Akira nodded sheepishly. "Hai, wakarimas."
The Acolyte smiled sympathetically. "Look, it will be best if you rejoin the tour. And keep your hands to yourself."
Akira rounded the corner and found Riva waiting for him, excitement written all over her face. "What did you learn?"
Akira rubbed his cheek. "I learned never to kiss you."
Riva stood on her toes and kissed his reddened cheek. "You learned never to surprise me. What else did you learn?"
Akira shook his head. "I'm not sure." He opened his hands. "I want to do some more checking before I say anything."
Riva looked disappointed, but she never seemed to be at a loss. "I'll accept that on one condition."
"Name it."
She smiled. "You tell me what you know when you confirm it."
Akira nodded. I know I felt cooling vests hidden beneath the robes of those Acolytes. That leads me to only one conclusion, but it's one that defies all reason.An icy foreboding seemed to flood his gut. Who would believe that poor, pacifistic ComStar is training their own MechWarriors?
29
ComStar Circuit Compound
Hilton Head Island, North America, Terra
18 August 3028
Warm sea water rushed up the sandy beaches and tickled Dan and Jeana's toes as they walked hand-in-hand along the shore. The setting sun stretched their shadows far out in front of them. Dan raised Jeana's hand to his lips and kissed it gently.
"You're still a very good listener."
Jeana smiled. "I guess you're just such an interesting speaker."
Dan shook his head. "We've been together all day and you've listened to my whole life story." He stopped and faced her. "But you've barely said anything about yourself." It feels as though you trust me, but you do not. Who are you ?
Jeana glanced past his shoulder. "Look, Dan! Dolphins!"
Dan spun around. The dying sun burned red-gold highlights on the wet gray dolphins as they came up to breathe, then dove for food. There were so sleek and beautiful. Dan smiled as he watched the trio swim along the shore and then out toward deeper water once more.
"Again you manage to deflect me," he said, turning back to Jeana. "I feel so close to you that little things shouldn't matter, but I don't even know your surname." He sighed helplessly and looked down.
Jeana took his hands in hers and kissed him on the lips. "The feeling is very mutual, Dan." She looked up at him imploringly. "There is so much I want to share with you, but I cannot." She chewed her lower lip. "I can't even tell you my full name."
She tried to pull her hands away, but he held onto them firmly. "Names are just labels. If you can, tell me about you. Tell me what you do. Tell me if you're happy."
Jeana nodded and led Dan to a dry section of beach that was above the high-water line but below the sea grasses. She knelt and drew him down to face her. "There's not much I can tell— but it's not because I don't trust you."
Dan nodded confidently. "I know."
Jeana smiled and caressed the side of his face. "I am close to Melissa Steiner, but my duties are hard to define. I do a little bit of everything, yet nothing in a routine sort of way." She fell silent momentarily as she remembered something. "The work is not hard, though it can be demanding and require long hours."
"You'll not have any problems because you spent the day with me, will you?"
Jeana shook her head. "No. Melissa has more than enough people here to attend her. During the wedding, I can just be myself. But afterward, it's back to work."
Dan narrowed his eyes. Babysitting the Archon-Designate is quite a change from being a MechWarrior. I suppose, though, after theSilver Eagle incident, that the Archon felt it necessary."Do you like the work?"
Without hesitation or reservation, Jeana nodded and smiled. "Though I wouldn't have thought it possible, this has turned into the most satisfying job I could ever imagine."
"Good." Dan raised her right hand and kissed the palm. Smiling, he sniffed gently at the perfume she'd sprayed on her wrist. "What is that scent? It reminds me of night-blooming furanciaon Ciotat, but not quite."
Jeana's light laugh sounded a perfect accompaniment to the tenor crash of waves along the beach. "It's a fragrance created specially for Melissa by a cosmetic consortium on Eutin. They call it Nocturne,but they market a similar blend under another name for sale to the public." Jeana leaned forward, dropping her voice conspiratorially. "Melissa says she hates the scent so much she wouldn't be caught dead wearing it. So she gave the whole supply to me because I dolike it."
"And so do I ... on you." Dan leaned forward to kiss Jeana gently on the lips. Pulling him closer with hands around his neck, she deepened their kiss. Dan gathered her into his arms, and hugged her fiercely.
They remained in each other's arms, oblivious to all else until the alarm on Dan's watch started to beep. "Just a reminder about the reception hosted by the Free Worlds League tonight," he said, hitting a button to cut off the sound. "Shall we go together?"
Jeana pulled back, shaking her head. "No. I don't think so."
Confused and disappointed, Dan could not keep the feelings from his face or his voice. "Oh, I'm sorry ... I thought..."
Jeana pressed a hand to his lips and looked into his blue eyes. "Today, being with you has meant more to me than you will ever know, Daniel Allard." She kissed him quickly. "I don't want this day to end, not yet, not tonight."
She took his hand, leading him up the beach toward the sandy path to her bungalow. "There will be other receptions, Daniel Allard, and I would be proud to attend them with you. But tonight, my love, I want you all to myself. . . ."
30
ComStar First Circuit Compound
Hilton Head Island, North America, Terra
18 August 3028
Kneeling at the side of his bed, Akira Brahe slid his valise from under the bed, then hoisted it up onto the quilt-covered mattress. After carefully opening the polybaux case, he let it lie flat on the bed while he pulled the cloth lining away from a long hinge holding together the two silvery metal halves of the case.
Casting a nervous glance at the door, he assured himself that it was, indeed, locked and bolted it. I could get into deep trouble for this, but only a fool travels unarmed at an enemy's invitation.Akira shivered. Until this afternoon, I'd not considered ComStar the major threat here . . .
Akira pulled a multi-bladed pocket knife from the shaving kit on his nightstand, and flipped open its screwdriver blade. He ran his thumb over the triangular wedge cut into the blade to make it a two-pronged fork. Smiling, he fit the blade into the specially shaped screws along the hinge edge.