Page 68 of Escape Velocity

Rafe followed the water into territory that was blanketed with green vegetation. It was so dense that she wondered where they could land.

He came down lower, skimming over a thick canopy of trees, and she couldn’t see how they were going to set down. Finally, she saw a spot that looked clear.

“There.” She pointed.

“Let’s make sure it’s not sucking sand,” Rafe said.

“What is sucking sand?” she asked.

“Something like dirt and something like water, only the mixture is thick and goopy. If you land on it or step into it, you’ll be pulled below the surface, and once you’re in there’s it’s almost impossible to get out.

She caught her breath, imagining it.

Max took in her horrified expression. Turning to leave the control room, he said, “I’ll be right back.”

He returned in a moment, holding one of Rafe’s storage containers.

“Hey,” his friend objected.

“You got a better idea?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

Rafe slowed the shuttle’s speed, and Max moved to the hatch, opening the lock.

“Stay back,” Amber warned.

“I don’t plan to fall in.” He opened the door and leaned out, gripping the door frame in one hand and the box in the other. Rafe skimmed the ship over the solid-looking brown patch.

When Max tossed the box out, it landed on the surface, then began to sink out of sight. In less than a minute, it had disappeared.

“Sucking sand,” she breathed.

“Yeah,” Max answered.

“Next time, toss something I don’t need,” Rafe said.

“Like what?”

“Your shirt,” his friend shot back.

“That will just float. You got any old shoes?”

“Okay. Yeah. In the bottom of my clothing compartment.”

Again, Max disappeared and came back with shoes that were scuffed and bent out of shape.

Again, Rafe flew low over an open space. And when Max tossed out a shoe, it sank just like their previous experiment.

Amber was wondering if they were ever going to find a spot, when Max pointed to another brown patch. “I think that’s a field where crops were harvested. It looks like nothing’s growing there now.”

“Let’s hope it’s not freshly planted,” Rafe muttered as he headed in that direction and skimmed low. This time the shoe Max pitched out landed in a patch of soil and stayed on top.

“This looks like we can set down,” Max said as he closed the door.

“All right.” Rafe cut their speed and gently lowered the shuttle.

“Now what?” Amber asked. “We still don’t know where to find their village.

“I’m sure they know we’re here,” Max said, his voice tight.

Amber peered out at the dense greenery all around the open area. There were many types of trees, some with huge leaves, some with fronds, and some with delicate little circles that shimmered several shades of green as the wind blew.

She’d never seen anything like it, and she thought the scene was beautiful, so much lusher and more alive than the vegetation on Naxion. Yet at the same time, she knew dangers lurked in the shadows beneath the trees and behind the low, spiky bushes.

“Let’s do it.”

Max opened the hatch and stepped out, his hands hanging easily at his sides. Amber and Rafe followed, both imitating his stance. They stood beside the little ship waiting for what would happen next. As she peered into the greenery, Amber saw the vegetation around the perimeter of the field stirring.

Then all at once, men came out of the underbrush, making a semicircle around the side of the ship where the trio waited. They were all dressed in rough trousers and long-sleeved shirts that blended well with the trees and bushes. Most had cloths around their necks, and some had similar pieces of fabric tying up their long hair. The majority were armed with long knives, but a few carried beamers which were pointed toward the new arrivals.

---