34
“Approaching the danger zone of Altaecia,” the pilot said as the corporate airship jumped out of hyperspace.
Florian sighed. It felt good to be back in regular space. Altaecia was a white star in the distance, a glimmering speck upon which his entire fate rested.
“Release the Planet Eaters,” Florian said.
The silver ball flew forward from the belly of the spaceship. It opened, and the Planet Eaters swirled out. They swallowed the ship, sucking it down the long, lilting way to the netherscape.
The smooth surface of Kepler lay below. In the negative light, Florian was starting to tell the difference between Kepler and Refugio.
The ship drifted downward.
But then, something sucked the ship upward.
“What the hell?” Florian asked.
The ship faced upward, as if it were being sucked th
