Sensors poked out of the flitter’s hull, and Grantt, staring into his screens, devoured the data as they came in. ‘I’m detecting compounds in that air: carbon monoxide, methane . . . A very carbon-rich mix. Traces of water. A decent air pressure too. All of this was presumably manufactured at the Sun, transmuted from solar hydrogen and helium – or even just created direct from the radiative energy, I suppose, like the hull material. Of course, as per orders, we’re sending out a stream of messages of all kinds, from optical blinks to neutrino pulses. Hi, we’re friends! No response yet . . .’
-Xeelee: Vengeance, Ch. 30