Page 105 of Stars At Dusk

He saw her turn her head toward him, and he felt the smile in her voice. ‘Sante,’ she said in the language he loved. ‘That means a lot.’

The team cheered and celebrated as the rocket completed its mission and returned safely to Eden II’s surface. Its parachute recovery system kicked in, enabling the safe landing of the rocket’s main body and its integrated payload.

‘Great work, team!’ Harlow told the team. She whirled around in her space suit and clapped. ‘We’ve proven that our fuel and the drive we’ve developed are capable of incredible feats. We’re ready to take the next step in our exploration of the possibilities of this tech.

Kage glided over to her side and reached out a fist. She touched her own to him, and he gave her a nod. ‘History in the making, Harlow. An incredible win.’

‘First of many,’ she said with a smile.

The team collected as much data and telemetry from the landed rocket, and only when Harlow was satisfied they had everything they needed did they start packing up the gear.

Soon, Kage guided Void up and away from the testing plain while the team changed back into civvies in the storage deck.

He sat in the pilot’s chair, casually moving his hands across the controls, listening to the happy chatter below.

Then came a shift of energy, and he looked up to see Harlow walk to him. She pulled out the co-pilot’s chair beside him. His heart rate ratcheted, but he maintained a calm facade, gazing down sightlessly at the control pad.

He could feel her body pulsing next to him, giving away her heightened emotion.

He sliced his eyes over to her and met hers in a clash of heat.

‘Harlow,’ he acknowledged her low and deep.

‘Kage.Santefor today.’

‘Nothing to it,’ he murmured. ‘Anytime.’

She pushed her head back into the seat and gave a small laugh, revealing her ravishing throat and neck. ‘It was wild. Made me feel like all the joy in the universe was mine. Been years, Kage. So many late nights and long days came to a head today. So worth it.’

She was sharing her happy with him. His heart expanded.

‘You did well.’

She turned those lights-out eyes towards him. ‘Come. Celebrate with us after this,’ she said softly, squeezing his arm. ‘Celebratewith me.’

His eyes asked her a question.

She answered him by leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on his jaw.

She stood and left, trailing a hand along his arm as she left.

His lips quirked.

His heart leapt.

His -

Kage

‘Despite the challenges of the last few weeks, we were super expectant, with no idea how things would unfold. We were working towards a breakthrough that no one had ever seen before, and we were looking to make history with every number we crunched, every formula we tweaked. Today’s success was the culmination of many hours of sacrifice and efficiency. Together we conquered Stage One and have begun a remarkable journey towards something incredible. Let’s never forget the experience. I thank you all for your effort and hard work. Bottoms up!’

With Harlow’s words, a cheer went up at the private booth set aside for the Skylab Proto-XE team.

They were celebrating in style at The Osirian. Every team member was in high spirits, on a high, joking with each other, basking in the glow of their success.

They ordered round after round of drinks, toasting each other and reliving the best moments of the launch, enjoying every minute of it.

Kage had planted himself in the corner of the large, wide booth, and presently Harlow pushed through her team to sit beside him.

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