STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

we were getting shot at? ”

Lucien shrugged, stretching out in his chair. “Harun and I planned it before the mission. And it’s not just for show. The virus blocks all input commands to the celestial grid. Every time they try to overwrite the sky messages, they ’ll hit this instead. ”

Selene stepped closer, arms folded. “So the message stays up?”

Harun winked. “Exactly. They’ll be stuck with the starburst and Lucien’s speech until they figure out how to bypass the virus. Which, by the way, will take at least a day or two. ”

Corin shook his head, but a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Great. Now the Order thinks we ’re hackers and comedians.”

Harun’s grin widened. “Hey, if you can’t humiliate the enemy while toppling their regime, what’s the point?”

The moment of levity faded as Jaris stepped forward, his expression grim.

“You realize this isn’t going to slow them down. It’s going to piss them off.”

Harun’s smile dimmed. “Let them. We’ll be ready.”

Lyra’s voice was calm but unwavering. “It doesn’t matter what they do. The message is out there, and we’ve bought time for it to spread. That’s what matters. ”

Lucien leaned back in his chair, staring at the looping animation on the screen.

It ’s working.

But for how long?

***

The rebels gathered near the table, where the monitor still displayed Harun ’s spinning neon starburst.

Corin leaned forward, his hands braced against the table, frustration bubbling to the surface. “We need to talk about what happens now. Because this —” he gestured at the monitor “—isn’t going to be enough.”

Lyra folded her arms. “Enough for what? To topple the Order overnight? That’s not how this works, and you know it.”

“I know how it works. I also know that symbols and slogans only go so far. The Order ’s already locking people down, doubling patrols, dragging anyone who steps out of line to recalibration camps. If we don ’t hit harder, they’ll crush this rebellion before it gains a hold. ”

Harun rolled his eyes, pushing off the wall. “Hit harder? You think we

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