Page 120 of Stars in Nova

‘It freakin’ explodes,’ Kisan muttered, his eyes canted toward the horizon. ‘Let’s hope she doesn’t miss.’

The first warning came as a rumble, just audible over the soft hum of the valley. Kisan tensed, his glowing aqua eyes scanning the skyline. ‘Sax, you feel that?’

Sax cocked his head, his hand drifting to the long gun slung over his back. ‘Something’s off.’

Before they could react, the sky erupted with the sharp whine of fighter ships descending at breakneck speed.

The Corilians came in waves, their repugnant crafts cutting through the air like predatory vultures. Energy bolts rained down, scorching the earth and sending shockwaves through the gorge.

‘They found us!’ Sax bellowed, raising his weapon as the first ship strafed their position.

Kisan leaped into action, grabbing the kinetic rifles from the testing site and tossing one to Sax.

‘Make them count!’

Samira and Sharin were caught in the open. Sharin discharged a wild burst, but a sudden blast knocked her to the ground. Samira screamed her name, rushing to help, but the Corilians were faster.

Cyborg soldiers dropped from the ships, their metal limbs glinting as they moved with mechanical precision.

Kisan fired the disruptor rifle, sending a sweeping pulse through the atmosphere. A cluster of cyborgs froze mid-step, their movements jerky, collapsing in a heap.

Sax’s long gun bristled with meta-power.

He expelled a volley of noid bullets, the projectiles exploding mid-air into streams of ravenous nano-metanoids.

The noids tore into the fighters, chewing through hull plating and turning off their turrets. Several ships faltered, crashing into the valley floor in fiery bursts.

Despite their efforts, the Corilians overwhelmed them. More vessels descended, their cannons blazing.

Samira battled with unstoppable fury, her fierce resistance igniting Kisan’s rage.

A pair of relentless cyborgs lunged at her, seizing her with iron grips and dragging her toward the looming ship, its ominous engines roaring over the expanse below.

‘Samira!’ Kisan roared, charging in her direction. A blast of gunfire forced him back, the heat singeing his armor as he fell to one knee.

Sax grabbed his arm, pulling him into hiding. ‘You can’t take them all!’

‘Ifokkin’ can —’ Kisan choked, his fury boiling.

He surged forward, his belt’s hidden compartments activating as he drew twin hyper-alloy blades. He carved through a wave of androids, their metallic limbs sparking and collapsing under his assault.

It wasn’t enough. The Corilian ships lifted off, Samira’s scream echoing as the ramp closed behind her. Kisan fired after them, the disruptor rifle’s surge reaching only empty air.

The remaining Corilians turned their attention to Kisan and Sax. Fighters unleashed a barrage of energy bolts, forcing the pair into withdrawal.

Sax activated his belt’s EMP pulse, the shockwave disabling the closest enemies. ‘Time to go!’ he shouted, his cassockshimmering as its metanoid-infused fabric deflected a stray shot.

The Rider called for the Cephei, its engines roaring as it emerged from stealth mode. The gunship descended in a roar, its weapons systems firing in controlled bursts to cover their retreat.

Sax and Kisan sprinted for the tunnel entrance, their boots pounding against the scorched earth.

The Cephei’s energy cannons unleashed a final volley, obliterating several more fighters before disappearing into subspace flight.

The resulting shockwave sent debris flying, but the Corilians were already retreating, their prize secure.

Inside the shielded passage, Kisan paced like a caged animal, his glowing eyes blazing with contained rage.

He turned to Sax, his voice raw. ‘We have to go after her. Now.’

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