They were standing in the former lecture hall that housed the grotesque bulk of the dueling machine. No one else had entered yet; the duel with Ponte was still an hour away.
“Come now, Albert,” said Spencer. “If that whining little politician had spoken to me the way he did to you, I’d have been tempted to hit him there and then.”
Leoh shrugged-
“These Acquatainians are an emotional lot,” Spencer went on. “Frankly, I’m glad to be leaving.”
“When will you go?”
“As soon as this silly duel is finished. It’s quite clear that Martine is unwilling to accept any support from the Commonwealth. My presence here is merely aggravating him and his people.”
Hector spoke for the first time. “That means there’ll be war between Acquatainia and Kerak.” He said it quietly, his eyes gazing off into space, as though he were talking to himself.
“Both sides want war,” Spencer said.
“Stupidity,” muttered Leoh.
“Pride,” Spencer corrected. “The same kind of pride that makes men fight duels.”
Startled, Leoh was about to answer until he saw the grin on Spencer’s leathery face.
The chamber filled slowly. The meditechs who operated the dueling machine came in, a few at a time, and started checking out the machine. There was a new man on the team, sitting at a new console. His equipment monitored the duels and made certain that neither of the duelists was getting telepathic help from outside-
Ponte and his group arrived precisely at the appointed time for the duel. Four newsmen appeared in the press gallery, high aboveLeoh suppressed a frown. Surely a duel involving the machine’s inventor should warrant more attention from the networks.