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  "What the hell was that for?" His ear still stung, but whatever she'd done hadn't broken the skin. It was the perfect attention-getter.

  "Reality check, Adept."

  "Don't call me that. You know I don't like it." Rose squared his shoulders and faced McCloud, who had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.

  "Don't behave so stupidly and I won't have to."

  "I'm not acting stupid." But even as the words came from his mouth, Rose knew she was right. He was acting stupid, or at least defeated, which was just as bad. He relaxed and held out a hand to her.

  "All right, I'm acting stupid. I'll try to stop."

  McCloud crossed the brief distance to Rose and slipped her hand in his. There were few things she liked as much as winning a fight, even a brief one.

  "What do you already know?" Rose resumed walking in his original direction. Although he had no destination in mind, it felt good to be under the open sky again after traveling so long through space. He doubted that McCloud shared that sentiment, but she was here just the same. Rose felt a tug at his heart, but ignored the feeling, as he had in the past.

  "I only know that the Assembly voted down your proposal, mainly because of your father's speech. You're still welcome on Northwind, but your dream of starting a 'Mech unit was dealt a pretty harsh blow."

  "I'd say a death blow," Rose sighed. "If not, then the meeting afterward was the killer."

  "You had another meeting? I wondered where you went." McCloud snuggled closer to him as they walked, making the footing dangerous. Despite the warm air, she was not used to the cool breeze—or draft, as she insisted on calling it—blowing down from the mountains. She was a born spacer.

  "Damn, I forgot my two cases." Rose glanced at his chronometer and slammed his fist into his open hand. "The Fort is closed by now."

  "Don't worry. We can get them in the morning. It's not like they're going anywhere." Rose looked back along the route they'd just taken, considering the option of returning.

  "You were saying?"

  Rose shook his head and continued walking.

  "Two boys stopped me on the way out," he told her. "Dear old dad called a family meeting on the spot to hear my proposal and was telling anybody who'd listen not to follow me."

  "He sounds thorough."

  "Vindictive is more like it. I was still reeling from the Assembly of Warriors when I was escorted to an adjacent room and propped up between my two keepers.

  "The room was full of family I hadn't seen since leaving Northwind, but did I get the chance to speak to them or greet them? Hell, no. Dad announced me to the family and then proceeded to tell them what a rat I was. He explained my proposal to them as I listened, then called the vote. It was all over in less than ten minutes." Rose kicked a stray rock into the street and watched it skip to a stop in the middle of the lane.

  "Could you have stopped him?"

  "Yes, but not really. As a tech, he doesn't really have any clout in the Assembly of Warriors, but as the oldest male in the Rose family he's got a hell of a strong pull. I could have stopped him in front of the Assembly or the family session, but in either case it would have been considered very rude. Not even the prodigal son can go against his father—especially when he's the patriarch— and get away with it. Speaking at all would have been proof of my father's claims.

  "Seventeen family members present and all seventeen rejected my offer."

  McCloud let Rose walk on in silence. Despite the short time she'd known him, she knew he had not really given up on his dream, despite his current mood. He'd figure something out if he took the time. She began to shiver as the temperature continued to drop.

  She looked up at Rose, trying to come to terms with how strongly she felt about him. She'd always prided herself on being independent. Being a DropShip captain was hard work, and McCloud considered herself as good as any in the business. Then along came this Mech Warrior who made her question her lonely way of life. Not that it was anything he ever said. His company was enough.

  "So what now?" McCloud spoke the words more to keep her lips moving than because she expected an answer. She shivered again, thinking that one day scientists would look back and declare climate control as the invention that separated men from monkeys.

  "Now I try to see my sister, Rianna, and take it from there. She wasn't at the Assembly today, so she missed the vote."

  "I thought she was a warrior."

  "She is, but so far she's unproven. The public records indicate that she's a good 'Mech pilot and an excellent planner, but she's still a year away from her first contract. She could have come to the Assembly as a member of the gallery, but that's about as exciting as watching 'Mechs rust, especially without the frame of reference you get in combat. I doubt anybody thought the meeting would be as explosive as it turned out to be."

  The pair continued in silence until McCloud remembered.

  "Hey, you said the meeting with your family took only ten minutes. Where have you been for the last two hours?"

  "Talking with Colonel Stirling."

  "Cat Stirling?"

  "One and the same. How do you know the colonel?" Rose looked over at McCloud, who only shrugged.

  "Just one of the people you hear about in my line of work. I believe the term is 'larger than life.' "

  "That sure sounds like her. There were times in the conversation when I swore I could hear her purr." Rose laughed at the thought and McCloud relaxed a little. Rose was already putting the past behind him and concentrating on the future.

  "Did you talk about anything important?" McCloud tried to taint the question with a hint of jealousy, but Rose either missed the inference or else chose to ignore it. The idea was silly anyway.

  "She more or less agreed with my father."

  "Really?"

  "Well, not really, but she told me she'd predicted the results of the vote yesterday after learning that my father was going to speak."

  "Did you find out anything interesting?"

  Rose nodded. "She was the commander of Danny's battalion when he died on—"

  "Your brother is dead?"

  Rose nodded. He'd forgotten that McCloud didn't know. Though he'd only learned it himself a few hours ago, Rose was surprisingly at ease with the news. He and his brother had never been really close. The death of lancemates had hit him harder. McCloud, however, seemed to take the news as a great shock. He was greatly surprised when she stopped to give him a hug.

  "Jeremiah, I'm so sorry." He struggled with what to say, afraid of diminishing her compassion and suddenly ashamed of his own lack of feelings. After a moment's hesitation, he hugged her in return.

  "You're shaking." Rose loosened his grip and pulled back enough to see her face.

  "It's freezing out here," she said. Rose squeezed her close and she returned the grip with fervor. Looking over the top of her head for suitable refuge, he noted a small restaurant across the street.

  He pulled free and pointed across the street. "How about some food, on me?"

  "Anyplace warm is fine with me."

  Rose gripped her hand and led her across the street and into the restaurant, where they were greeted by the smell of freshly baked bread and by a rotund woman in green tartan. Behind the woman, in the restaurant's even smaller bar, men and woman mingled with loud humor.

  "Two for dinner, please."

  "Am I blind? Of course two for dinner." The woman slapped Rose good-naturedly on the arm with a pair of menus. "You wait a second in there while I get the table ready." Rose knew there were plenty of tables available, but the bar was where the restaurant made its highest profits and nobody was going to eat without first relaxing. Rose raised an eyebrow toward McCloud. He'd known her for two months, but this was their first social situation outside her DropShip. Did she even like bars?

  McCloud looked into the small room and nodded quickly. Rose smiled back at their disappearing hostess and followed McCloud into the noisy room. The single waitress was already leaving the table
McCloud had acquired by the time Rose maneuvered his way through the press of occupants.

  "Loud bunch." Rose leaned closer as if to whisper, but in the noise he was almost shouting. Still, McCloud barely heard. She nodded in agreement. The pair waited for several minutes, but their drinks still did not arrive. Rose looked over to the bar for the waitress, but she was nowhere in sight.

  "What are you lookin' at?" It was one of the Highlanders propped up at the end of the bar. Rose hadn't even noticed the man until he spoke. As he turned away, the man pushed away from the bar and headed toward

  Rose's table. "Hey, aren't you the guy from the Assembly this afternoon?"

  "Trouble at six o'clock." McCloud stiffened, but did not turn around. Rose watched as two more Highlanders followed their friend over to the table.

  "Hey, I was talkin' to you." Rose looked up at the lead Highlander. Red-rimmed eyes stared back with malice. Rose could feel the atmosphere of the room change as people vacated a nearby table.

  "I was just looking for the waitress, friend." Rose considered standing, but the challenge of the gesture would be too much to miss. The drunk leaned into the back of Rose's chair, throwing the balance forward. Rose was forced to lean onto the table or rest his head on the man's stomach.

  "Friend, of a coward like you? Not on the longest day you ever lived." Rose stiffened at the words, but managed to remain in his seat. His smile was plastered in place for the three drunks, but a knot was growing in his stomach.

  "He doesn't like us much, does he, Ian?" Rose looked up at the second bully, who moved behind Rachel's chair. He leered at Rose above McCloud's head, his yellow teeth poking through a tangle of black beard. The third man laughed in false mirth as he ran a hand through his blond hair. Rose felt the knot harden and start to burn.

  "Can you imagine," asked the first, "this man leading Highlanders into battle?"

  "Then coming home to a woman as beautiful as this?" finished the second. He dropped his hands on McCloud's shoulders for emphasis. Despite the attempt to remain calm, Rose stiffened as he waited for McCloud's reaction. He knew she was ready to react, but she continued to stare straight ahead.

  "I'll give you some credit," continued the first. "Coming back to Northwind took some guts. I mean, I didn't think anybody was stupid enough to try to return to the Highlanders after running out on them."

  "How about it, Angel? Is this guy really that brave, or is he just stupid?" Rose and the three Highlanders all looked toward McCloud, who continued to stare straight ahead. The second bully had begun to rub her shoulders, evidently encouraged by her lack of response. Rose tried to relax and let the tension flow out of his muscles, but the fire that had started in his stomach was spreading quickly. He was shocked when McCloud actually answered the question.

  "I can't say much about his courage." She turned her head toward Rose and slowly reached across her body to pat the top of the hand massaging her right shoulder. " And as for brains, hell, this table top has a higher I. Q." She stopped patting the Highlander's hand and threw a look of disgust at Rose. The three standing men began to laugh, mirthlessly at first, but with genuine feeling once they saw the crushed look on Rose's face.

  Rachel reached up with her right hand and slightly rotated the laughing Highlander's right hand off her shoulder, twisting the palm out. He looked down at her, but his alcohol-wrapped brain did not register what was going on until McCloud gripped his ring finger with the other hand and swiftly yanked it back.

  The bone let go with a pop, but McCloud kept up the pressure, bending the digit all the way back to the top of the man's hand. He tried to yell, but nothing came out. He tried to back away, but McCloud came out of the chair and followed him.

  Rose took McCloud's lead, reacting immediately with the pop of the Highlander's broken finger. Leaning forward on his chair, he shot his right foot into the shin of the leader. The mule kick slipped off the bone, however, merely cracking it instead of breaking it cleanly in two. The man came down heavily on the chair, pushing Rose into the table. With a quick spin off his left foot, Rose was free of the chair and facing his attacker.

  The man had recovered quickly and was already picking up Rose's discarded chair. The few customers remaining in the immediate area scattered as the man charged Rose, the chair over his head.

  With a roar he brought the chair crashing down in a two-handed blow intended to drive Rose through the floor. Rose, however, was no longer in the chair's path.

  Stepping inside the chair's arc, he seized the man's left wrist as the chair continued to fall, simultaneously driving his right hand into the man's stomach. Pivoting to the left, Rose continued the motion started by the punch and spun in a half-circle, crouching slightly as he turned. The attacker's momentum carried him forward, but the punch had broken his balance. He slammed into Rose's back, his extended left arm over the top of Rose's shoulder. With a quick upward thrust, Rose catapulted the man through the air, pulling in the left wrist as the man cartwheeled over his head.

  The Highlander slammed into the ground, his legs forming a clapboard that smashed his testicles and expelled what little air remained in his lungs. Finishing the move, Rose stepped on the man's ribs just under the armpit and jerked up on the wrist. The shoulder popped out of the socket with a hollow sound and the fingers went limp. Rose dropped the wrist and looked for McCloud.

  The first attacker had lost all interest in the fight, but McCloud would not release his hand. Instead of fighting back, he was trying to keep the hand as still as possible to save the finger from further punishment. His friend, however, was not thinking of defense. As Rose looked up, he hit McCloud behind the ear with a bottle. The glass splintered just above the neck as McCloud went down to one knee. The Highlander with the broken hand finally managed to pull free as his friend continued the attack. With his free hand he grabbed the back of McCloud's hair, forcing her head back. Rose looked for something to throw at the attacker, but nothing was in reach. In desperation, he yelled.

  It was not the yell of a frightened or angry man. The single note was more like the release of an avenging spirit into the room. For an instant everyone in the bar stood motionless.

  Rose used the moment to dive across the table that separated him from McCloud and her attacker. He landed on his hands and tumbled over his landing spot to rise in a crouch. McCloud's attacker had regained his wits and resumed his strike with the broken bottle. As his hand went down, Rose shot forward. Their hands met centimeters above McCloud's face. The force of Rose's blow diverted the bottle attack, but the glass ripped through McCloud's shirt and drew three thin lines of blood along her shoulder.

  The attacker dropped McCloud to the floor and slashed wildly at Rose. The Highlander knew he was outmatched, but was beyond caring. He slashed again each time Rose feinted. Although his moves were crude, the man had a solid defense and was beginning to build an offense. By constant movement and use of the slashing bottle, he held his ground against Rose until McCloud reentered the fight.

  The constant movement had forced the Highlander toward the bar and McCloud's coiled legs. With his attention focused on Rose, he never noticed McCloud's kick until his ankle broke. He fell to the ground, face to face with McCloud, a look of amazement on his face. McCloud kicked him several times as she hastily stood, but the man was no longer interested in fighting.

  Rose placed his hand lightly on her good shoulder. "Are you all right?"

  McCloud looked at him as if he were crazy until she noticed the object of his gaze. Her entire arm was red with blood. She glanced at the man on the floor, her head cocked in question. Rose simply nodded.

  With stunning speed, McCloud kicked the man squarely in the stomach. The man groaned and heaved his mostly liquid dinner onto the bar's floor. McCloud was ready to kick him again as Rose placed a restraining hand on her shoulder.

  "We'd best be going," he said. McCloud looked up at him in amazement. "Come on, Rachel."

  "Listen to the man, lady."

 
Rose and McCloud turned to the final attacker. He stood across the room, one hand cradled to his chest, the other holding a needier. The few customers who had not fled into the restaurant seemed to side with the locals. Although none seemed to be armed, they all looked ready to let the remaining Highlander finish the fight as he saw fit.

  McCloud was stunned. "You provoke a fight, then threaten to kill us when we beat the snot out of you?"

  The gunman did not answer, but his eyes told her the truth.

  "So much for that Highlander honor you've been telling me about, Rose." Backing away from the man she'd been kicking, McCloud allowed Rose to lead her out of the restaurant.

  The cool air was bracing against their sweat-soaked skin. Rose grabbed McCloud's arm and began to walk her away from the bar as quickly as possible. Although the hour was early, the streets were temporarily deserted. Heading back to The Fort, they glanced about for a cab. "You know, Rose, I think you saved my life in there."

  "The hell you say. I damn near cost you your eye, not to mention your life." He spotted a cab and waved frantically. McCloud was leaning heavily on him as the adrenaline wore away.

  "No. You saved my life. Now I owe you." The cab started forward and Rose quit waving. He used both hands to hold McCloud up. "Hey, where did you learn all those fancy moves?" she mumbled.

  "I was stationed on Luthien for years, remember? I guess I learned the basics here on Northwind, though, from my mom." McCloud slumped against Rose, barely conscious. As she started to fall, he scooped her up in his arms and waited for the cab.

  "What about that shout?" she said groggily. "Where'd you learn that?" Rose looked down at her, surprised to see she was still conscious. The cab pulled up and the driver got out to open the door, concern etched on his face.

  "My spirit shout, if you believe such nonsense. My sensei said that if you were ever in great need, you could release part of your spirit to stun your opponents. That's the first time I've ever tried it in combat, though."