Page 54

The sun warmed our skin as we laid on our blankets. The red sand glittered around us, not a soul around except us and the occasional bird. All the service staff were droids, I’d made sure of it, and this side of the Island on Drauchna Five was mine. It had been a while since I’d been to my vacation home, mostly because it was too lonely. But with Zephyr, it was perfection.

The locals built the three-bedroom home like an old-fashioned cabin from materials on the planet. We painted the exterior with the white, heat-resistant mud mixture used on most homes, keeping the inside cool, but we spent considerable time in the green water or on the beach soaking up the warmth and one another.