"Wow, is this ours ?"
Estrid walked around the vehicle touching the metal flake paint. Personal transports throughout the Empire tended to fall into a standard pattern. A hover drive to keep the thing about two feet off the ground, four doors, lights front and rear, fancy paint job and inside enough space for six passengers if everyone is short and skinny, or four normal people. This was different, this was a Slingshot. The Slingshot Company 'Quality everyone can afford', had been in financial trouble for years, as they made transports too well. Inside were acres of genuine leather and enough space for a family of six to travel in comfort. Yes, they did come bottom of most safety tables because all that space meant less crumple zones, but they had a cult following and millions of fanatical owners. Kittara looked it over and it was perfect. Enough comfort, but nothing the police would consider flashy enough to stop out of spite. Chlo sent her the details on how to drive this model and in a fraction of a second Kittara was an expert at handling it.
"Yes it's perfect," said Kittara, "go around the other side and I'll let you in."
Kittara pressed a flat silver key against a black key shape on the door and the vehicle lowered itself slowly down until it was just an inch off the ground and the door opened slowly and gently with a nice reassuring buzz and a clunk. She stepped into the Slingshot and sat down behind the controls and realised how much she missed this. Travelling instantly anywhere in the multiverse was fantastic, but sometimes only a hack in a powerful luxury transport really hit the spot. She was trying to remember the last time she was in a Slingshot when she was interrupted by Estrid banging on the window.
"Sorry."
She placed her finger on the door release and there was the same expensive sounding buzz as the door opened to let Estrid in.
"This is so cool."
As the girl closed the door the transport rose silently to operating height. Kittara could see it had been modified for Ixir. The Slingshot Company build their vehicles on a planet in the Maran Group, where there is little crime and no one has ever been kidnapped for ransom. She noticed that for Ixir blaster proof glass was fitted throughout and there were thin sheets of armour on the insides of the doors and no doubt similar armour in places she couldn't see. Chlo gave her route instructions.
"You can't use any of the main ramp stacks, so it's going to be a long way around. Head for the ramp to level 1 and we'll take it from there."
Kittara put her hand on the figure of 8 wheel on the joy stick device in front of her and while sharply turning it to the right she gently squeezed. The Slingshot turned right in its own length. Then in one smooth move she centred the wheel and pushed the stick forward while still squeezing and the transport headed across the parking area and down a ramp to the road. There was always traffic on Ixir regardless of time of day, but Kittara pushed her way into a gap and headed for the ramp to level 1 that Chlo was showing her.
