" The Starclimber seemed almost unbearably small and lonely, as Tobias and I made our way through space to the bow. No cable ran through the ship’s center, guiding her home. Below us turned the earth, but it moved slowly compared to us. Cut loose from Ground Station, we hurtled around the planet in our fatal orbit. Earlier on the voyage, I’d grown tired of seeing the same view of the Pacificus from our fixed spot. I’d wished we could swoop around earth like some cosmic bird. I was getting my wish now, at a terrible price. Asia was below us, Japan just coming into view over the eastern horizon. The music of the spheres "

― Kenneth Oppel , Starclimber (Matt Cruse, #3)