Asaki shrugged. "Perhaps. I am not loved in some quarters. But there may
also be something fatal to flitters here as there is over Mygra. We
thought the crater lake district safely beyond the swamp influence, but
it may not be so."
But you took the chance of traveling over it, Dane thought, though he
did not comment aloud. Was this another of the Chief Ranger's attempts
to involve them in some private trouble of his own? Though to
deliberately smash up a flitter and set them all afoot in this
wilderness was a pretty drastic move.
Asaki had started to unload emergency supplies from the flitter. They
each had a trail bag for a pack. But when the pilot staggered over to
pull out a set of stass belts and Jellico began to uncoil them, the
Chief Ranger shook his head.
"With the feeder beam shut off by the mountains, I fear those will no
longer work."
Jellico tossed one on the crumpled nose of the flitter and punched its
button with the tip of the needler barrel. Then he threw a rock at the
dangling belt. The stone landed, taking the wide protective band with it
to the ground.
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