Reinforcements on the Way

A faint glow touched the sky before dawn. The camp had yet to fully wake, but Ryan was already crouched outside his tent, sorting the supplies in his pack.

After scouting the high ground the day before, he and Kazif had marked the commanding positions around the valley, setting aside two sniper positions and an alternate route. Once the reinforcements arrived, they could move straight into tactical deployment.

Footsteps sounded behind him. Kazif approached with a cup of freshly boiled water and handed it to Ryan.

"The three people the Association sent should be here before noon," he said. "We've cleared a temporary landing zone and set the signal flare and communications frequency."

Ryan took the water and drank. "Take them straight to the high ground when they arrive. I don't plan to waste time talking."

Kazif chuckled. "You're not one for formalities."

Ryan said nothing. He had never cared much about a Hunter's background, only whether they could do the job. If the Association had sent these three as support, they had to be capable.

At exactly seven, the first plume of signal smoke rose west of the camp. The outer reconnaissance team was reporting an approaching aircraft.

Ryan shouldered his weapons bag and walked to the clearing on the east side. The trees had been cleared to make a level landing area, where several team members had already set up makeshift flags and locator lights. Minutes later, a low hum approached from the southeast.

A midsize vertical-takeoff aircraft came slowly into view. The Hunter Association emblem was painted on its fuselage, and two supply crates hung beneath its tail. It circled the clearing twice before landing smoothly.

The first to jump out was a tall young man in a gray, close-fitting combat suit that showed the muscles in