Page 74 of Music of the Ocean

Callie dropped the ruined frond into a waste bin and straightened, pressing one hand into the small of her back. A streak of green-brown marked her cheek where she’d pushed a strand of hair back.

“I’m pulling everything from beds one through three,” Callie said. “We’ve sterilized bed four. Five and six are still viable, but I’ve isolated them and bumped the carbonate manually.”

“How much did we lose?” Indigo asked.

“Sixty percent of the current crop. Maybe more, depending on what recovers.” Callie pulled off one glove and tossed it onto the bench. “If there’s any good news, it’s that the spores in the substrate are still alive. Cayman ran a viability test this morning. We can replant.”

Cayman picked up the sample jar and held it to the light. Inside, a small square of sea lettuce floated in a clear solution, its color a healthier green than anything in the cultivation beds.

“That’s from bed six,” Callie said. “The spores are fine.”

“So, we replant,” Indigo said.

“We replant.” Callie pulled the second glove off. “I’ve already mixed a new carbonate buffer for the drained beds. Cayman’s replacing the sensor relays in all units. Whatever caused the calibration shift, we don’t want it happening again.”

Cayman set the jar down and picked up a narrow probe with a wire lead from the bench. “I’ve got two more relays to swap. Then, we flush the system, recalibrate, and refill. Callie’s new buffer mix should stabilize the pH within an hour of reintroduction.”

“And the timeline?”

Callie and Cayman exchanged a look.

“If nothing shows up in three days standard, then we’re good. But we’ll have a reduced yield at the next harvest.” Callie picked up a towel from the bench and wiped her hands. “I want to run a full nutrient analysis on the new buffer before we commit, though. Make sure we’re not trading one problem for another.”

“Do it,” Indigo said.

Cayman was already moving back toward the filtration bank, the probe in his hand. The relay panel hung open, its interior a nest of colored wires and small metal components. He crouched and began working, his fingers moving with the quick precision of someone who’d done this before.

Callie picked up the tablet from where Cayman had set it and scrolled, her mouth moving as she read. Then, she looked up.

“We’ll need to adjust the harvest schedule for the next cycle. The new plants will need that time to establish before we can take any yield.”

“Adjust it,” Indigo said.

Callie nodded, tapping on the screen. Behind her, the sound of Cayman’s tools against metal continued, steady and methodical, punctuated by the occasional soft click of a component being seated into place.

Indigo stood watching for a moment longer. The ruined sea lettuce in the waste bin caught the overhead light, pale and formless, nothing like the crisp, dark fronds that should have been filling those beds.

“It sounds like they have it under control, so that’s good, right?”

Indigo nodded. “It is very good news.”

“Well, then, how about we grab lunch?” Saxby’s gaze drifted toward the corridor beyond the exit, away from the waste bin and the beds and all of it. “I’m hungry again.”

“Of course. It is my pleasure to feed my mate.”

Saxby snickered. “You don’t want me to get hangry.”

“There is that.” Grinning, Indigo took Saxby’s arm. “Come on.”

Callie and Cayman waved as they left the biodome.

Indigo and Saxby passed through the membrane exit, its surface sealing behind them with a faint ripple. They entered the main thoroughfare, the rush of midday activity pressing in on all sides.

Indigo led the way, weaving deftly through the crowd. As they swam, he noticed a side alley. Vendors had set up impromptu stalls there. They displayed bundles of kelp, trays of gelatinous cubes, and steaming vats of broth laced with floating protein strands on slick bioluminescent mats.

He ducked into the alley with Saxby. “Look around and see if anything appeals to you.”

“Like I would know,” Saxby joked but drifted off.