Page 37 of Stars At Dusk

She nodded. It wasn’t necessary, however, as her identikit flashed on its screen, and the droid recognised it with a green flash on the top of its shining steel cranium.

It rolled aside to let her pass. Then, needing a free hand to grab hold of the steel handrail, she stuffed her pastry in her mouth, slugged her jacket and bags onto her side and ran up and into the spacious, cool interior.

She suddenly halted at the sight of the hulking man seated on the second row of the shuttle. His well-fitting jumpsuit emphasised his large body. He commanded the cabin, his frame dominating the interior, head pressed back into the expansive white leather, a thick booted ankle crossed over the other knee, hands holding a comm tab he’d been working on. Files, papers and digital zines covered the surface of the seat next to him. Like he’d been there a while.

‘Harlow, lovely of you to join us,’ Kage drawled, slowly raising his glowing silver eyes towards her.

She whipped the lemon-curd-filled pastry from her mouth, her face flushed with a slight touch of mortal mortification.

‘Hi,’ she said uncertainly. ‘Didn’t expect you to be on board.’

His lips twitched with amusement. ‘And where else would I be? I’ve got new staff to induct today.’

His voice.So deep and lush in the morning. Damn.

She shrugged, defeated by his simple Monday morning logic. He chased his lip curl with a huffed laugh.

‘Please?’ he gestured to the empty seat across from his.

She glanced around at the other three passengers ensconced towards the back of the shuttle. They barely looked up from their comm tabs, so she thrust her bags into the space and sat down heavily, pulling the delicious snack from her lips.

‘Did I keep you all waiting?’ she half whispered across the aisle. ‘If I did, I’m so sorry.’

Kage’s eyes flicked over her leisurely. ‘De nada.Don’t worry about it. I had messages to read through. I’m sure the others had their work or news to catch up on. And for all intents and purposes, you were just a wee late.’

‘A few minutes only,’ she insisted, fussing with her safety belt while the shuttle lifted slowly and silently from the surface. ‘And don’t tell me they add up. I know it already!’

‘First day jitters, Harlow?’ he teased.

‘I’d flip you off, boss, but it won’t look too good on my first day,’ she bristled.

He broke out into a full grin, and she couldn’t resist. She poked her tongue out at him. His expression changed into a smoulder before he flicked those unusual eyes away with a quirk on his lips.

She sat back heavily in her chair and decided to make the best of the time. She hoovered her pastry, delighting in the bursts of sharp berries and fig jam hidden inside its lemon custardy richness. Her kahawa was rich and unctuous, and within minutes she felt back to her energetic snap, crackle and pop self.

She was licking her fingers when Kage cut through her enjoyment.

‘How’s the pastry?’

‘Loving it. Quite the surprise. You’ve got some serious bakers on this rock.’

‘I’ll pass on your compliments,’ he murmured with a self-satisfied grin.

She cocked her head, trying to fathom his mysterious smile. She gave up after a moment.

‘Nice ride,’ she commented, looking around the neat, high-end interior of the shuttle while marvelling at the quiet ease of the lift-off and subsequent flight.

‘It certainly is,’ Kage stated.

‘Is it EM?’ she probed to confirm her suspicions.

Kage nodded. ‘Like our flyer tech, it supplies its own kinetic energy. It only needs energy as fast as it rises through the gravity well.’

‘How about re-entry?’ she challenged, instantly switching her nerd brain on.

‘All taken care of. The drive easily works in reverse and slowdowns before the shuttle’s hull touches the thicker layers of our lunar atmosphere at high speed. Which is what causes all the problems, as you would know.’

Harlow tilted her head, intrigued. ‘What if you want to do take-off and landing in a hurry?

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