Page 90 of Stars in Nova

The Cephei dusted off moments later, rising with smooth precision into the atmosphere.

She rummaged through her bag and removed a holo photo frame she carried with her on missions.

She stroked its battered rim, her fingers running over the shimmering images of her children and aunt. With a deep sigh, she flung herself back onto the bed and closed her eyes.

The throb of the Cephei’s engines filled the cabin, a steady vibration beneath Kisan’s boots as he leaned against the bulkhead of the comms room.

His thoughts lingered on the woman, whose presence he sensed wherever she moved in the ship. His kinetic perception picked her up a few doors away in her quarters.

She was unpacking, moving with grace like always, her every step light and gliding yet with a gravitas all her own.

He admired her resilience and fire, but her hidden vulnerability pulled at him most.

‘Twas a dangerous thing, his growing need for her, but he couldn’t deny its existence.

With a groan, he forced his thoughts to shift to the call he had to make.

He keyed in the encrypted frequency with practiced ease.

His aqua eyes narrowed as he waited for the connection.

The projection flared to life, projecting the sculpted, angular face of Sax, the Sarabaite.

His silver meta eyes locked onto Kisan with immediate suspicion.

‘Brother,’ Sax growled. ‘Two calls in less than a month doesn’t bode well.’

‘I’m en route to Skardis,’ Kisan replied without preamble. ‘Recall that favor I mentioned? Start packing.’

Sax’s brows waggled. ‘Alone, I hope. You know I don’t do tag-a-longs or posses.’

Kisan crossed his arms and sucked his teeth. ‘Brother, I’m not bringing a posse, but I’m not solo either.’

Sax leaned forward, his chiseled, bearded face filling the holo, revealed from the darkness of his ever-present shroud.

It was a brutal, handsome face with defined cheekbones and a high forehead denoting a deep intelligence and eyes that glimmered with narrowed and calculated insight. ‘What part of ‘I work alone or only with you’ didn’t you understand? I don’t have time to babysit your entourage.’

‘It’s not an entourage,’ Kisan said, his voice sharpening. ‘I’m bringing someone key to this mission.’

The shrouded man onscreen studied Kisan, one brow shooting up. ‘Ah, a lover?’

‘We’re not -.’

‘Yet, is the word you’re looking for,’ Sax scoffed. ‘I sense it, even from halfway across Pegasi. You’re lovesick for her like a dry well needs water in a weary wilderness. You thirst for her with the deepest longing, with such profound craving you pant for it. It’s a yearning that grips your heart with such fervor I glimpse it in your eyes.’

‘Fokkoff.’

Sax chuckled. ‘Back to the problem at hand. What’s the freakin’ mission? What kind of trouble are you dragging me into this time?’

Kisan explained the invasion of Orilia XIV by the Corilians. ‘Their own attacking them, it’s diabolical.’

‘You’re their knight in shining armor, ay?’

‘They need my mask,’ Kisan said, his voice heavy with the encumbrance of the admission. ‘I need the blueprints fromTrivina. From the studio of the Iccythrian jewel master who created it.’

Sax’s expression darkened, his lips pressing into a thin line. ‘The spinel objet de terreur,’ he repeated, his tone dripping with disapproval. ‘The same freakin’ voidmaker the Riders were adamant you never touch again. You swore an oath never to use the artifact. If they find out—’

‘They won’t,’ Kisan interrupted, his inflection sharp. ‘This is my fight, not theirs.’

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