Kapp stepped into the bright office of Bryce Holden, The Director of the Interplanetary Explorers Society. Director Holden smiled from behind his oakwood desk, waiting for Kapp to take a seat. A buzzcut of salt and pepper hair combined with a rigid jawline completed his rectangular face. He had a thick neck and ruddy skin. On his tie, he wore a gold pin with the IES logo on it, a mini solar system with a web of lines connecting the planets.

“Commander Adams,” h...