Trial by Ice Read Online Free PDF Page A

on the blonde.
    “Most will bleed out internally once the core nanites shut down. In others the swelling of the skull will do it.”
    “Will any of them wake?”
    “Doubtful.”
    William nodded and watched. Time passed by with only the wind as a metronome. A hand went rigid, then relaxed. Breathing became ragged and stopped. Vito walked and checked each after fifteen minutes and placed the sleeping bags over their heads. More men died. An hour later of the eight, only the blonde remained.
    “What about her?” William asked as he stood before the blonde woman. The bruising seemed darker, angrier and the blood ran in a thin stream from her nose.
    Vito shrugged and walked back to the supplies. He returned with a fresh patch and applied it to her neck. “Lucky.”
    “I’m going to stay here. Mind sending some help to move them?” Vito asked.
    William nodded and walked out the door into the frigid morning air. Grue stood near the door of the first tent with eyes filled with fire. Another soldier stood and was speaking into his ear. William saw Crow approaching with Corporal Leduc.
    “Sir.”
    “Sergeant Crow,” William said. “Corporal, get a few men in good shape and help Vito out.”
    “Yes, sir,” Leduc replied and turned back to the tent.
    William kept his gaze on Grue and watched as he and the other man walked back into the tent. “Shall we get out of the wind, Sergeant?”
    Crow nodded. The two men walked to the third tent and pushed inside. A few heavily injured still lingered in sleeping bags. The walls flapped lightly in the variable wind.
    “How does it look, Crow?” William asked.
    Crow shook his head slowly. “We’ve got a few cases of ration bars, about a week’s worth at the recommended ration. Maybe double that on half rations.” He took his heavy gloves off and blew into his hands. “No water, though we’ve got some containers that would work if we could keep it from freezing. Plus a purifier, whatever use it may be.”
    William nodded. Water was going to become an issue and fast. He was constantly thirsty, his lips cracked and dry and his tongue felt like a dry potato in his mouth. No matter how hard he worked he just couldn’t seem to get enough saliva. “Mitsubishi-Kubota purifier?”
    “I didn’t see a name,” Crow said.
    “Color?”
    “Silver and orange.”
    “That’s a Mitsubishi then, good unit.”
    “I’ll talk to Grue about the reactor, see if we can strip it out.” William looked past him to a young man huddled in a sleeping bag. “Soldier, head out and get the other NCOs. Vito, as well, please.” He sighed. “We might as well make it a proper meeting.”
    “Very well, sir,” Crow replied as he breathed more into his cupped hands.
    The young man returned. “They’re coming, sir.”
    “Thank you. Uh, what’s your name, soldier?” William asked.
    “Xinhu, Navy, sir, ship’s welder.” His eyes were rimmed red with lips so chapped they looked white.
    William nodded and waited for the others.
    The NCOs streamed in and took seats with sleeping bags as cloaks. The air grew colder the longer the door was open. The men hunched and shivered and wondered.
    “All right. Let’s start with introductions. I’m William Grace, Midshipman, but call me Grace.” William looked to Crow.
    “Sergeant Crow.”
    The man he saw earlier in the white uniform spoke next. “Warrant Officer Sebastien Villeneuve, Core Marines.”
    The men, staring idly, all turned to Sebastien. William looked closer and pointed to the next man.
    “Sergeant Selim, Marines.”
    “Xavier Leduc,” stammered a man with close cropped black hair. “Corporal.”
    “Berry, Corporal. Army .”
    “Vitomir Kovac.”
    “So here’s how it is,” William said. “We’re on half ration, we’ve got enough to last us a bit. I want teams heading out and looking for more. Looking for anything, anything that can help us.”
    “What’s the plan, sir?” Sebastien asked.
    William licked his dry lips. “We go