Chapter 56: The Rescue

Halverson stepped off the end of the ramp on to the tarmac. The asphalt was still hot from the sun, but there was little sun to see under the body of Filcher. He walked out from under the wings, past huge landing wheels. He was amazed at the scale of it, Filcher had seemed so small when he saw it from the observation lounge at Dogstar, strapped to the back of the 704. He came out from under the wings. The sun hit him like a sandstone boulder. The gritty underdust of this world he had grown to hate raced to re-infest every cranny of his nose, his ears, his clothes and hair. He walked a little way and stopped. Vyo stopped with him. Jessica and Jenkins were there too.

"Smell that?" asked Halverson. "Every planet has its own smell. Nuerjal smells like yellow dust and onion peels."

"The year has turned," said Vyo, perplexed. "We left in early summer, and the year has turned. We left here only three or four weeks ago."