Page 16 of Stars on Fire

When Souls Fall Into Pools Of Molten Gold

Selene

The wind and mist whipped about the landing pad high above Enclave Zulu One, cutting straight to the bone and extremities.

Typical Dunia. The planet was still expressing its annoyance at what had transpired in the last few days.

Selene looked up at the roiling, dark and very empty sky and cursed, kicking at the duffle bag at her feet.

It was cold.

Windy. Wet. Miserable.

This was not her jam.

It didn’t help that she was still exhausted and highly irritable.

‘Rina, where is this transport?’ she sighed into her wrist comm.

‘It should be there anytime now. Patience, woman. We sent a coded request for help last night, and a contact on Eden II responded. Quickly, might I add. But it’s obviously taking time to get here. Remember, they probably needed to dodge the crats’ blockade safely. Plus avoid being spotted by the spaceport’s orbital defence systems. On that note, they told me they’d be sending a -’

Selene interrupted her friend. ‘Is there any way you can please comm them and find out their ETA?’

‘Can’t handle a little cold and precipitation? When did you get so soft?’

‘Ri’, I hate you!’

‘And I love you back, Sel.’

‘But can you ask, please? I’ve been waiting for ages.’

‘When did I become your assistant?’ Selene’s best friend shot back. ‘You’ve just gotten too used to the good life as the Prime’s daughter and right-hand advisor - with a large team at your disposal. It’s a new world now, woman. No staff, zero fakery. Your diplomatic BS does not fly with me.’

Selene was about to clap back when suddenly, the air in front of her shifted. Like, literally moved.

Instinct kicked in, and her hand shot to her waist to retrieve her blaster from its holster. Her eyes whipped and darted around, searching for purchase. When she found none, her pulse raced.

Then the empty air before her shimmered and flickered, slowly revealing a dark, sleek corvette crossed with a fighter that had been set down on the landing pad for a while.

It was like nothing she’d seen before, a faceted and streamlined neo-steel design with armoured turrets and rail guns, the entire surface of it coated in what seemed to be a matte radar-absorbing skin.

Stealth, she concluded hastily. It wasn’t any Technocracy ship design she knew of, neither did it resemble any of the Pegasi system aircraft she’d studied about at the Academy. This was new, this was lethal looking, and it was here, on Dunia.

Heart hammering, she eased a foot to the left and froze.

A doorway had materialised on the outer skin of the corvette. It slid open, and a metal-air bridge with neo-steel stairs swiftly arced towards the ground.

Stepping down the ramp of the sleek fighter was a figure.

A HUGE man. So extensive, so broad, his shoulders blocked all internal views of his ship. He was taller than anyone she’d ever seen before. He was also more muscled than most, with large, powerful ropey limbs that were easily twice as wide as hers. Clad in a matte black, short sleeve jumpsuit moulded to every inch of his massive frame, he sported broad shoulders, slim power-driven hips and enormously thick thighs that eased into equally gigantic boot-clad feet.

He’d strapped a contoured blaster to his hip, and she saw the outline of throwing knives tucked into his boots. His skin was a light lustrous caramel, the thick neck, broad upper arms and hands covered by a series of stunning gold and sapphire tattoos in the shape of an evocative nebula, marks he seemed to wear like a badge of honour. This was unlike any man she’d ever seen.

She blinked twice in disbelief. Yet his magnificence kept giving. A long messy mane of dark locks crowned his head. They were shot with highlights of sapphire and gold with silver at the temples. It trailed thick and lustrous down past his shoulders.

The same iridescent sapphire, gold and silver hues flashed on his beard, squared jaw and full moustache. His lips were full, his cheekbones high, and his nose long and flaring powerfully as he paused to draw in Zaalalum’s pure forest air.

His forehead was a wall unto itself, the dark brows thick and unyielding, but it was his eyes that stopped the wind, halted her breath and stilled all sound around her.

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