Raz Terrennn has no regrets about splashing out on her new HoverBike. Maybe, if she were a fabulously wealthy businesswoman, like her lifelong friend, Talora Myl, she would have gone for a skycar (Talora owns about eight of them), but the HoverBike does the business and it's convenient in CityDome 177. Compared to her old jetpack, the HoverBike is a revelation: it's much faster, has a huge range and is comfortable, too. There's never been anything like a 'pack for leaving you stranded somewhere very awkward, such as on the way to Talora's lovely, but remote, mansion, Falernia. Before Raz acquired her 'Bike, Talora always came out in the skycar, to get Raz over the Icarus Ridge in safety, because few jetpacks were up to the challenge. The unforgiving crags were the last place on the planet you'd want a jetpack failure and, as the name suggests, the Icarus Ridge was also the last place on the planet which many jetpack-users saw. By contrast, the 'Bike's forceshield protects the rider from cold, altitude sickness and inclement weather. The HoverBike whisks Raz across the Inland Sea and copes with the immense altitude of the Ridge without a splutter. Soon, Raz is coasting over Talora's beautiful estate and waving a greeting to her friend. Funny how it's always sunny at Falernia...