The crowd watched with wide eyes as he stood behind the left-most scientist and pushed his gun against the man's head. He looked out at the crowd and fired. The boom of the shot echoed around the crumbled buildings and the scientist toppled forward, falling down three steps before coming to rest, blood spattered across his face.
Buta moved to the next scientist.
The crowd turned to stare as the roar of the bike rolled over them. Nova didn't stop. She aimed the bike straight at the steps and kept her thumb on the accelerator. The soldiers and onlookers dived out of the way to avoid being hit as she careened for the crowd. Nova slammed down on the brakes and the bike skidded to a stop in front of the stairs.
Buta glanced up, his gun still pressed against the back of the scientist's head.
"Bastard!" Meeka roared.
She threw her leg over the bike and ran to the base of the stairs. She ripped up her gun and fired.
The blast hit Buta in the chest and threw him off his feet. His gun flew out of his hand and clattered down the stairs. The scientist who'd been seconds away from being shot fainted into a heap.
Nova's mouth hung open as she watched the scene unfold.
Meeka's arm fell loosely by her side. She panted hard, her chest heaving up and down as she stared at Buta.
Confusion erupted amongst the crowd. Some of the onlookers drew their guns and aimed at Meeka and Nova, others shook their heads as if suddenly waking from a dream. The prisoners on the stairs got shakily to their feet and gazed down at the crowd.
Voices rose in a cacophony of panic as people yelled at one another, trying to make sense of the madness. The soldiers looked from Buta's corpse to Meeka, their guns wavering.
"There's no point fighting anymore!" Nova bellowed. She cut the bike's engine and climbed up on the seat so that she stood above the crowd. "Both Buta and Toro are dead. The battle's over."
"You blue-eyed devils killed him!" a soldier roared, his gun moving between Nova and Meeka.
"Do you really think life would have been any better under Buta?" Meeka said, breathless. "He was a cruel man. Look what he did to those innocents." She pointed at the corpses in white coats.
The crowd murmured agreement.
"She's right," said a scientist, making his way down the stairs. "The fighting has to stop. We are all Chindo."
More voices rose in agreement, drowning out the soldier's protests. Those that refused to lower their weapons were overrun by the crowd and their guns ripped out of their hands and then tossed to the ground.
"Looks like we missed the party," Gus said.
Nova glanced behind, in all the confusion she hadn't noticed Crusader touching down. Her companions emerged one-by-one with guns in hand. Blade was nowhere to be seen.
Gin was last out of the ship. She used Aart's arm for support as she climbed the short distance to the ground. She stood with her head held high despite her bent knees and wrinkled face, she smiled and winked at Nova.
"Keep sharp," Orion said. "I'm sure one of these bastards is thinking about taking over right now."
"No," Meeka said. "You don't understand our ways. It takes decades for a leader to build up enough respect to have an army. None of these people could lead."
"Their general dies and they just give up?" Orion said.
Meeka shrugged and nodded. "Without anyone to follow they're like leaves in the wind."
"A thing called second in command?" Orion said.
"It's not the same," Meeka said.
"So what the hell happens now?" Gus said.
Meeka bit her lip and looked out at the crowd. Some of them were crying and holding one another. Others held bleeding wounds together with their bare hands.
"We rebuild," she said.
"Look," Orion said. "We've already stayed here five times longer than I think we should have. I appreciate you looking out for Nova but I'm not sticking around to rebuild this damned planet. I'll take my ship away alone if I have to."
"No," Meeka said. "You should go. You're a reminder of what was; Chindo needs to look forward."
"Who will lead?" Aart said. "Now that the ruling idiots are dead."
"She will," Gin said, smiling at Meeka.
"What? I—" Meeka said, her eyes flying wide and her mouth dropping.
"You're the only one," Gin said. "You killed Buta and we'll say you killed Toro too. You're the only one they'll follow."
"I don't think I can—" Meeka said in a whisper.
"You have to. If you don't take control now, Chindo will sink back into war."
Meeka bit her lip, face pale. "I'll do what I have to."
Gin nodded and then turned to Nova. "You should go. It's going to be hard enough to keep law and order with a blue-eyed female emperor, let alone a handful of off-worlders."
Nova laid a hand on Gin's shoulder. "Thank you."
Gin smiled and winked.
"Now that that's sorted, I'm getting my guns," Gus said, marching up the broad steps.
"And my equipment!" Tyra said, jogging after him.
The other Hunters disappeared inside, leaving Nova staring at Meeka. She didn't know how to express all of the emotions that welled inside her. There was so much she wanted to say but not enough time or words to say it.
"Good luck," she said softly.
Meeka nodded, still biting her lip. "Thank you for saving us all."
Nova shrugged. "It was payback."
"Do you think I'll see you again?"
Nova glanced up at the sky and then at Crusader, avoiding Meeka's eyes. "Maybe. Once things have settled down here I'll try to send you a message."
"Good," Meeka said. "Please do. You promised me I'd see the stars."
Nova smiled and allowed her guard to drop. She stepped forward and engulfed Meeka in a hug, holding her tight for three full seconds before letting her go and stepping back.
"Be careful," Nova said. "Both of you."
"We will," Meeka replied.
Nova nodded and turned. She marched back to Crusader without glancing back. She swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked the tears away from her eyes. She'd said lots of goodbyes before; she didn't see why this one had to be so emotional. But deep down she knew the reason; Meeka reminded her a lot of Caila. At least here on Chindo, Meeka couldn't get addicted to Zine and die in a puddle of her own vomit.
Nova stomped through Crusader to the pilot's pod and gazed out at the city spread before her. Smoke billowed out from some of the buildings but already the chaos was settling. It would take them a long time to rebuild but at least this time they were off to a better start.
"It'll be good to go," Blade said from behind Nova's shoulder.
Nova jumped a little in her seat and glanced at the dark woman. "Yeah. Do you know the coordinates of your home planet?"
"Bardo," Blade said. "And yes."
"Hey Blade," Aart said from Crusader's door. "Tanguin and I are having a feast on Sylar if you want to join us."
Gus stood behind him with an armful of guns and weapons, grinning.
Blade glanced down at Nova and then walked towards Aart. "Sounds good to me. As long as it doesn't involve tentacles."
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Crusader's door hissed shut behind them and Nova was left alone in the silence with just Cal and Crusader. Her shoulders slumped and the false smile fell away from her face.
"Autopilot. Follow Aart's directions," she said, her voice hoarse.
"Confirmed," Crusader said.
"What a fucking nightmare," she said in the same voice. "The fighting, the prison, this damned place."
Cal hovered into view at her side. "But you're free of the Confederacy borders. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"
Nova held her head in her hands. "Yeah. I just didn't think it would be so bloody hard. Or that so many people would die along the way."
Cal extended a mechanical arm and laid it on the top of her head. "It was never going to be easy."
"I know," Nova said.<
br />
She pulled her hands away from her face and glared out of Crusader's front screen. While she'd been talking she hadn't noticed them taking off and leaving Chindo behind. Now the planet was just a blue-green ball in the distance.
She clenched her teeth and didn't say another word, afraid that if she spoke she wouldn't be able to stop the tears that were sure to follow.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Nova's Journey Continues…
Finally free of the border.
Nova and her companions are finally free and go to Bardo to find work. But, what seems like a simple delivery job quickly becomes far more sinister.
A bigger danger.
Beyond simple brigands a far more dangerous threat emerges and it will take all of Nova's strength to survive, and become a Hero.
Book 10: Hero
Find out more at:
www.saffronbryant.com/books/hero
http://www.saffronbryant.com/free-books
REVIEWS SAVE BOOKS
Choosing what to write can be tough, but the one thing that really helps is reviews.
So if you like this series, make sure you leave a review so that I know to keep writing them!
Find all of Saffron's Books At:
www.saffronbryant.com/books
The Nova Chronicles
Survivor
Pilgrim
Hunter
Gambler
Justice
Junkie
Adventurer
Prisoner
Stranger
Hero
Other Science Fiction
Skin Deep
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Saffron Bryant was born on the 17th December 1990 in a small town in North Queensland. In 2010 she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. After extensive, life-saving surgery she returned to her home in Queensland to recover and finish The Fallen Star. She received a Bachelor of Biomedical Science in 2011.
Saffron has been interested in fantasy and science fiction writing from a very young age, writing her first story at the age of seven. She has always been fascinated by fantasy stories and has a passion for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Saffron currently lives in Sydney with her partner Michael Lee where she is completing her PhD in chemistry.
Connect with Saffron:
WEBSITE: www.saffronbryant.com
EMAIL: [email protected]
TWITTER: @SaffronBryant
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/saffron.bryant
Stranger Page 17