Hoshi felt the inevitability of gravity, as she entered Mars' gravity well.

She felt the pull of something greater than herself. She felt relief, knowing that her ticket back into the virtual Wasteland of Las Ochentas was within her grasp. She felt a surety that hadn't been with her during her travels, her lonely exile, through meatspace.

"I'm tuning your metachines for possible bodily damage once you hit the atmosphere," Aurora reported, appearing in the helmet's HUD as a spectral blue form.

"I'm sure that is wise," Hoshi responded. "I will see you soon, Aurora."

"I sure hope so, dear Hoshi," Aurora said. "I have grown quite fond of you."

"And I, you."

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