Ekkles was breathing hard, his gaze darting from the stymied Guards to the doctor, who was bending over the false Hanse, and then on to the ruddy-haired man in Guard uniform, who was regarding him with suspicion tinged with disgust.
There came a thunderous rap against the side of the building, and Ardan could see, through the glass doors, the legs of a WarHammerstanding outside, trampling the shrubbery into shreds. Seeing that the thing could smash through the glass with the slightest tap of its massive toe, Ekkles moved to open the doors.
"There is, indeed, a conspiracy here," said Sep through her ‘Mech's speakers. "I call for minute examination of both claimants."
The Maître, who had bustled into the room, gazed up at the huge machine standing before the doors, and he almost fainted. Before he could speak, another voice was heard.
"I quite agree." It was a cool voice, rather lazy, but precise. "I suggest that we compel both claimants to undergo all the standard physical tests, in order to determine which is the rightful Prince." Efflinger stepped from behind Ardan and stood beside the two identical Davions.
"You cannot interfere in the internal affairs of New Avalon," protested Ekkles. "You represent Steiner, our enemy..."
"Since when? And by whose representations?" the ambassador asked. "For years, House Steiner and House Davion have recognized many common interests and have worked toward mutual aid and prosperity. Then, without warning and certainly without any action on the part of Katrina Steiner, the Prince of Davion has declared us to be enemies. Has anyone noted any instance that might prove it to be true?" He looked at Ekkles, at the doctor, and at the Maltre.
He pointed toward Ardan. "There stands Ardan Sortek, who has been the closest friend of the Prince since his childhood. He has suffered from suspicion and innuendo, after reporting seeing a double of his old friend in the Liao headquarters on Stein's Folly. Ask him which is the real Hanse Davion."
Ardan stepped to stand beside Hanse. Being so near the false one, he found him dizzyingly like the true one, yet there were differences. Perhaps only he could have detected them...the small scar above the left eyelid made by a stone gone astray in a game of slingshots, many years before ...the tiny white line where a furious bird had attacked the boys searching for birds' nests near her chicks.
He laid a hand on Hanse's shoulder. "This is the man I accompanied into the dungeons of the Summer Palace on Argyle not many weeks ago. Only the aid of friends in the Guard broke us free and allowed us to return home to expose this impersonation."
Ekkles was confused, angry. He spluttered, "Do you suppose that I, the Prince's own aide-de-camp, can possibly be misled? This man is our ruler. These two, for whatever treasonous purpose, are conspiring to unseat him in order to weaken the Federated Suns in a time of peril!"
Efflinger, his attendants now standing very close to him, stared arrogandy at the aide. "Make the tests. What can that damage? Who will be hurt by such an eminendy sensible course of action? If the man who now rules is an imposter, it will mean that our Houses will NOT be at war. If he isthe true ruler, then war will be the inevitable outcome of his policies.
"Not simply the rulership of a world is at stake here. There is war hanging in the balance. Do you truly want your House to be at odds with every major power in the Inner Sphere?"
The three doctors from NAIS moved forward together. "Test them," said Doctor Shali, the most eminent doctor of biological medicine in that group. "It will be easily done, and without arousing suspicion among the people. Bring them both to the private laboratories in the lower level of this palace. Send for technicians. They are vowed to secrecy in many matters, and this will be only one more. We will, ourselves, oversee this testing."
Ardan glanced at the faces of the Guard members who had not known what was happening. They looked puzzled. But one or two were staring at him, then at Ekkles, and their expressions were no longer those of men entirely convinced of the right way to go.
Ekkles could not refuse. To do so would be stupid, and he had never been that He gave in with as much grace as he could summon.
"As this matter should not be bruited about—no matter what its outcome—we should, I believe, keep the entire question among those now involved, and those Techs who will conduct the testing. Will you Doctors of the Institute serve as observers? Will the Ambassador also consent to do that? And will the Guard who are now present swear never to reveal in any way what is happening here, on pain of death?"
Shali led the way to the labs, then took a place where she could oversee each step in the testing. When everyone was settled, and the people direcdy involved were in position, she signalled the work to begin.
Retinal scan was a common method of identification. It was the quick way to gain access to depositories of valuables, as well as to military installations. Thumbprints were too easy to recreate by way of plastic surgery. These were only the first of many tests, however, including blood samples and DNA testing.
As samples of tissue were taken, the scans and measurements done, Ardan was becoming increasingly nervous. Some instinct was telling him to beware—things were not exacdy as they seemed. He found himself tense, his muscles aching with stress, as he held himself motionless on the bench next to Jarlik and Ref.
They were going to get away with the plot, that was the thing that kept hammering at his mind. Somehow, in some obscure way, they had managed to rig the testing. He felt it in his gut. The expressions of the Techs were deliberately blank, but he caught minute shifts of eyes, gestures immediately interrupted, that told him it was true.
Sep, down from the 'Mech in the garden, put her hand on his shoulder. He sighed. She felt it, too. It was the same instinct that told a MechWarrior when he was about to find himself in an untenable position.
What would they—could they—do if the most accurate tests known to mankind proved that the real Hanse was not himself?
When the announcement came, even Hanse, standing in his white smock below them, didn't seem surprised.
"This man is not Hanse Davion. The records on file find him incompatible in many areas with the tissue samples in storage. He is an imposter."
Doctor Shali stirred in her big chair. "You have done everything possible," she said, her tone strangely tentative. She turned in the chair to gaze at the assembled witnesses. "Yet I find myself dissatisfied. Something has been left undone...something crucial."
The aide-de-camp stood impatiendy. "The testing is finished. It has been proven that this man and his accomplices are not what they claim to be. I demand that they be released to me for immediate execution under the Law of Emergency Procedures."
Shali frowned. She stood, and though she was diminutive, she exuded authority.
"That I will not do until I am completely satisfied. There have been...anomalies...of late. The Prince has withdrawn support of many items on the NAIS agenda that he had formerly been most anxious to pursue. And his policies have changed radically with regard to our allies. Men who have served long and well have been dismissed...or even arrested."
Her voice rose. "I will not relinquish control of this matter until I am fully satisfied. Has anyone any suggestion as to another test? Another procedure outside the limitations of science?"
The faces of those in the chamber seemed blank. Those most concerned were screening their reactions. The others seemed genuinely nonplussed.
Ardan was thinking furiously. There had to be something that the conspirators could not have known. Something so private that not even he would have the key to it. Something that only Hanse would know, of all people in the system...