The pressure-suit checks at fifty thousand feet took longer than planned.
A helmet seal failed. Two oxygen hoses had crossed labels. Austin kept the crew on the deck until every suit passed the same leak test. Nobody climbed on pride or cultivation alone.
Above them, the sky turned dark enough to show stars in daylight.
Jiang Taixu stood beside a parts rack, watching nuts move in their trays with each core pulse. The faster vibration had started at the foundation. It was now strong enough to make his teeth hurt.
Tie Kuang’s newest test joint had held through the night, but the inspection team found fresh movement near the base. Alpha-One was the worst.
Austin called for a bore camera.
Jiang felt the old lie close around him.
The camera would show the off-center cage and the thin concrete on one side. More importantly, it would show that his log could not be true. If he stayed silent, Austin would send the tower higher with a weakness he had hidden.
