Rage of Winter by Richard Fox & Scott Moon

Author:Richard Fox & Scott Moon [Fox, Richard & Moon, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Triplane Press
Published: 2018-05-02T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Hoffman’s team, still unable to contact the base or the garrison in the city, moved higher into the pass, and he saw evidence of ancient civilization—trail markers and the occasional handrail near what could have been steps. On the switchback trail, he lost sight of his team. “Let’s tighten it up. We’ve dodged enough Rakka over the last two nights. No need to spread out here.”

“Received and understood,” King responded by IR comms.

“Thousands of years ago, the entire mountainside was a city,” Masha said.

“I can see that in places,” Hoffman said.

“It will become more obvious.”

“You’ve been this way before?”

Masha looked up the mountain. “This is the first place we examined when we came to this palatial ice ball of a world.”

“Let’s talk about the objective.”

“Skiing. Some hiking. Medvedev wishes to paint a landscape for his portfolio,” she said.

“You don’t strike me as a nature girl,” Hoffman said, smiling at her disgusted reaction.

“You should give me a weapon so I can fight when they catch us,” Medvedev said.

Walking beside Masha, Hoffman ignored the legionnaire. “On a scale of one to ten, how are these slopes for potential ski resorts?”

“Double black diamonds,” she said.

“Skiing,” Hoffman said. “A little of this, a little of that. Taking in the sights and doing some skiing here on Koen. I’m surprised Ibarra doesn’t give all his best spies a vacation pass here.”

She glared at him. “You say that like there is only one Ibarra.”

Hoffman hid his confusion by studying the details of her face, trying to pick up on any change of expression that might indicate she was lying.

“We’re not as bad as you think we are,” she said. “The Ibarra Nation would be quite content to be left to our own devices.”

“That’s what you were doing here?” Hoffman asked. “And on Nouveau Marsellie? And New Bastion? Minding to your ‘own devices.’”

Masha winked at him.

They walked for a while, leaning up the steep parts of the trail. King and Garrison chatted back and forth about the terrain and argued about when Garrison would get a turn on point. Hoffman listen to the IR radio communications in one ear but focused most of his attention on the spy. There was no way to maintain visual contact with everyone on his team, but glimpses of individuals appeared between the narrow white trees below him.

“I’ve been this way before,” she said. “I know the way through the mountains. Through the ruins. Tunnels and mazes. Shouldn’t be dangerous, but a person could get lost.”

“I had a buddy who went into the Pathfinders, looking for archaeotech. Stuff like that.”

“Everyone is looking for archaeotech.” She paused. “And here we are.”

Hoffman pinged King’s IR link, signaling him to listen in, then spoke casually. “Doesn’t look like much. The earthen mounds in the valleys and foothills remind me of Koensuu City. Every planet has something similar. That doesn’t mean the secret to galactic survival is here,” Hoffman said.

“That doesn’t mean it isn’t,” she said. “You should know from your briefing that I don’t get sent random places.

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