Space & Time

Chapter 11-The Camping Cosmonauts

Back at the crash site, Vlad and Sonya took an inventory of their supplies and decided to

stay put for two days and then try to make their way out. On the morning of the second day, they

heard a large boat pull up to the shore below camp. Several men disembarked from the vessel

and searched around, after a few minutes Vlad heard one man giving orders to the rest and they

all started to walk up the slope.

With no ability to run and nowhere to hide Vlad, Sonya and Veronika huddled together

and waited. The men were all wearing similar uniforms with camouflage patterns in the material

appearing to shift depending on their surroundings.

All of the men appeared well armed with some interesting weaponry. The team was

surprised to find the crewmembers at the site and immediately halted as they looked toward 

their leader. Erik, the Captain, was a seasoned Marine and quickly adapted to the presence of 

the large wounded man and his two female companions.

Erik's immediate assessment was the people they found were no threat, he shouted,

"Team, hold positions and secure the perimeter of this site." Erik approached Vlad with his

weapon drawn but pointed down, he asked "Who are you, what are you doing here and where

did you come from?"

Vladimir not one to be intimidated, even with a gunshot wound answered directly, "Who

exactly are you to intrude upon our camp and ask these questions?"

With a stern look on his face and a glint in his eye, Erik replied, "Sir I see you are

wounded and we could be of assistance, I am Erik Kursk of the European Unified States Marine

Border Security. We have the authority of the European parliament to verify the identity and

nationality of people in this zone, so I ask again...What is your name and where are you from?"

Vlad furrowed his brow, he knew a lot has changed since they left Earth, and now they

just got in a little deeper over their heads.

Veronika was the next one to speak, and boy did she have a lot to say, "Erik, my father

the Major is wounded and our friend over there, our intelligence officer is in a coma. If you

could assist us with immediate medical attention we would be grateful, the information

surrounding our mission and us is of the highest level of top-secret government clearance, you

would be doing an honorable service to assist us. Also, because you are an agent of the

government taking all of us into your protective custody I would be remiss if I did not advise you

that on behalf of our entire team we are now making a formal request to speak with the highest

level of attorney representation you can provide."

A soldier through and through Erik was taken aback by this girls speech. She was a

teenager at most, but an exceptionally smart teenager indeed. He cleared his throat to gather his

thoughts before speaking. "As per our directives, I am placing the four of you into our custody,

we will provide medical care and load you and your belongings onto our ship and get under way

to our port where you will be processed and provided representation as requested."

With that being said and obviously frustrated, Erik turned toward his second in command

to give instructions before heading back down to his ship.

Vlad and Sonya both looked at Veronika and smiled, knowing now at least she had

bought them a little more time to figure out how best to tell their story. Sonya addressed the

second in command, "Our colleague over there in a coma cannot be removed from her suit or

helmet until she is at a medical facility, her condition is critical."

The lieutenant nodded to her and carried on with his work as the three detainees grabbed

their belongings and walked down to the ship.

Vlad paused for a moment and bent over to grab the box of Petorium, then limped along

after the girls to catch up.