A few hours before dawn, one of the colonel’s men took the last watch. They set out again just as the sun peeked over the eastern horizon, glowing a deep red-orange like a sunset should, instead of dawn.
Chip soon admitted he was confused by the changed landscape and took a while getting his bearings. They arrived at the crash site in the early afternoon, later than they planned. Embarrassed, he apologized repeatedly, but Welch assured him no one was faulting him, that he helped guide them to the Xini ship which was the ultimate goal.
The wreckage looked much the same as it had when Dakota saw it last.
The colonel surveyed the enormous alien craft with satisfaction. “I don’t know what all this s**t is, but I’m glad it’s not in the air.”
He instructed the group to look for useable items
