Page 38 of Stars in Aura

The medic ship rolled, and the impact of the first rail gun round hit the hull like the fist of a god.

Metal shrieked and groaned as the blast tore through the upper deck.

Their craft shuddered, and the pressure alarms screamed.

Smoke and sparks burst from the central panel as they spiraled down at impossible speeds.

Rounds ripped through the structure above their heads, massive energy bolts in an unrelenting pattern.

The enemy wasn’t playing.

They weren’t striving to force a surrender.

They were trying to erase them or at least cripple them to the point they crash-landed.

Klash fought the controls, his jaw clenched. ‘What the hell kind of firepower is that?!’

Ki’Remi staggered to the viewscreen as another round slammed into the Ravager-Class cruiser, flinging the crew forward into their seats.

His neural HUD flashed red across his vision. Hull integrity was dropping fast.

‘Thefokkin’ Allorians have none of this tech,’ he ground out, eyes locking on the attacking warship in full display.

The vessel was monstrous, sleek, and bristling with energy rail guns he’d never seen and designed for one purpose. Absolute annihilation.

A quiet presence appeared beside him.

Issa.

Ki’Remi glanced at her, and his stomach twisted.

She was pale. Too ashen.

Eyes glazed and fixed in horror at the view outside the reinforced plex glass.

‘They’re not Allorians,’ she whispered.

His gut turned to steel.She knew. ‘Who thefokkare they, Elaris?’

Before she could respond, the ship lurched sideways, another blast tearing through the hull.

They both clutched at the drop-down restraints that released from the ceiling, but still, the impact was brutal.

Klash grunted, head thrown back, then slammed forward, snapping against the console.

He slumped forward, unmoving.

‘Pilot’s down!’ Ghost barked from behind.

Ki’Remi didn’t hesitate.

He surged forward, shoved Klash out of the chair, and slid into the controls.

His hands moved with surgical precision, calculated and exact, rerouting thruster output, stabilizing the descent with pinpoint accuracy.

‘Crash couches everyone, Strap in, HUDs up,’ he called, keeping his rasp calm while tapping a button on his seat so the impact belts folded over his chest.

He banked left hard, rolling them as another rail gun round screamed past.

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