Lin Cuo read the final entry. "What does this 'unverified machine' warning mean?"
Tabane lifted her head, smiling brightly. "It means you'd better finish the fight and come back before it breaks."
"You call this a rescue?"
"Of course. Before, you were very likely to die. Now, you might just explode. That's a clear improvement."
She spoke lightly, but for the first time, her gaze moved past Lin Cuo to the black smoke continually rising in the distance.
"So, little Regent, you'd better win this time. Your big sister doesn't want to start looking for another habitable planet right after moving house."
By then, Chifuyu had begun reviewing the breach roster. The First Echelon consisted of twelve IS units, which she would personally lead, tasked with penetrating the core and providing close-range protection. Eight units in the Second Echelon would secure the entrance and establish a relay. The remaining four would handle rescue and serve as a mobile reserve. Tabane insisted on piloting a technical IS into the Second Echelon; she needed to measure BETA tissue, G-Elements, and the Hive's internal energy structure firsthand.
"You are not joining the First Echelon."
"I'm the chief technical officer."
"All the more reason you can't die first."
Tabane puffed out her cheeks, but ultimately did not argue.
While the ground crew finished their final checks, Lin Cuo took a tiny silver cup from the field headquarters' liquor cabinet and poured less than half a cup of strong liquor.
Chifuyu looked at him. "Drinking before a sortie?"
"My hands are shaking a little."
"You're only sixteen."
"Enough people have reminded me of my age today."
He drained it in one gulp. The liquor burned down his throat. His fingers did not stop trembling entirely, but his mind seemed to have finally acknowledged a fact.