Page 122 of Stars in Nova

‘Kisan,’ Malik called out, wriggling away from his aunt and launching himself into the Rider’s embrace.

They hugged until Kisan lifted the boy and placed him next to Misandra.

‘Your mother’s gone on a mission,’ he rasped, the guilt almost too hard to bear as he knelt before them. ‘She’ll be back soon.’

Liora tilted her head, her small hands gripping her brother’s arm. ‘She promised not to leave us again.’

‘She’ll keep that promise,’ Kisan assured her, his eyes meeting hers. ‘She’ll come back. I swear it.’

Malik studied him, his young face hardening with a maturity that seemed too old for his years. ‘You’ll bring her back.’

Kisan raised a chin. ‘I will.’

Standing to the side, Misandra stepped forward as the children returned to their seats.

Her stern gaze bore into Kisan, keeping her utterance hushed. ‘You’re hiding something.’

Kisan hesitated, then relented. ‘She was kidnapped. The Corilians attacked while we were testing the weapons. We fought hard, but—’ he paused, sucking his teeth, ‘they overwhelmed us.’

The older woman’s face tightened, her hands trembling as she clenched them into fists. ‘Alive?’

He nodded. ‘As far as I know.

‘You surrendered her, allowed her to be snatched?’

‘I didn’t let anything happen,’ Kisan growled, his tone taut. ‘They ambush came from nowhere. I - we tried to rescue her, trust, but I failed, so I’ll fix it.’

Misandra’s eyes narrowed, terror lurking in her gaze. ‘You’d better. She’s all those children have. She’s all I have.’ She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. ‘Promise me you’ll bring her back, Rider.’

Kisan met her stare, his jaw tightening. ‘I swear.’

Sax jerked his chin at Kisan when he returned to the packed armory, his gaze communicating his concern for his woman’s family.

The same worry was reflected in the faces and eyes of the soldiers milling before him.

From Garner, the sniper with unerring aim, whose dark eyes stormed.

To Jessa, her countenance framed by shock-red hair, jaw clenching, fired up for a fight.

Talin, the quiet strategist, was by a table with a first aid kit, tending to Sharin’s injuries.

She waved a med device over the engineer’s cuts and bruises. As soon as the Rider strode in, both women turned their eyes, faces hard and bitter, toward him.

With an inhale, Kisan faced the waiting group, staring at him.

‘I trust you’re up to speed with the shit storm we endured on the surface.’

Jessa growled. ‘Naam, Rider, get on with it.’

He arched a brow at her. ‘I’m feeling this as much as you are.’

Her face softened, but a tic still went off in her jaw. ‘Like I said, soldier, move on. We’ve lost the commander, but I’ve checked you out, so here’s hoping we have a fighting chance.’

‘We’re storming Cygnus,’ Kisan began, his voice carrying through the space. ‘It’s their stronghold, where they’ve taken Samira. We’re not going in blind—we’re going in with every ounce of firepower available.’

Sharin stepped forward, her expression resolute. ‘I need two days max to have the weapons ready, calibrated with enhanced kinetic disruptors, and adjusted for what we now know. The Corilians won’t know what hit them.’

Sax leaned against a nearby pillar, arms crossed, his smirk razor-sharp. ‘If they do, we’ll make sure they regret it.’

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