Lafiel was ready for her daily practice, klanyu strapped to her side when she entered the wrong sensorium door. The smell of grass was sharp in her nostrils. Earth smelled rich. The ground was gritty and uneven.

And then there was something with a long face, too long with eyes wide on either side of its head. For legs like a cat but they were set under its body instead of slightly angled out the way a cat's were.

She was startled and instinctively reached for the laser pistol. But then she saw the captain on top of it and turned red with embarrassment. "Captain...Oh, this must be a 'horse'."