Bennu set the spacecraft down in the shallow lagoon ringing the main continent of Zeberget, wincing as the metal exterior scrapped loudly across the exposed corals. Low tide. Her data was incomplete. Instead of slipping quietly through the atmosphere and landing in the dead of night, she’d put down in the middle of the afternoon and on top of an entire coral reef. In ten minutes, she’d done more to damage the local ecosystem than any of the planet’s inhabitants had done in a lifetime. Damn and double damn. She swam to shore, wishing she’d brought her diving gear. The surface reef plunged steeply just beyond her landing place in a fantastic display of soft corals. Colorful gorgonians spread their skeletal fingers, undulating slightly in the currents. Shoals of fish darted to and fro and, far below, she saw the spotted crescent of a ray gliding along the sandy bottom. Without the weapon-toting demon guards, the Pharon could make a killing selling package tours. She’d be the first to sign up to spend her free summers here.
