‘So Miral and Boaz hit me up today,’ he said, his tone thoughtful. ‘Seems you’re not the kind of Šarimcontent to spend your days arranging flowers and attending ceremonial brunches.’
Saba tilted her head. ‘Is that right?’
Mak’s mouth curved. ‘Woman, admit it, you need more of a challenge.’
‘Whatever gave you that idea?’ she said dryly.
‘It’s the glazed look in your eyes when I ask how your baking turned out,’ he laughed.
She hid a simper, touched by how well he read her.
‘So, about this opportunity to work in engineering,’ he continued. ‘You really want in?’
Saba nodded. ‘I do. I got the lowdown from Miral and Boaz on how they’ve hit a bottleneck on long-range fuel propulsion, because of hydrogen instability in the Wildlight Expanse. It’d be awesome to help them nut it out.’
Mak smiled at his wife. ‘Indeed. We aim to develop a new hydrogen engine, improved scoops, and filtration arrays that can withstand the Expanse’s gravity shifts. Miral started the framework, but she needs someone to co-lead. Boaz has the logistics; Miral has the prototype theory. However, the data modeling, calibration sequencing, and framework evaluation, that’s where you’d come in. Your involvement would make a significant dent in getting us to Pegasi faster.’
Saba’s pulse picked up. ‘You mean it?’
‘Enough that I cleared it with the pack this morning,’ Mak said, eyes locked on hers. ‘You’ve got the skill set. You’ve done systems analysis and energy extrapolation work before. This isn’t ceremonial. It’s essential.’
She laid a hand over his, pride swelling in her chest. ‘I’d be honored. Truly.’
Mak lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. ‘Fokkyeah. When that’s completed, perhaps you can start exploring alternatives to the heavy metals and nuclear-leeched ores we’re relying on. We’re bleeding environmental damage into our fleet production. We need sustainable composites for next-gen battery units and manufacturing cores. Organic bonding agents, alloys, that kinda thing.’
‘That’s ambitious,’ she murmured.
‘That’s the point,’ Mak said, pulling her into his lap. ‘We don’t just want to lead. We want to change thefokkin’blueprint.’
She leaned into him as their conversation continued, delving deeper into engine schematics, fuel filtration models, and theintricacies of engineering under the warping conditions of the Expanse.
For the first time in a long while, her sense of purpose stirred; her mind engaged, and her future no longer just tethered to survival, but to creation.
Later that night, they returned to his primary where they made incandescent love, sending Saba into a rapture she’d never experienced before.
Their passion for the other was serendipitous, she thought, given how they’d battled to get here.
It was wild and untamed, an unrestrained force of nature. Every touch, kiss, and whispered endearment was a testament to a bond forged by fire.
After floundering in neutrality and angst, Saba was convinced their connection now transcended the physical, binding them in ways words could never express.
Perhaps, after all, they were fated, two souls entwined and destined to walk this path as one.
Regardless of the inferno that had brought them together, and no matter where it led.
Chapter 30
SABA
Saba and her twin spoke with each other every week.
One morning, while chatting with Shiloh on a holo call in the library, Saba sensed a presence.
She glanced up. Her breath hitched as she spotted Mak standing at the door, shoulder-leaning on the jamb, arms crossed, face closed off.
Saba gave Shiloh a hasty farewell and shut the screen on her incredulous face. Turning, she stood to her feet and shot him a quick smile.
‘Myšarrum.’
