The debate lasted until the medical station changed shifts.
Wu Ji wanted to abandon the Perseus line and evacuate the nearby systems. Chen Tian wanted to finish the remaining twenty thousand jacks before the next wave. Xuan Ming wanted another year of tests they did not have.
Tie Kuang sat with his arm in a sling and listened.
Tian Luo stood against the wall. “You have your proof. Preservation injures those it claims to save. Stop before your certainty kills them.”
Austin put the failure map on the table. “Stopping has a cost too. Name it plainly if that’s your choice.”
Tian Luo looked toward the cots. For the first time, he could not make an ending sound clean.
Tie rose and went to the map. His good hand shook as he drew, but the lines were clear.
“We assumed each anchor group would release before its load jumped to the next group. The release valves were too slow. We also tied the cables above the weak seam, so when it opened, six groups lost their footing together.”
