Page 22 of Stars on Fire

He was silent and stoic throughout the journey while Selene took in the flashing lights and dark recesses that appeared outside the plex windows.

The maglev lift stopped at an opening to an underground alley. He used a hand to indicate she step off, which she did. He then took the lead, down a dizzying array of twists and turns that led deeper into looming darkness until they arrived at a dead-end where a small light flickered above a single dark door. Next to it was a high-tech security panel.

It looked like the back entrance leading to a gleaming building that soared more than fifty stories above their heads.

Kainan waved his wrist comm over the security panel, which flashed bright blue. With a click, the door opened. With a last furtive look behind them, Kainan ushered Selene into the doorway. The door shut behind them with a hiss.

They stepped into a corridor lit with low, warm sconces set at intervals. In the distance, she could hear voices, music and the clink of cutlery and utensils. The air was redolent with the rich malty scent of brew and aged liquor.

‘A bar?’

Kainan pushed his hood back away from his face. He ran his eyes down the length of her body and again to her face. ‘I assumed you’d probably like to eat, freshen up and relax before your meeting.’

‘That well may be,’ Selene said quietly. ‘But I’ll find it hard to eat when I know I’ve got a planet in dire need of aid. Generous though you may be, please forget about my needs. I’m here to get a job done and quickly. So please, let’s meet your boss.’

He raised his eyebrow and gave her a keen look. ‘The boss will be ready when they say they’re ready. Also, one thing you should know about Eden II,Excellency, is that we take our time with important matters such as food and nourishment. So please, relax, enjoy the hospitality.’

There was a forceful inflection in his voice and she knew at that moment that she’d made a mistake believing he was a mere pilot. This man was not to be underestimated. But she couldn’t figure out where he stood in the grand scheme. Perhaps a senior henchman or even an adjutant. Nonetheless, she cautioned herself to be more careful with him.

‘This way,Excellency,’ he rasped.

Kainan led her a few feet into the corridor before unlocking a second doorway. It opened onto a flight of stairs. Low-lit like the rest of the building, they led into a landing space that opened into a large central room encircled with other closed entryways.

The room, comfortably furnished, featured a series of couches and chairs arranged before an enormous but empty holo screen. Behind the sitting area was a generous dining space and bar. A large table took centre stage, covered in food and drinks of every variety possible.

‘I told you I don’t want to eat anything,’ Selene sighed.

‘Not even I can turn down Edenite bounty,’ the large man rumbled, his tattoos glowing on his skin. ‘Eat, drink. It’s the least you can do. One should never negotiate on an empty stomach.’

Selene dumped her bag on the floor.

‘Does he or she or whatever at least know that I’m here?’

‘They know you’re here,Excellency’ Kainan said softly, circling the dining table and heaping food on his plate.

Kainan paid her no attention, and she sighed to herself, giving in to the inevitable. Eventually, she wandered to the table to fill a plate with colourful fruits, sliced meats, rich cheeses, spiced and fresh vegetables and hunks of enticing warm flatbread.

Selene took it over to the couch across from the hulking man, and they both ate soundlessly, with nigh a word between them.

The food was delicious and necessary, she irritatedly admitted to herself a few minutes later, licking her fingers while feeling much more energised and refreshed.

She thumbed through her comm tab while Kainan crossed a thick thigh over his other leg and worked on his larger pad while he ate.

Selene glanced at him and tried to peer surreptitiously at what he was doing. She momentarily spotted intricate sketches and drawings on his screen of various aeronautical components and mechanical illustrations, beautifully detailed and precise.

Was he some designer, as well as a pilot?she wondered.

He suddenly looked up and caught her curious study of him. He lifted a thick brow, and she flushed, looking away.

The sounds of laughter, clinking glasses and a crooning singer with a beautiful voice wafted up the stairs, and Selene longed to wander down and indulge in all the hilarity and good times. Eden II was beginning to draw her in.

After he’d finished eating, Kainan rose to his feet.

She caught his eye, lifting her hands, silently questioning the wait, but all he did was shrug those beautiful, massive shoulders. He put his plate away, then returned to the couch, where he threw his hood back over his head, stretched his large form horizontally on the oversized couch and flung a pillow over his eyes.

‘How much longer?’ she ventured.

He rumbled from under the pillow. ‘As long as it takes,Excellency.’

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