The great ponderous ship floated high above dark grey and black clouds that were hundreds of miles across. Captain Straaf Norlund was once again piloting the scientists' ship Garian Explorer, and every monitor aboard showed the same basic scene. Behind them, before them, to both sides, massive roiling storm clouds with flash after flash of lightning, some parallel to the ship, but most reaching downward, disappearing out of sight to rake the ground far below, where the humans could not see the devastation.