Three lamps waited above the station, and Felix had promised himself he would look at the readings beneath them first.
The lamps were much prettier.
“Solitude ready,” Ida said.
She checked her partner’s record against the local state. The answer from Ashford followed, carrying its current mark and the short confirmation the operating crew needed. Then Eastern Forge answered. Three separate reports lay on the shelf, each with its own end to the time in which it could be trusted.
Barnaby watched the reference.
Tamsin put her probe beside the new holding vessel. “Return clear.”
Jian stood beyond the manual control, where he could observe without quietly becoming part of the apparatus again.
Felix looked toward the shelf where the second shift’s records waited. One of those people would take over after the test whether he succeeded brilliantly or spent the afternoon being less impressive than a pipe.
