The cutting table was making decorative brackets for a balcony.
Iven knew because the half-finished bracket was still in the machine when Annet lifted the guard. It had a curling leaf at one end and a mounting plate at the other. The metal was good, the cut precise, and the work entirely unsuitable for a pipe that needed an adapter before the evening heat cycle.
“The order is from the upper council,” the shop supervisor said. “I can’t move it without authorization.”
“Can you finish the current piece?” Annet asked.
“Twenty minutes.”
“And then?”
“Three more.”
Mara looked at the delivery sheet. “When is the balcony due?”
