Hajin enlarged Ashley's encrypted still until the white spiral on the captured wagon's rear hub became clear to Taren.
Ashley's synchronized stills pinpointed the exact white spiral painted across the rear wheel hub of the captured freight wagon.
Beside the fire, Taren compared the photographic coordinates with the handwritten transport schedule taken from the mercenary captain.
"The driver said he pulled an empty bed," Taren remarked, tapping the parchment with the tip of his dagger.
"Yet the Earth team calculated three inches of chassis sag across the rear suspension carriage."
"Which means whatever they hauled was anchored beneath the floorboards," Hajin reasoned, looking up from the glowing display.
"Or the wagon itself acted as a counterweight for an underground hoisting mechanism."
He turned toward the civilian teamster sitting nervously on a tree stump by the cookstove.
