The Kerkes extended its landing struts as Julie shot out four spiked cables from the underside of the ship at a large asteroid that was about the size of Rhode Island. The cables went taught and pulled the ship into a secured landing. The asteroid was part of a large belt of floating rocks in the same system as the planet they were just on, an ideal hiding place, just in case that small Sa'larie ship had a mothership nearby.

Simon had laid himself out on the table in ...