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They settled back at Alice Springs airport for their second load of fuel for the Firehawk and their first load of food for the fliers. They’d killed the first head and they had an attack plan moving well for the next kilometer-wide chunk.
Jeannie had once again airlifted Akbar’s crew well ahead of the fire to their next planned firebreak. Two of the engines would follow as fast as the terrain allowed. One remained behind to explore the Black, where the fire had burned, and kill off any hotspots.
Already Steve was calling in sightings of flare-ups and hidden coals for them to douse. His drone’s infrared camera uncovered areas of high heat, including those hiding beneath the surface debris. It was brutal work, much of it done by individual firefighters walking the tortured land with a
