By mid-afternoon they had made it into a maze of broken, sand-like canyons. Ancient peoples of Terra called it the wadi. They had been walking since morning while carrying massive loads on their shoulders. Some of the older delegates and staff members nearly fainted from the oppressive heat as the relentless sun shone down upon them as they moved across the sand dunes. Particles of fine sand had seeped into every orifice of their bodies, it was one of the characteristics of journeying along a desert; it was like a hot, sandy beach, but with no water in sight.

  It was imperative that they move away from the crash sight as fast as possible while the enemy was still making landing preparations. A rebellious minority, led by Duke Rudiger Steiner, had refused to heed to Dominic's authority and had settled down just south of the crater lip where the crashed DropShip lay. They would wait for the Blakists and try to reason their way out. Dominic hoped that if they weren't killed that they would at least get off the planet and tell everyone what had happened. He knew that it was nothing more than a distant wish that would ever come to pass but he tried to stay optimistic.

  "Okay, everyone, take a rest and some water." Dominic said as the stream of people made it into the shade of the wadi. "Make sure you look before you sit. We will be heading off again once the sun sets." Although night was the preferred time to journey in the desert because of the lesser chances of heat-related injuries and dehydration, Dominic and Natasha knew that they needed to get as far away from the crash sight as possible. Now that they had some form of concealment, they would use the broken terrain as a landmark with which to head north.

  Natasha sat beside him, her jumpsuit clinging with perspiration. "I need to talk to you."

  Dominic's hair was matted with sweat as he took a swig of water from a canteen. He was exhausted and had a burning headache but he knew he had to keep sharp. Everyone was depending on him. "What is it?" He asked.

  "I was able to jettison my Warhammer as well as Palatine's Crusader from the Beagle." The Black Widow said as she took off her boots and emptied the grains of sand from them.

  "That's good news. Where is it?"

  "That's the problem," Natasha said, "I don't know exactly. They could be anywhere within a 500km radius."

  Dominic closed his eyes as the pounding of his brain continued. He felt like his forehead was about to burst. "So now what?" He asked.

  "I have a tracking beacon," Natasha said as she pulled out a palm-sized electronic device, "but I'll need to get within 200km for it to activate."

  "Do you have a plan?"

  "Yes." The Black Widow answered as she put her boots back on. "Chief Malone has got enough materials to make an ultralight. I'll need to get it constructed before you get going."

  "Captain," Dominic opened his eyes and looked straight at her, "I'm sorry for getting you in this. If it wasn't for me, you would still be alright in New Avalon."

  "Its okay." Natasha said. "If anything, it was probably my presence here that brought this on. I have bad luck, remember?"

  Despite his parched throat, Dominic laughed hoarsely. The joke was silly but it got rid of his stress. "Okay then. We will be following this wadi all the way up north until it either ends or we get to the mountains. I'm sure once you get to your 'Mech you should have no problem tracking us down. I'll give you my comm. frequency so you could patch in as soon as you get to your Warhammer."  He acted like it was going to succeed but he knew it was nearly impossible and this would be the last time he would see her.

  "Thanks, Major." The Black Widow smiled faintly as she got up. "See you soon." She said as she walked over to where Malone was so that they could begin construction of the glider.

  Dominic nodded and said a silent goodbye as he tucked his head between his knees.

  Mandrissa Monika Lee tried to get some rest as she lay in the collapsible stretcher. She was approaching sixty years of age and despite all of her efforts, she fainted within two hours of their trek and had to be carried the rest of the way. The intense heat literally sapped her strength and despite her spirit, her flesh had weakened. That she declined to drink while making the hike only added to her complications for it further dehydrated her body. It was then that she started developing severe cramps on her legs and then her subsequent collapse. Dominic quickly surmised that it was from heat exhaustion and ordered her carried the rest of the way as well as insisting that she drink her full share of water.

  As she drifted in and out of consciousness beneath the shade of the canyon walls, Monika Lee noticed that someone was sitting beside her, taking sips from a water bottle.

  "Am I bothering you, Mandrissa?" It was Count Seiji Oshiwara, official delegate of the Draconis Combine. His kimono robes were drenched in sweat as the perspiration cast a silver-like sheen over his bald scalp.

  Lee propped herself up on one elbow as she faced him. Her cramps were less severe now that she was rehydrating. "Not at all, Oshiwara-san. I assume that by you being here, you wish to discuss something?"

  "You are perceptive as always, Mandrissa." Oshiwara said as he placed the half-empty water bottle between his legs as he sat on the sand. "I find it curious that WOB would want to kill a few unimportant delegates such as we."

  "Apparently WOB considers us as much more important than we would consider ourselves." Lee mused.

  "And that begs the question, what do they find important about us?"

  "Any conclusions so far, Oshiwara-san?" Lee asked. He had her full attention now.

  "A few, but nothing more than idle speculation. Firstly, it seems that all the Great Houses are represented here except for one."

  "The Free Worlds League? I was told that all their required personnel are already in Tharkad."

  "How convenient. Seems that WOB will not be able to 'accidentally' cause an incident with their host faction, unlike us."

  "Do you honestly think that WOB would attempt to kill us all?" Lee asked.

  "If I had thought otherwise," Oshiwara said, "I would have cast my lot with Duke Steiner. It so happens that the Blakists are after something that we seem to have. What that thing is, I have no idea. But from what has happened so far, one factor is certain- WOB will go to any lengths to get it." He added.

  "Then the answer may very well lie with one of us here." Lee said. "The Blakists either wants someone or something."

  "Correct. If we are to know what it is, then we could have a more focused course of action." Oshiwara said. "I have told you this because I would like to work with you to find out what it is that WOB wants so badly. If we could work together, we may find the answer to the riddle."

  "Very well. It is agreed." Lee said.

  "Get some rest for now, Mandrissa." Oshiwara said as he stood up and dusted the sand from his kimono. "We will need your mind to be sharp when the time comes."

  Night had at last fallen as Adept Jason Cornelius walked down the landing ramp of the Fury class DropShip and onto the desert sand. He could see the men readying their equipment as he started walking over to a prefabricated command bunker situated between the three DropShips. Technicians were hurriedly unpacking crates of ordnance in order to get their war machines active as quickly as possible. As he walked along, Cornelius noticed just how peaceful the desert landscape could be; the night was crystal clear as the gas giant loomed overhead, ironically acting as moonlight for its own moon.

  Because Precentor St. Jamais had taken the 'Mech contingent for a light reconnaissance to try to find the delegates, Cornelius was now the senior officer in charge. His subordinates knew this but nevertheless they had great respect for he was, like Amon Goth, both a veteran of Tukayyid and Operation Odysseus. Despite his close-cropped hair nearly turning gray and his quiet demeanor was somewhat distracting, he was still a very deadly killer.

  Passing through the heavily armed guards at the front, he ventured inside the bunker. Cornelius could see a number of lesser-ranked Adepts pouring over maps and setting up communications gear. So far the situation was good, they were unloading well ahead of schedule.

  A white-robed acolyte handed him some readiness reports. "Our BattleMechs have not spotted anything as of yet, Adept Cornelius." She said.

  "Very well," Cornelius replied, "what of the rest of our forces?"

  "I am afraid we are stretched somewhat thin in regards to getting to full deployment, sir. Our engineers are setting up sensors along our perimeter while half our technicians are spray painting new desert camouflage on our equipment." The acolyte explained.

  Cornelius frowned. Everyone was practically working double shifts and completely exhausted. The best way for an optimum deployment would be to give everyone a week to acclimatize to the arid conditions of the moon's desert surface but he knew they would not have that time. The delegates needed to be found as soon as possible. "What of air support?" He asked.

  "We are putting priority on that, Adept Cornelius." She said. "We have begun deploying the Pintos first because we can easily re-assemble the rotors. Once they are all operational, we will continue on with the Ferrets."

  "Blake's thanks be to you." Cornelius said as he walked out of the bunker. As he started to head back to the DropShip, he noticed that a group of technicians were busy unpacking a number of items from a crate. Walking over to observe, Cornelius noted that it looked like a miniature, propeller-driven airplane of some sort.

  "What is this?" Cornelius asked the most senior technician.

  "This is the new Gnat remote-controlled spotter plane, Adept Cornelius." Adept Achmed Faud replied. It looked like a smaller version of the Boomerang spotter plane, albeit without a cockpit.

  "Ah, yes. I was briefed about this." Cornelius said. "When will it be ready?"

  "Give us another three hours, Adept." Faud said.

  "If it would help, then I shall say a prayer to blessed Blake for you." Cornelius smiled as he started to walk away.

  True to Faud's word, in less than three hours the first Gnat was taxiing down a prefabricated runway. An hour prior to that, the first Pinto attack helicopter had successfully lifted off for a shakedown flight. Once all was well, the helicopters would return and immediately start loading their weapons.