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.The smuggler dropped us off in a small city, just outside the war zone.It was human held now, but at a heavy price, most of the buildings shattered.Despite this, plenty of civilian Kitsnujitar remained, existing tensely alongside the occupying humans and Okis.A scattering of representatives of other species lived there too, some just moved in recently, looking to see what profit they could make from the local misery.Grief and paranoia made us see spies everywhere and we decided to leave the city the same day we arrived.Maiga logged onto the local military net and hacked into the secret files that showed current troop deployments.She downloaded good maps of the region too.One wrong turn out in the combat zone could leave you lost, and very soon stuck in a snowdrift and totally stuffed.To move around freely we had to have military transport.Travelling in a stolen vehicle would be risky though, so Rish and me went off to pick up something that nobody would miss.We found it in a dusty corner of a repair depot.A small armoured personnel carrier, which, according to the work docket taped to the side, needed repairs to its gun and was awaiting a delivery of spare parts.With luck, nobody would miss it until that delivery arrived.****The mission had become almost routine now.We tracked down units.Ilyan, Tesla and Maiga talked at the officers.Then, if the C.O.allowed it, Ilyan talked to the troops.Many of them had already heard rumours.They knew him.Ilyan.The Prophet.This helped us and worried me.After nearly a month, we'd reached as many of the units in the area as we could without leaving behind the transport and hiking overland, which Maiga refused to allow Ilyan to even contemplate.We didn't have either the equipment or the experience to survive on foot in that kind of terrain.Even with our vehicle we'd all felt the effects of the cold.Tesla had woken up one morning with frostbite in his fingers.Tanashi had fixed him up fine, but I think that scared the shit out of both him and Ilyan.So even Ilyan didn't argue when Maiga suggested we head back to the city and take off.Chiamajan was the next stop and I've heard it's damn pretty, so I didn't argue either.****We headed for the city.We'd gone far enough out that the journey back took several days.At night, we parked up far enough off the road to keep out of sight of any passing vehicles.Snow fell steadily and we needed to dig the vehicle out every morning.At some point a mechanic had bolted a couple of racks for snow shovels onto the side of the transport, to save space inside.The night before we thought we'd reach the city I had the midnight to four watch.Wrapped up to the eyeballs I patrolled around the vehicle warding off hypothermia with a combination of brisk walking, a flask of coffee and a steady stream of muttered complaints.I stopped on the offside of the vehicle, out of the wind, and took the small silver coffee flask from my pocket.Unwrapping my face enough to drink meant letting the cold bite savagely at my nose, but the hot, dark, wonder brew thawed me out.I sipped from the small cup thinking kindly thoughts about whoever invented coffee.I should ask Ilyan who we had to thank for that.He always knew stuff like that.A few sips sent enough scalding heat spreading through me to keep me from thinking I would freeze solid at any moment.I screwed the cap on tight and shoved the flask back in my pocket.After zipping my coat up high enough to cover most of my face again I settled my rifle in my arms and continued my patrol.The snow crunched under my boots.The moonlight reflecting off it made a spooky cold light and I wished my watch could be finished so I could snuggle up inside the transport with the others.I pictured them all slumbering warm and cosy together like puppies in a basket in that cramped space.Puppies? I smiled at the image.The smile froze and fell off as I came around to the other side of the vehicle and stopped dead.A figure, a man, stood at the door to the vehicle, working on the lock.For a second I thought it must be one of our party, who'd got out for some reason and couldn't get back in
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