feet.”
Sheridan nodded. They had been lucky and he knew it. Things could have gone far worse than it had for them. He looked over at Lance Corporal Moore. “Go through the Kurgan ship and grab everything that looks even the remotest bit interesting. If you need help, ask for it. We came here to gather intelligence, and I’m not leaving until we find some.”
“Yes, sir,” replied Moore.
“Hey, sir, you should check this out,” said Cole as he shone his light on the face of the dead Kurgan officer. “Have you ever seen anything like this before?”
Sheridan bent down and examined the officer’s face. He was surprised to see that the left half of the face was covered in intricate tattoos. His eyes lit up the instant he realized what he was seeing. “My God, this officer is from the Kyycha . I read about them when I was at the Academy. I never would have expected to see one out here in the middle of nowhere.”
“Sorry, you’ve lost me.”
“The Imperial Guard. He’s from the Kurgan Imperial Guard.”
Cole let out a low whistle. “I bet the intel boys back at headquarters are going to lose their minds when they learn about this. No one has seen these guys in over a century. I wonder what the hell they were doing in this system.”
“I can’t tell by the tattoos if he’s a member of the Old or Young Guard Corps, but he’s definitely a guard’s officer.” Sheridan dug out a small recording device and took several pictures of the dead Kurgan and the markings on his face. He quickly checked the body for anything of value and found a small, slender tablet in a pouch on the dead officer’s belt. Sheridan took it and put it away into his pocket until it could be examined later.
“How’s the Chosen doing?” Cole asked Gunther.
The young Marine shook his head. “He’s fading fast. I gave him something for the pain. It’s the best I can do for him.”
“Okay, leave him and deal with our people.” He moved over and propped the warrior up against a tree. In the dark, the soldier appeared deathly pale. Cole knew that the man would soon pass on.
Sheridan bent down and looked at the mortally wounded warrior. “Can you tell me what happened to your ship?” he asked in Kurgan.
The warrior held out his hand. Barely above a whisper he said, “Water.”
Sheridan gave the man his canteen. He held it for the warrior as he took a sip. “You speak the word of the Lord. How do you know our language?”
“There isn’t time to explain. Who are you, and what are you doing out here?”
The warrior coughed up blood as he struggled to catch his breath. “My name is Sergeant Kaladas. We were on a scouting mission when our ship’s engine failed. We were pulled into orbit by the gravity of this planet.” The man took another sip of water and coughed. “We were lucky to survive our landing.”
“Are there any other survivors?”
“No. The animals got everyone else.” The man let out a wet, bloody cough. Sheridan helped him to wipe the blood from his lips.
“What were you scouting for?”
“Perlinium.”
Sheridan translated the conversation for Cole.
“Makes sense,” said Cole. “This is a quiet region of space. They could set up a mine here and no one would be the wiser. It’s not the first time the Kurgs have done this on our side of the border.”
Sheridan went to ask another question but saw that the warrior was not breathing; his eyes wide open. He reached over and closed them. He let out a tired sigh, stood up, and looked around. It was time to leave.
Moore waved over at Sheridan. “Sir, I think I can pry the ship’s computer free. Should I take it?”
“Yes, and be quick about it. I want to get out of here as soon as possible. All this noise will undoubtedly have made some of the inhabitants of the forest quite curious.”
Cole asked, “What do you want to do with the bodies?”
“If we had the time, I’d cremate them. However, we don’t, so we’ll just leave them
Sheridan nodded. They had been lucky and he knew it. Things could have gone far worse than it had for them. He looked over at Lance Corporal Moore. “Go through the Kurgan ship and grab everything that looks even the remotest bit interesting. If you need help, ask for it. We came here to gather intelligence, and I’m not leaving until we find some.”
“Yes, sir,” replied Moore.
“Hey, sir, you should check this out,” said Cole as he shone his light on the face of the dead Kurgan officer. “Have you ever seen anything like this before?”
Sheridan bent down and examined the officer’s face. He was surprised to see that the left half of the face was covered in intricate tattoos. His eyes lit up the instant he realized what he was seeing. “My God, this officer is from the Kyycha . I read about them when I was at the Academy. I never would have expected to see one out here in the middle of nowhere.”
“Sorry, you’ve lost me.”
“The Imperial Guard. He’s from the Kurgan Imperial Guard.”
Cole let out a low whistle. “I bet the intel boys back at headquarters are going to lose their minds when they learn about this. No one has seen these guys in over a century. I wonder what the hell they were doing in this system.”
“I can’t tell by the tattoos if he’s a member of the Old or Young Guard Corps, but he’s definitely a guard’s officer.” Sheridan dug out a small recording device and took several pictures of the dead Kurgan and the markings on his face. He quickly checked the body for anything of value and found a small, slender tablet in a pouch on the dead officer’s belt. Sheridan took it and put it away into his pocket until it could be examined later.
“How’s the Chosen doing?” Cole asked Gunther.
The young Marine shook his head. “He’s fading fast. I gave him something for the pain. It’s the best I can do for him.”
“Okay, leave him and deal with our people.” He moved over and propped the warrior up against a tree. In the dark, the soldier appeared deathly pale. Cole knew that the man would soon pass on.
Sheridan bent down and looked at the mortally wounded warrior. “Can you tell me what happened to your ship?” he asked in Kurgan.
The warrior held out his hand. Barely above a whisper he said, “Water.”
Sheridan gave the man his canteen. He held it for the warrior as he took a sip. “You speak the word of the Lord. How do you know our language?”
“There isn’t time to explain. Who are you, and what are you doing out here?”
The warrior coughed up blood as he struggled to catch his breath. “My name is Sergeant Kaladas. We were on a scouting mission when our ship’s engine failed. We were pulled into orbit by the gravity of this planet.” The man took another sip of water and coughed. “We were lucky to survive our landing.”
“Are there any other survivors?”
“No. The animals got everyone else.” The man let out a wet, bloody cough. Sheridan helped him to wipe the blood from his lips.
“What were you scouting for?”
“Perlinium.”
Sheridan translated the conversation for Cole.
“Makes sense,” said Cole. “This is a quiet region of space. They could set up a mine here and no one would be the wiser. It’s not the first time the Kurgs have done this on our side of the border.”
Sheridan went to ask another question but saw that the warrior was not breathing; his eyes wide open. He reached over and closed them. He let out a tired sigh, stood up, and looked around. It was time to leave.
Moore waved over at Sheridan. “Sir, I think I can pry the ship’s computer free. Should I take it?”
“Yes, and be quick about it. I want to get out of here as soon as possible. All this noise will undoubtedly have made some of the inhabitants of the forest quite curious.”
Cole asked, “What do you want to do with the bodies?”
“If we had the time, I’d cremate them. However, we don’t, so we’ll just leave them
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