Gray air pulled at the soil beneath North's jaw.
The opening had no visible floor, but North lowered its white head plate into it. Copper light bent over the animal's neck. Four crop rows lifted behind the forward shoulder as roots, irrigation cloth, and scar frames took different parts of the strain.
The four-legged frame came after the moving shoulder.
Its installed compass tightened through the tubes still buried around its chest. The metal body had lost two legs and half its balance. It kept the Basalt bearing anyway.
Elara's equipment feed reached Crossing Six through the ordinary camera relay. No person path reopened. Her right arm stayed in its sling while her left hand separated the three gate views.
"Choose locations before the head goes through," she said. "A ride is not rescue. Ground is not safety. Name the surface you accept."
