Ralph knew that the ship was now entering the atmosphere, bow first. The thick layers of metal that had protected Hope from interstellar particles during its long trip through space were now acting as a heat shield, keeping Hope safe from the roaring inferno of ions during atmospheric deceleration.

And no one was as close to that inferno as Ralph, the shield being the only thing between it and the pod he was lying in.

The noise was deafening. And the forces braking the ship's speed were pressing him into the pod's couch. He could hardly lift a hand against them.

But he was not afraid. Hope was falling, but his spirits soared. The ship now did what its builders had made it for, so many years ago. And he trusted their skills.

All of them were dead now, they and their planet.

After what felt like hours, but were in fact only minutes, the noise and jolts started to abate, gradually replaced by a whine. It was the song of the wind passing along the ship's hull.

Just when Ralph started to breathe more slowly, the brake engines fired once more, in a last and violent effort, reducing the ship's speed before contact with the planet's surface.

Finally, a giant's fist slammed him into his cot.

For a moment, the noise of creaking and tearing metal was deafening.

Then, everything became still.

"Hope has landed." Sophia's voice was dispassionate, as usual.

She was not human, after all.

With his heart thumping, Ralph untangled himself from the couch belts and opened the hatch to the dock room.