Planet Scout - Birenso — George G. Pinneo

Gil Morrison was the First Scout to jump down from space onto Raptor's World while a doctoral candidate at University of Mars, Candor Cliffs. He'd married fellow student Cari Landry, the Second Scout down on Raptor's World. They prospected for metals across the planet, helping Blake, Ltd., establish a cobalt mining operation. Their daughter Leandra was growing up on Raptor's World, sharing her childhood with Bixi, 'daughter' of Cherokee and Saxa: 900-pound flightless land raptors, the top predator on the planet. At the age of 36, Geoff Blackmon asked Gil to explore another Earthlike world out beyond Cassini's Star: Cyraxa. This time, Geoff would land Gil on one of the five continents using a Canth lander, so he didn't need to jump down. Using a titanium-skinned habitat as a hard shelter, Gil had a safe place to retreat into at night.