Subconsciously he had expected the Big Burn to be barren land--curdled
rock with rivers of frozen quartz, substances boiled up through the crust
of the planet by the action of the atomic explosives. That was the way it
had been on Limbo--on the other "burned-off" worlds they had discovered
where those who had preceded mankind into the Galaxy--the mysterious,
long vanished "Forerunners"--had fought their grim and totally
annihilating wars.
But it would seem that the Big Burn was altogether different--at least
here it was. There was no rock sterile of life outside--in fact there
would appear to be too much life. What Dane could sight on his limited
field of vision was a teeming jungle. And the thrill of that discovery
almost made him forget their present circumstances. He was still staring
bemused at the screen when Rip muttered, turned his head on his folded
arms and opened his sunken eyes:
"Did we make it?" he asked dully.
Dane, not taking his eyes from that fascinating scene without, answered:
"You brought us down. But I don't know where--"
"Unless our instruments were 'way off, we're near to the heart of the
Burn.
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