Page 274 of Every Almost

How could they? There was one voice from this Bridge to the ground, and it was Torvax. Reyna Solas had written it that way herself, years ago, in a directive that was still filed under her own name.One channel. One voice.A ground team under load does not need four people in its ear and a captain does not clutter a working line.

She had enforced it for years. She had enforced it on people who had wanted to say something to somebody.

Torvax glanced at her.

Then he keyed his console and said, measured and precise, "The Captain requires your return, Wickett. Your remaining in that area is highly inadvisable."

That was when Orion walked onto the Bridge.

Reyna registered him at the edge of her vision. She'd never seen her archivist on the Bridge, especially during an emergency mission.

"Captain, I have something I think you might want to see," he said, holding out his datapad.

"Orion, unless it is an absolute emergency, now is not the right time."

"But, Captain?—"

"Understood, sir,"said Charlie. Her voice came across the Bridge and Orion stopped talking. Reyna turned away from him."But I'm still going to take that chance. These people deserve that."

"Torvax," Reyna said, still standing. "Ask her what she intends to do alone in a debris field."

"The Captain asks for your intent, Wickett."

"I'm going to dig."

"Ask her how."

"And how will that be completed?" Torvax questioned.

"Carefully."

"That is not an answer," Reyna remarked.

Torvax keyed it. "The Captain requires specificity."

And Charlie's voice came back, fast.

"That pile came down nine hours ago and it's taken every tremor since. Four hundred and eight of them as I count now. It's not stable and it's not going to get stable, it's been sitting down on them all day, a fraction at a time, and it hasn't finished. Forty-one minutes of that shuttle trip to and from the Emberkind isn't forty-one minutes of nothing happening. It's dangerous."

"Then Breck stays with her."

"Breck, the Captain directs you to remain on the surface with Wickett to dig out the colonists."

"No can do, Cap."Tavi didn’t sound happy about it.

"We’re at minimal crew as it is because of the Palus. Tavi's got two animals in a hold that are going to panic at pressurization,"Charlie stated."He's the only one who can handle the slow increase to keep them from ripping the shuttle apart. Borran's the only reason they'll be able to stay calm, so he's needed. And Maren has to fly."

Everyone speaking on ground channel was correct. Every number on that display was correct. She had built this crew and manned this ship so well that there was nobody left over. Efficient and effective with minimal crew.

"Bridge."Charlie's voice again."There's nobody left. It has to be me."

Then the ground moved. Reyna heard it come through the channel, a low grinding roll and every loose thing in that town creaking and snapping. She heard Charlie's breath change.

Four hundred and nine.

Nobody on the Bridge said anything.

"... it's fine,"Charlie said softly."That was just the shelf. Everything's fine, it's nineteen kilometers away."