Breathing a sigh of relief, the captain engaged the mooring beams while commencing a controlled shut down of the engines. His work now complete, the ship’s commander gazed eagerly at the gigantic space station and the planet down below, only now realizing just how much he was anticipating his two-week vacation in the Rydian system. Three decks below the cockpit, a young woman stared out at the same vista. However, for her it evoked a completely diametrical response. Indeed, it was all she could do to retain her composure, forcibly willing the swirling, violent cacophony of emotions down to a manageable level.For unlike the captain, the young woman’s mission was just beginning.Tall and attractive, with a white, button down shirt and short blue skirt, Eve Scott appeared an average graduate student traveling to one of Ryda’s many universities. Attracting a number of appreciative stares while leaving her seat, she briefly flirted with a man offering to help with her two small bags. Politely turning down an invitation for dinner later that night, Eve then quickly made her way out through the forward passenger hatchway, where she was immediately faced by a long line of people waiting to be cleared by Border and Immigration Control.
