On Shuttle 2, USNE Ensigns Carmen and Gillian had been suiting up to relieve the guards when orange lamps came on; decompression! The inner door of the airlock swung toward them; a glove on its edge. Through the smashed window they could see that the man entering wore the triple-circle insignia. But evil laughter rattled in their headphones.

Carmen was ready; she slapped the green stud on her left forearm, activating her suit. Her partner fell to his knees, clawing at his helmet seal, face contorted in a silent scream.

Carmen liked Gillian very much. She gritted her teeth, reversed her sidearm and smashed the glove as hard as she could.

On Shuttle 1, Pilot Tronsen shoved the hover control, and hit the decompression alarm. Orange lamps flared. The ship lurched up, skewing sideways in the netting. The miner who’d been standing on the ship’s nose fell into the flames.

The crew seized their helmets. A mellow voice on the radio continued, “Another wonderful Xanadu attraction is 78-meter Palomar Falls …”