To try to hold on to love is to try to hold water in a clenched fist. And to try to hold honor is to hold fire. It is every bit as elusive and torments the grasper. 
Appearing in "In the Hands... Fire!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Lady Illyrie (First appearance; dies) (Only in flashback)
- Polibos (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
Antagonists:
- Laios (First appearance; dies) (Only in flashback)
- Black Fleet (Only in flashback) (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Cilicia (Vision or hallucination)
- Baron Karza (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
- Homeworlders
- Acroyears (Main story and flashback)
- Ecbatanis (First appearance)
Locations:
- Microverse (Main story and flashback)
- Earth (Mentioned)
Vehicles:
- Black Fleet ships
- Acroyear fleet ships
Synopsis for "In the Hands... Fire!"
Acroyear experiences a vision of the Lady Cilicia and converses with it about the dishonor he feels regarding his exile. He begins to tell a story in which he experienced a significant event in his past as a commander in the Acroyear fleet.
He flashes back to a time in which the Acroyears had come to the aid of the world Ecbatan, a satrapy of Homeworld under the administration of the Acroyears, against the attacking Black Fleet. The battle is intense and many Acroyears die in the fight and they seem to be on the verge of defeat but ultimately execute a maneuver known as "Demon" which involves flying their shielded ships through the planetary atmosphere at a speed that turns it to plasma and carrying that plasma into the fray hence sealing their victory.
Afterwards, Acroyear and the Lady Illyrie land on the planet's surface and met with the regent Laios. Laios drives them to a reception to honor them but they are attacked by rebels who were responsible for hiring the attacking fleet. Laios and Illyrie are injured during the attack but security forces are able to clear the attacking rebels. Illyrie swears a blood debt to the regent due to him having saved her from the rebels while he heals himself in their body banks before attending the banquet in their honor. At the banquet, Laios explains that the rebellion is led by his son who apparently blames him for the death of his wife and son. Afterwards, Acroyear and Illyrie are shown to their chambers despite a mix up in assuming them to be partnered and expecting just one room to be needed.
While in her chambers, Illyrie encounters the rebel leader who reveals that he is actually the father of Laios, Polibos and that his son had engineered a devious deception in which he had his mother killed and then grafted his brain on to his grandfather's nervous system and assumed the regency of the planet. Despite Illyrie believing him, she is forced to keep him as prisoner due to her blood debt owed to Laios. She confronts Laios and convinces him that she has a romantic interest in him but deceives him when she reveals a bio-scan unit beneath his bed and revealing his own deception. She goads him into attacking her and he shoots her dead giving the other Acroyears the freedom to attack since she is relieved of her blood debt. Acroyear kisses her to honor her dying wish.
Returning to the present, Acroyear tells the vision of Cilicia that this is why he considers the price of honor too high and hence allowed Spartak to be destroyed. The vision tells him that the price of love is also high and that he should not be afraid to pay that price, which he agrees to.