For Justin, even the enormity of Romano's idiocy somehow dwindled to insignificance in this place. Access to the garden and its peacefulness was probably the only privilege that made working on the crisis team worth it. He closed his eyes and slowly rolled his head around to loosen his neck. I'm still loaded with tension. Perhaps some tai chi...
Justin removed his black jacket and peeled off the sleeveless shirt underneath. The moonlight dulled the bronzed hue of his hairless torso and outlined the wiry muscles in dark shadow. The artificial limb replacing Justin's left forearm and hand reflected only the barest hints of the moon's glow from nearly invisible seams. The blackened-steel prosthesis at first mocked the garden's natural beauty, but once Justin had bent it to his will, it no longer seemed lifeless.
Slowly and deliberately, as with all the motions performed in t'ai chi chuan,Justin's metal fingers curled inward until the tips of the middle pair touched the top of his metal thumb. He took a deep breath, then straightened the fingers again as he moved his hand out to the side in a flawlessly smooth parry of an imaginary foe's attack.
As his body worked its way through the demanding series of familiar movements without conscious direction, Justin's mind floated free. Though he tried to concentrate on the flower perfumes rising from the garden on the gentle breeze or on the energy flowing more easily through his body, his thoughts rebelled, returning again and again to an urgent concern.
Why Andy Redburn? Romano could have sent her team against any number of similar commanders. The First Bell Training Battalion is closer to her own world of Highspire, and she feels no love lost for that unit after Galahad '27. Why cause an incident on a Davion world almost completely surrounded by her sister's St. Ives Commonality?
Justin shut his eyes and grinned. Don't let the paranoia infesting this place get to you, Justin. You were about to assume that Romano tried to kill Andy because she's upset at your primacy on the crisis team. It is true that she'd like to see Tsen Shang succeed, but that would be so that she might direct his efforts against House Marik. Her pathological hatred of the Free Worlds League is almost as great as her father's loathing of the Federated Suns.
Justin shook his head to flick off droplets of sweat off before they could sting his closed eyes. If she thought at all before she sent the termination team out, she probably directed them at Kittery because she wanted to spark reprisals against worlds in Candace's St. Ives holdings. If that was her intent, she's playing a dangerous game. I'll have Alexi place her under passive surveillance.
Justin smiled as he thanked God her attempt did not get Andy. Then he caught himself with a silent laugh. Careful, Justin That's treason . . .
The sound of approaching footsteps brought Justin's movements to a halt. Wiping his brow on the back of his right wrist, he opened his eyes. What he saw was a woman entering the area of the shrine. Remaining shrouded in the shadow cast by a willow, he said not a word.
Dressed in a green and gray silken robe, Candace Liao strode toward the shrine. The robe, cinched tightly around her slender waist by a green sash, reflected the moon's soft light. Reaching the shrine, she stood there with arms crossed over her chest as though attempting to control the fury that was making her tremble visibly.
Justin narrowed his eyes. I do not want to be here.Intending to circle around behind her to slip unnoticed from the shrine, he moved silently toward his left. Candace whirled with the reflexes of a cat and stabbed her right hand out in his direction. The moonlight glittered in her eyes, flashing at Justin with supernatural intensity.
"Why are you lurking here, Xiang? Are you spying on me?" The fury in her words was like the scream of a jungle cat.
He fought his initial reaction to snap back angrily, and bowed his head. "Forgive me, Duchess. I was alone here well before you arrived." Justin pointed at where his shirt and jacket lay. "My exercises had deposited me there, in the shadows, when you arrived."
Her right arm lowered and she reached across with that hand to massage her left shoulder. "Indeed, it seems to be as you say." She glanced at the rumpled pile of clothing. "Very well then. I bid you leave me now. I wish to meditate."
Without thinking, Justin snarled, "If you truly wish to meditate, then my exercises will not disturb you." Sweeping forward from the shadows in a series of circular moves, he increased the speed without sacrificing any of the precision or restrained power they demanded. Then he froze suddenly and looked at her coldly. "I am not finished here, at this time."
Candace's eyes blazed with outrage. "How dare you speak to me so, Citizen Xiang!"
Justin batted her protest aside with a parry of his right hand. "How dare you lash out at me with your anger in this place of peace!" He closed his eyes and forced the tension to flow out of his body with a sharply exhaled breath. "You expose your ire to me, and I want no part of it."
With his gaze lowered, Justin could not see Candace, but he could feel the waves of fury radiating from her like heat from an overworked 'Mech. Emotional meltdown,he commented inwardly. Meanwhile, he forced himself to ignore her and concentrated instead on opening and closing his artificial hand as he launched himself into a new series of t'ai chi chuanmovements.
Her anger broke like a fever so suddenly that Justin opened his eyes. "Citizen Xiang, I, there is . . . Please forgive me." She smiled penitently. "There is no excuse for my behavior, and though I am loathe to admit it, you were right to rebuke me here, in this place."
Justin let his arms drift down to his sides. "Apology accepted."
Candace stiffened, then caught herself and forced a smile. "Yes. I suppose that was an apology, wasn't it?"
Justin nodded slightly. "And beautifully rendered at that."
"I surprised myself," she said with a small laugh. "It's been a long time since I've apologized to anyone." She shook her head, but a gentle breeze kept her glossy black hair away from her face. "I should not have taken it out on you. I should have just gone off and strangled my sister."
Justin licked his lips, but restrained himself from replying.
"Do you know what she did?" Candace stared into Justin's eyes, then laughed. "I'm asking the head of the crisis team if he knows what Romano did on Kittery. But of course you know."
As Justin nodded, Candace continued to speak, her anxiety threading its way into the words. "Davion's likely to attack Taga or St. Loris or Spica in reprisal for Romano's stupidity."
"I don't believe so, Duchess. Duke Michael won't send his Fifth Fusiliers from Kittery, but he will demand that Prince Hanse send the Assault Guards to teach you a lesson. Because it's him, the demand will probably mean the Guards won't go anywhere. The First Kittery is waiting to ship out to New Aragon, so they won't be the ones to go, and neither the Kittery Borderers nor the Capellan Dragoons have the JumpShips needed to launch a raid." Justin smiled wryly. "Besides, the CID shut down our spy network on Kittery, so Davion's laughing up his sleeve at us. He'll do nothing that could turn out badly and sour this coup."
Candace pressed her lips together into a thin line as she considered his words. Then a sudden smile lit up her face. "So you came out here intending to find peace?"
"A sense of peace is what I usually get from a t'ai chiworkout." Justin smiled and wound his right arm through a parry and strike combination that was as beautiful as it was simple. "You should try it."