Nearby, commander Grayson was barking orders, frantically checking the seals on a fresh line of squad members. They looked terrified, their hands shaking as they prepped their exo suits to head outside.
Sunshine stepped into his path, "Grayson, stop! I know how we can end this."
Commander Grayson stood as stiff as a reinforced steel beam, his hand snapped to his temple in a sharp salute. He smiled through his fear. He had known that she would save them. Sunshine always had a plan. "What do you need, ma'am?"
Sunshine didn't answer immediately. Her chest heaved, her breath coming in short, jagged bursts as her eyes darted across the areas outside the bubble. She was calculating. Drones would have been the logical choice_ mechanical, replaceable, cold_ but the Arcladons' electromagnetic pulses were turning high-tech circuitry into expensive paperweights, besides they could not plant the rods.
To ground these beasts, she needed human hands to plant the rods.
