The Black Thorns had been discussing the rapid deterioration of their current situation when the front desk announced McCloud in the lobby. Rose imagined that it was one of the benefits of command, but he had a hard time getting used to the big suite that comprised his "room." The suite consisted of a meeting room, small office, bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen. The entire unit could have stayed here, and on more than one occasion, a member had bunked on the couch after a late-night meeting. Rose had finally agreed to take the large, and expensive, lodging when Rianna pointed out that it would also serve as the Black Thorns' office. Guests staying in suites could only be bothered by visitors once they'd been cleared by the front desk. It looked like the room would not be a problem for much longer.

"Good evening, Captain," Rose said amiably, "I take it this is not a social call."

McCloud glared, and Rose dug the last piece of shrimp out of the bottom of a paper carton. He wondered how he'd ever become close to the woman and what had happened to make her change toward him so quickly. "We were just discussing our options when you arrived. It shouldn't take long, and since I understand you are grappling with the same problems, perhaps it's good you're here. Esmeralda."

Rose grasped a half-finished bottle of dark beer and sat back to listen. Esmeralda ran her hand through her hair, forcing it temporarily out of her face. "Well, as the saying goes, we won the fight, but we lost the war. Although none of the civilians has wind of it yet, we're damn near the top of the Dragoons' shit list. The officers are barely civil and the enlisted treat us with open contempt. They might consider Hawkens to be a pain in the butt, but they sure know how to stick together. I guess their own recent troubles have taught them a lot about togetherness.

"We've been challenged by how many? Eight different Dragoon units?"

"Nine," said Badicus, "if you count the armored platoons."

"Twelve." All heads turned to Rianna, who shrugged. "There were three challenges waiting at my room this afternoon."

"In short, you've offended the Dragoons and they want to make me pay for it." Rose looked at Rachel and realized it was the first time he'd heard her speak all day. She still had a beautiful voice.

"I take it," he began cautiously, "that this treatment hasn't been confined to us?"

"The Bristol and her entire crew have been painted with the same broad brush." McCloud threw up her hands. "It isn't that they're doing anything you can put your finger on. Yes, some of the techs are rude, but plenty of techs are like that. Parts that were previously available can no longer be found, but that happens too. Service crews are unavailable . . . inspections take longer to complete, forms take longer to process. ..."

"... costs are slightly higher than estimated, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. All right," finished Rose, "we can see that we've worn out our welcome in Harlech. We've got to turn the situation around while we still have the chance—if we wait much longer, we'll be completely out of options. Now what do we do about it?

"Rianna, what about contracts?"

"Slim and none. The only offer we've had is from the Borghese delegation. I talk with them on a daily basis, but I've managed to put them off for now. For some unknown reason, they seem to like us and have stopped looking for another unit until we make a decision. If we want it, the contract is ours."

"Anything else, even remote?"

Rianna furrowed her brow and rubbed her eyes. "Nothing. We've got an outside shot at a couple of longer-term garrison jobs, but the odds are not in our favor. There are too many beat-up units returning from the front lines and willing to accept a cushy garrison billet for us to compete with."

"Anything we can subcontract from another unit?" asked Hawg. Rose looked at the man in wonder. He hadn't thought of it himself and was surprised that the big man did.

"Nothing on the table. Some of the bigger units are offering slots to qualified units, but most of them aren't true subcontracts. Twelve months from now we'd be locked into a long-term contract with little chance of getting out." For a moment, no one spoke.

"Disband?" It was Angus who said it, but nobody looked up. Although the man had posed the single word as a question, Rose feared it was the death cry of his new unit. He decided to remain silent. Despite his contracts with the people in this room, he could not lead if they were unwilling to follow. It was better to get it out in the open now. Hawg again surprised Rose by being the first to respond.

"I said I was in and I meant it. Besides, things are just getting interesting." Standing slowly, he came to attention and threw Rose a salute. Without waiting for a response, he sat back down, grabbing one of the many paper cartons of food on the way.

"I'm not leaving unless somebody kicks me out," said Esmeralda after a brief silence. She too stood up and saluted Rose. As she was sitting down, Badicus stood up. "I've come this far and see no reason to stop now."

Ajax stood next and gave a formal Liao salute. "Though I am unbloodied as a member of the unit, it is my hope to serve as admirably as the rest." He bowed slightly from the waist and sat down.

Rianna stood up and Angus followed, each performing a classic Highlander salute. "We're family. You don't even need to ask."

Rose regained control of his breathing and tried to keep his face and manner calm. Vowing silently to be worthy of such loyalty, he stood slowly and saluted each one in turn. Finally, he looked at Rachel McCloud.

"Captain, I know that you're worried about your ship and her crew. I understand that concern, but I cannot undo what has been done, however unfair the outcome has been for you. I can promise to make the situation as bearable as possible. We need the use of a quality DropShip manned by a skilled crew. You know us, and you know me. I'll do everything in my power to make sure your ship and your crew are provided for."

While McCloud studied Rose for a moment, the rest of the Thorns watched her making up her mind, Long minutes later she rolled her head against the back of the chair and looked at Rose with shining eyes.

"God will take me for being a fool, but I accept. Every hour I spend on this planet now just brings me closer to lifting off with no cargo at all, so you're my best business. However, I must guarantee my crew's safety. You will provide the crew's protection when we reach the Clan border."

Rose smiled and his team smiled with him.

"It looks like Borghese is the only place that will have us—and as it happens, it's the very place I want to go," he said heartily.

"Beats hanging around here," McCloud said, finally returning his smile.

"Ria, get the Borghesians on the line. Tell them the Black Thorns are on the way."

Part 2

20

Houston, Borghese

13 December 3054

 

The trip to Borghese was every bit as uneventful as Rose had feared it would be. Life on a DropShip was always boring for the soldiers being transported. The spacers in charge had all the work, and the mercenaries were expected to keep out of the way. Several times during the trip from Outreach to the jump point, an angry Captain McCloud had called Rose to the bridge, telling him to keep his people out of the way. Ground-pounders were particularly useless in the confines of the DropShip.