Thor's Gap, Tharkad

Donegal Province

Lyran Alliance

The air in the mobile HQ unit was tense: for most of the march from Tharkad City, the Irregulars had seen battle-broken units streaming past them, headed for the supposed safety of the capital. The few pilots who had been willing to stop long enough to talk to Cairo told of a complete rout, unit's braking and running for the pass as the Word of Blake vanguard approached the far end of the valley.

The small hollow tank showed the worsening situation. Cairo cleared his throat, "As you can see, there is maybe a regiment of Lyran Mech's on the far side of the pass, supported by what little remains of the 278th ComsGuards Division, but they are down to less than a battalion of operational machines." The officers around the table nodded: Word of Blake sleeper agents had wrecked considerable havoc on ComStar, paying special attention to the military arm. Thousands where dead, and entire regiments decimated across the entire Inner Sphere: victims of assignations and bombings. Memories of Elisabeth Carpenter's treachery on Callisto V still fresh in everyone's mind.

Jack Cameron raised his head, "What's the battle plan?" Cairo typed a command into the holo-tank, and part of the screen expanded to show a bottleneck in the valley, "The pass narrows here from almost 1km to less than 500-meters. If we can hold that point, we can hold the valley till help arrives." Cameron looked worried, "Is that likely? I mean, these troop's we've seen heading for the city don't look ready to about-face and counter attack."

Cairo leaned back against the wall, "The only other option is to pull back to the city and face the enemy there. I don't know about the rest of you, but I've seen the results of urban combat up close and personal, I know what it doses to people's lives. If there were another option, I'd take it in half a heartbeat. It may comedown to that, but I have been ordered to hold this pass, and if I have to go out there on my own armed with nothing but my side arm, then that's what I'll do."

He looked around the room; "We have all sworn an oath to hold the line against the darkness, and to give our lives, if that is necessary to keep innocent people from being harmed. That is what will happen if the fighting reaches the city. Remember this: Word of Blake has no problems with using weapons of mass destruction on civilian targets. They have set up death camps on concurred worlds to weed-out undesirables and those who appose them." He tapped the Coms-Guard motif on his lapel; "Simply wearing this is an automatic death sentence if they capture you. Be under no illusions, this is a fight to the death: we hold this pass or we die trying."

Star Colonel Jake Kabrinski shifted uncomfortable on his feet, "Would it be possible to bring the walls of the canyon down, as was done to Clan Jade Falcon at the Grate Gash on Twycross?" Cairo shook his head, "Neg, it was the first thing I thought of: the geology of the mountains is too different. We have neither the time nor explosives needed to create a big enough blast to do anything worthwhile. The only thing we have that could to the job is one of out nukes, and I don't have the authority to deploy them on an inhabited planet."

Cairo rubbed his head, "We have about an hour to get into position. Those of us with OmniMech's will find that they have been out-fitted with a mainly energy weapons: re-supply is likely to erratic at best, so make sure of your target before you take a shot. Ok, get back to your unit's and mount-up."

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The last few Mech's from the 278th Division filed pass the Irregulars position, hounded by long-rage fire from Word of Blake Light Mech's. Cairo tightened his harness. "Here they come people: heat 'um up." Mech's shifted their arms and weapons systems, going active with their sensors. Cairo could see the targeting system on a RFL-8D Rifleman starting to spin, feeding its pilot accurate targeting information. Battle Armoured Clan infantry started to move along among the boulders above the ridge, getting ready to leap down, using the superior elevation to aim down on hostile Mech's.

Cairo selected an encrypted channel from the com-system, ignoring the new hands-free system the ComStar technicians had installed, "Sinead, I love you, and wouldn't trade my time with you for anything. I just wanted you to know that." He changed frequencies without waiting for a reply, "René, Vassili: I know standing orders have you as my bodyguards, but I want you to keep Sinead. I can take care of myself."

Shifting the Templar's stance so it's legs where further apart, Cairo reached back into his mined and opened the door that kept his rage at bay. His eyes narrowed as all his pent-up aggression flowed through him, "FIRE!"

To Be Continued…