Page 93 of Stars in Halo

Despite being bloodied and bruised, the burly sentry continued to fight back, wheezing for air. But Xion was relentless, striking him in the face with a left hook and following it up with several hits to the body.

The guard’s jaw hung open, his face covered in cuts and bruises as he staggered towards Xion.

With precision and calculation, Xion landed a kapo round kick on his chin before delivering two more bone-crushing blows that sent him crashing to the ground, knocked out.

Xion bent over at the waist, panting, gasping to catch his breath.

That’s when a pair of arms went around him, encircling him.

Katya.

He almost fell into her, winded from using his meta speed at high charge in such a short amount of time. ‘Damn woman, I’m getting too used to you rescuing me,’ he joked. ‘You could spin your skillset into Search & Rescue and leave your thieving days behind.’

‘Fokk off, Sable,’ Katya jested through her helmet, keeping her hand enclosing his midsection as they walked back to the waiting vessel. ‘Admit ‘tis your fantasy to be rescued by a woman.’

‘One woman in fokkin’ particular,’ he growled. ‘The kids?’

‘They’re all onboard the DKRT ship and knocked out in the mess,’ she whispered. ‘They all look so small and thinner than I last saw them.’

Her voice almost broke at the last words.

She turned into him, pressing her head into his nape. ‘Xion, I can’t imagine what would have happened if -’

‘Nada, stop imagining; focus only on the present. It’s the only way we’ll get through this.’

He squeezed her waist in reassurance, their eyes meeting through their plex helmets.

It’d been a gruelling few days, and he tagged the pain and exhaustion in her gaze.

It was the same washing over him.

He also caught on to her fierce, unwavering resolve and dedicated her commitment to the children, itching to ask her about their story and significance to her.

But first, they needed to deliver said innocent lives to safety.

‘Let’s get them out. We’re almost there.’

She nodded, her grip on him tightening.

They supported each other back to the DKRT vessel. Stepping over the senseless, broken bodies of ALMQ soldiers that lay scattered around them, a gruesome testament to the violence they had just wrought.

But their focus was on getting away, not what they had left in their wake.

Tracking fast into the rescue ship, they headed straight to the mess, where Zoran stood guard over the youngsters and their two carers.

All thirteen children were still out cold, and the DKRT sentinels placed blankets over them to keep them warm.

Katya moved in to check on her beloveds, making sure they were all stable and unharmed.

She shifted from one to the other, tears falling as she smoothed hairlines, stroked temples and pressed kisses on each of their cheeks.

Xion observed, hands crossed over a heart pounding against his ribs with an emotion he couldn’t quite discern.

It was clear that she adored her charges; it changed her. Her face was softer than he’d ever seen, and her eyes shone with the love only a mother could emit.

When she rose finally from the ground, letting one slumbering child’s hand go, he tracked to her.

She turned, sensing his approach.

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