Page 145 of Stars in Halo

She discovered him cradling the little girl in his arms, his deep voice murmuring soothing words that calmed her sobs.

Katya stood at the doorway, her heart swelling with love at Xion’s tenderness, a side of him that few had the privilege to witness.

In these quiet, intimate moments, she tagged the depth of Xion’s character, her spirit overflowing with gratitude for this man who had become not just her partner in life but a pillar of strength for their ever-growing family.

He took the kids to school, made lunches, fixed toys and took them on Corvette rides into space. He even danced to the latest music with the tween girls in the living room.

Without exception, Xion demonstrated that his commitment to her was also a promise to her children to prioritise them.

Kaaia quieted down, her tear-streaked face looking up at Xion with trust and adoration. Katya approached them, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, the warmth of his skin beneath her fingertips.

‘You are amazing with her,’ Katya whispered. ‘Sante, for being so incredible with all of them.’

Xion swivelled his head to look at her, cocking a brow and giving her a crooked smile that was sexy-as-fokk. ‘I can’t imagine my life without them now. They’ve become a part of me, just like you have,’ he said, his eyes holding hers in a gaze that took her breath away.

With Kaaia drifting off into peaceful slumber again, Xion placed her back in her cot and tucked her in with a feather-light touch.

He turned to Katya, his eyes soft with affection, crossed the room to her side, swept her into his arms, and returned her to bed.

The Corvette Classic was one of Pegasi’s most premiere championship events.

The Eden II course was a contest of mythic proportions that captured the attention of all echelons of the racing community, from amateurs to top professionals.

All racers had to pass checkpoints in stationary orbits around the moon rock in sequential order.

Despite the speeds used, the tournament was about machine output, velocity, and ability to manipulate navigational computers.

So, the more money one had to invest in a kickass system that could push the engine to its maximum, the better one’s chances of winning.

At one point in its history, its organisers had offered to counteract this by introducing specific racing rules that included no computer assistance. This would mean physicists would become the best racers—or every racer would have had to become a physicist.

The outcry had been so tremendous that the idea was pulled almost at once.

However, to spice things up and introduce some nasty headaches, officials—namely Kage and Kainan Sable—introduced a few challenges. One was to place several checkpoints at different orbital planes around a gravity well, effectively making them move.

Which pushed even the most experienced pilots to their limits of lightning-fast navigational re-calibration.

This year, an unprecedented number of corvettes entered the race—96 sleek and shiny racers in all rumbled on the starting line that stretched for miles over Eden II.

One of them was a glossy black mutha of a machine piloted by none other than Xion Sable.

His co-pilot was announced as being the alluring Katya D’Landra, and the couple cut a dashing sight from the bridge of their high tech super luxe craft.

Clad in flashy suits, the pilots waved to cameras surrounding their consoles; their holo faces transmitting to legions across the galaxy.

As soon as the starting horn sounded, the polished, streamlined racers bolted away above Eden II’s dome, soaring through the dark void of space with blazing speed.

Below, the ground shook beneath the feet of spectators. The vibrations sent a tingling sensation up their legs, causing the onlookers’ hair to stand on end with static electricity.

Screens all over Eden II and Pegasi captured the high-octane competition for the millions of onlookers.

The race was a thundering display of sleek ships glittering like jewels against the cold backdrop of Pegasi’s celestial wonder. Their engines roared as pilots pushed them to their limits in a chaotic symphony through the vast expanse.

Observers viewed the action with bated breath as the corvettes weaved through narrow corridors and zoomed past floating debris.

At one point, an explosion rocked one of the vessels, causing it to spin out of control. The crowd gasped as it avoided crashing into another Corvette but regained its balance in time. The pilot navigated the rest of the course, keen to make up for the lost time.

Two racers, one the Tachy, were neck to neck at the crossing line, vying for first place. The spectators erupted into cheers as they crossed over at a hair-raising speed.

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