— 10 —
The noise of the Operations room stilled as Bromley asked Major Pritchard, "What's your assessment of the situation, Major?"
Pritchard gave Bromley a searching glance. "I don't like it, Bull," he said. "There are something odd about the way the transport went down. There are indications of an explosion.
"Further, the transport debris is spread over a wide area. I don't have contact with every unit that I knew was aboard. I'm getting sparse and contradictory communications from the crash site. Either there are a lot of confused people out there or . . . I don't know. We don't have any satellite cover, no artillery. You're on your own." Pritchard sketched the military scene swiftly.
"Fortunately," he continued, "your computer maps are still set up for this terrain, unlike the rest of our equipment on the transport. There are three main routes: north to the beginning of the Crageens, then west; northwest straight through the plains; and west then north, skirting the forests all the way. There are connecting roads to each route. You've got about three hundred kilometers to cover. If you're quick and you don't have too much trouble, you'll be able to get there in under three hours." Pritchard shrugged. "That's all I know. Good luck!"
"Thank you, sir!" Bromley replied, and trotted briskly out of Operations.
Turn to section 9.