Page 27

RIV

Six figures gathered on the surface of Eden II’s spaceport, all eyes anchored on the gigantic bird hovering beside the sprawling complex, dwarfing the extensive air base.

‘It’s as big as the Phantasm, with way more teeth and crazy tons of firepower,’ Kage Sable mused. ‘It’s quite the escort to Katánopolis.’

He, along with Riv, élisa, Kainan, Harlow, and Killen, gazed at the suited crew preparing and refueling the behemoth for its long-planned flight to the other side of Pegasi.

Killen stared up at its sheer girth. ‘It’s the largest War Eagle in the fleet.’

‘But we need more,’ he continued. Given that a few were destroyed in our recent skirmish, our agreement for us to provide The Sable Group with lodestone in exchange for new ships like this one is crucial. It’ll be a welcome boon to the Katánians.’

‘We’ll do our best,’ Harlow nodded, her eyes shining at the prospect of recreating the massive ship. ‘You see to your Kingdom and to rebuilding your people.’

‘One thing, son,’ Riv said, stepping to Killen. ‘We’ve got a gift for you. You’re not obligated to accept it, but it might greatly help you.’

Killen cocked his head at his father. ‘Intriguing. Pray, share.’

‘Tis me,’ said a voice.

Strutting towards them was a creature of stunning beauty.

Its ebony skin had a flawless glow, and its dark hair fell to its shoulders, feathering against high cheekbones and accentuating its hazel, golden eyes. Its toned, lithe form was encased in a close-fitting suit. It wore high-heeled boots and strode with confidence, coming to a standstill before the Katánian King.

Killen nodded in approval. ‘Fascinating.’

Riv smiled. ‘Mirage was generous in parting with one of her quantum nodes, which she’s implanted into a facsimile of her android frame. They can be your eyes and ears on Katánē and be a connection to us from the other side of Pegasi.’

‘To be honest, it’s the one thing that calmed me down about letting you leave for Katánē without me,’ élisa added. ‘It’ll be a vulture’s nest you’ll be arriving at, and you’ll need all the support you can get.’

Killen’s eyes widened. ‘This is beyond generous, Father, Mother, Riders. Not sure what our new friends will think of it.’

His eyes wandered to the two Katánian warriors standing beside their war hawk ships, waiting for their King to say farewell.

Killen lifted a hand, and Kaxim strode forward.

The imposing young man addressed his Armorer. ‘I have been given a gift. An AI android whose body conceals and powers a quite sophisticated intellect. How do you think they’ll be received in the Hawkstone Realm?’

‘With suspicion, Your Highness,’ Kaxim clipped, cutting to the chase. ‘Seeing as our culture rejected artificial intelligence many years ago. The Kingdom also eschews most of the technology in the cities, preferring our magical system instead. It was a ploy that directed all scientific development to the war machine. The time has come for change, so I’m all for it. Take your chances, Kíríga, and be the agent of renewal.’

Killen inclined his head. ‘ Sante . In that case, I accept the gift, Father.’

He reached a hand out to the android, who took it.

‘What will we name you?’ he asked.

‘That’s up to your discretion, Kíríga of Katánē.’ Its voice was smooth, mellow, and inflected deeper than Mirage’s.

Killen thought for a moment with his eyes closed, the android’s hand still held in his large palm. ‘Your essence rests on being a Diamond in the Sky,’ he said. ‘And for that reason, you shall be called Kalani.’

When he opened his eyes, he found the android staring at him, eyes wide. ‘I have been waiting days for a designation, and your thoughtful choice honors me.’

They bowed and stepped aside.

Killen turned to face his family. ‘There’s nothing more to be said, loved ones, except that Storm Pale, the Kíríga of Katánē, says his farewell.’

He embraced élisa. ‘I look forward to seeing you on Katánē, my KiaMalkia .’

élisa dashed tears away. ‘Go well, son. I love you. Don’t take too long to send for us.’

Next, he hugged Riv. ‘Father, I can’t wait for more conversations and Tansinian whiskey nights when you make it to Katánopolis.’

Riv clenched his jaw as emotion overflowed. ‘We’ll be there as soon as you need us.’

Just as Killen was about to walk off, Riv reached out a hand and clamped it over his arm. ‘I’ve got something for you.’

He pulled a small, leather-bound article from his back pocket and thrust it into Killen’s hands.

His son bucked, shaking his head as he stared at the gold leaf title. ‘ Nada, Father, it’s your most precious possession.’

Riv shook his head. ‘Your Mother is, but you’re mistaken about the book. This is my second volume of Ancient Poems. The first I’ll never part with, but this one is just as loved and cherished. I want you to have it.’

Killen’s silver eyes, so like his progenitor’s, misted over. ‘ Sante . I am grateful, Father. I’ll read it as often as I can.’

‘Do so,’ Riv murmured as his son slipped the gift into his chest pocket. ‘It holds much wisdom and the most virtuous words to seduce even the coldest hearts.’

Both men laughed and broke off their embrace so Killen could hand out similar ones to all the Riders as his parents composed themselves.

When all was said and done, he gave the gathered group a slight bow, a wistful smile, and a quick salute.

Swiveling on his shining boots, he turned and strode up the rampart into one of the waiting war hawks.

Kalani followed close behind, and minutes later, the gunship’s rear bay doors closed.

The Riders and their women walked back into the spaceport and headed to the viewing gallery on the port’s roof.

Riv tucked his wife to his side as both Warhawks detached from their anchorage and lifted into the air.

The two smaller ships eased inside the giant Kogun warship hovering off the port.

Its massive, brilliant blue hyperdrive engine blazed, and the Katánian battleship rumbled out of Edenite airspace.

With a flash of magnificent light, it blasted into hyperspace.

Weeks later, Kisan Sable was transferred to the Pegasi Court of Justice’s custody after surrendering himself voluntarily on Eden II.

He made an initial appearance before the judges, where he was charged with over sixty suspected counts of war crimes against the various planets and citizens of the galaxy. The Chamber, including J’Kuu Kabi of Eden II, subsequently committed him to a tribunal.

Mirage, acting as his advocate, presented evidence of his torture by the crats and subsequent mental deterioration.

As a result, a few months later, the arbitration board terminated the proceedings in Kisan’s case and called for his immediate release from detention.

All charges were withdrawn, given there is no reasonable prospect for a conviction at trial.

However, he was ordered to remain under Eden II’s planetary arrest for the next ten years with annual assessments of his condition and potential to be a danger to society.

Remanded into the custody of the Sable Group, he agreed to have Mirage place a tracker deep in his ear canal to keep tabs on him 24/7.

He also had no access to the Rider’s neural node network for the foreseeable future.

‘I’m happy with the outcome,’ Kisan told Riv one evening as they sat in the latter’s sprawling residence overlooking the crevasses of J’Urg Mihor. ‘It’s more than I could have hoped for given what I did.’

‘What shall you do with your limited freedom now?’ Riv said, nursing a whiskey.

‘Gaze out of the moonscape and reflect on life’s philosophies. Learn painting from Kainan, read a fokkton of books, and begin assessing how I can give back to Eden II and my brothers for all you’ve done for me.’

‘Perhaps consider working alongside Xion to keep the rock safe?’

Kisan’s eyes brightened. ‘You’d let me?’

Riv shrugged. ‘Why not? You’ve got intel from all your years with the shadiest crims and pirates. We also can’t remain mired in suspicion and distrust. We’ve got to relinquish control and have faith in you and your efforts to integrate into a new life again. Give it time. Even through rough times, we’ll always be here for you.’

‘Wise freakin’ words, sage,’ Kisan agreed. ‘The onus on me is to get past doubting everyone and everything and learn to trust and be trustworthy again.’

‘Keep at it, fokker . You’ve got this.’

Meanwhile, the Lost Shard was reunited with its Eden twin.

Zane merged the two entities using a psionic bond. They now resided deep under Sable HQ in a much roomier storage hold that was becoming a welcome home for the two guardians.

On occasion, Mirage would join them to share experiences and tell stories as old as Pegasi.

The Devansi Shard told secrets from the endless transversal wormholes it’d gallivanted among for years before stopping over the fissured planet.

They shared the horrors of strange celestial monsters and star-spawning supermassive creatures, as well as the beauty of civilizations beyond Pegasi’s veil, with technological and social advancements beyond the range of modern capabilities.

‘I’d love to visit these places one day,’ Mirage sighed.

The Lost Shard guide gave her a small smile. ‘You can and should. Perhaps ask for a season away from Eden II to explore the universe.’

‘Maybe so,’ the AI replied, her face pensive. ‘I’d never leave the Riders without my core node, but I may be able to fashion another version of myself purely for leisure.’

‘Time waits for no one,’ the mysterious guide said as Mirage sat back, her eyes dreamy, dreaming of what could be.

Months later, Kainan’s other baby, the galaxy’s first joint defense force, forged from an Edenite-Dunia-Rhesia-Galicia Alliance, came to fruition. It included a space naval and army training academy and a science research institute.

Selene was appointed to manage the political aspects of the joint corporation, while Zane was nominated CEO of the Alliance’s vast mineral, shipping, and manufacturing holdings.

Kainan helmed the ceremony as Chief of the Joint Defense Force and Head of Training.

As the entire galaxy watched, the pact of unity was signed by each of the planets’ rulers and elders with co-signatures from The Sable Riders.

With that, the partnership was set in stone.

After the ceremony, all dignitaries retired to the Eden II spaceport’s gallery, where a lavish feast awaited.

Multiple toasts were made as the delicious canapés and finger food disappeared, as did the champagne.

The focus turned to the sumptuous repast with delectable platters from all over the galaxy.

When bellies were sated, lively dancing took over the expansive floor, which had an endless view of the skies above Eden II. The band, composed of musicians from all four planets, played symphonies and modern numbers popular throughout Pegasi.

Bodies swayed together, attempting the different quick steps and waltzes from across Pegasi, each more mesmerizing and enchanting than the next.

As the guests left and the crowds dwindled, the Riders and their women gathered at the edge of the large plex windows overlooking the port and space itself.

‘I am so proud of you,’ Selene said, taking her husband by the hand. ‘You ought to be pleased with what your hard work has achieved.

The Riders saw tears in the khosi’s eyes for the first time. ‘ Fokk , it’s been such stress,’ he growled. ‘But worth it.’

‘Without your relentless spirit and fire, brother, we would not be who we are today,’ Riv added, with feeling.

Kage grunted, holding Harlow from behind as he lifted his glass. ‘For everything you’ve done for us, we are grateful.’

‘Hear, hear, brother,’ Ki’Remi drawled, his words echoed by Kisan, who stood by with a small smile.

As Kainan swiveled away to control his emotion, Zane lifted his glass in one hand, the other around his red-headed beauty, Illanna. ‘It is time to raise your glasses of fine wine and clink them together in a toast to our bright and shining future.’

The all drank long and deep, throwing back with enthusiasm.

‘Riv, got any choice poetic words for this moment?’ Kage growled.

The silver-haired Rider thought for a moment before jerking his chin. ‘I do. It’s an ancient poem, Children of the Sun, by one of the most promising Old Earth poets, who became the forerunner of a great renaissance. I’ve read so often it’s burnt in my skull. For it portends the reason we Riders fight so hard, love so deep, and hold so close the joy our shared union has wrought.’

Riv’s voice dropped into a low-timbered reverb, resonating with a feeling that was as somber as it was breathtaking.

‘We are children of the sun,

Rising sun!

Weaving endless destiny,

Waiting for the mighty hour

When our Shiloh shall appear

With the flaming sword of right,

With the steel of brotherhood,

And emboss in crimson die

Liberty, Fraternity!

We are the star-dust folk,

Striving folk!

Sorrow songs have lulled to rest;

Seething passions wrought through wrongs,

Led us where the moon rays dip

In the night of dull despair,

Showed us where the star gleams shine,

And the mystic symbols glow—

Liberty, Fraternity!

We have come through cloud and mist,

Mighty men!

Dusk has kissed our sleep-born eyes,

Reared for us a mystic throne

In the splendor of the skies,

That shall always be for us,

Who shall ever sing

Liberty, Fraternity!’

Not one dry eye was left among the Sable Brothers when Riv’s rasped, hoarse timbre fell away.

The only sound was a hitch of breath from élisa as the group folded into each other in a prolonged, tight embrace.

Much later, nestled in the depths of an expansive home at J’Urg Mihor, two figures lay in a lush bed, their view looking out at a mist-draped nebula.

It tracked in the distant skies, casting a rare cloud-flared shroud over Eden II, prisms of color shot from it, creating a purple-hued kaleidoscope.

élisa sighed in happiness, snuggling closer to her naked silver lover. ‘That we now are together under that misty splendor is a miracle, my love.’

Riv stroked her back. ‘Was it worth the twenty-odd years apart?’

élisa sighed. ‘The lost years were a shame, but they only now highlight how much our first love was eternal. Because every day is like the first with you. I still get butterflies every moment I’m in your presence. I keep falling over and over in love with you.’

Riv buried his head in her neck as emotion overcame him, his lips touching her sensitive koya with reverence. ‘And I with you. I choose to live in appreciation moving forward, élisa. To share the rest of the days with you, my sun, my light, my hope. You are My Choice One, My Inamorata. My KiaMalkia , My Endless Hope and My Silver Malaíka .’

She smiled, cradling his silver head close to hers. ‘Riv Sable, you are the unwavering foundation of my strength and protector. I find refuge and safety in you, for you are the shield that guards me from harm and the stronghold that shelters me from adversity. My first and my last. My all.’

The Sable Rider Series continues with …

STARS IN HALO

Xion Sable is an enigmatic ‘playboy’ … who rocks serious alpha brute energy with a touch of brawler and smirk. He’s not keen on commitment until he meets Katya D’Landra, an unapologetic and fierce badass.

At face value, she’s a notorious and skilled card shark for wealthy and even royal clients across Pegasi.

But beneath her charming facade lies her true identity… as an infamous cat burglar who parleys her talent and smarts to ‘disappear’ valuable art, jewels, and high-tech merchandise. All for a good cause, of course.

When Xion refuses to let her get away with a major heist, the game is on. She steals his heart, while he chases after her stolen haul, one epic enough to change the course of a universe.

Their constant snark, banter, and clashing personalities make for an exhilarating tale of two anti-heroes who refuse to conform to society’s norms to find an unexpected attraction and happy-ever-after love in each other’s arms.

Packed with intrigue, steamy heat, fast-moving action, and happy-ever-after paranormal romance, ‘Stars in Halo’ is The Sable Riders series’s daring, exciting fifth installment.

GET ‘STARS IN HALO’ today!