The next morning began with the strategic core.
Lysara's team had spent most of the night securing the maintenance route, placing additional relays, and checking every junction between the damaged ring section and the sealed strategic door.
Nothing serious had changed while they rested.
The seventeen large constructs remained inside their maintenance bays.
Smaller machines occasionally appeared near the damaged sections, but most avoided the route after losing several units to Lysara's drones.
The intact security frames still accepted the copied maintenance authorization.
That was as good as it was likely to get.
Aurelian joined the command feed shortly after waking.
Rhoswen was already there.
He looked at her.
"You slept?"
"Yes."
"How long?"
"That sounds like a trap."
Eirenne answered for her.
"Five hours and forty-three minutes."
Rhoswen stared at the projection.
"You really need hobbies."
"I have several."
"Monitoring my sleep should not be one of them."
