OUTSIDE THE Galathea’ s access hatch, the sky was lightening with the approaching sun. Jas looked down the side of the ship. It was a long, long drop to the ground, where she could make out the remains of the body bags they’d thrown out a few days earlier. Strapped to the back of a defense unit, she should be safe enough on the trip to the surface. The units could climb up or down anything, gripping with specially textured hands and boots.
If only Lingiari weren’t being so difficult about it. The expedition made perfect sense to her, but he wouldn’t stop glaring, and with that animal sitting on his shoulder, she was having difficulty taking his objections seriously.
“What if you don’t make it back, huh?” asked the pilot. “What happens then? You’re in charge of the ship.” His pet, Flux, w
