The Peacemakers - pg3

          Taggart scanned the sky south but saw only clear blue and the streaks of other space craft transiting to orbit. He sighed. “Do you think they’ll close Sky Harbor once the space elevator’s completed?”
          “I don’t know,” Benson said, pausing from his work. “Even with elevators lifting everything from tourists to orbital station modules there’s still plenty of demand for space pilots. Think positively.”
          Taggart smiled and nodded sending rivulets of sweat streaming down his face. He took it in stride; no way was the oppressive mid-afternoon heat going to get in the way of the test run.  “Wow, look at that!” Taggart could hardly contain his excitement when he checked the solar foil’s efficiency readings. “Even in here in the shade I’m getting fifty-two percent more power output. I can’t lose!”
          “Isn’t that what you said during the last test run? Right before the power regulator blew out?”
          How could he forget the skiff crashing, him catapulting through the air, hitting the ground and coming up spitting sand and debris. He’d been lucky to limp away with only cuts and bruises; one meter more and he’d have splattered head-first into a boulder. “I wasn’t watching the readout.”
          “Uh huh.”
          “I was distracted by the flashing lights.”