Harvey leaned against the safety rail near the Deck 72B stables and gazed out at the biosphere below. From this vantage point he could see three of the four quadrants: Mojave, Serengeti, and Amazon. On a normal day the air would be alive with the songs of birds, the rustles of tree branches, the cries of primates and howls of lonely wolves. But today, nothing. The whole sphere was hushed, it seemed to Harvey, with anticipation.

The ship was holding its breath.

Three tones chimed in all the crew areas, followed by the voice of Captain Cooper on the intercom: “Prepare for deceleration in fifteen seconds.” Her announcement, clear and foreboding, echoed through the biosphere. A flock of spooked parrots took brief flight before resettling in the Amazon canopy.

Harvey checked his watch. “What the hell?” he muttered, quickly turning toward the stable.

Andromeda, a horse he’d grown especially fond of, looked up from her oats as he ran in. He dove into an empty stall nearby and hugged a support post for dear life.