sir." Tarlac turned to Hovan and said quietly, "Let's do
this right. You face the crowd."

Hovan did so, glancing over the brightly-dressed courtiers. His unease
was stronger now, though no better defined, and he was still tense,
alert for action. Something was definitely wrong here, something in
the subtle readiness of a small group nearby--

Steve's voice broke into his thoughts. "Raise your right hand and
repeat after me: 'I, Hovan of Clan Ch'kara, do solemnly swear . . ."

Hovan did as Steve told him. "I, Hovan of Clan Ch'kara, do solemnly
swear . . . to protect and defend the Terran Empire . . . from all
enemies, foreign and domestic . . . and to bear true faith and
allegiance to the same. This I pledge before the Lords, by my own
honor and Ch'kara's."

Tarlac lowered his hand and extended it. "Congratulations, First
Lieutenant Hovan, and welcome to Imperial Service."

Hovan was reaching to take Steve's hand when his misgivings became
reality. He spotted movement, a flash of light on gunmetal, and
everything happened at once. Hovan was already reacting as he heard
the bark of a slugthrower and saw the spurt of flame. His dagger flew
for its target, a human screamed--

--and Steve was spun around and hurled to the floor by a heavy slug in
the center of his back. Anticipation and combat-sharpened reflexes let
Hovan get halfway to the assassin before the Palace Guards could act.
By the time they'd surrounded the group, a snarling Hovan had the man
who'd used the gun in custody, one claw-extended hand clamped on his
neck and shoulder while he rammed the muzzle of his blaster against the
base of the man's skull.

The human was shivering, fearful yet defiant. "Get your hands off me,
you damn Shark! And get your knife out of my shoulder!"

"You'll be patched up," the Guard Major in charge said grimly. "Long
enough to take a mindprobe, anyway." He reached under his blouse for a
pair of handcuffs, put them on the prisoner, and turned to his squad.
"Take this one to the medical unit, the rest straight to Security."

Hovan released the assassin with a shove. "What will be done with him?
And why would he shoot Ranger Tarlac?"

"Did you see the button he was wearing?" the Major asked. At Hovan's
nod, he went on. "He's a Humanity Firster. They're a bunch of
fanatics and troublemakers, though we never thought anyone, even one of
them, would be stupid enough to do something like this. He'll be
min