The view from Shuttle 1 was dire. Shuttle 2’s re-entry trajectory was too steep; it was dropping fast into the tainted clouds of Juno.

“What’s wrong with them?” wondered Gillian.

“Aerodynamics,” Carmen said. “Look at the ailerons. They’re asymmetrical, and not oriented for braking. That’s the shuttle that got beaten up trying to fly out of the cargo net.”

“Can we do anything?”

“All we can do is watch where they ditch or bail out, so we can direct the rescue.”

“Or body recovery,” Gillian said bitterly. “Why did all the officers ship together on Shuttle 2?”

“Because they don’t trust each other. Still, it would have been nice if Reckall had at least given us one of his drones.”

“There they go.” Orange parachutes blossomed from Shuttle 2, tugging silver escape pods after them.

“I have the coordinates.” Cross-hairs appeared on the nav screen, adjusted position and blinked green. Carmen frowned. “The alien enclave.”

“Gooktown!” Gillian laughed. “I hope their inoculations are up to date.”