They arrived at Spartan Two with medical supplies. Tarin shut down the main engine but left the shuttle on standby.
Sayeed had ridden copilot. She stayed in her seat.
“What are your plans?” she asked.
“The basalt fields.”
“Take me along.”
Tarin turned toward her with a half smile, pleased and curious.
When the supplies had been unloaded, Tarin went through the shuttle’s main engine startup sequence. Before liftoff, he reached for the panel and pressed play. “Moon River” filled the cabin.
He lifted the shuttle and set course for the basalt fields.
“I’ve heard pilots go out to the basalt fields,” Sayeed said. “What’s there besides desolation?”
“A place to put down. If you’re waiting for cargo turnaround and they need the space at the port, you wait out there.”
“I’ve never been.”
Tarin glanced across at her.
“Usually you’d have got off by now.”
The outpost came into view among the trees: low buildings, worn paving, and a lake beyond them. Orange ground showed between the dark stretches of basalt.
Tarin brought the shuttle down and shut off the engine.
They climbed down. Outside, he pointed toward the lake.
“If you want to know why pilots come here, walk down that path to the point on the other side of the lake.”
While Sayeed followed the lakeside path, Tarin made a slow circuit of the shuttle, inspecting it. When he had finished, he went aboard.
The sun was settling behind the trees. Their shadows stretched across the orange ground toward the lake.
Inside, Tarin sat forward and finished the log entries.
He made tea.
Sayeed was back from her walk within twenty minutes. He offered her a cup.
“We have five minutes.”
He went forward to begin the startup sequence. “Moon River” played through the speakers.
Sayeed finished her tea and hummed a few bars as she washed her cup. She stowed it, then joined him in the cockpit.
As they lifted off, she said, “Now I see why you like coming here.”
WE&P by: EZorrillaMc&Co.
Travel in Life 