The courier returned with instructions to begin overdrive before the next storm pulse.
Daro reached the ignition chamber first. He had the new order in one hand and the cabinet key in the other. The lever stood beneath the furnace control panel, connected to the barrier line by a wide iron bar.
“The order is valid,” Daro said. “I’m activating the chamber.”
Yan reached the manual bar before he could pull the lever. He laid his hammer across it and pushed down. The bar shook under the machine’s pressure.
“Don’t,” Yan said. “We haven’t counted the residents or confirmed the contracts.”
Daro tried to move the lever. Yan held the bar in place. The furnace fed the barrier, and if they broke it outright the valley could lose its protection. He did not strike the machine. He used his strength to keep the switch from turning.
The chamber floor trembled under the furnace’s steady pull. A row of pressure lamps burned amber across the wall. Sella had been checking them from the outer platform; now she hurried through the door with a gauge rod in her hand.
“Normal load?” Han asked.
