An Unbreakable Thread of Love

‘She's out, I have her signal,' Mirage declared. ‘I've sent a high-speed drone capsule to pick her up.'

Pacing the bridge behind Mirage, Xion leaned into the screen as a sleek metal ovoid shape hurtled through space.

Without warning, his metanoids and prescience sense went wild.

His mind surged with images. He sagged with dread as his percipient vision showed the module Katya was in get hit by a bogey and explode into a cloud of debris.

Jolting, he tore his eyes open and growled to Mirage, ‘You'll need to secure her in ten seconds. That's all we've got.'

Mirage got the memo.

She sent a lightning-fast quantum command in milliseconds to the capsule's operating core.

It raced ahead, leaping and crashing through rubble instead of taking the prolonged route to skirt it.

Heading to where Katya was tumbling through space. It stopped close to a shadow rolling against the inky blackness of the cosmos.

With breath hitched, Xion tracked the module as it screeched over his woman, scooped her up and tore away.

Moments later, the capsule shot off. Advancing towards the Tachy, manoeuvring beyond the still-wheeling corvettes and scooting under Akira's ship that was still firing with wild abandon at the three bogeys.

Just then, a missile head whizzed past exactly where Katya had been careening through the heavens.

The Rider shut his eyes tight, his soul ragged at the near-miss.

‘Xion, she's safe. She's inside. I'm bringing her in,' Mirage murmured with compassion. ‘Get her in the hold.

Xion ran down the stairs to the rear deck.

‘Hey, are we good to blast them to oblivion?' Mirage called after him.

‘Naam!' he shouted back. ‘Hit ‘em hard!'

As one, and at Mirage's command, the metanoids contained in the projectiles punched into the sides of the three pirate ships and released an EMP charge that rippled through the buccaneer's vessels.

Which led to their instant shutdown of any remaining electrical systems and the immediate subversion of any defensive attack.

Akira's lead vessel and his armed escorts were left wheeling through space, powerless, their turrets swivelling drunkenly in search of their attackers.

Xion raced into the rear deck of his ship, watching with impatience as the bay doors opened to let in his woman in the rescue capsule.

As soon as the airlock was pressurised, he rushed inside.

The module's door hissed open, revealing Katya, who wasted no time sprinting towards him.

Her eyes locked onto his, a mix of relief and urgency flashing through them before she threw herself into his arms.

The Rider held her close.

Katya's grip on Xion tightened, her face buried in his chest. In that fleeting instant, everything else faded away, leaving only the two of them clinging to each other.

‘You OK?'

‘I never thought I'd jump into space like that.'

‘Thank fokk you did,' Xion growled, pulling back to study his woman.

He bent and took her lips.

She curled her hands into his locks to pull him closer, and they lost themselves in a long, overdue moment of passion.

The rush of adrenaline from the battle mixed with the raw intensity of their emotions, creating a potent cocktail that ignited a fierce longing between them.

Their kiss was desperate and hungry, feverish with relief.

When they broke apart, Xion's gaze locked onto Katya's, a silent exchange taking place that spoke volumes.

Their reunion was cut short by Mirage.

‘Will you two lovers join me on the bridge? I need to know what we're doing after Kisan has boarded Akira's freighter.'

Xion sucked his teeth. ‘Dammit, I can't wait for this to be over.'

With one last lingering look at Katya, he released her from his embrace, took her hand in his and led her up the stairs to the controls.

‘Mirage, parse back some power to Akira's ship and hack their comms so we can transmit image and sound. I want to hear this bastard get read his rights.'

Moments later, the holo display on the Tachy was transmitting live footage of the chaos and confusion on Akira's bridge.

Kora's panicked attempts to restart the Clawed Vengeance were futile against the organised assault of the Sable Riders' metanoids that had gutted the ship's mechanics.

On the Tachy, Xion and Katya, seated on the Rider's lap—gazed with dispassion at the Corvette's view screen.

A feed showed Kisan and two other Eden II guardians boarding Akira's ship.

When Kisan reached the ClawedVengeance's control room, he encountered an irate pirate shouting at his navigator, Kora, screaming for her to get the engines up and running.

She, in turn, was shouting at their unseen engineer, hollering down the intercom.

The Edenites were met with a burst of laser fire from the Claw's security man, Grav.

He soon realised he was powerless against the Edenites and their unmatched weapons.

Falling to his knees, he surrendered with fists crossed on the back of his head.

Kora also gave up trying to restart the ship's systems under Akira's panicked antics. ‘It's too late. Our engines are gone,' she growled at him, throwing up her hands in capitulation.

Observing from the Tachy, Mirage smiled, leaning back in their chair in satisfaction. ‘Hell yeah, our metanoids are the gift that keeps giving.'

On board, the ClawedVengeance, Akira glared as the Eden II Guardians secured the vessel and trussed his crew.

The once-confident privateer muttered, stomping around his bridge, furious at his new reality. Kisan stood, arms crossed over his chest, smirking at the pirate's threats and bravado.

After a beat, the Rider stepped up to the freebooter when his tantrum subsided, speaking through his helmet. ‘You quite done now? Akira Claw, you are being held for crimes against the sovereign government of Eden II on charges of conspiracy to commit theft, murder, and kidnapping. We're also charging you and the crew for sabotage and endangerment of innocent lives. That's just the pinnacle of the offences you're facing for all your misdeeds in the past that you've managed to run from. However, we Edenites get first dibs, and you're lucky, friend, for we're fairer than others who are screaming blue murder for your head.'

Akira's jaw clenched in silent fury as he glared at Kisan.

Despite his restraints, he tried to jump the Rider, a predator backed into a corner. ‘Fokk you,' Akira growled, seething with venom.

He swivelled his head to the holo screen where the silhouettes of Xion and Katya loomed over him. ‘Fokk her in particular,' he continued. ‘Rider, backing that woman is a huge mistake; she's a liar and a fraud. She will use you to gain what she wants. She'll treat you like she did me, even to the point of taking my daughter away from me.'

On the Tachy, Katya's body locked, and her breath hitched.

Xion froze, arms around his woman, his thoughts racing with a million and one questions.

He sensed Katya's anger radiating off her as she sat rigid in his embrace.

Her gaze was fixed on Akira as a silent battle of wills passed between them.

Studying both of them as the weight of the buccaneer's words hung in the air, a tiny shadow of doubt crept into Xion's mind.

But he tamped it down.

He believed in Katya. He had seen the fire in her eyes, the unwavering love for those she cared for that burned within her. And he trusted her, perhaps more than he had ever trusted anyone.

She had to have a plausible explanation, and he exhaled, parking his questions for when they were alone.

Xion sliced his eyes from her pale face and back to the holo screen.

Refusing to rise to the bait, he signalled his intent to Kisan with a chin lift.

‘Take him to Notus and lock him away until Kainan and the Council decide what to do with him,' Xion murmured, his voice cold and cutting.

The Eden II Guardians acknowledged the directive with chin jerks, escorting Akira away as he continued to spew threats and curses.

Xion touched a button on his captain's chair, and the live feed winked off.

Alone in the quiet aftermath of the chaos, Xion turned to Katya, his grip on her tightening.

Their eyes locked in a silent exchange laden with unspoken truths. Their intertwined fates hung heavy in the air, a precarious balance between trust and doubt.

She trembled, and he tagged it.

‘Are you okay?' His gentle voice contrasted with the adrenaline-fueled moments that had just passed.

‘I think we need to talk,' she whispered.

‘Agreed. Mirage, a moment please.'

With a whisper of sound, the AI de-materialised.

Leaving behind the couple alone on the bridge.

Xion lifted Katya off his lap and rose himself, tugging her arm.

She followed him to the lounge at the far corner of the space, and they settled in.