Rachel Garret was at the helm of the battered dropship Worthing. Most of the command crew had been killed in the Dragoons subsequent attacks. When they had discovered that the mercs hadn't been fooled into leaving, the engines developed a problem. They had already lost their entire mech force defending the dropship.

She wiped her forehead and gunned the controls one last time. The engines glowed and fired. The whole ship was jolted off the ground. Garret almost leapt with relief when an alarm sounded and the bridge's tactical station exploded.

The last of the turrets were gone.

She checked the speed indicator on the console and gripped a comm. "Engine room! We need more power or we'll never get out of weapon's range!" There was a pause, no response. "Engine room!"

The loud speakers remaining crackled. "Critical hit: Engineering," the woman's voice was calm, almost peacful. Garret stood up from the helm as the ship rocked and the ground became visible in the view port.

"No," she gasped.

The ship was vaporized before it hit the ground.