Page 272 of Commander’s Mate

I could not think about them yet.

The nursery opened.

The ventilation tunnel filled with movement.

On my display, eighty-seven life signs became eighty-six.

Then eighty-five.

For one terrible second I thought they were dying.

Tivid corrected.

“They are crossing sensor zones.”

I breathed.

“Surface reports civilians emerging.”

Good.

Then my registry interface chimed.

A priority alert.

LIO TARVEN. FOUR CYCLES. LOWER NURSERY. MOTHER EXTRACTED. CHILD UNACCOUNTED FOR.

Harper.

A name.

Not eighty-seven.

One.

Lio.

I checked the nursery sensor.

Three life signs had not moved.

“Team One,” I said.

“We go lower.”

Pyrr looked at the withdrawal timer.

The enemy carrier was closing.

The mine was unstable.

The safe choice was obvious.

I hated obvious choices.

“No one who can be freed stays in chains,” he said.

I looked at him.