“Between the bribes and secret cyborg research, Lieutenant, it’s no wonder there’s nothing left for the colonies,” Ishikawa had commented dryly.

I looked at him with Drone Two, who happened to be closer, and then released the sensor lock and switched back to the shuttle’s cameras.

“It’s difficult to run an interstellar government without one or two oversights, Captain.”

“And are there such oversights nearer to Earth?”

“No,” I admitted, watching the figures try to enter the locked and disabled shuttle. “but I’m sure you understand the difficulty of keeping discipline in the ranks.”

Reckall’s security clearance got them through the orbital defence grid even when the pilot failed authentication. A wave of relief swept the passenger bay.