Page 42

That was fixable.

The first serious mistake wasn't hers. Nykos received a warning through the link and changed direction without calling it. Jade continued along the original route, and they nearly crossed into one another before I stopped the drill.

Realization hit Nykos at once. "I wasn't trying to exclude you."

"I didn't say you were."

"You thought it."

Jade's eyebrow rose.

Nykos closed his eyes. "Bad choice of words."

Alex nearly folded in half laughing, and even Jade's mouth betrayed her. "You really are struggling with this."

"More every minute."

"This is exactly why we're doing verbal calls," I said before either of them could continue. "Nephrite's habits aren't automatically correct because we've had them for years. Nykos, call the movement."

He nodded, and I looked toward Jade. "If somebody changes position without warning, don't assume you're the one who missed something. Ask."

"I can do that."

"I know."

We reset, and the next run was clean enough that I moved onto casualty response.

Alex's injury band flashed red across his ribs and he dropped with enough dramatic commitment that I briefly considered leaving him on the floor. Jade reached him first, checked the illuminated marker and touched two fingers against the crystal. Pale healing light moved beneath her hand, and the red vanished almost immediately.

"Left rib fractures, minor surrounding damage, nothing else."

Alex looked down. "That was quick."

"You're not injured."

"I was selling it."

"You were making noises."

His offended expression was probably genuine, but I ignored it. "Alex stays rear next rotation. Jade, stay with him until he's cleared for full exertion."

She frowned. "Why?"

"Because major healing leaves the casualty depleted."

"It does if someone else heals him."

That stopped me.

Jade explained that her healing drew from her own reserve rather than the patient's. Existing exhaustion, blood loss and oxygen deprivation still mattered, but the act of repairing damaged tissue didn't drain the person she healed. That changed every casualty plan I'd ever used.

"How many injuries like that before your effectiveness drops?"

"I don't know."

"You've never reached your limit?"

"No."