Jiece cut down the last crawling construct with the heel of his exosuit.
The frame around his right knee locked for half a second, then released with a grinding correction. Broken machine legs and stitched tissue lay across the landing zone. Smoke rose from three joints in his armor. The Arclight behind him still had its ramp down.
Paul was conscious but pale. Kikaru had one arm braced against the ground, fighting the gas in her blood. Colby lay with the torn wound near his shoulder packed under a field dressing that already needed replacement.
Jiece opened command comms. "Backup is needed at the Arclight landing zone, with cleanup crews and medical support for three shard users. Send a retrieval team and prepare containment for hostile residue."
He ended the call and looked toward the sky where Silas had vanished.
