As soon as he had cleared the horn's shadow, Tomoe was in his arms. Their lips met, and her deft hands twitched open the closures of his cooling vest so she could slide her arms around him. When they stopped to catch their breaths, Tomoe smiled radiantly. "Hardly the behavior of a man who is to be married to someone else in three days."
"Maybe so," Theodore said, returning her smile. "If I loved her. The marriage is only political."
"I thought you hated politics."
"I do. This is necessary, as you well know. The Combine must have continuity in the line of the ruler, and my father arranged this marriage to ensure that I will have a sound claim to Rasalhague. My bride-to-be is the daughter of the District Governor, and her family has strong ties with both the Sorensons and McAllisters, two ancient and honorable families in this region. The marriage will serve to bind this oft-rebellious district closer to the heartland of the Combine.
"It is my duty and I will do it."
"Quite a speech," Tomoe said with a frown. "And quite political. You must be coming to like politics after all."
"You know that's not the case," Theodore insisted. "It is giri.I am a samurai and must do my duty."
"Yes, you are a samurai," she said, caressing his cheek. "Always girirather than ninjo.Always duty before human feelings."
Tomoe stared deeply into his eyes. He wondered if she was searching for a denial of her statement. If so, she would not find it. At last, she sighed and lowered her head to rest it against his chest.
"I had hoped you would return early from the drill and give us some time together before the wedding," she said, voice muffled in the folds of his vest.
"And I have done so." Theodore rested his chin against the soft pillow of her glossy black hair.
"I know. I shall treasure that for the rest of my days."
The sorrow in her words was painful to him. "It doesn't have to be this way."
"Oh, but it does, my brave samurai," she sniffed. "We have been through it all too many times. I will not be your concubine. Once you are married, we will be lovers no more."
"That's not what I want," he insisted, holding her away from him and tilting her face to his.
"It's not what I want, either, but it is the way it must be."
He started to object, but she held her fingers to his mouth.
"Don't spoil the little time we have left."
She took his hand and led him to the gantry elevator. They said nothing during the ride down and the subsequent walk to the barracks. As soon as they had closed the door of Theodore's room behind them, she slid his vest over his shoulders. Before it hit the floor, she had started in on the closures of his tunic. For an hour, they had no more need of words.
She lay with her head on his shoulder and ran her hand down the length of his body, back and forth, pausing occasionally before sliding past the bony curve of his left hip. Theodore relaxed, enjoying her gentle touch. He wanted to convince himself that it would go on forever.
"Your father has been delayed," she said without preamble.
"An attack?"
"Nothing so dramatic," she said with a shake of her head. "Court business. His JumpShip is due in-system tonight, and Tai-shoSorenson's DropShip awaits him.at the zenith station. They will have to make the trip from the jump point under high-gee to arrive in time."
"Rest assured that they will. Father must be here to bless the union; anything else would undermine what he hopes to gain." Theodore shook his head ruefully. He had received no more than the barest acknowledgment of the wedding date from his father, and now the Coordinator would be pushing men and machines in order to be present. "What about Mother? The Mukadereceived no communiques through the ComStar network while we were enroute."
"Your mother and the rest of the court is already inbound from the jump point. They delayed departure from Luthien somewhat when it looked as though Takashi might be able to accompany them, but they finally had to leave without him. You know Takashi won't risk her on a jump to a nonstandard point or allow her to travel at more than one gee. That puts quite a constraint on travel time. Her DropShip has been inbound for over four days. Morning update put ar rival in"—she pulled his hand over to check his ringwatch— "one hour."
"I should be there to meet her," Theodore said, rising from the sleeping mat.
They showered together, using much of the hour. He was half-dressed before noticing that she was only watching him.
"You're not dressing."
"I'm not going with you," Tomoe said simply.
"Why not? You're my Command Lance second. As my executive officer, you are entitled to be present at formal gatherings."
"A position, it is well known, that I earned on my back."
Theodore walked across the room to the comm unit, which Tomoe had warned him contained a listening device. Slipping a prepared disk into the slot, he pressed down on the receiver three times, activating a recorded conversation that would drown out anything they said. He turned to Tomoe.
"That's not true. We may be sleeping together, but you have earned your position in my lance fairly. Your record at Wisdom of the Dragon speaks for itself. The simple fact that you, a woman, could graduate from the academy shouts of your ability."
"Tell it to the troops, especially Tourneville," she responded bitterly. "Most believe that you carried me through the academy as well."
"Tourneville is my father's creature," he said, as though that explained everything about the man. "He is a bad echo of the Coordinator's short-sightedness. My father should be glad I have a regular, careful lover who is loyal to the Dragon. Here, in the heart of restless Rasalhague, I could be running around making bastards and creating future pretenders to the throne."
"This is not a joke. Tourneville is dangerous. It's bad enough that you insist we live with his bugs and his peeping, but his talk when you are not around is insufferable. Why did you choose him for your command lance? With the selection privilege as first graduate of Wisdom, you could have chosen another fine Mech Warrior like Sandersen. One who would be as loyal to youas Tourneville is to Takashi."
"Tourneville is a spy I know, and he is not very good at his job. That is exactly why I chose him. Had I chosen someone loyal to me, I would never know who of those around me worked for my father. This way I have some control over what the Coordinator hears about my actions. After all, we always know where Tourneville's bugs are." He reached out to caress her hair. "It's not important what they think. I want you with me."
Tomoe shook her head. "I am enough of a scandal. It wouldn't be wise to flaunt me before your mother and the courtiers."
"To the seven hells with them," Theodore said. "Cursing won't change it," she insisted. "I'm only thinking of your political welfare.”
“To the hells with politics, too."
"Get used to it, lover," she snapped, stepping away from him. "Politics will be your bedfellow for the rest of your life. Politics is your duty."
Theodore scowled at her. He hated it when she wouldn't listen to him. "If you won't go under your own power, I'll carry you. Naked, if I must," he said, making a grab for her.
Tomoe slipped to one side. He felt the firm, smooth curve of her breast just before she seized his arm and twisted. He landed in a heap on top of the rumpled blankets.
"Go on with you," she said, turning her back on him. "Do your duty."
"Damn!"
Theodore stood and smoothed out his rumpled uniform. Grabbing up his combat vest, he started for the door. As he opened it, he thought she said something. "What was that?"