Page 269 of Commander’s Mate

Rehor ripped the brake assembly free.

We continued down.

“Tivid.”

“Controller located. Lower security bunker, junction five.”

“Can you shut it out?”

“Not before it sends another command.”

“Which command?”

He went silent half a second too long.

“Tivid.”

“Structural purge.”

The mine worker’s warning had been correct.

They intended to bury everyone they could not keep.

“Time?”

“Six minutes, perhaps less.”

Pyrr’s helmet turned toward mine.

“We cannot clear eighty people in six minutes.”

“No.”

“So?”

“We make six minutes irrelevant.”

I opened command.

“Degatu, I need precision fire.”

His response came instantly.

“Ground coordinate?”

“No. Surface transmission mast six. I need it gone without touching the power trunk beneath it.”

A pause.

“That mast routes local mine command.”

“Yes.”

“If I miss by twenty meters—”

“You will not.”

“I appreciate the confidence.”