02/19/2025 Snippet, PICKMAN’S MODELS.

Sat down and did two solid hours of writing today.

…

“Not a transmitter, just some wires in the dust… crap. It’s connected to something bigger up front, and something behind us. This screams ‘booby-trap,’ sir.”

“And we’re the boobies.” Some kind of bird, wasn’t it? Never mind that now. “Can you disable it?”

“Yes. Connie!” One of the Squaddies perked her helmet up, despite the fact that he and Buckley were on a private channel. Tobias flicked a quick look at Reithner, but she didn’t seem to notice anything. “There’s a wall mine by you. Lock into it, and rip the wires when I say. Ready?”

Connie nodded, and so did Buckley. “Okay, three, two, one, now.”

Tobias avoided looking, which meant he did not see Connie’s fingers move before they were suddenly full of wires. Things like that happened, and that was fine. He didn’t look back when Connie loped back to the other bomb, casually running along the walls almost as quickly as she could the floors. Again, it was the Moon, there was less gravity, it was all fine.

Instead, he just switched to the public circuit. “Do not assume peaceful intent,” he told his forces, and tried not to notice the anticipatory stirring that went through their ranks.