‘The bauble’s following the expected pattern,’ the captain said now. ‘Field drop should follow in . . . Proz?’

‘Ninety-seven minutes,’ she said.

I’d seen the gradual change in the bauble for myself. It was hard not to be captivated by it whenever I happened to pass a window facing the right way. The dance of patterns on the dark red surface had quickened, hastening towards a conclusion. More and more of the world was showing through the surface. Underneath that skin of energy was a ball of rock, not so different from Mazarile.

When they were ready there was time for a quick toast to the success of the party, handshakes and pats on backs, and then the expedition gathered their helmets and made their way to the front of the ship. The rest of us tagged behind. Rackamore, Cazaray and Mattice went inside the launch and the airlock was closed. Trysil and Jusquerel put on their helmets, double-checked seals and lungstuff supply, and went through another lock into the launch’s storage bay, where they worked to uncouple it from its cradle.

The mouth opened. Trysil and Jusquerel jammed levers against the hull of the launch and heaved it on its way. It backed slowly out, tail first, Rackamore using puffs of gas to control its flight. Once it was clear of the Monetta, Trysil and Jusquerel used gas-guns of their own to cross over to the launch and get aboard. It all happened in silence, like some complicated ballet that was going through a rehearsal without the orchestra.

They left. We watched the launch fall away from the Monetta, remaining below us as we orbited, carving out a spiral course like a watch spring. It was a silver bullet, then a silver hyphen, then it wasn’t anything more than a bright mark against the bauble’s surface.

‘Fifty minutes,’ Prozor said.

‘What happens if they hit the bauble before it opens?’ I asked Triglav, one of the five of us (besides Garval) who’d stayed back on the ship.

‘From the bauble’s point of view?’ The little man rubbed at his hairless scalp as if it needed polishing. ‘Not much. Might jinx Prozor’s calculations a little, but it won’t make a shred of difference to the auguries.’

‘And from their point of view?’

‘They say it’s painless.’

‘Do you mind Trysil going in there?’ Adrana asked. By then we’d worked out the that the two of them were together, the only couple on the ship that we knew about.

‘Oh, I’d sooner not have her out of my sight. But the truth is I know ion systems and that’s enough for this little bone-box. In a bauble I’d just get in everyone’s way. No, Trysil’s welcome to her line of work and provided I get her back in one piece at the end of an expedition, I’m happy enough. Do you know your history?’