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“Yes.”

“And another?”

“Yes.”

“Until what?”

“Until there are no challenges left.”

“Or you’re defeated.” He leaned in closer. “You spurned the perator earlier today. You offered him the fate of your foe and then you chose the other way. Now, to avenge the insult and please the perator, anyone who defeats you will kill you. No one will offer you mercy ever again. Correct?”

She looked past him to where her opponent waited. Wedge caught a glimpse of him, a man of medium height, his dark tunic and beard tricked out with fringes of flowing red ribbons. “My opponent is waiting,” she said.

“He can wait.” Wedge drew a deep breath and tried to settle his thoughts. “Cheriss, I’m going to say some things to you now. They’re going to sound egotistical. You’re probably going to deny them. I don’t really care. I know I’m right.

“You care about me, and you know I care about someone else, and you’ve decided to die rather than live with that.”

She just looked at him.

“I’m waiting.” That was Cheriss’s opponent, standing alone in the ring.

Wedge didn’t even look at him. “You’ve waited this long,” he called out. “Another few minutes won’t make you any homelier.”

Members of the audience tittered. Wedge recognized Janson’s laugh among the others.

He returned his attention to Cheriss. “I just wish,” he said, “that in addition to caring about me, you had some respect for me.”

“How can you say that?” At last there was emotion in her voice, unrestrained anger. “If I did not respect—”

“You wouldn’t be pointlessly throwing your life away, in direct contradiction to everything I believe?” People surrounding them looked at him, and he struggled to lower his tone. “Cheriss, this is an act of dishonor.”

Her tone turned contemptuous. “You really believe that.”

“I can prove it to you. At least, I can prove to you that everything you think about me is wrong. What is it about me that you, and the other Adumari, think is so honorable?”

“Your success in killing the enemy—”

“No. That’s dishonorable.” He waited until her eyes widened, then he continued, “Or it would be, without the right intent. Why do I kill the enemy, Cheriss?”

“For—for the honor—”

“Circular thinking. I’m honorable because I kill the enemy, and I kill the enemy for the honor. There’s nothing there, Cheriss. Here’s the truth: I kill the enemy so someone, somewhere—probably someone I’ve never met and never will meet—will be happy.”

She looked confused. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“Yes, it does. I told you how I lost my parents. Nothing I ever do can make up for that loss. But if I put myself in the way of people just as bad as the ones who killed my family, if I burn them down, then someone else they would have hurt gets to stay happy. That’s the only honorable thing about my profession. It’s not the killing. It’s making the galaxy a little better.”

She shook her head, unbelieving.

“And now you’re here, thinking like an immature girl instead of a woman, anxious to throw away your life because you’re unhappy now. And because you’ve been told all your life that there’s honor in doing something like this. Tell me, where’s the honor? Are you making Adumar a better place? Are you giving anyone a better life? Are you weeding bad men out of the court of Cartann, or are you just cutting them down randomly?”

“I … I …”

“Just stop doing this, Cheriss. Figure out how you’re going to live and be happy, not why you can’t. We’ll talk. You’ll learn how.”

Something settled in Cheriss’s expression, some pain behind her eyes. “Very well,” she said. “After this fight.”

“Refuse this challenge. It’s meaningless.”

“It’s meaningless … but I’ve already accepted it.” She drew her blastsword and examined the blade from guard to point. “I can’t withdraw my acceptance now. I’d be shamed forever.”

“Cheriss—”

“I can’t, General.” She moved past him to stand at the edge of the circle.

Wedge’s pilots and Tomer moved in beside him as the announcer went through the usual ritual commencing a duel.

“No good, huh?” Janson asked.

“Some good,” Wedge said. “If she survives.” He looked around, caught sight