The first instruction through the repaired line was to wait while the connection cooled.
I stared at the speaking plate.
Valeria set her small clock beside it. "A minute. Then we answer."
Behind her, Aiden and Maren were folding cloth beneath Jory's shoulders so the board would not rub against the back of his neck. Liora checked the passage over the bodies of the beetles. Elara had found a dry part of the planting trough and was deciding how little water she could use to keep its living brace responsive.
Everybody had something useful to do with the minute except me. I checked the route drawing instead of spending the time becoming offended by a warm connection. The current sheet ended before the lower landing. My memory continued beyond it. The service plate beside the station gave us a third source, one made for people standing exactly where we were.
