Page 81 of Stars on Fire

‘Khosi!Naam,khosi!’ the AI shot back with a sarcastic edge. ‘You’ll still need my help, though, navigating through the storm in your suits.’

Kainan grimaced at the thinly veiled taunt, then rose to his feet, gesturing at Selene to do the same.

He moved quickly, sliding down the command staircase and again to the cargo and storage bay. She ran behind him and down the stairs into the bay.

Kainan strode to one side of the spacious storage area, opening a series of neo-steel lockers that each revealed rows of armoured gear above which a few helmets hung. The suits looked unremarkable to her. The headgear, however, was familiar, the same design as the one she’d worn on their flight to J’Urg Mihòr.

‘You’ll need to strip,’ Kainan unceremoniously informed her.

She goggled at him, and he raised an eyebrow. ‘Nothing I haven’t seen before.’

They shared a heated glance before he looked away. ‘Hurry, Selene, time is not on our side.’

She let her inhibitions go and quickly shed her cotton jumpsuit, stepping out naked before him.

Eyes hooded over, he handed her a soft-looking, almost silken garment.

‘It’s a smart meta under-suit,’ he said. ‘It can handle any concussive forces with sensors built into key points to provide biofeedback to the powered joints and musculature. It also helps with load support and comfort and keeps track of your body functions.’

She stepped into it, and it slid on fluidly, contouring her curves instantly. She smoothed her hands over the material, astonished by how luxurious it felt, despite the cool sensation of sensors melding to her skin.

‘Next is the hard frame, which is a meta-flow material. It can resist any ballistic weapons and laser beams. Its meta features include full stealth mode that extends to any weapons in your hands.’

Selene took the armoured plate outer armour from him, stepping into it. It also seemed to come alive, sliding over her body, the overlapping flexible plates snapping softly into place. The metanoids formed into anti-grav boots, rugged neo-steel outer soles appearing under the incredible velvet-like insole.

‘The external frame houses a small, fast-charging nano nuclear RTG,’ Kainan added.

‘RTG?’ she asked.

‘A radioisotope thermoelectric generator,’ Kainan replied. ‘A nuclear battery that uses an array of thermocouples that provides the suit with a compact and dense power source. The suit is lightning-proof and has heavy-duty shielding to protect you from inner and outer radiation. The metanoids embedded into the plates will immediately counteract any dents or impacts and intuitively ‘heal’ the suit. It can withstand most kinetic forces and resist heat up to 1500 degrees Celsius. Plus, it houses a respirator that can stay powered for up to 25 hours. It also has inbuilt force amplification which means you can jump up to six feet high and punch through light walls if needed. It won’t go through reinforced or thick walls, so don’t get too brassy.’

After his short spiel, he handed her the helmet. ‘You remember this?’

She nodded as she slid it over her head, the clear plex helmet fitting snugly to the meta suit below it with a soft hiss. Sound and air equalised in nanoseconds, and Selene watched as the 360-degree HUD lit up, showing a full charge and scrolling telemetry.

‘I didn’t give you a briefing on it then because I didn’t think it was needed, but please listen up now - for your safety,’ he continued. ‘The helmet’s integrated computer can maintain the atmosphere inside the armour. It regulates all armour integrity and is equipped with motion-sensing radar and thermal and heartbeat sensors. The inbuilt cameras and HUD automatically patches with Mirage, and she’ll guide us using our cam feeds down onto the surface.’

She looked up at him, her visor still open. ‘What if I need to go?’

His brow wrinkled for a moment until his brain caught up. He sighed. ‘Selene, do you need to go?’

‘Nah,’ she said with a wry smile. ‘But what if I need to?’

His lips quirked. ‘Then the suit will whisk away any waste before you even know you need to go. Don’t worry. Your every need will be taken care of.’

She felt the familiar desire and pull between them as their gazes clashed. Then, she felt the loss of their connection when Kainan turned away and began to strip himself.

Her mouth watered as she darkened her helmet’s visor with a thought. This let her stare, unobserved, at his magnificent body, the beautiful sapphire and gold glyphs that slid over his smooth skin, the muscles that pulsed with heated energy.

She turned away.For he had never been hers, to begin with.

‘Ready?’

Kainan’s gravelly voice reverberated through her helmet.

She turned back to find a menacing, towering silhouette standing there. She shivered at the sight of his looming badassness. Complete with a lethal-looking steel grey rifle strapped to his back and two laser handguns in a belt at his hips.

‘Why don’t I have one of those?’ she asked, pointing to his hip. ‘I can handle most weapons if needed.’

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