Militia HQ, Costa Mesa
Tharkad, Donegal Province
Lyran Alliance

"Now slowly put your weapons down." Grissum was still smiling like a Cheshire cat.

"We put our guns down and you'll kill us and her." Cairo's eyes narrowed, "You can't get out of here alive."

"Well then, what do I have to lose by redecorating this office with your wife's brains?" The traitorous Lyran officer asked.

"Let her go and there's a chance I may just kill you." Cairo's eyes where as hard a stone, "Hurt her, and the doctors will have to write new textbooks to describe what I'll do to you."

"You don't seem to understand the situation: you put your guns down, or I kill her."

450-km outside Tharkad City
Tharkad, Donegal Province
Lyran Alliance

"Ok, we will have to hit this head on." Star Captain Janet pulled her fighter round in a tight curve, centring it up on the raised Maglev track, "We go in low and fast, hitting it with everything we have."

"I am right behind you." Star Commander William set his HUD to target the train, not the other fighter, "We are in the pipe, 5-by-5."

The train grew quickly in Janet's sights, and she opened up at maximum range, her lasers chewing the stylised engine housing to scrap, melting the outer casing but doing little real damage to the locomotive. Just nudging the controls slightly, she pulled up, the G-forces pinning her into her seat.

William opened fire the instant the other craft was clear, his own weapons taking advantage of the holes already opened up in the once streamlined train. So intent was he that he forgot to pull up until the last second.

The tip of his left wing caught the tangled remains of the train's hull, sending the fighter into a deadly spin. The nose kissed the ground at over 500-km/h, leaving a trench meters long as it started to spin. The right wing snapped off entirely, ripping a rent in the reactor shielding.

The remaining fuel was touched off when a white-hot metal shard pierced its Kevlar-reinforced tank, blasting the tail clear away from the stricken craft, and breaking its back. The nose ploughed into the fields, burying itself under tons of earth. William was already dead by the reactor containment field failed, and the Extra-Light fusion reactor obliterated what remained.

"This is Echo 4-18 to Lancaster." Janet felt her mouth suddenly go dry with the speed of her wing mates death, "Echo 4-19 is down. No chance of survival."

"We copy Echo 4-18." The Spirit Sights Air-Boss replied, "Pull back: we are approaching weapons range."

As if to etherise the point, a star-bight pillar of light traced a line of destruction across the open plains as the Maxell-45 Naval Lasers in the Corvettes nose started making ranging shots. This was added to by a huge explosion and mushroom cloud of dirt as the massive Pontiac-40 Naval Autocannon in the ships nose missed the maglev line by a few scant meters.

Militia HQ, Costa Mesa
Tharkad, Donegal Province
Lyran Alliance

Time seemed to stand still in Spendlove's office: Grissum's finger his revolvers trigger at braking point, the slightest squeeze set to send a .45-caliber round through Sinade's head.

Cairo stood just inside the doorway, his own 9mm pointed at the Lyran officer's head, never wavering.

Spendlove and Dancer stood in the hallway, unable to do anything but listen.

"Why help Word of Blake?" Cairo asked, "Why betray your own people?"

"Oh but I haven't." Grissum's insane grin widened, "You see, Word of Blake is only the means to an end: once they have cleansed the Alliance of Davion influences, Archon Katrina Steiner will return, and the entire Inner Sphere will be united under her rule."

"News flash hot shot: that ain't going to happen." Cairo felt like smiling himself, "I've met your dream ruler: she's sharp, I'll giver her that, but the bitch's got the charm of a rattle snake."

"BASTARD!" Grissum yelled, his gun spinning round to point at Cairo, who was already diving for the floor. Sinade's elbow snapped back, braking Grissum's grip on her arm, allowing her to brake free. The Lyran officer pulled the trigger, the first round catching Spendlove in the shoulder, spinning him round before he fell to the floor. Dancer leapt across the room, tackling Sinade as she tried to rise, knocking her out of the line of fire.

The move cost him: Grissum's next round caught him in the side just below his ribcage, snagging the bottom of both lungs. Sinade grabbed him by the armpits and dragged him behind a low wall.

"What you go a do a crazy thing like that for?" She asked, trying to stop the bleeding with her hands.

"We're even now." Dancer smiled between coughing up spurts of crimson blood, "Tell Rebecca I'm sorry…" His eyes closed for the last time.

To Be Continued…