Full recovery arrived on the fourth morning after the severing, signed off by Vella in writing plus witnessed by the ledger.
The ledger was quietly becoming the most powerful book in the city.
"Pathways quiet, phantom tax acknowledged, rules on record," she read from her own discharge note. "Cleared for deployment under the mission, retreat, dissolution doctrine, plus not one heartbeat before the terms count."
Juna held the count at the silo gate, the family stood witness, plus the war table watched from the wall, because today's deployment was the doctrine's first live test.
"Two and four," Hajin said, giving the terms aloud before anything moved.
"Two Rings to the body, four retained by the original. One objective, one priority, one boundary, plus one return point, all stated at creation."
"The count is witnessed," Juna said, plus dropped her hand.
The mission came from the engine's own morning reading, which had grown no kinder.
