Beside the square and featureless walls of the smelter, an aircar waited at the edge of the landing pad. The top was up as a sunshade, and as she approached, Fenn Bogarten, her structural engineer, stepped out. Fenn’s expression betrayed his anger, pain, and worry, but a question, almost a hope, lay behind his brown eyes. As if just the sight of her meant things might turn out all right.

“Any news, Fenn?” she asked as she tossed her bag in the back and slipped into the passenger seat.

“No, ma’am.” Fenn told her as he climbed behind the wheel and spun up the fans. “People heard a loud bang. Like one of the timbers just snapped. Then the roof let go with a crackling as more timbers broke. It all came down so fast it compressed the air, blew Jones, Master, and O’Leary off their feet and a couple of meters down hole. They’re pretty banged up, but outside of bruises and having to clean out the seats of their overalls, they’re feeling damned lucky.”

Kalico pursed her lips, knotted her fists as Bogarten shot them along the new haul road—as far as it went—and then lifted them over the forest on a line paralleling the tram.

As they cleared the last of the trees, the works at the tunnel mouth came into view. The waste dump and spoils to one side created a flat next to where the portal entered the foot of the mountain. She could see the ditch where the water-make trickled out of the tunnel mouth to glitter in the hot light. A couple of aircars, two haulers, and a line of ore cars waited where the rails curved onto the dump. Even as they approached, people were emerging from the mine to shade their eyes at her approach.

Bogarten settled them next to one of the other aircars, letting the fans spin down. Even as they did, Kalico was out, nodding in response to the subdued greetings from her people.

In front, Aurobindo Ghosh and Desch Ituri stood, their overalls stained and smudged; haggard looks rode both of their faces. Behind them, Talovich had a stricken expression—the sort a tortured saint might wear on the way to the Inquisition. But then, Kalico could imagine his guilt. Talovich was her best structural engineer. He was the one who’d designed and overseen the installation of the shoring.

“What have we got?” she demanded. “Tell me that there is word from Stana and Alia. Maybe tapping. Some hint that they’re alive.”

“Supervisor,” Ghosh told her, hands spread, “About fifteen minutes ago, we felt another collapse. Shook the whole mountain. Came from deep inside. I immediately ordered everyone out of the tunnel. Not that I had to say it twice.”

Ituri wiped at his eyes as he said, “Can’t tell if it was void migration or more goaf deeper in the mine.”