Medical Wing,

Com Star compound, Tharkad,

Donegal Province,
Lyran Alliance

"I've never liked hospitals." Cairo leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes, "Not sure why, just never have."

"Can't understand it myself." Rob Dancer sipped at his coffee, "My mother was a doctor, and so I've been around hospitals my entire life." He bowed his head, "I know this isn't the best time Steve, but I'm leaving."

"Leaving?" Cairo looked at his friend, "What do you mean leaving?"

"The Irregulars, Tharkad, The Alliance, soon as I can." Dance looked his CO in the eye, "I've seen the reports coming in over the Black Box. This war is getting bad: the dammed Blakist's have started dropping Nukes on New Avalon, and they've struck at Luthien. The Irregulars are like family to me, but the Combine's my true home."

"Well I can't say I didn't see that coming." Cairo was shocked, "Will you be going back to your old unit?"

"If they'll have me: like you I should have returned after Solaris." Dancer shrugged, "For all I know they could kill me the moment I cross the border."

"I take it Rebecca will be going with you." Cairo was finally coming round to what he had been told, "I'll cut order's transferring you're Mech's over to your personal command: you'll need them if the reports I've read are anything to go by."

"You don't need to do that." The sound of Cairo's pager going off cut off Dancer before he could finish.

"What the hell?" Cairo looked at the LED screen, reading the message as Dancer's also started warbling, "Shit: We got incoming!" He glanced at the door across the hallway, then leapt to his feet and ran down the corridor.

************************************************

The main hanger bay was a hive of activity when the two MechWarriors pushed through the last set of door's, already pulling off their overalls to revelling the ballistic cloth of their cooling vests beneath. Cairo sprinted along the gantry till he came to the catwalk leading to his newly repaired Templar. His personal as-tech handed him his neural-helmet as he dropped down through the hatch and closed it tightly.

"All systems on-line." The Omni's computer reported, "Please input voice code authorisation to release combat-systems."

"War does not determine who is right," Answered Cairo in a clear voice, "war determine who is left."

"Combat-systems released. All systems operating inside acceptable parameters." The computer activated the HUD and com-system, "Uplink established. Do you wish to connect to a MechCommander?"

"Confirm MechCommander uplink." Cairo activated his second screen, "This is Colonel Steven Cairo of the Solaris Irregulars requesting tactical overlay."

"Confirmed Col. Please stand by." The image of a disturbingly young woman filled the side screen, "I'm Lt. Bradley, and I will be your MechCommander today."

"Christ!" Cairo swore under his breath, unable to decide if he was getting older of if they had started using cadets to fill vacant slots in the Lyran Military. "I'd like to know what the hell's going on: I got paged telling me that there was an attack going on and I needed to get to my Mech, but that's all."

"Just a moment." Bradley typed commands into her console somewhere in the Triad, "We have reports of DropShip's landing in the foothills south south-east of the city. No contact was made before they dropped below the horizon due to enemy jamming. Your unit has been selected to recon in-force the projected landing zone and determine if they are hostile."

"Brilliant." Cairo's voice dripped with sarcasm, "Download all maps and relevant information into my computer and plot a rout to the LZ that'll minimise the chance of being detected."

"Confirmed." Bradley's fingers flew across her keyboard, "Exit the hanger and head south along the main street until you reach Central Avenue then head east. I will upload further instructions at that time."

"Confirmed." Cairo changed to his command frequency, "Ok boy's and girls, we got us some party crashers in the foothills. Command ant's to know who's side they're on, and we've got the job of finding out." The reassuring thud of a pair of Elementals dropping down onto his Mech's broad shoulders momentarily interrupted Cairo, "Stay in formation till we reach the edge of the city, then brake off by Battalion. When we reach the foothills, we will brake down to individual Company's, and begin the search." Cairo gripped the throttle with one hand, "Ok people; let's earn our pay."

To Be Continued.