Chapter 53

War heroes are no longer that.

They are now looked upon

As a sort of nuisance

And are considered fools

To have gone.

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—Harry S. Truman

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MIKHAIL

The valley where my scout ship crashed is a fortuitous anomaly. Water flows down from the hills Ninsianna called 'Hyena's Teeth' into a concave valley which sinks beneath the high ground. At the far end, a landslide creates a natural dam where most of the water disappears into a crevasse, leaving only a tiny trickle which none would believe leads to a lush oasis. At one time I suspect it might have been a lake bed, but now it's a small, green paradise amongst the desert's desolation.

I spy a flash of silver beneath the rocks piled haphazardly against the valley wall, a place where the hull peeks through a spot I failed to cover. From the g……