Page 61 of Stars on Fire

‘I think we need to get the hell out of here,’ Kainan said. ‘And escape to the wide-open skies.’

Into the nether of Pegasi, they flew.

Past a swathe of satellite dwarf galaxies twinkling with a trillion stars. They streaked by unbelievably hued nebulas dotted with bands of stars, dust and gas.

Far below them, Eden II and Dunia seemed like jewels hanging on a string of pearly stars surrounded by a spherical halo of illuminated gas embedded in an even larger circle of invisible dark matter.

Selene imagined the dark mass at Pegasi’s centre, remembering what she’d learned from her school days. She knew everything in this galaxy revolved around this powerful gateway to nothingness. In its immediate surroundings was a tightly packed region of dust, gas and stars known as Pegasi’s bulge. Sprinkled within the bulge were globular clusters, collections of ancient stars, and approximately forty dwarf galaxies orbiting or colliding within the spread-out galaxy.

She sucked in air at the sight of the System’s brightest star and twin sun, which formed one corner of the Square of Pegasus, once with a constellation designated δ–Peg.

‘Due to Eden II’s rotation, we’re closer to Alphetraz, perhaps as close as you’ll ever get,’ Kainan said, his gravelly voice cutting through her reverie. ‘Mirage, please come to a stop.’

The AI obeyed, and the corvette slowly slid into a hover position, hanging in space. Kainan rose from the pilot’s chair, his eyes lit with energy and, to Selene’s amazement, an almost wide-eyed excitement as he gazed out of the plexiglass at the bright mass.

He joined her by the expansive view, and they stared at the whirling mass of light.

‘Stunning. Even though I know it’s a twin star, it looks like one gigantic sun,’ Selene said.

‘Tis,’ Kainan told her. ‘Although it appears to the naked eye as a single entity, it is actually a binary system composed of two stars in close orbit.’

Mirage piped up. ‘The chemical composition of the brighter of the two stars is unusual as its atmosphere contains abnormally high levels of mercury, manganese, and other elements, including gallium and xenon. This makes it the brightest mercury-manganese star ever known.’

Kainan leaned into the view; his face lit up by starlight. ‘Alphetraz is also called Sirrah, as well as surrat al-faras, which means the navel of the mare horse and corresponds to the winged horse, Pegasus. It’s also known as one of the “Three Guides” that mark the prime meridian of the heavens, the other two being Beta Cassiopeia and Gamma Pegasi. It was believed to bless those born under its influence or those drawn close to its light with the promise of long life, love, honour and riches.’

‘We should be so lucky,’ Selene murmured.

They shared a long look.

‘We may yet still be,khamila.’

Kainan’s words were heavy with promise, and Selene shivered, glancing up at the vast pulsing star.

‘How about a drop of Galician whiskey to seal that promise?’ he murmured.

‘Sounds like a good idea.’

Kainan strode to a hidden storage unit on the command deck. He pushed a few buttons, and the door revealed a well-stocked spirits bar and fridge.

Minutes later, she was swirling a glass of golden bliss.

‘To finding rare stars in orbit,’ he said, saluting her with his glass, his sapphire gold eyes flashing with deep meaning.

‘To stars that make you believe in the impossible,’ she added, her words too laden with significance.

He gave her another of his rare smiles and tossed back his drink, exposing his beautifully glyphed neck.

She did the same and felt her eyes water as the alcohol heated her insides.

She badly wanted to lie down and then lie there forever, staring at the beauty of the paired stars.

‘I can pull out a couch for you here,’ Kainan said, cutting through her thoughts. ‘I have one in that panel that’s king-sized. It fits snugly under the view screen.’

It was as if he’d read her mind.

Selene nodded. ‘That sounds good,’ she said.

Although what she knew she wisely needed to do was get away from the man causing her drowning need. ‘It’s been a long day.’

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