“Maybe Muldare ought to be a sergeant,” Smith said, as if to himself. “Our people? We’d take her orders any day of the week.”

Kalico smiled. Well, even if this turned out to be one of the worst days of her life, at least there was that.

Give it up, Kalico. They’re not coming, and you can’t get to them.

“Well,” she told herself, “whatever went down out there, by God, they gave it a hell of a fight.” The worst part was that by tomorrow, the roots would have taken them, though some of Briah’s or Valdez’s armor might be left.

“Never seen such a concentration of DRRDD fire,” Chin agreed. “That would have taken out a main battle tank.”

“Sure would have,” Smith agreed. “Come on, ma’am. We’ll try it again in the morning. Sarge told us the trees settle down after a while. Whatever’s left, we’ll bring them home.”

Kalico took one last breath, remembering the crackling detonations. Yep. One hell of a fight.

She nodded, shining her light on the footing ahead, and started back up the slope.

“Hey!” The voice was augmented to carry over the forest noise. Had to come through a helmet speaker. “You mind shooting that light back down here? Keeps us from stepping on the bugs.”

Kalico whirled, splashing the slope in light. Another glint. This time she could make out the shine from armor, Briah Muldare in the lead. And, yes, beside her came Talina, a hand up against the flashlight’s glare.

There they were, all four. Tal and Dek, plodding wearily as they climbed, rifles held by the barrels and balanced over their shoulders like shovels after a hard day’s work. And Valdez, her faceplate open, armor stained, wore a grim expression. She, too, carried her boom tube over her shoulder, two rifles slung at her back.

“So, you’re alive?” Kalico called.

“Gotta be,” Dek yelled back. “The dead don’t blow brown stuff into the seat of their trousers like I just did.”

Tal reached out with a fist and slugged him playfully in the shoulder as she shook her head.

Kalico started forward and threw her arms around Talina’s shoulders. “You scared the shit out of me.”

Chin and Smith were clasping Valdez close, talking soldier trash.

Kalico released Tal, slapped Muldare on the armor, then hugged Dek.

Treading on the rolling roots, she asked, “So, what’s the verdict? Do I shut Southern Diggings down? Is this something we can handle? And that fireworks show? You turned half the forest upside down.”