Page 134 of Stars in Nova

Symbols of Resilience

The heavy steel gates groaned as they were wrenched open, revealing Cygnus’s dim, cavernous cells.

The prisoners inside blinked against the sudden flood of light, their faces pale, gaunt, and wary.

Samira led the charge to free the captives.

She searched until she tagged a woman staggering forward, chains rattling with each step.

She recognized her. Kaelith.

Samira reached out, and the released woman fell into Samira’s arms.

‘You did it,’ Kaelith whispered with fierceness.

‘We did it, and as for the darkness shifting within the Corilians, it’s gone forever, I hope.’

Around them, murmurs rose as the Vaelorii began to recognize one another in the gloomy space.

‘Kaelith, mama!’ a voice called out, breaking with emotion. A young woman, her face streaked with dirt and tears, rushed forward.

Kaelith broke away from Samira as she folded into the embrace of the female who’d rushed her.

They both dropped to their knees, gripping each other tight.

‘Mica!’ Kaelith cupped the newcomer’s face, his fingers trembling as she whispered her name in disbelief.

Outside the cells, the chaos of liberation unfolded.

Detainees, freed from their dark confinements, wandered through the ruins of Cygnus.

The once-imposing structure now lay in disarray, walls crumbled and twisted, smoke curling from its shattered spires.

‘Riena!’ a man’s voice rang out, desperation cutting through the noise.

He moved through the rubble with frantic urgency, ignoring the medics and the teams hauling broken cyborgs onto skimmers bound for the field hospital.

‘Here!’ came the faint cry, and the man turned, his eyes locking on a figure emerging from the wreckage. They collided in a fierce embrace, sobs shaking their bodies as they clung to each other.

Elsewhere, a child stumbled through the mess, her small frame dwarfed by the towering remains of the Corilian fortress. ‘Mama?’ she called, her voice weak.

A woman, battered but upright, fell to her knees at the sound, scooping the girl into her arms and whispering words of comfort against her hair.

Near the ruins, Vaelorian medics worked tirelessly.

A makeshift field clinic, rigged from salvaged equipment and tents, became a hub of activity.

Cyborgs still clinging to life were hauled away on crude stretchers, their mechanical components sparking faintly as the physicians assessed their conditions.

‘He’s stable,’ one medic said, wiping sweat from her brow. ‘Just needs water and food.’

Another leaned over a fallen biomechanoid. ‘We can salvage this one. Let’s get them into surgery.’

Though weary, Kaelith stayed near the hospital, helping others to their feet.

Samira discovered that the woman had been a nurse in the past.

Her presence was welcomed, for they needed all the help possible to help them heal and restore their world.

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