Page 60 of Stars in Nova

Anger surged through him, white-hot and unrelenting, as if the betrayal was fresh again.

His breath quickened, and the heat of his rage clashed with the icy chill of disappointment pooling in his chest.

It wasn’t just anger—it twas also the bitter sting of hope dashed against the rocks. He had trusted her.

Despite the fury churning inside him, there was no denying the pull she still had on him.

The woman had left her mark on him, and no amount of fury could obliterate it.

That realization, more than anything else, was what made him burn.

War cries broke through his brooding.

She wasn’t just leading the attack—she was commanding it, her voice sharp and decisive as she called out orders.

The rebels followed her lead without hesitation, their coordinated assault dismantling the camp ruthlessly.

‘Is that who I think it is?’ Mirage intoned.

‘Naam, tis her,’ Kisan confirmed through a gritted jaw.

‘Impressive,’ Mirage remarked. ‘Not just a petty thief, then.’

Kisan ignored the jab, sucking his teeth, eyes on the battle unfolding below. ‘Problem is, what she necessitates my mask tech for. If she’s planning to use it somehow to wage a war, she must repurpose it but at what cost for her and her people’s fight? It may be more devastating than she knows.’

He saw the rebels push the cyborgs back, their disruptors scrambling the Crat components with every burst.

His pulse had weakened the enemy, giving the dissenters the needed edge.

The combat was over quickly, and the camp was reduced to smoldering ruins. Piles of mechanical beings lay inert, their systems fried.

The Vaelorian insurgents triumphed victorious, their cheers echoing across the valley.

Samira stood at the center of the wreckage, her chest heaving as she surveyed the destruction.

He zeroed his neural vision on her, and his lips twisted as her eyes glinted with a mix of elation and exhaustion.

Her fellow fighters clapped her on the back.

Kisan felt a wince pass through him as they shared weary smiles as if the suffocating weight of countless losses had lifted for a momentary beat.

From his vantage point, the Rider was hit with a surge of conflicting emotions—freakin’ relief, admiration, anger.

‘Are you going to glare at her, or will you say hello?’ Mirage’s voice broke through his thoughts, dry and sardonic.

Kisan’s lips curled. ‘Oh, I intend to get in her face. Found a way for me to past that barrier yet?’

‘Patience, in good time, Rider.’

He stayed hidden high above the battlefield, in the shadows of the mountainous crags. His aqua eyes locked on Samira until she and her unit disappeared back into the bowels of Orilia XIV.

He didn’t trust her, not yet, but he couldn’t deny the magnetic pull she had on him. Whatever her reasons, she was here, leading a resistance against a nightmare neither of them could ignore.

For now, he would monitor and wait. The time to confront her would come soon enough.

Freakin’ Water Ruses

After some tweaking, Mirage reset the Rider’s suit.

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