Page 65 of Stars in Halo

K’Zito roared and, turning an elbow to the side, hit her at full tilt. She flew into the air backwards from the impact, landing in a crumpled heap on the cold metal floor of the bridge.

The Rider jolted at the sight, a surge of protectiveness welling up within him.

Fokk. She was as much a victim of this freakin’ fiasco as he was.

He was about to lift his blade off Korin’s neck and power to her when she knifed and sat up straight, obstinacy burning bright in her eyes.

Atta girl.

There was a flurry of movement from K’Zito, who strode to her and thrust his weapon into her temple.

Xion froze.

Katya’s gaze locked onto his, a silent plea shimmering in her eyes.

Her face paled, and her fear was palpable. Xion focused his eyes on her, trying to keep her and him calm.

‘Let her go,’ the Rider’s steady timbre cut through the tense air with a sharp edge.

Her younger brother huffed, his eyes glittering with malice. A cruel smile twisted his lips as he taunted, ‘Release Korin, or she dies.’

But Xion saw through the facade, tagging the dread and insecurity that lurked beneath the surface.

‘The only one letting go of anything is you of your freakin’ stupid idea,’ Xion repeated even though every fibre of his being screamed at him to act, to lunge forward and take control of the situation.

The collateral damage, however, would be Katya’s life, and he’d no wish to witness her suffer. ‘Fokkin’ get that weapon off her. Otherwise, scarface will be a kind name for Korin when I’m done.’

Xion’s eyes locked with Katya, and he raised a brow.

He kept his blade on Korin at her nod, pressing deeper until a red line formed under the sharp steel.

‘Enough!’ the elder D’Hanna growled, his voice hoarse but filled with steely resolve. ‘Let her go, brother,’ he commanded his younger sibling.

The room fell into a tense silence, the only sound the hum of the ship’s engines and the crackle of electricity from the weapon in K’Zito’s hand.

With an inhale, nostrils flaring, baring his teeth in a hiss, he obeyed and lifted his firearm away from his sister.

Katya breathed a sigh of relief.

She scrabbled away from her treacherous sibling, leaving Xion wondering what kind of fokked-up-fisty-cuffs-toxic kin-folk situation he’d been mired in.

We are go.

With his blade still at Korin’s neck, the Rider activated the neural link Mirage had made available.

A holo image flickered onto the Fortuna Grace’s screen before him, which the Sable AI had also hacked.

The man onscreen exuded an air of superiority, from his glowing, jewel-encrusted dark skin to his groomed and styled silver hair.

His eyes were cold and calculated, like a snake ready to strike. They sat close together on a fleshy face framed with an opulent gold collared jacket.

A thick gilded chain around his neck and rings on every finger. He held his chin high, looking down at the lens with a haughty expression, his eyes sharp and piercing.

He steepled his hands, revealing fingers adorned with jewels,

His posture and demeanour exuded an air of royalty, and his disdain for those beneath him was palpable.

A man’s steely gaze met Xion’s curiosity and overbearing wariness.

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