Jaime Wolf was quiet for a long time. "I will think about what you have said, Theodore -san."
31
Dechan Fraser stopped down the street from the mansion that had been a reward from Theodore Kurita for loyal service. At first he thought his tired eyes were confused, tricked by the evening light. He recognized the mane and beard of gray, the short, compact silhouette. Though he had not worn one in years, he knew the Dragoon dress uniform as well. He could not be mistaken. This unexpected guest waiting by his gate was Colonel Jaime Wolf.
He had heard a rumor that the duel had been postponed, but he never imagined that Wolf would make a visit to Dechan Fraser part of his itinerary. Curious, confused, and not a little angry, Dechan walked up to his former commander. "Looking for someone?"
Wolf turned and glanced up at him. "Dechan, you're looking well."
Ignoring the offered hand, Dechan said, "Receiving visitors in the street is bad manners. Please, come in."
Dechan palmed the lock and, when the door opened, gestured that Wolf should precede him. The Colonel entered and gave his cloak to the servant who appeared, then disappeared just as silently. Dechan led him into the common room where the servants had prepared tea and a tray of small cakes. There was a third cup beside his and Jenette's; the servants had known the visitor was waiting.
"I hope I'm not troubling you," Wolf said in pale imitation of Kuritan politeness. He looked for a chair and, finding none, knelt awkwardly in the Kuritan fashion.
"Do itashimashite,"said Dechan, kneeling too. As he did, he realized how easily he had slipped into the formal role of host and begun speaking in Japanese. The Kurita style had become a part of his own: politeness hiding personal feelings to make all smooth and to save face.
Wolf took Dechan's response as a cue and continued his pleasantries in Japanese. He was quite fluent and his standard remarks sounded more sincere. Dechan poured tea for himself and his guest. They spoke of the weather and Wolf's trip, but a disquiet underlay the formal conversation. Finally Wolf broke off the polite noise and said, "Will Jenette be here soon?"
" Hai. I would have expected her to be here already."
"Good. I wanted to talk to the both of you."
Seemingly satisfied, Wolf said nothing more. Dechan sat in the awkward silence, old pain gnawing at the shield of politeness. He reached for the kettle to refill his cup and misjudged. When his skin touched hot metal, he snatched his hand back. He wanted to suck on the burn, to cool it, but refused to show weakness before this man. Not now. Not after so long. Pent-up frustration burst forth in words.
"Why now? I had expected to hear something when you were last on Luthien."
If Wolf was surprised by the outburst, he didn't show it. Placing his cup carefully on the tray, he said, "We hadn't come to end the feud."
"But you fought for Kurita," Dechan accused.
"We were under contract to Davion."
Dechan shook his head in disbelief. "So a contract was more important than a blood feud."
"A contract is a sworn bond."
"More important than your sworn vow?"
"At the time," Wolf said quietly.
Dechan sneered. "Very convenient."
Wolf took a sip of his tea and returned the cup to the tray. The action placed Dechan's comment at a distance.
"You're not talking about our fighting for Kurita, are you?"
"Yes, I am. But you're right—there ismore to it than that." Wolf waited.
If Wolf was willing to take it, Dechan was ready to give it to him. "Like a lot of Dragoons, I idolized you. I thought you knew all there was to know about the mercenary business. Everyone believed that you were a man of honor. I'd have given my life for you. Hellfire, I did.I gave my life to Kurita to be a good little spy for you. To what end, Jaime Wolf? Are you a man to whom a handful of C-bills outweighs an honorable vow?"
"No one forced you."
"I was on Misery, remember? I saw the Dragoon dead. The sight cut to my soul the way the cold wind of that hellhole never could. I remember. I've heard the voices of the dead every day I stood before the Ryuken trainees, every time I led a Kuritan unit into battle. A lot of people died on Misery and not just Dragoons. Remember the Iron Man?"
"Yes."
"Well, I can't forget him. When we worked with the Ryuken, I admired him. No one could match his dedication, courage, and skill. Except you, or so I thought. On Misery the Dragoons fought the Ryuken and nearly lost. In the end, I fought him and watched him kill my lancemates. I thought it was the proudest day of my life when I brought his Dragondown. I was a kid. I didn't really understand the honor of observing his seppukuceremony, but years of living in his world have taught me. Has the money washed your memories clean of Tetsuhara, too?"
Looking down at his teacup, Wolf said nothing.
"Well?"
Wolf remained silent.
"I thought you were an honorable man."
Fire flashed in Wolf's eyes and his expression hardened. "I acted as I thought best. I was commander."
"Is that your excuse?"
"It's all the reason there is. I thought we needed someone close to Kurita who could warn us."
"But then you beat up everything Takashi sent at you and got a whole world from Davion for your very own. Safe and sound. You didn't need to worry about old safeguards. You didn't have to; you could safely forget them."
"You weren't forgotten. It wasn't safe to communicate."
"Safe?" Dechan chuckled bitterly. "We used your Wolfnet codes, but we stopped getting answers. We were abandoned."
"You weren't."
"Weren't!" Dechan rocked to his feet. He jostled the tray as he rose and his teacup tipped over the edge, shattering on the hardwood floor. "Then why'd you send Lang to Theodore? Jenette and I were supposed to be in his inner circle. Why not tell us to get him to Outreach?"
"There were other considerations. I didn't think it was a good time to expose you. If the leaders of the Inner Sphere didn't agree to work together, we might still have needed you undercover. If Kurita had refused to cooperate, you could have been exposed to danger."
"Might have. Could have. You could have told us what you had in mind instead of letting us stumble along, never hearing from the Dragoons."
"It would have jeopardized you," Wolf said. He began to pick up the pieces of the broken cup.
"And your coming here isn't going to do that?"
"Not anymore." Wolf placed the shards on the tray. "It's not general knowledge yet, but there is something you should know. Takashi Kurita is dead."
Dechan thought of the much-publicized duel. "You killed him?"
With a shake of his head, Wolf said, "The duel never took place."
Takashi dead, and not in a duel with Wolf. It was not an outcome that Dechan had considered. "Then Theodore is Coordinator."
Wolf nodded. "There's no more need for you here."
"No need? I've served Theodore and the Ryuken longer than I did the Dragoons. No Dragoon need, you mean."
Wolf sighed and slowly got to his feet. "I understand."
"Do you?"
"Let me say that I was proud of your service with the Dragoons. I was prouder still when you agreed to go undercover with Kurita. I know what you gave up."