Almost a whole Terran day had passed since Kedesh’s encounter with the police, since when the view unravelling before the transport’s windscreen had remained an endless strip of road through a sea of red dunes. Yet over the last few hours the distant backdrop of rugged peaks had grown ever more imposing, below which they saw the first glimpse of the squat cluster of buildings at the abandoned landing strip. Another long day on Falsafah was coming to an end and the dramatic pink sunset ahead, as the yellow orb of Tau Ceti sank inexorably below the distant mountains, was one of the most spectacular things Ravana had seen. Artorius, standing behind the cockpit seats, was less than impressed. “Are we there yet?” he asked grumpily. “We’ve been driving for ages.” “Use your eyes!” snapped Kedesh. Ravana suspected she was not used to having company when travelling, though Artorius was trying everyone’s patience. “We’ll be at the airstrip soon enough and from there it’s a short run to the station.
