Page 67 of Stars in Mist

The look on her face was haunting, wistful, and broken. It wrecked Riv to the core.

Then she averted her face and walked up the gangplank as if to her death.

‘That’s all I have.’

The AI sounded almost sad.

Lost in sorrow, Riv paced the gate. ‘Kainan,’ Riv said, his voice low and urgent. ‘We need to get her back.’

‘We have to track that ship,’ Kainan said, taking charge. ‘Mirage, can you hack into the spaceport’s systems and get the ship’s ID?’

‘I’m trying, Kainan,’ Mirage said. ‘But the ID is encrypted. Someone paid a pretty sum to keep it locked away. It might take some time to crack.’

Kainan nodded, his expression grim. ‘While you do, let’s get the others across this and see if we can’t come up with a collective solution.’

The Sable brothers sprinted back to the ballroom, where the rest of the Riders were waiting. Riv briefed them on what had happened, and they sprang into action.

They left Zane and Xion to tell the guests that Riv had called off the wedding, but the planned feast was still underway.

Meanwhile, Kainan, Kage, and Mirage accompanied Riv to the Sable Riders’ HQ.

They tapped into Mirage’s systems, watching as their AI hacked into the spaceport’s security system, seeking a trace of the courier ship.

After an hour of intense searching, Mirage found a trail.

The ship was linked to a murky organization operating in Pegasi’s outer reaches.

They also had data from the ship itself. The courier ship had flown away from Eden II at low speed, trying to avoid detection, when it suddenly jumped into FTL.

Once in hyperspace, it had vanished.

Riv’s heart sank at the update; tracking her now would be almost impossible.

Just when he was about to break down, Mirage pinged the Riders again, their voice excited and urgent. ‘Riv, I think I’ve found something. A small asteroid field just beyond the first jump exit is a hiding spot for smugglers and criminals. It’s possible that the ship could have made a stop in it.’

Riv’s heart leapt with hope. ‘Can you pinpoint the location?’

‘I can,’ Mirage confirmed. ‘It won’t be easy, though. The asteroid field is dense, which means a hella lot of interference. We’ll have to navigate through it with care.’

Riv nodded, his mind made up. ‘We have to try. For Élisa’s sake.’

It took just a few hours for the Sable Riders to prep for the hop to the other side of the hyperspace lane.

‘The asteroid field is treacherous, filled with hidden dangers and booby traps,’ Kainan counseled them as their repurposed crat ship headed for the unknown area of space. ‘But we’re determined to save Riv’s woman, no matter the cost.

The tension in the air was palpable as they approached the dense floating rocks.

Their ship weaved and dodged between the floating rocks, searching for any sign of the courier ship.

After hours of searching, they found it - docked in a hidden cavern deep within the field.

They landed on the lone rock, disembarked, and approached the strange ship.

With its blast doors locked, Riv used his hacking noids to bypass the mechanisms.

As the doors cycled open, the Riders burst into the ship, weapons drawn, ready for an ambush or confrontation.

It was deserted. Not a soul was to be seen.

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