Sera Storme lay comfortably in the warm Serendib sun. Clean ocean water ran down her face in streams, the river of her onyx-black hair clung to her cheeks and hung dripping in her eyes.

Sabian offered her a fuzzy blue towel. Sera refused gently, enjoying the feeling of drying in the sunshine. He kissed her once between her shoulder blades, then softly again on the nape of her neck. Further down the beach, Lani splashed happily in her fluorescent green bathing suit, hunting for starfish and native sea life.

“We should get back to the Fortuna Redux soon,” Sabian said, “Nayte has a lead on a new contract for us.”

Sera stretched her legs and arms out, dug her fingers into the warm beach sand, yawned lazily.

“Okay, let’s get going then.” She called La...

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