Eventually fatigue took its toll on the unit. Forty-eight hours after his last conversation with McCloud, Rose sat looking over the sleeping forms of his unit. At first the pilots had slept on the ground, but now they were forced to sleep in their 'Mechs in case the militia or Morgain's men arrived sooner than expected. Sitting in his Charger,Rose reflected on the noose that was tightening around the unit.

The militia commanders seemed to have figured out that the Black Thorns were unwilling to fight them, and had repositioned their men to the front and sides of the unit. While the militia kept the mercenaries in place, Morgain was closing the noose with his lance. To travel more than ten kilometers in any direction meant they would have to fight through one of the pursuing units.

Rose kept his eyes on the long-range scanner and watched the five heat sources his computer had long ago tagged as 'Mechs come cautiously closer. Opening the commlink he woke the rest of the unit as another channel on his comm blinked green. He was beyond hope that the call might be from Cooke, the only member outside the lance who had the frequency, but in spite of that, he opened the channel.

"Rose here."

"Good morning, Captain Rose." Rose didn't need an identification, instantly recognizing the voice as Salander Morgain's. He had no time to wonder how Morgain had obtained the frequency, but he knew things had just taken a turn for the worse.

"Mister Morgain, or is it Hauptmann now?"

Rose thought he heard light laughter on the line before Morgain answered. "Hauptmann it is, just like in my army days." Rose reached out to the comm unit and patched the feed from Morgain through the open channel. Now all the Black Thorns could hear his words, though only Rose could respond.

"Captain Rose, it is my duty to order you to surrender yourself and your unit immediately. As the rightful representative of the leadership of Borghese, I am authorized to accept your surrender and assure you that you will be treated fairly upon your return to Houston."

"What about the charges against us?"

Morgain seemed taken back by the question and did not respond immediately. "You will be tried in a court of law, as would any other citizen of the planet. Given the serious nature of the charges, I imagine you will appear before the Ruling Council.

"What about the charges against Captain McCloud?"

Morgain was ready for that question and answered immediately. "All charges against Captain McCloud have been dropped."

"What?"

"Upon the subsequent return of the Bristol —"

"The Bristol is back on Borghese?"

The comm unit was silent. For a moment Rose thought he'd misunderstood Morgain. Then the incoming light on channel three went green. That had to be McCloud trying to open a channel to Rose. He decided to ignore the light for a moment, waiting for Morgain to continue.

"Well, technically, Captain Rose, the answer is no. But the Bristol is insystem and should arrive back on Borghese tomorrow."

"So Chairman Cooke convinced you they weren't pirates after all?"

"On the contrary, Captain Rose, the late Chairman Cooke had nothing to do with it. The Bristol arrived of its own free will, piloted by the first officer."

"Cooke is dead?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Rose could tell Morgain was smiling as he spoke. "He died last night in his office at the Assembly Pavilion. An apparent suicide. I imagine the media will receive word of the event any moment now."

Rose wanted to reach through the commline and strangle the man. Morgain was too self-assured. He obviously thought he had all the answers.

"You're a liar, Morgain. Chairman Cooke would never take his own life."

Morgain scoffed. "How little you know about it, Rose. His note stated quite clearly why he ended his miserable existence. He was afraid of the new order that is coming to Borghese. He could not live with the change."

Rose was instantly sure he knew the answer, but he asked the question anyway.

"What change?"

"The change brought about by the Bristol .She's leading a Clan DropShip to the planet. The Jade Falcon commanders will formally accept the surrender of Borghese and claim the planet as their newest conquest."

Rose heard the words, but refused to believe them. Cooke's worst nightmare had taken place and the people of Borghese were the ones to blame. It wasn't good enough to just wait for the Clans, they had actually invited them to take their planet.

"You're with them, aren't you, Morgain?"

Again Rose didn't need to hear the response to know the answer. Morgain had too much information for a mere Hauptmann, especially one so far out in the field. Cooke had been killed to clear away any political opposition to the Clans. If Rose surrendered, there would be no further resistance to the Falcons. Borghese would be forced to surrender without a chance to defend itself. As the thought hit him, Rose also realized something else. The militia couldn't know about the death of Cooke or the arrival of the Clans. They were being kept out of the way and in the dark. By the time they returned to Houston, the capital would be firmly in Jade Falcon hands.

"Morgain, you and your Preservationists back in Houston can go straight to hell. You're as bad as the Clans you support, maybe worse, because you were born here, and now you're going to turn Borghese over to the invaders."

If Morgain bothered with a reply, it was quickly cut off as Rose killed the connection. The line to the Thorns, however, was still open.

"You heard the man, Black Thorns. Morgain is with the Clans. At this point it's probably safe to assume the militia doesn't know what's going on, but they will soon." On the scanner Morgain's lance closed on Rose. "Once the militia realizes they've been played for fools, they'll probably come over to our side." Even so, Rose realized that Morgain wasn't likely to give the militia the chance to figure out the truth. If the Black Thorns were wiped out, Morgain's lance could force the militia to accept the Clan invasion without resistance. As if to confirm his thoughts, the militia began to close in on either side of the Thorns.

"Morgain is going to try to squeeze us on all four sides. By the time the militia figures out we're the good guys, they'll already have helped eliminate us.

"Prepare to engage enemy 'Mechs. Keep away from the militia and do not, repeat do not, engage. Battle Lance, you'll form the center with me. Command Two and Pursuit Lance, stay to the rear. Attempt to engage the flanks as they open up."

Rose suddenly remembered McCloud. She'd been riding with Ajax for most of the day. Ajax had quietly suggested they leave her behind for the militia to rescue, but McCloud had steadfastly refused. Now that the fight was about to be joined, she was in the lightest 'Mech.

"Pursuit Two, do you still have your passenger?"

"Affirmative."

"Keep the passenger safe, Pursuit Two. All other considerations are secondary. Do you understand?"

"Affirmative, Command One. I understand." Good, thought Rose to himself, because I'm not sure I do.

As Rose spoke, Morgain's 'Mechs closed the distance. Although outnumbered, they obviously thought they had the advantage. And with the militia, Morgain was probably right. Now it was time for the Black Thorns to earn their pay and prove to themselves, and to the people of Borghese, that they could fight.

While the Thorns were maneuvering into position, Morgain's 'Mechs were picking up speed. As they came within four kilometers of the Thorns, Rose ordered his unit forward. Moving at cruising speed, they prepared to carry the fight to Morgain.