A fireball burned through Crete's atmosphere as the wingless cockpit of what used to be an M10 Titan streamed through the sky. The pilot was fairly certain he was going to die in a docking ring accident, ironically not by the hordes of Outcasts that followed him nor the hazards of traveling through Jumpholes at cruise speed.
The stabilizers kicked in and the Titan started to slow down. The Council Chambers were situated on a hill right beside the Boozer's Lounge and of course, the spaceport.
Unfortunately the Titan had several stabilizers missing and couldn't slow down completely, instead streaking across the front courtyard and slamming into the stone wall that surrounded the Chambers. The Corsair inside blew his plasti-steel cockpit window and jumped out, quickly changing from his regal black outfit to a more fitting tan and steel Corsair one.
Strolling quickly and importantly across the green courtyard, the guard quickly recognized him as an Elder and rushed to assist, but before the guard could say anything, Juan threw his keys to the bulky Corsair.
"Don't scratch the paint. I've got a meeting to attend."
The guard looked bewildered and confused. Obviously respecting his Elder's wishes, he started preparations to have the Titan hauled away.
Meanwhile, Juan walked quickly down the corridor and let the computer scan his eye.
"Greetings Elder Juan Lucendez. The Council awaits you."
A guard appeared and checked him for weapons, finding none, he opened the door seeing two more people in the room.
Apparently, he was early.
"The thirteen saloons that had lined the one street of Seney had not left a trace. The foundations of the Mansion House hotel stuck up above the ground. The stone was chipped and split by the fire. It was all that was left of the town of Seney. Even the surface had been burned off the ground.
Nick looked at the burned-over stretch of hillside, where he had expected to find the scattered houses of the town and then walked down the railroad track to the bridge over the river. The river was there."
