Betrayal
Amidst a lull of the conflict, word came down that reinforcements from the FWLM were being deployed to their area. Assured that they would be relieved and even rewarded for their efforts, the Blackthornes Dragoons kept on their resistance. This bout continued well beyond the intended landing date, but once the landing was underway, the Hearth Guard were again sent out to defend the landing zone for the incoming forces. This ended up being a bad decision. The forces sent were none other than the 5th Regulan Hussars. This group had a strong hatred toward the Duchy of Oriente, who the Blackthornes had been attempting to gain new contracts with for some time, foregoing offers from several Regulan worlds. For this reason, or perhaps something lost to the moment, the Hussars began to fire on both the attacking Lyrans and Blackthornes alike, completely surprising the latter, and sending both into full retreat. Only a last-minute strafing run by the Blackthornes Dragoons aerospace forces created enough space for the group to make their getaway. Enraged or embarrassed by their mistake, the 5th Regulan Hussars immediately declared the Blackthornes as traitors for striking back against them, and announced that if they did not surrender within 24 hours, they would be hunted down and their base bombarded to rubble.
In this dark hour, the question of surrender was raised for debate many times but each time ultimately rejected by the remaining command staff. The very act of the attack meant that the 5th had put so much of their focus on the Blackthornes that they'd failed to prevent the Lyran raiders' escape and would have to take steps to save themselves from recrimination, either by making the Blackthornes appear incompetent or even possibly in league with the invaders despite their service record. Finally, the decision was reached to attempt the impossible. They would attempt to surprise the Hussars and make a run for open space, putting into play the trump card the Blackthornes had sealed away, never truly intending to use again.
