Page 120 of Stars in Halo

Besides its pristine beachfront, the hotel’s draw card was its restaurants, which boasted the finest cuisine from all corners of the universe, including its local bounty of fresh shellfish.

After she unpacked in her room, Katya ventured outside to the beach, which beckoned her to relax and unwind.

She dipped in the sea, sunbathed on the coastline, and afterwards had dinner. Seated alone on a stunning table looking out to the ocean, luxuriating in a tangy grilled seafood platter and a tropical fruit cocktail.

Later, Katya returned to her exquisite suite, with her balcony overlooking the twinkling lights of the resort and the endless expanse of the ocean,

Hit with a pang of longing, she initiated a holo link with her mother, Kiko, at House DKRT.

‘Mada, I miss you and the kids,’ she said, her voice tinged with sadness.

Kiko’s familiar and comforting tone responded on the other end of the line. ‘You have a purpose to accomplish my love. We’ll be together after you’re done.’

Katya nodded to herself, even though her mother couldn’t see her.

‘Yes, I do. But sometimes, I wish we could all be together for a little while.’

Kiko sighed. ‘I know you’ve got a ton of weight on your shoulders, but honey, if anyone can ride this out, you can. You have the resilience and strength to get us all out of this pickle. You’re making a difference, and I’m proud of you. Just remember to take care of yourself, too.’

Her mother’s wisdom helped, but they did little to ease Katya’s tension about her upcoming mission.

Still, she needed to look like a carefree resort guest, so she spent the following day in the ocean.

The sand was soft and warm underfoot, and she basked and indulged in the rare sensation of sun on her skin.

All the while, wishing Xion was with her, walking the length of the beach alongside her as they talked about their plans for the future, watching the sunset together, hand in hand, or just sitting on the shore.

But he wasn’t with her.

He was somewhere close, eyes on her, waiting for their marks to arrive.

With little to do but wait, she lay back on her chaise lounge, an island-inspired cocktail in hand.

Closing her eyes, she let the warm breeze wash over her, losing herself in the soothing sound of the waves and the sweet fragrance of the tropical flowers.

But it was only a reprieve.

Soon, it would be time to go back into the fray.

Not Just Playing Catch-Up

From the air-conditioned cool of his suite a few doors away from Katya, Xion glanced at a screen that showed his woman lounging on the beach.

A tiny Sable drone was keeping a close eye on her. From time to time, Xion tapped into its feed while liaising with Mirage on the mission parameters, who was seated in the Tachy in a hover above the island, stealthed and invisible from view.

Fokk, she was one talented, whip-smart, funny, kind and badass lady.

More captivating than any model, actress or beauty who’d graced the holos and magazines of Pegasi.

He was in deep with her, and even now, eyes flicking over her lithe body in a bikini, he recognised he’d hit the mother lode with her.

Mirage pinged his neural node. ‘A ship registered to the D’Hanna family has just changed course and is set to land in half an hour,’ the Sable consigliere murmured.

Xion’s eyes narrowed as he studied the holo map of incoming vessels and smiled.

‘It’s ‘go’ time,’ he drawled into Katya’s earpiece.

He saw her check her wrist comm and stiffen.

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