Equatorial Rainforest, Mesa region,

Tharkad, Donegal Province,

Lyran Alliance

"Now that's not good..." Dancer moved his Thunder Hawk forward, "In fact, that's very bad."

"Thanks for stating the obvious Rob." Cairo shook his head, "We picking up anything on external sensors that could account for this?"

"Nothing." Bradley sounded ill, "There's no sign of gas or biological agents in the air: there's nothing..."

"Suck it in Lieutenant: I need you focused." Cairo took a deep breath, "OK, Bravo and Charley company's, fan out and sweep the area: keep tight and stay sharp. I want to find out how this happened, to see it happen again. Able company: stand watch." He cut the radio, "You sure about there being no gas or anything?"

"Yes sir." Bradley swallowed, "I've run diagnostics on all the sensors: there's nothing out there that would explain this."

"Ok, I'm going to go have a closer look." Cairo locked his Mech's legs in position, "Monitor Bravo and Charley company's: let me know if anything happens." He undid his safety harness and opened the exterior hatch built into the side of his Templar's cockpit. The long metal chain ladder fell to the ground, the rattle it made disturbing the local bird life, sending them to the sky in a chorus of cries.

Making his way over to the nearest Militia Mech, a battered looking Wolfhound, Cairo bend down to look into it's cockpit: the pilot was dead at the controls, dried blood running from her nose and ears.

"Anything?" Patrick Clearwater asked from halfway down his Atlas.

"Nothing, but if they're all like this, they're all dead." Cairo looked around: the rest of his and Patrick's command Lance's had dismounted, "Spread out, see f you can find any survivors: I want to know what happened here." Nodding grimly, the other MechWarriors started checking the cockpits.

"WE GOT A LIVE ONE!" A voice called out across the clearing. Cairo bolted towed the voice, vaulting a fallen log. A small group had already form around the head of a FS9-O Firestarter OmniMech.

"Make a hole!" Cairo cried as he pushed through the group, "Someone get the medical kit from the rescue gear."

"I got it." Sinade grabbed the green canvas bag from under the downed Mech's command couch, "Look's like electrocution."

"Electrocution?" Cairo raised an eyebrow, then grabbed the young pilots neural helmet, "The anti-theft device got set-off. Someone tampered with the security system..." He span round, grabbing the two-way radio from his belt, "Bradley, tell everyone to carefully check their anti-theft systems: they could be booby-trapped."

"Sir?" The young MechCommander was confused.

"Just do it: I don't have time to explain." Cairo cut link, and turned to get his first good look at the Militia pilot: he was young, younger even than Bradley, probably still a teenager, "How is he?"

"He'll probably live, but his chances would be better if we got him to a proper hospital." Sinade looked up, "I'm just a first-aider, not a doctor; there could be brain damage for all I know."

"Keep him stable: he's the only one who can tell us what happened here." Cairo raised his radio back his mouth, "Bradley: get onto Militia HQ and have them send a medical V.T.O.L and investigation team.

"Copy that Sir." Bradley still sounded shaken up, "Sir, I'm picking up a weak signal on the emergency band."

"Patch it through." Cairo raised the transmitter to his ear.

"This is fire-base Delta...*CRACKLE* under attack...*CRACKLE* can't hold out much...*CRACKLE* Need help!" The broken and static laden signal cutout.

"MOUNT-UP!" Cairo sprinted for his Mech, climbing up the ladder like a scared monkey. He dived through the hatch and hit the auto-wind before closing the hatch and strapped himself in, "Charley Company: stay here and wait for the Militia medical team. Keep that kid alive. Able and Bravo company's; with me!" He started to power up the Templar, "Talk to me Sara."

"Fire-base Delta is a small Militia outpost about 20-clicks from here." Bradley called up the information on her screen, "Regular infantry and a few light vehicles."

"P.B.I.'s." Cairo mutter under his breath, "Plot a coarse and send it to Able and Bravo Company's: we're going in." He started the Mech forward as fast as he could manage between the trees.

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

It took 45-minuets to reach firebase Delta, high on the slopes of an extinct volcano. The Irregulars burst through the tree line behind a large number of Word of Blake troops in Longinus Battle Armour. Cairo brought up his Templar's right arm and trigger it's trio of Class-2 Rotary Auto-cannons. The 40mm rounds cut thought the enemy lines like a scythe, chopping them down. His ER-PPC barked, a bolt of man-made lightning vaporising one target, leaving a cloud of ionised gas in its place. The other's also fired at the Battle Armour, cutting into them with savage intent, cutting them down in swathes. Some turned to face the new threat, but the fire from the line of dug-outs and trenches that made up fire-base Delta caught them from behind.

Their attack faltering, the Blakist's started to pull back, disappearing into the forest.

TBC