Fifty two - EARTH (DIVIDED)

The pilot, a man named Hudson, was none too happy. The mission had screw up written all over it. A clipboard was velcroed to Hudson's right thigh. He checked the printout for the tenth time. The lights were dim to protect his vision, but the orange ink continued to glow. The instructions were clear. He was to land near Hugo, pick up an passenger, and haul butt. All without alerting the mutineers.

Of course, that wasn't the worst of it, not by a long shot. Assuming the orders were correct, and not the ravings of a suit gone mad, the person he was supposed to collect was listed as Citizen Doug Douglas, as in Marcus Doug Douglas, a man who had disappeared more than fifty years ago and should be dead.

The navcomp beeped softly and projected a map onto the windscreen's inside surface. The transport was five miles from the LZ and closing fast.

Hudson pushed a thought through the neutral interface, felt the speed drop by fifty percent, and directed power to the bow-mounted searchl