummy or double, the verigraph would show it up to be false. I know those lips and that throat too well to be deceived. She is here. I will make her my consort, in one deft stroke stabbing deep into Maximilian's heart and causing Prince Hanse Davion serious consternation. Then I will kill Davion's friend and kidnap his wife.

  Ridzik picked up the magkey and instantly recognized the hotel's logo. Elizabeth, you always did have extravagant tastes. He smiled and slipped the keycard into the inside pocket of his jacket. First one conquest, then another. It is a pity, Ardan Sortek, that you will not be around to watch the finale of this puppet's revenge.

  * * *

  Having changed from his uniform into civilian clothes, Ridzik stood in front of the Hotel Percheron. Even the drizzling could not dampen his spirits. He recalled their last time together, on Terra during Hanse and Melissa's wedding celebration, and his grin widened. If tonight is but half as passionate, it will be a
very warm welcome.

  Always conscious of security, Ridzik had managed to learn that the key belonged to Room 1145. The guest registered to that room was a Ms. Beth Geordana. Not only was it a close match to her maiden name, but Ridzik recalled that she once mentioned, during a tender interlude, that she had covertly written poetry under that name.

  Ridzik moved toward the hotel's side entrance, avoiding the bright lights of the main entryway. She had told him that the State Poetry Review had rejected her poems as being too forced and commercial. When they had further suggested she write for greeting cards, Elizabeth had these editors sent to Brazen Heart. "My dear Pavel, it was the best thing I could have done for them," she'd said. He recalled how the flickering firelight had caressed her throat as she explained her logic. "How could they possibly release their artistic potential without having suffered in their lives?"

  Ridzik knew better than to love a woman like that, for an emotional tie with her would hobble him. He did not deny the sexual attraction, and there might even be some affection for one another, but it was their lust for power that drove them together. She will discard me as soon as she has what she wants from me, and I her. I will just have to make sure I strike first.

  The room clerk needed no prompting to remember Ms. Geordana. He described her as being tall and slender, with an arrest-ingly beautiful face and long, silken red hair. Ridzik smiled because he knew she'd colored her hair to match the shade of his as a sign to him.

  He entered the hotel unnoticed among a group of guests, then joined them in the elevator. He ignored their chatter, thankful that the eleventh floor came before he lost control and shot one man for seditious talk. Ridzik let the doors snap shut behind him, then forced his anger away. You cannot let that idiot spoil your evening. Find him tomorrow and have him killed, but tonight is for you and Elizabeth.