Caleb came back through the bay doors with the steel spreader bar braced against his chest.
The acid rain had not let up. Gray water poured through the open skylights. The Siege-breaker carcass hung from its chains, and the bone saw Kikaru's plasma round had freed lay on the metal grating below, motor burnt out and smoking in the damp cold.
His military HUD registered a 1.2 percent kinetic sync rate. The Break-Tab Harness pulled tight across his ribs, turning surplus gear into dead weight around his joints.
His gauntlet chimed. A private text from Tali overrode the corner of his visor.
[Telemetry shows a massive stress spike, Mercer. Are you dying, or just thinking about my custom weave?]
Caleb tapped the side of his helmet to reply.
[Hauling dead meat.]
[Boring. Bring the sensors back intact. You still owe me a drink for the bypass shunt.]
[Add it to my tab.]
