“Captain, we are approaching deceleration phase.”

“Drop fly-by reconnaissance probes and lidar the planet.”

“Lidar scan shows several points of interest, sir. Exhaust trail from a shuttle exiting orbit on a maximum-burn trajectory for interstellar space, intersecting with the debris field seen earlier. Remote mass sensors have a high-density zone at the spaceport.”

“Visual?”

“It’s on the blind side. Early indicators suggest heavy metallic concentrations.”

“Threat assessment?”

“High, captain. They may be ballistic weapon systems. It’s unlikely there’s any surface-to-orbit capability, but short-range surface-to-air damage output will be severe.”

“Bracket them for destruction from orbit.”

“Negative, captain. The spaceport is within damage radius. Recommend destruction of those guns by ground assault.”

“Very well. Commence braking phase and choose a landing site near the spaceport. Drop Reckall in as soon as possible.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Any luck with the controls?”

“We’re still working on it, sir.”