Read Trial by Ice for Free Online Page B

gloves, sleeping bags, and clothes. The dry crispness slowly changed into wet chill or frozen crunch. Men awoke not to a dry shiver, but a steadily growing moisture seeping into everything.
    William sat up stiffly and pushed the sleeping bag aside. The dim heat radiated on his cheeks. He sat and let the waves of thermal energy seep in. It was like sitting on the far edge of a campfire on a cool spring night. The tent shook and the air shifted inside, stealing away his brief moment.
    The room slowly began to awaken. Men peeked dirty faces out from dampening sleeping bags and watched, waited, for someone else to be first up. William stood slowly and stooped over to grab his mittens. He jammed his fingers in and gasped in surprise. Dampness.
    A man walked out before William and returned with a container of fresh snow, setting it near the heating fins. The snow slowly lost the hard razor crystalline edge and shifted to a sponge like texture before disappearing into a dampening mass. Everyone moved closer and stood in close contact, waiting. Half ration bars were passed about in silence.
    The time was approaching to go. William knew it. He knew south was the only way, regardless of what it held. Staying was certain death, even if departing was as dangerous.
    A voice spoke in short staccato bursts. “She came down like a rock. When we came to we were near the ship, the capsule was split and the striders were wrecked.” Eduardo licked his lips and watched the snow melt. “We moved south to the ship, she was broke and smashed. She’s right next to a foggy water.”
    More eyes lit up around and the men listened.
    “She was broke on the spine and emptied out like an egg. Wreckage everywhere, just crash. Crash,” said Eduardo. “So we went back to the striders and got one working enough to listen for the fleet, and we heard the commset from up here. So we came.” He held a hand out before him and flexed his fingers near the coil.
    “How far?” William asked.
    “Two days, eh? Maybe, eh?” Eduardo replied.
    “What about the water?”
    “Rock shore mostly, a lot of fog.” Eduardo shrugged.
    William focused and tried to remember the polar orbit position. There was a land mass, with a series of smaller islands between it and the main continent. But which where they on? The polar mass was a solid sheet of ice, so they were on one of the islands. Or did it just look that way from orbit?
    “We’ll set out for the shore first thing in the morning. Eduardo, can you make the reactor rig portable?” William asked.
    The men looked to each other and nodded around him. Most at least. Grue notably scowled.
    “And what then, Grace? Go swimming?” Berry asked in his smooth drawl.
    William was waiting for this. “Actually, Corporal Berry, we’re going to go for a boat ride.”
    Chuckles came from across the room and heads turned to watch Berry smirk with angry eyes. “A three hour tour?”
    “If we’re lucky.” He smiled back. “We’re on an island north of the main landmass. Once we get clear of this, we can make our way to the needle.”
    “And what then? Drown in the water? Surrender?” Grue stammered angrily.
    “I have no intention of surrender, we’re going to take the needle.”
    The slick wind was the only sound as the men, battered and beaten, looked back at him. Thin smiles broke out on a few, while most just nodded.
    “Now, we need to work up sleds and a mode of transport. We leave in the morning. Questions?”
    The room was silent. William nodded. “Right, once the tea is done, get on it.” He waited on the water and watched as the NCOs prepped the men.
    Breakfast slid down like a lump of coal rinsed with liquid frost. The water was still cold as hell, and it was hard to take more than a gulp at once. The ration bar, or half of it, began to lose any flavor as the taste buds numbed. William was already dreaming of real food.
     
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    William walked out into the light as the discussion behind him was on