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Back The Rising Storm
Chapters (80)
  1. Cover
  2. The Rising Storm
  3. PROLOGUE
  4. CHAPTER ONE
  5. CHAPTER TWO
  6. CHAPTER THREE
  7. CHAPTER FOUR
  8. CHAPTER FIVE
  9. CHAPTER SIX
  10. CHAPTER SEVEN
  11. CHAPTER EIGHT
  12. CHAPTER NINE
  13. CHAPTER TEN
  14. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  15. CHAPTER TWELVE
  16. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  17. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  18. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  19. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  20. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  21. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  22. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  23. CHAPTER TWENTY
  24. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  33. CHAPTER THIRTY
  34. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  43. CHAPTER FORTY
  44. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  45. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  46. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  53. CHAPTER FIFTY
  54. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  55. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
  61. CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
  62. CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
  63. CHAPTER SIXTY
  64. CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
  65. CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
  66. CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
  67. CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
  68. CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
  69. CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
  70. CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
  71. CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
  72. CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE
  73. CHAPTER SEVENTY
  74. CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE
  75. CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO
  76. CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
  77. CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR
  78. CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE
  79. CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX
  80. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Bell ran, flooding his body with the Force, driving him faster, his feet pounding along the Innovator’s hull plates. Ember kept pace beside him, head down, ears flat against her head. Even before he’d started, Bell knew he wouldn’t make it. He was moving fast, but the raiders’ ships were faster. They swept in like the horde they were, their thrusters kicking up plumes of water from the lake. He could feel their pilots’ excitement, along with the countless thugs that filled their holds, all of them clutching weapons designed to cause as much damage as possible. It was almost euphoric, the agony of waiting for the carnage to start, the Nihil captains working their crews into a frenzy. Bell glanced at the front viewing platform, searching for Kip and Jom in the crowd that was being herded belowdecks. He couldn’t see Kip’s dark-blue jacket or the flash of orange from Jom’s sweater. But he could see a solitary Rodian ignoring the steward’s calls to move, remaining on the observation deck, captivated by the approaching craft. Bell willed the green-skinned male to move, to snap out of his trance, instead of staring death in the face like a rocan caught in a speeder’s glare.

“Get down,” Bell screamed as he raced forward. “Listen to the steward. They’re going to kill you!”

The Rodian stayed rooted to the spot, even as Bell felt the order being given in the approaching craft, a thumb pressing down hard on a trigger. Fire spat from the nearest fighter, raking across the Innovator’s stern. Bell never saw the Rodian die, but he felt it as keenly as he had felt the spacers screaming in terror high above them when the Nihil armada first struck, or those dying beneath his feet in the crush of fair visitors trampling over one another in panic.

The Nihil craft screamed over Bell’s head, streaking toward the city, laserfire slamming into the hull on either side of him. Ember yelped as she tumbled into the gaping hole that opened up beneath Bell’s feet, her master following seconds later, arms pinwheeling as he tumbled into the abyss.

CHAPTER THIRTY

The Elegencia, above Valo