The Cairo Saga, Book 2: The Solaris Irregulars
Chapter 30: It's good to be back
Tukayyid City
Tukayyid
Free Rasalhague Republic
The Mary-Ellen Carter landed softly, and Cairo walked, duffle bag in hand, down the cargo ramp. He looked up at the sky, and the starts seemed to dance: despite it being almost 3 A.M. local time, DropShips by the dozen still made their way down through the gravity-well to Tukayyid City Spaceport.
Across the concourse, he could see a Clan Wolf-in-Exile DropShip unloading Mech's and equipment. Dozens of MechWarriors marched from troop transports to a line of trucks that stood ready to take them to barracks. He looked up to see a flight of Aerospace fighters shoot by with their afterburners glowing in the dark.
Cairo smiled: for now, at least, this was home.
As he walked across the landing pad, he thought of the trip back from Hesperus II: long weeks of tedium while the jump-drives of the three Warship's recharged, then the nauseating oblivion of a hyperspace jump. He was grateful for the Lithium-Fusion battery systems that the ship carried, cutting the four-month trip down to just two.
He reached the Spaceport terminal, and hailed a taxi. He told the driver to head for the hospital where Sinead was, and relaxed in the back seat for the short drive. Tukayyid City had certainly seen some changes while he had been away: prefab buildings covered what had been vacant lots. He saw MechWarriors in the uniforms of a dozen units: Lyran, Draconis, Fed-Sun's, Mercenary, and even a few Clan pilots, sticking to small groups. The war was certainly heating up for such a force to be assembled.
The hospital was quiet, and Cairo's ComStar pass got him past the security guards who had tried to pointed out visiting times to him. He quietly walked along the corridor to his wife's room: she lay still on the bed, most of the tubes and bandages removed.
Cairo asked the nurse on duty if there had been any changes, "Well, she stopped bleeding internally not long after she got here. We have been able to repair most of her injuries, and now it's just a case of letting her come-around in her own time." Cairo thanked the nurse, and sat himself down in the chair next to the bed.
Cairo woke next morning to the feel of a hand resting on his own. He sat bolt upright, and was greeted with a smile from Sinead.
"How long have I been out?" Her voce was groggy, but she was awake.
"About five mouths." Cairo clasped her hand tight, "You where pretty badly banged up."
"What happened? The last thing I remember was sitting in a café, talking to Clearwater."
"It was Word of Blake. One of their agents fired an SRM at the café. I managed to shoot him before he could re-load."
"Where's Jane?"
"Isis Marik is looking after her. Don't worry; it's a long story. I had to go on a mission, only got back last night."
"So how am I?"
"Well, the nurse last night told me you where almost completely better. They are a bit worried about your sense of balance: the blast ruptured your eardrums."
"So I may be barred from piloting a Mech again. Well, at lest I'm still alive, and you're here. Now go get my daughter: I want to see how she's grown while I've been asleep. And have a shower, you stink like a skunk."
TBC…