NARRATOR: Zipping along the exterior of the Eina-Afa spindle...
BRISTLECONE: Captain, there is activity on the strut ahead of us. A hatch is opening.
TAGON: Is it big enough to fly through?
BRISTLECONE: Big enough by two orders of magnitude, even accounting for the traffic flowing through it now.
TAGON: What traffic?
BRISTLECONE: Dozens of small craft. Streamlined, annie-powered, six meters in length.
BRISTLECONE: Unknown manufacturer, though they appear very well-designed for use in an atmospheric environment.
Steep acceleration. They are vectoring to intercept.
TAGON: What kind of intercept? Short-range weapon fire, or impact?
BRISTLECONE: Unless we evade, they can take their pick.
TAGON: Those aren't small craft. They're large missiles.
KATHRYN: I was going to ask for the other side of the conversation, but now I'm less sure that I want it.