The box now stood in a large empty hold. He could see the curve of the ship's hull, ribbed with tremendous struts of steel, and a deck of metal plates, glistening in the green light. Green light? Earth ships have a yellow-white type light, the kind that the sun gives off. Well, yes—but suppose that the sun was green?
Nanta Dik circles a green star.
So does Senya Dik. Those creatures outside the ship were anything but humanoid. Jubb's darkbird herded us in here. Easy. Now we know.
"What about the air?" asked Susan. "Let go of me."
"It's poisonous. Can't you tell by looking at it?" It rolled and roiled and sluggishly shifted in vapors of thick chartreuse and vivid green. "And don't you remember, they were wearing pressure suits? They couldn't live in our atmosphere. We surely couldn't live in theirs."
There was no answer.
"Susan. Susan?"
"I want to go home," she said, and began to cry.
"There now, Susie. Take it—"
"Don't call me Susie!"