Page 98

The rooftop terrace of Sable HQ shimmered in the soft light of Eden II’s twin moons.

Down below, the city’s pulse beat thrummed in the trains threading through districts, hovercrafts gliding past towers, and muted music rising from somewhere in the gardens.

Up here, it was a quiet world, designed to Kainan Sable’s liking.

TheKhanof the Sable Riders lounged on a cushioned chaise, legs stretched out, his hulking frame wrapped around the woman curled in his lap.

His dark hair gleamed, and his gilded eyes gazed in half-lidded pleasure as his woman trailed lazy fingers down his chest.

She was slight, delicate, yet a powerhouse of energy and beauty.

Her wild curls spilling over honey-burnished shoulders, her mixed-race skin radiant and contrasting with the midnight linen of his shirt.

She laughed at something he murmured into her ear, her lashes brushing his nape, one thigh draped over his.

He was planning how fast he could move her to bed when a throat cleared behind them.

Kainan tensed for a half-second, hand twitching toward his hip where his laser weapon sat.

Then he sighed, relaxing as he sensedherpresence even before she shimmered into view.

‘Mirage,’ he growled without turning.

‘Indeed. Do you have a moment?’

‘For you, always.’

The stunning synth creature sidled forward in towering high heels.

‘We’ve got word from the Wildlight Expanse, from Miral,’ Mirage said, stepping in front of the couple.

‘Your doppelgänger speaks.’

‘A moment,khamila.’

‘Of course,’ his wife Selene murmured. ‘Hi, Mirage.’

Kainan pressed a reluctant kiss to his woman’s temple while easing her off his lap. ‘What news?’

‘She’s found a way to Pegasi for the Syndicate flotilla,’ Mirage said. ‘A safe interstellar laneway threading out from the Wildlight. It links straight to the edge of our quadrant.’

Kainan arched a brow. ‘Where, to be exact?’

‘The Kethyran system. Just outside the neutral rim. The projected hyperspace tunnel is stable enough. Stealthy. Undetectable if they move right. I’ve caught rumors of a fewspace whales and creatures running through it, but nothing the convoy can’t arm and defend against.’

He exhaled. ‘How long before they’re knocking on our door?’

‘A year and a half, even two if they’re delayed, so we must prepare.’

‘Population?’

‘Five to six million, and that’s those documented under the Syndicate database. We hear other non-Commission ships, pirates, and stowaways are scattered through the flotilla, so we may have to revise those numbers on arrival.’

Kainan let out a whistle. ‘Shiiit.’

Mirage folded her arms, her voice crisp. ‘Miral’s report warns us to expect splintered sects within factions. Also, breakaway clans are drenched in old organized crime culture. Thinkcapos, cartels, vendettas, illicit trades, and blood debts.’

‘Fokk,’ Kainan muttered. ‘If they think they can claim safe harbor in Pegasi and continue with their mafia shitshow they’ve got another think coming.’