The Honey B had come down at one edge of the eighty kilometer rift that was the Flame Pits. Almost directly behind them rose a great range of hills that held in the lava on the northern side; if the ship had drifted much further in the air currents, it might have smashed against those hills. To the south of them lay the pits, stretching for kilometer after searingly hot kilometer.
The little lifeboat bucked and bounced the instant it was free of the mother ship. Johnathan was occupied fulltime keeping the vessel on course as the convection currents tossed it around. The temperature began rising inside the lifeboat, and even the tough spacesuits could not keep out all the heat.
“This is not the most enjoyable ride I’ve ever had,” Bred commented after one bounce of the ship banged his helm
