The reactor assembly disappeared beneath Ark 0's armored hull. The moment its locking clamps engaged, the entire docking bay erupted into motion again.
Engineers ran beside power conduits.
Cargo handlers pushed the last medical containers toward the freight elevators. Crawler tractors dragged fuel cells into position while cranes lifted hydroponic reservoirs toward Agricultural Deck One.
The heart of the Ark was finally installed.
Now they had to keep it alive. There was a lot to do before they could start celebrating if ever.
"Medical!"
The shout echoed across the bay.
Three medics sprinted toward the convoy.
Jace waved them off before they reached him.
"I'm fine."
One medic looked at the blood dripping from his armored glove.
"No, Commander."
"I am."
He took one step.
His knees buckled.
Only years of battlefield instinct kept him from hitting the deck.
Two Legion soldiers caught him under the arms.
Jace scowled.
"I slipped."
One of them snorted.
"You almost died."
"I can do both."
Leah reached them just as another medic cut away the shattered remains of Jace's shoulder plate.
The expression on the medic's face changed immediately.
"General."
Kael stepped beside him.
"Report."
The medic didn't answer right away.
He peeled away the emergency clotting foam packed beneath the armor.
Leah felt her stomach tighten.
Dark blood immediately welled from the wound.
A jagged shard of metal protruded just beneath Jace's collarbone.
The medic activated a scanner.
Red warnings filled the display.
"Shrapnel."
He swallowed.
"Four fragments."
Another scan.
"They missed the heart."
A pause.
"...Barely."
Jace rolled his eyes.
"So..."
He pushed himself upright again.
"Bandage it."
The medic looked at him as though he'd lost his mind.
"You've lost nearly two liters of blood."
"I've had worse."
"No."
The medic pointed to the scan.
"You've been sealing the artery with combat foam."
Jace shrugged.
"It worked."
"It delayed you from bleeding to death."
James walked over, still carrying his datapad.
"I thought you said you were hit."
Jace looked offended.
"I was."
James gestured toward the scan.
"That isn't getting hit."
"That's being ventilated."
A few nearby Legion soldiers laughed.
Even Jace managed half a grin.
"You're dramatic."
James folded his arms.
"Says the man leaking on my floor."
The medic looked toward Kael.
"He needs surgery now."
"How long?"
"Three hours."
Kael's jaw tightened.
"We don't have three hours."
"No."
The medic lowered the scanner.
"He doesn't have three hours either."
Silence settled around the group.
The sounds of loading continued all around them.
Steel striking steel.
Hydraulics hissing.
Engines humming.
Life moving forward.
Completely indifferent to the conversation.
Jace pushed away from the soldiers holding him.
"I'm staying."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
Jace looked at Kael.
"I can still fight."
"You can barely stand."
"I don't need both legs."
"You need blood."
Jace opened his mouth again.
Kael didn't let him speak.
"Enough."
The single word ended the argument.
Captain Rourke approached quietly.
"The cryo wing is operational."
Kael nodded.
"How many emergency pods?"
"Thirty-six."
"Available?"
"Twenty-eight."
Kael looked toward the rows of wounded Legion soldiers being treated along the wall. Some lay on stretchers. Several were still wearing helmets because removing them would worsen spinal injuries.
Every one of them would die if they did not get treated. It wasn't even an option to not choose, he didn't make deal with Jance for this team to die here.
Kael raised his voice just enough for the nearest officers to hear.
"All critically wounded personnel."
The dock gradually fell quieter.
"If Medical determines you cannot continue fighting..."
His silver eyes swept across every injured soldier.
"...you will enter cryostasis immediately."
No one moved.
One Alpha near the loading ramp finally spoke.
"We're abandoning the line?"
Kael looked directly at him.
"No."
"We're preserving it."
Jace shook his head.
"I'm not climbing into a freezer while you're out there. Fighting. That's not how we fight ever. I stand."
Kael stepped closer until they were only a foot apart.
"This isn't a request."
Jace's jaw tightened.
"You still need me."
"I do."
"Then let me fight."
Kael's expression never changed.
"I need you alive more."
For the first time since Leah had met him.
Jace had no answer.
The cryogenic medical bay occupied an entire section beside Ark 0's infirmary.
Rows of sleek white capsules stood ready beneath soft blue lighting.
Doctors and technicians moved quickly between them, connecting power lines and monitoring equipment.
One by one.
The wounded Legion soldiers were brought inside.
Not one complained.
They trusted the man giving the order.
Jace stopped beside the nearest pod.
He looked back through the open bay doors.
The cranes were still moving.
Supplies were still loading.
Far beyond the walls. Gunfire echoed across the city. It was messy. Hell was happening and he could do nothing.
"So this is it."
Kael stood beside him.
"For now."
Jace looked at Kael pointedly, not sure to call him an enermy or friend. They had a long history but neither of it was the line they were walking forward especially with Leah in between them.
"If this ship doesn't fly..."
Kael answered before he finished.
"It will."
"And if it doesn't?"
Kael's silver eyes held his.
"Then you'll never know."
A faint laugh escaped Jace.
"...That's cold."
"It's efficient."
Jace smirked.
"Still the same bastard."
"And you're still bleeding."
The medical technician gestured toward the pod.
"Commander."
Jace looked one last time toward the docking bay.
Toward the Legion.
Then toward Kael.
"You'd better not lose my ship."
Kael's reply came without hesitation.
"You'd better wake up to it."
Jace climbed into the cryogenic pod.
The transparent lid lowered slowly.
Blue vapor curled around him as the life-support systems engaged.
His eyes never left Kael.
Until the sedative took hold.
Seconds later.
They closed.
One by one, the remaining wounded Legion soldiers entered their own pods.
The chamber grew quieter with every seal that locked shut.
Leah stood motionless among the rows of sleeping warriors. This was for the best but it was the worst for them, the brave fighters letting others control their faith, if they ever wake up again.
Outside, the loading alarms continued to sound.
The battle hadn't stopped.
It had only found new soldiers to fight it.