Leoh had been searching for that method when the news of Dulaq’s duel against Odal reached him.
Now he was speeding across parsecs of space, praying to himself that the dueling machine had not failed.
The two-week flight ended. The starship took up a parking orbit around the capital planet of the Acquataine Cluster. The passengers transhipped to the surface.
Dr. Leoh was met at the landing disk by an official delegation, headed by Massan, the acting prime minister. They exchanged formal greetings there at the base of the ship, while the other passengers hurried by.
As Leoh and Massan, surrounded by the other members of the delegation, rode the slideway to the port’s administration building, Leoh commented:
“As you probably know, I have checked through your dueling machine quite thoroughly via tri-di for the past two weeks. I can find nothing wrong with it.”
Massan shrugged. “Perhaps you should have checked then, the machine on Szarno.”
“The Szarno Confederation? Their dueling machine?”
“Yes. This morning Kanus’ hired assassin killed a man in it.”
“He won another duel,” Leoh said.