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  “Ok start to angle north twenty degrees. How are our flighty friends?”

  “Only one on radar. Direction of travel indicates its moving back to the east. I think it’s given up looking.”

  “We’ll take that as a sign. When we get to the Rim River we’ll set camp on the west bank. That’ll give us an hour to stretch our legs before dark.”

  Finally in more than thirty hours of constant running, hiding and fighting the last troopers out of Fort Grey got a rest. Watch was set of course but nothing could keep the men and women laid out on the bank of the river from dropping into an almost comatose sleep. Martel couldn’t manage the merciful bliss that was that type of darkness. He dozed fitfully having to fight off the swarm of images of all the people he’d lost in the past week.

  He woke early and relieved the last watch. The predawn hour was slow to pass acting like the sleep that had avoided him through the night. The entire world was black save for the small rotating radar screen and calming. For those precious minutes Martel let his mind empty and let those images of lost troopers fade into the surrounding black. By the time Captain Penet entered the GCR as the sun was rising Commander Martel had regained the relaxed demeanor he had come to be known for.

  “Good morning, Commander,” the Captain saluted. “Squad is waking and we’ve decided to have some campfire coffee.”

  “Fantastic, Captain,” Martel said as he stretched as much as the communication station allowed. “I think that’s the best idea I’ve heard in a while.”

  Martel stepped out of the hovercraft to a scene of cook fires contributing light to the slow glow spreading across the sky. Troopers walked around and chatted with their visors open to enjoy the coffee and the scents in the air. A few coughs would interrupt a conversation once in a while but these men and women savoured the joy of still being able to breathe. When these troopers saw that the Commander emerged from the GCR they snapped to attention and saluted the man they had risked their lives to save from day one. He choked up a little but managed to return the salute professionally.

  “Coffee sir?” Corporal Cranes held out a cup.

  “Please, thank you. I am pleased to see everyone so rested,” he sipped the rather sharp brew.

  “Sorry, sir. We didn’t have any sweetener in the supply packs.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Well I think we’ll take it easy today,” he started and got a few laughs, “We are south of Forth Saturn but we have no reason to think that they haven’t fallen into the same mess as we have. Therefore we are going break for New Terra since that’s really just as far as our fuel will last.”

  “Excuse me sir, I did a few recalculations during our run last night and we should be able to make it all the way to Port Mars,” Captain Penet said.

  “Again, fantastic! Well,” Martel pumped a fist, “I think we’ll still take a drive out to the Terra Beach Resort but now we won’t have to watch the power gauge.”

  The troopers clapped at his little speech and finished their coffee. He could tell that they just wanted this trip to be over with. Their movements were still quick and maybe a bit quicker with a home of sorts coming into view. He drank the last of his coffee as well before the fires were put out and the order given to make the last push. If they ran all day they’d make it to the port city a couple hours after dark.

  “Keep an eye on those radar screens. We don’t want anything jumping out at us.”

  Find the whole series: The Flight of Man

  Book 1: Eden Guard

  Out now at Amazon.com

  http://amzn.to/w4XyXJ

  Book 2: No Garden War

  Find it Summer 2012

  Book 3: The Sol Reunion

  Coming Winter 2012

  Get more ‘Flight of Man’ at these ever evolving sites:

  For more story extras -> www.flightofman.com

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  Ask TJ question on Twitter -> @tjmarso

 

 

  Andrew Bell, Missing March

 

 

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