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Authors: ML Williams
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surprise. He had gotten accustomed to hearing Lar’s accounts of the other colonists, but this was different. “Can you tell where they are, chief? Did you recognize the landscape?”
Lar shook his head. “No, but I got a full panoramic view as if …" He stopped, realizing what he was seeing. “I am not seeing through Taryl, but through someone else’s eyes. She is acting as a mental portal.”
“Twenty men, a much larger party than ours,” Neb said. “They must be outfitted well and have plenty of supplies. I wish we knew where they were. We could leave markers for them.”
At the mention of supplies, the hunter shook his ration bag. It was low. The first week of their trip the hunters had successfully bagged several mountain goats, giving them meat for a short while. But the six men could only carry so much besides the gear they needed to survive the elements.
In the past week, the party had bagged only a few small rodents. Supplies were growing thin, temperatures were dropping the higher they climbed, and still thousands of meters of rock still loomed ahead of them.
During their trek, Lar and Neb had grown to respect each other. Both were no-nonsense men when it came to climbing or hunting, but they loved to share stories after settling down for the night. Lar did not need a translator to understand Neb’s actions. He knew they were low on supplies and it appeared the climb was only getting more treacherous. The temperatures and high altitude slowed them down, even with their insulated suits and breathers, which someone had the foresight to grab from the lander.
The security chief frowned, looking up at nothing but rocks. The rocks seemed to rise unmercifully into the sky. “How many more days of climbing will the supplies sustain us?”
Neb shook his head. “My guess, less than a week. We haven’t seen game for a while. We may have to consider how we will get back to the others,” he said gesturing down the mountain.
This was the answer Lar had feared. The security chief was desperate to continue, but he was a realist. It appeared the climb would take longer than he imagined. A much larger party would be needed to scale the mountain, about the size of the other group coming from the other side.
“You make a good argument, hunter. I might be stubborn, but I want to live to try again.”
Neb smiled at the compliment and looked at the other four hunters who already were starting to pack for their descent. “Our laser cutters have plenty of energy left. Let’s burn signs in the rocks within two hundred meters of this place. Maybe the climbers from the other side will see them.”
“I hope we can find your marks on the way down or Wald Bergmann may find us sleeping permanently among these boulders,” Lar said with a smirk.
“A blind man could find our marks and the cut rocks,” Neb answered, then laughed at the good-natured insult. “Even a security officer may be able to find his way.”
¶ ¶ ¶
Lt. Uri Navrakov volunteered to lead the climbing expedition in hopes of reaching Lar Vonn’s stranded group. He and the chief were not close, but the two men respected each other. Taryl Bryann was the key factor in his decision. He saw how important this mission was to her — how much she must care for the others.
The Seer had been sick for three days after the Tanlian attack on their valley. Uri felt responsible for her. It was at his direction she had steered one of the fleeing attack ships into the mountain. He did not realize she had repeated the feat hours later to destroy another fleeing Tanlian flyer to help the others.
It had been six days and Uri’s party was already feeling the toll. The going was slow, their supplies were heavy, and none were experienced climbers. This party did not possess survival hunting skills, so they ate from the stores they carried.
Every trail they followed ended in a dead end. This forced them to backtrack as much as going forward. Uri looked up.
Lar shook his head. “No, but I got a full panoramic view as if …" He stopped, realizing what he was seeing. “I am not seeing through Taryl, but through someone else’s eyes. She is acting as a mental portal.”
“Twenty men, a much larger party than ours,” Neb said. “They must be outfitted well and have plenty of supplies. I wish we knew where they were. We could leave markers for them.”
At the mention of supplies, the hunter shook his ration bag. It was low. The first week of their trip the hunters had successfully bagged several mountain goats, giving them meat for a short while. But the six men could only carry so much besides the gear they needed to survive the elements.
In the past week, the party had bagged only a few small rodents. Supplies were growing thin, temperatures were dropping the higher they climbed, and still thousands of meters of rock still loomed ahead of them.
During their trek, Lar and Neb had grown to respect each other. Both were no-nonsense men when it came to climbing or hunting, but they loved to share stories after settling down for the night. Lar did not need a translator to understand Neb’s actions. He knew they were low on supplies and it appeared the climb was only getting more treacherous. The temperatures and high altitude slowed them down, even with their insulated suits and breathers, which someone had the foresight to grab from the lander.
The security chief frowned, looking up at nothing but rocks. The rocks seemed to rise unmercifully into the sky. “How many more days of climbing will the supplies sustain us?”
Neb shook his head. “My guess, less than a week. We haven’t seen game for a while. We may have to consider how we will get back to the others,” he said gesturing down the mountain.
This was the answer Lar had feared. The security chief was desperate to continue, but he was a realist. It appeared the climb would take longer than he imagined. A much larger party would be needed to scale the mountain, about the size of the other group coming from the other side.
“You make a good argument, hunter. I might be stubborn, but I want to live to try again.”
Neb smiled at the compliment and looked at the other four hunters who already were starting to pack for their descent. “Our laser cutters have plenty of energy left. Let’s burn signs in the rocks within two hundred meters of this place. Maybe the climbers from the other side will see them.”
“I hope we can find your marks on the way down or Wald Bergmann may find us sleeping permanently among these boulders,” Lar said with a smirk.
“A blind man could find our marks and the cut rocks,” Neb answered, then laughed at the good-natured insult. “Even a security officer may be able to find his way.”
¶ ¶ ¶
Lt. Uri Navrakov volunteered to lead the climbing expedition in hopes of reaching Lar Vonn’s stranded group. He and the chief were not close, but the two men respected each other. Taryl Bryann was the key factor in his decision. He saw how important this mission was to her — how much she must care for the others.
The Seer had been sick for three days after the Tanlian attack on their valley. Uri felt responsible for her. It was at his direction she had steered one of the fleeing attack ships into the mountain. He did not realize she had repeated the feat hours later to destroy another fleeing Tanlian flyer to help the others.
It had been six days and Uri’s party was already feeling the toll. The going was slow, their supplies were heavy, and none were experienced climbers. This party did not possess survival hunting skills, so they ate from the stores they carried.
Every trail they followed ended in a dead end. This forced them to backtrack as much as going forward. Uri looked up.
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