Page 10 of Stars in Umbra (The Sable Riders #8)
A Deep Strike To The Heart
RINA
R ina’s ship touched down with a hiss of compressed air and the thrum of engines winding down.
The sky over Eden II’s space port was bruised with early morning haze, industrial towers stabbing upward like broken ribs against the rising twin suns of Alphetraz.
Her boots hit the metal floor of the hangar hard and fast.
She waited with some impatience for the crew to clear her path before finding her assigned flyer and swinging into it, giving it a curt directive.
She slumped into her seat, flicked open a holo news feed, and huffed at the rolling press reports of two incidents affecting her Peace Corps.
Two fires, both hers to put out.
The first concerned an audacious escape.
A Falasian prisoner craft, filled with some of the most violent war criminals from the Rylak campaigns, had slipped past planetary perimeters and disappeared into a wormhole.
According to intelligence accounts, it had vanished into deep space without a trace.
Her second inferno was the one happening right now on Alloria.
The place was going up in flames with rebel leaders threatening to overturn the government.
All morning her comms had gone off, and one in particular, from the highest office on Eden II, had a Priority One tag on it, and she sighed.
Fokk.
The flyer’s engines thrummed, slicing through Eden II’s early daybreak sprawl like a blade through silk.
The city unfurled below in stark contrasts, gleaming spires of obsidian and glass climbing skyward beside crumbling steel-block housing and neon-lit alleyways that never slept.
Cyclo-taxis zipped through the mid-tier sky lanes, swerving around cargo haulers and patrol cruisers. On the street level, vendors hawked steaming dumplings and mech repair kits alongside scrap dealers shouting over the clamor of the crowds.
Holo-billboards pulsed with shifting ads in thirty dialects, touting the latest neural upgrades, club nights at The Osirian , and ominous recruitment calls for Pegasi’s border outposts.
A group of kids raced beneath the arch of an old temple ruin.
Their laughter was enchanting and wild, while a pair of Eden Guardians stood watch at the next corner, scanning the crowd for trouble.
Pegasi’s most industrious moon planet was indeed a living paradox.
Her wrist link pinged.
She sighed. ‘What now?’
The holo-call flared to life, and Mirage’s smooth, sarcastic voice filled the cabin.
‘Morning, Colonel. I take it you’re en route.’
‘I am, can’t ignore a Priority One summons. Let me guess,’ Rina drawled, rubbing a brow. ‘The grand and mighty Kainan Sable wants to speak to me before the conference kicks off?’
‘He just needs a couple of words,’ Mirage replied with unbothered charm.
‘On a scale of one to ten, how ready to scorch me is he?’
‘Somewhere between a nine and eternal damnation. But hey, he’s smiling today. You’ll probably live.’
She gave a tired laugh despite herself. ‘Must be some magic Selena dreamed up because I’m not the cause of his joy, that’s for sure. Catch you soon for the reaming.’
‘In a few, Colonel.’ Mirage winked out, leaving only the hum of engines and the distant murmur of the city below.
The craft winged past the Justice Centre, the venue for the upcoming military conference she had come to attend.
She sighed at the masses of protesters lined outside, their shouts and roars reverberating in the air.
Fokk , this was going to be a tedious jaunt.
The flyer banked right, descending toward Sable HQ in the city’s centre.
The cluster of buildings rose like a monolith of glass and chrome, jagged and imposing against the skyline.
Beneath its shadow sat The Osirian , the Riders’ infamous restaurant and nightclub, its outer terrace quiet at this hour.
The craft touched down with a soft hiss at the landing pad at its front door.
Rina adjusted the cut of her bronze uniform jacket, squared her shoulders, and stepped out into the crisp, filtered air.
She spared The Osirian’s entrance a glance, wondering, for a moment, if he, t he man lurking in her silent thoughts and restless dreams at night, was on duty this morning.
They hadn’t spoken since the wedding, almost two weeks now.
She hadn’t expected a call, and it never came.
However, she’d chickened out of reaching out.
So they were at a stalemate.
Most times, she granted short shrift to any men who gave off ghosting vibes, but he was different.
For some reason, she couldn’t get him out of her thoughts.
She raked her eyes once more over the entrance of the infamous bar; however, the bouncers standing guard were unfamiliar.
She shrugged and pushed him out of her mind; she had zero time for distractions.
The heavy glass portals of Sable HQ slid open as she approached, and a pulse of security scans brushed over her skin.
With a breath bracing for the inevitable, she marched across the vast onyx-floored lobby.
Past polished obsidian columns and sleek holo-terminals manned by Sable operatives, each one casting discreet glances her way.
She punched the executive level into the lift controls.
The doors glided shut, and as the elevator climbed, she let out a quiet sigh.
Here we go.
She gritted her teeth as the lift doors closed around her.
When they opened, Mirage was waiting with a smile.
‘This way, Colonel.’
Rina followed the ebony-skinned synth AI, who was dressed in a dark amethyst jumpsuit and impossibly jeweled heels to match.
Rina admired them as she was ushered to Kainan Sable’s command suite.
He stood waiting, dark and commanding, his presence filling the space, his potent meta force simmering under his skin.
The head of the Riders was a chimeric warrior who’d bled peace and war in equal measure.
He gave her a raised chin, his eyes friendly, because after all, they were more than just professionally acquainted.
‘Sit down, Colonel Mendi.’
She stayed standing.
He arched a sardonic brow, then leaned his hip on the edge of his table.
His hands lay crossed over his massive chest, one foot braced on the floor, the other swinging with intentional ease.
‘I’ll start with the pleasantries. Good to see you at Ki’Remi’s wedding.’
‘Indeed. What a night.’
Kainan gave a nod, a glimmer of immense satisfaction in his eyes.
For if there was one thing this man was protective about, it was his woman, children, and his found Sable family.
‘Seeing us all come together in such a magical place made it all the more poignant. We Riders have come to appreciate that our happiest days are the ones where we’re surrounded by those we love.’
‘I had a blast.’
‘Selene and I took note,’ he rasped, his eyes gleaming. ‘I’d warn you not to steal my last remaining leading security specialist, but I think I’m way fokkin ’ late in that regard. Just don’t lead him too far astray.’
Rina blinked, her heart jumping. ‘Oh my. I wasn’t expecting this.’
‘Get used to it, you’re part of the Rider family,’ he growled. ‘I’m only doing what we know to do best, riding you.’
His eyes gleamed as he teased her.
She squirmed, flustered. ‘Can we wrap this personal shit up, please, and get to the professional aspect of this meeting?’
‘I was just softening you up for the kill,’ the Sable Khosi grinned, even as his voice turned flint. ‘Now I hear, you’re having quite the start this morning, soldier. A group of Falasian war criminals has escaped your jurisdiction, and on Alloria, Vesk Tyran is dead.’
Her jaw tensed. ‘About Tyran, while we might not like it, he was committing war crimes. You’ve got to admit, the galaxy is better for it.’
Kainan crossed his arms, energy coiling around him in molten threads of violet and blue.
‘You think so? Tyran was a butcher, sure, but he kept the insurgents in check. Now the mines are open season, looting is rife, an uprising is underway, and the Allorian government is hanging on by a thread. His death created a vacuum. Guess who gets to fill it? Even more evil players.’
‘The devil you know versus the demon you don’t, right?
I know how it goes. Still, Tyran was a major liability, Commander,’ she shot back, eyes flashing.
‘He enslaved the locals, scorched farmland, and mocked my peacekeepers while draining resources to fatten his war coffers. Tell me again how he was keeping the peace?’
Kainan’s gold-flamed gaze narrowed, unflinching. ‘So what’s your solution? Permit vigilantes to pick our targets now?’
‘That’s rich, coming from the man who leads a crew of meta mercenaries masquerading as businessmen.’
Silence fell, thick and crackling.
Rina was well aware she’d almost crossed a line, and yet she still needed to make her point.
Tension ratcheted as Kainan’s jaw tightened, before he exhaled.
‘I’ll let that slide,’ he rasped, although a flare of menace still radiated from him.
‘Because you’re a kickass soldier, and likewise my wife’s best friend.
Also, because you’ve earned your place in both positions through sweat, blood, and tears, this is why I appointed you to lead the Peace Corps: to prevent escalation.
To keep our galaxy from burning so hot that we have to spend trillions cleaning up the ashes. ’
He took a step closer, his tone cutting now.
‘So here’s what you’ll do. Find out who took out Tyran. Bring them in and remind the sector what order looks like. Savvy? ’
She mulled his words for a beat, then gave him a chin raise plus a quick, military salute.
‘ Naam , Commander.’
‘ Sante for the respect and for your time.’
Before she could help it, she bit out, just loud enough, ‘You only get my esteem in this regard because you’re Selene’s husband.’
He smirked. ‘You’re lucky I’ve got the same for you. Any other kinai try that on me, and they might rue the day they breathed.’
She rolled her eyes, halfway out the door. ‘Indeed, Sable.’
Damn him. She loved that man like a brother.
But right now? He was -
‘- a pain in the ass?’
He finished her unspoken sentence with a dry, sarcastic voice, reading her mind with that uncanny ability of his.