Page 38 of Starfallen
Pulling up several holoscreens, I show her the basic functions of the Vapor.
“It’s similar to a skirmisher, but on a much more basic level. It runs on electromagnetic levitation, so it doesn’t actually touch the ground.” I swipe a screen and a scanning system comes online. I plot a route to take us from home to my surprise. “There you go. Hit the engage button and follow that course. You can also set it on autopilot.”
I pull up a separate holoscreen on my side and type the authorization code to open the bay to the Martian atmosphere. The clear dome above the vehicle splits in two and both sides lower into the solid wall, which is about a meter from the ground.
She sits straighter and pushes the button on the console, then grabs the control stick. The vehicle lifts two meters into the air.
Mentally, I run a systems check, aligning my sensors to the vehicle’s sensors, ensuring no issues arise to put us in danger.
All systems go. No detected weather anomalies or other traffic for a five-kilometer radius.
Good. To any people in habitats or in the tunnels, the reflective coating of the vehicle won’t allow an outsider to spot us, keeping our identities safe. Granny also had the traffic in this area detoured, which means I don’t have to worry about an accident.
Tilly pushes the Vapor to run parallel to the tunnel we came from, following the opposite direction of our dome. “It’s so quiet. Does it have a motor?”
“Not in the conventional sense of what you’re used to. It runs off plasma. Think of its system like Earth’s electric vehicles.” It’s much more technical than this, but I doubt she’d enjoy a lesson in plasma engineering.
KJ yips.
I reach backward and give him a chin scratch. “Well, buddy, what do you think about your first family trip on Mars?”
He strains at his harness and paws the air.
“No, you have to stay strapped inside. If Red here drives like she cooks, trust me, you’ll thank me later.”
“Hey, asshole. My cooking isnotthat bad.” Her eyes scan the monitor with the route, then back to the red soil and rocks as the vehicle automatically compensates for ground texture changes, lifting higher as it encounters uneven terrain. “Just because I burned the potatoes the other night doesn’t mean I’m a bad cook.”
After I’d returned to her with KJ, she’d been so happy she’d decided to cook a feast for supper. “Well, you also burned the corn.”
“Not my fault you made the fire too hot.”
I throw back my head and laugh. “Is there such a thing as a cold fire on Earth?”
“Stop laughing at me.” She jabs an elbow into my side. “And the corn was only a little crispy on one side. Everything else was perfect.”
Everything else wasnotperfect, but I hadn’t cared. I gladly ate the burned food because it meant I sat there, with the woman I loved, with my second chance at life, at being a father.
I swipe a piece of loose hair clinging to her cheek and tuck it behind her ear. “It was perfect.You’reperfect. And you’re right. I put entirely too much wood on that fire and made it burn too hot.”
With a quick squint from her periphery, she lowers her eyebrows as if not quite believing what I say.
“I love you.”
Her arms relax and she beams a shy smile that melts my heart before turning her focus back to the drive. “Love you too, pretty boy.”
With a contented sigh, I turn my gaze to the distant craggy mountains and lifeless desert.
I did the right thing.Turning my attention to the hidden dagger at my waist, I caress the dark blade, remembering the line of red dripping from her skin, how weak I’d been. But I’d turned Silarrian’s own dagger on him and showed exactly how strong I could be.
Yeah, I did the right thing. No one will ever hurt her again.
I give it a pat and pull my jacket closed.
Just like my people will be cultivating that dead land out there soon to make crops, she and I will breathe life into our new home with love, trust, and safety.
She’ll see I made the right call. I know she will.
****
