Page 74 of Stars in Halo

As the Sable consigliere piloted the craft up and away from the smoggy surface of Iccythria, Katya turned to face the control panel. ‘Mirage, how long to the ALMQ facility?’

‘Half an hour, tops. I’ve patched into their framework and found the cell they’re holding him in. I’ve also modded for you a prison uniform and faked credentials to sneak you inside. You’ll need the pack of tools on the chair beside you. I won’t bore you with their use, given you have an impressive career already in concealment, infil and ex-fil.’

Katya’s eyes widened, and she huffed. ‘You seem to know a little about me.’

The AI’s answer was cryptic. ‘I know enough.’

The streamlined racer sped off, stealthing mid-air as it rose to high altitude, whisking Katya away towards a fresh escapade.

Except this time, the stakes were much higher than ever.

Helpless Hope

Katya stood in a dim-lit corridor, her dark outfit blending with the shadows.

Seconds earlier, she’d used the Sys-ID and fake prison guard credentials to enter the premises via its kitchens, the least surveilled section of the Royal ALMQ prison complex. Every step she took was a gamble, a potential exposure to the sentinel’s watchful eyes.

The penal lock-up lay on the outskirts of LeCythi, a desolate landscape with views of the barren volcanic wilderness, where purple clouds of lightning-charged ions roiled above, adding an eerie touch to the already ominous atmosphere.

Hours earlier, Tachy’s flyer had set Katya down in the hills above the facility. Guided by Mirage, she’d descended with great care towards the prison.

With the Sable AI whispering in her ear and a map projected in her HUD helmet, Katya had found her way to the rear of the cluster of buildings.

At Mirage’s command, a tiny metanoid cloud had ejected from the helmet, hacking her entry at an unobtrusive service entry rear gate.

Striding with a swagger that belied her pounding heart, Katya moved fast within the building, eyes scanning the area for any deterrents to her plan.

It helped that with a guard helmet on, she was inconspicuous and just one of the staff. The headgear also transmitted the directions Mirage had provided in its modded HUD.

The cell where Xion was being held had blast shield doors that swung open for a few seconds, giving in to Mirage’s quantum computing badass bypass.

Inside, it reeked of oppression mixed in with the musty odour of old stone walls and damp earth.

Katya stepped to discover the Rider lying on the floor.

She clapped a hand over her mouth in shock. He was unconscious, clothes ripped off and dirty, bruises covering his chest and arms from being manhandled.

He also sported a contused puncture wound on his thigh.

Katya slid to the ground, gazing at him through the internal security bars, guilt and sorrow jolting her.

His face was slack, pale and sweaty, his skin clammy.

The only sound in the enclosure was Xion’s laboured breathing, his chest rising and falling in an uneven rhythm. Outside, other prisoners’ muffled shouts and cries filtered through the walls, creating an eerie soundtrack to the charged scene beyond the blast doors.

Now, within the space, Katya found one more challenge to overcome. ‘Mirage, I see him, but it’s a cell within a cell. He’s behind electric shield bars.’

The crackling, energy-humming strobes were designed to be unforgiving. She had no handbook on how to bust a man from them.

‘You don’t have to make it up. I’ll guide you,’ came Mirage’s voice in her ear, a lifeline in this perilous mission.

‘Sante,’ the Iccythrian woman whispered.

‘We need to take the shield out. Please reach the control pad at the entry and touch it. The metanoids from the suit you’re wearing will do the rest. The facility’s alarms will be activated when the barrier is down. There’s nothing I can do about that in these few minutes. I’d require more time than we have to hack that system. Which means you’ve just a brief period to prep him to go. I’ll try and buy you as much time as I can.’

With a tight ‘naam’ to indicate she understood, Katya scanned the room and found the touch-pad. She moved to it and placed her hands on it as instructed.

The unseen noids vibrated over her suit towards the flashing panel.

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