The Cairo Saga, Book 2: The Solaris Irregulars
Part 46: Trouble and Strife
Europe planes
Callisto V
Lyran Alliance
There are many ways to be woken up, and having a glass of water thrown over you is not that bad compared to some of them. Cairo looked up and groaned, "You're pissed at me, I can tell."
"That would be putting it mildly to say the lest Steven." Sinead looked down at him, "You promised me that you wouldn't go on any suicide-mission's, yet you walked right into that HPG alone."
"If it had been a suicide-mission, we'd not be having this conversation."
"That's not the point Steven, and you damn well know it! Did it ever occur to you that there are people who rely on you?
Cairo looked at his wife, confused by her body language, "Is there something you're not telling me?"
Sinead looked at the floor, "I'm pregnant again Steven."
"Crap!" Cairo buried is face in his hands, "You're pregnant and I go do a stupid thing like that to you!" He looked up, "I'd never have done what I did if I'd know: I would have done something, but not like that. I just couldn't let innocent people suffer because of me."
"I understand that," Sinead nodded, "but it felt like you had abandon me. I managed to talk the others into a rescue attempt, thinking that you'd be in a cell, but by the time we got into position, you'd already detonated the bomb."
"True: it was the only way I could get close enough to do anything. What happened with the nuke?"
"They didn't set it off, and they've been very quiet since. I think you scared them."
"Well, I've had enough of their mind-games: from now on, the gloves are off. Where are we by the way? Standing orders called for us to move the base if someone was captured."
"We're holed-up for the night, but we should reach the next rally point by tomorrow afternoon." Cairo nodded, rubbing his jaw, "Ok, good. One question: who hit me?"
"Sorry about that," Sinead smiled, "but I was upset at the time…"
Cairo strapped himself into the command couch of his Orion. It felt good to be back into his Mech after so long. The day's planed march took them along a shallow riverbed, with tall tress on ether side that would hopefully keep them safe from recon-satellites used by the Wobblies. He searched the radio bands for some music to listen to, but all long-range wavelengths were being jammed.
He thought on this for a moment: why would the Wobblies jam all long-range communications? It made no sense. He was about to as the others what they thought when his long-range scanner started picking-up contacts ahead and to each side of them.
The numbers grew until they reached a total of 108: a full regiment of Mech's, 3-times his own command.
He checked the I.F.F., just to make sure: Word of Blake.
He let out the breath he had been holding: the battle for Callisto-V would end here and now.
To Be Continued…