Page 46 of Lorran
“It is a very small shuttle.”
“Ah, the magic words.” Her mouth quirked up in a sly grin.
Sarcasm. Terrans excelled at the communication form. He had only ever experienced it when his brother’s mates were distressed. He enjoyed it a great deal.
“That kiss pulled victory from the jaws of defeat. Thanks for a memorable date.Verymemorable. Next time, I get to pick.”
He detected no sarcasm, and that pleased him immensely.
Chapter 10
Lorran
Lorran positioned the shuttle to hide carefully behind the moon while he and Mylomon gathered information. He did not want to waste time or fuel entering the atmosphere ifSRV-P11’sremaining crew did not land there.
The shuttle’s scanners were not ideal, but they identified the abandoned Mahdfel base on a narrow island off the eastern coast of the planet’s second largest landmass. Why that location when a sprawling continent was literally a stone’s throw away, Lorran could not say. Perhaps the location offered a protected harbor or some other unique advantage to defense. Or the warriors who built the base planned for civilians to colonize the landmass.
The planet, designated at Etes 3, boasted a wide habitable zone suitable for settlement. Temperatures did not tend to extremes, excluding the polar regions. The oxygen-rich atmosphere required no sort of filtration or modification. Scans indicated the flora to be nontoxic. Water would be potable once microbes were filtered. Even gravity was similar to Sangrin.
Etes 3 was ideal for colonization, yet it had been abandoned. Lorran could not determine why.
“I have identified energy signatures,” Mylomon said.
“Multiple? Who knew this planet on the edge of nowhere got so much traffic? Let’s hope our escape pod is one of those signatures.”
“Your ability to state the obvious is astounding.”
“Thank you,” Lorran said.
“That is not a compliment.”
Lorran grinned, amused at the seriousness in the male’s tone.
“I have located a landing strip in serviceable condition,” he said, steering the conversation back to the mission. He did not require a landing strip to set the shuttle down. The vessel was fully capable of landing safely in a variety of environments and terrains. However, he had only received the minimum training required to pilot the shuttle and had never landed on an uneven surface. He did not wish for his mate to experience his first attempt if the landing proved more bounce than advisable. “The proximity of the nearby structures suggest they are hangars and a supply depot, which is advantageous to repairing the shuttle,” he concluded.
“Yes, and it has nothing to do with impressing your mate with a perfect landing,” Mylomon replied dryly.
“Well, I’d appreciate not bouncing all over the place. A smooth landing sounds good to me,” Wyn said from her seat. Lorran had fastened her safety harness himself, so he knew she would be secure no matter the landing.
“No communications on secure channels,” Lorran said. “Should we say hello or land without invitation?”
“I would not trust the base’s comm equipment to be secure. At best, it is outdated. At worst, nonexistent. Land,” Mylomon ordered.
Lorran eased the shuttle into the planet’s atmosphere with only the slightest bump of turbulence.
Huge swaths of greenery rotated underneath the shuttle. The occasional complex of gray structures and road networks of abandoned settlements punctuated the landscape.
So there had been settlements. Lorran wondered what made the planet nonviable for colonization.
The shuttle moved up a coast. Midday sunlight reflected off the water, giving it a glassy appearance.
The abandoned base came into view. Built into a hillside, the front was a gray slab of concrete with a rounded glass front protruding out, like half a glass bowl stuck to the hill. Near the shore, sand and beach grass stretched down to the water. Taller grass and shrubbery covered the hill.
The base itself appeared to be crescent-shaped. Whether that was the natural shape of the hill or if the architects had changed the landscape to suit their purposes, he did not know. Lorran directed the shuttle over the crescent of the hill to the back, where earth had been cleared for freestanding buildings.
The shuttle touched down with minimal impact.
“An adequate landing,” Mylomon said.
