[dcs_p]As Tana had done only moments ago, Borg turned on his heel and left Devon
standing alone on the platform.[/dcs_p]
[dcs_p]In the vacuum of silence and no small amount of emotion, the massive shape of
the Assassin beckoned him. It was almost time.[/dcs_p]
[dcs_p]How honorably will you defend your dishonorable actions, Mike Strider?[/dcs_p]
…
[dcs_p]As Devon shifted the throttle into high, he quickly formed a winning strategy. Provided
he could beat Mike, he would take him as a bondsman. This would serve a dual
purpose: a demotion would bring Mike into a humbling position – as close to being
removed from the entire unit as Devon saw fit – as well as honoring him by accepting
him as a bondsman. Within the Clans, a refusal to take one as a bondsman usually
implied great insult.[/dcs_p]
[dcs_p]Before he had fully considered Mike’s current strategy, Devon realized he had already
been set up. The short distance he’d traveled had brought him into the abandoned strip
mining complex north of the Strikers headquarters. The area bode much danger to green
pilots, but a veteran like Devon rarely made piloting errors. Devon was in fact famous
for his amazing piloting ability. If anything, Devon hoped that Mike had come to
believe the position to be a weak point. An opponent’s confidence could easily be used
against him.[/dcs_p]
[dcs_p]Mike smiled under his heavy neurohelmet. He could guess that Devon was
hardly worried by the change in terrain. But Mike had planned something else that he
hoped Devon had failed to realize.[/dcs_p]
[dcs_p]As Devon pushed his Assassin up and over a rusted piece of mining equipment, he
saw the HUD’s notification of incoming LRMs. As he easily sidestepped Mike’s attack,
he realized something was amiss. There was no way that Mike had missed by that much.
[/dcs_p]