Review and Point Placement

The grass tips beyond the Old Embankment glistened damp white; the wind was clearer, the gray haze thinner. The review team departed from the Support Shelter and followed the White Hard Surface east. Knov walked at the front, occasionally placing a palm on the ground to find support points and confirm the hard layer remained continuous. Ryan stayed half a step to the right, guarding the flank. His twin blades remained sheathed, his right hand resting on a hilt while his left arm lifted slightly to leave a passage for those behind. The two auxiliary personnel carried light packs, stepping only in existing Landing Points and leaving no new prints.

When they crossed the river ditch, the steps were still there. The wooden surfaces were damp but not slippery. Knov went down first, testing the second step with his toe. It held. Ryan followed, knocking away a ring of fine debris from the edge of the third step before yielding the position to the rear. The ditch water ran low, threading across the sandy bottom in thin streams, its sound faint and even. Wind skimmed the ditch surface, carrying a trace of dampness that the morning air quickly dispersed.

At the East Township Road entrance, the reeds bent low and rose again, their brushing quieter still. Shoeprints on the White Hard Surface along the shoulder were distinct, all showing the stride lengths of two trips back and forth. Knov set down finger-width stone markers between three sets of prints, arranging them in a line with the wind as evenly spaced points for the return journey. Ryan picked away a clump of loose gray dust between the first and second markers to keep the windward gap from clogging. The auxiliary personnel checked the side ditches on both sides, retreating the moment