The news had gone through Inga’s like a tidal wave. Everyone rushing to the shuttle field. Falise and Kylee had made it to the fence just as Talina, Derek, Kalico, and five of the marines charged up the ramp. The second they were inside, the A-7 raised the ramp and began spinning up.

Falise turned her head away from the blasted dust. Squinted her eyes and clawed to keep her new hat on her head. She’d never endured the like: pelted by hot gas and bits of grit stinking of burned earth.

As it ascended into the night sky, the shuttle climbed to the east, banked to the north, then roared as it headed westward to vanish in the darkness.

“Wonder where they went down?” Step Allenovich asked where he was standing next to Cinque.

“They don’t have a beacon?” Cinque asked.

“Nothing Two Spot can hear. Juri said he was going down somewhere out west. On failing emergency power. They had a term for that in the old days. Called it dead stick.”

Falise asked, “So, if the impact didn’t kill them, it’s just a matter of finding them, landing, and rescuing the people?”

In the yellow glow of an overhead light, Step gave her a wary look. “Depends. Without a beacon to home in on? Lady, if they’re down in deep forest, they’re dead. Roots will get them.”

“What do you mean, roots?” Cinque asked.

“The big trees will use their roots to crush the shuttle,” Kylee told him. “Crumple it up like it was made of tin foil.”

“That’s a sialon shuttle, girl. With a hyperalloy space frame.” Cinque’s totally black eyes were almost as alien as Kylee’s. Almost.

“Yeah right, soft meat.” Kylee turned to Falise. “See what I mean? You people don’t know jack shit about Donovan. That’s why you’ll lose.”

Falise grabbed her by the arm, asking, “Can we go talk?”

The look Kylee gave her hand threatened mayhem and broken bones. Falise turned her loose, asking, “Please?”

Falise led the scowling Kylee back down the graveled avenue, wishing that more of the burned-out streetlights worked. She asked, “Somewhere out west. That’s where you and Derek are from, right?”

“Out west can mean a huge amount of territory, Falise. Figure from Rork Springs in the south, clear up to Wide Ridge Research Base up north. And from there, all the way across the continent to the Western Ocean.”

“But IG Soukup wouldn’t be going to the Western Ocean.” Falise gave Kylee a knowing squint. “Word is that he was up at Freelander. Consider his mandate: He’s here to uncover information about Corporate successes and failures before making recommendations to the Board. After he’d finished with Freelander, where would he go out west? What would he want to see for his report?”