STELLAR: The Dragon Rider

Chapter 27: Dark Riders Fall

Karma and Ben continued to lead the battle against the Dark Riders. This time Inferno and Allison had been fighting alongside them and joined in the fight. It seemed as if they would lose the fight. Ben was beginning to lose faith as well. Maybe he wouldn't come out of this alive. "Ben where is that airstrike?" Karma asked while fending off several Dark Riders. "I don't know they should be here by now." Ben replied, who was starting to think that airstrike wasn't coming.

Suddenly, as if answering Karma's question, something better came to their aide. Instead of an airstrike by several F-16's, a small group of stealth bombers appeared in the sky and began dropping bombs onto the ground where the Dark Riders were positioned, blowing the Dark Riders to smithereens. At some point it was too late for the Dark Riders to flee or find ever because there was no escaping the flames. All the Dark Riders that were in the area that was hit by the stealth bombers' bombing run were either obliterated or terribly wounded.

Meanwhile Adrian and Kate clashed in hand-to-hand combat. "You think this is wise? Engaging in combat with me?" Adrian said, glaring at Kate. Kate glared back. "I've been training for this day." Kate replied before punching him in the face. She then attempted to throw another punch but Adrian blocked it with his arm and punched her in the face. He then quickly attempted to deliver a kick to her ribcage but Kate grabbed a hold of his leg and elbowed him in the face and pushed his leg forward, pushing him off balance.

Then, seizing the opportunity, Kate rushed and began punching Adrian left and right, swinging at his face. Adrian grabbed one of her arms and punched her in the abdomen but Kate responded by swinging at his face with her other hand. Adrian backed up a couple steps, letting go of her hand. He then ran up to Kate and jump-kicked her sending her flying back and falling to the ground. Adrian then took out a pistol. "Your training was not enough to save you from your inevitable death." Adrian said.

Suddenly Kate quickly pulled out her pistol from her holster and fired several shots at Adrian's abdomen. Adrian fell to one knee. He struggled to get back up, trying to endure the agonizing pain. But then, Kate fired another shot, this time hitting him right in the visor. As Adrian's head flew back, his body collapsed to the ground. Kate quickly took off her helmet and rushed to where Nightstorms body lay. "Nightstorm get up c'mon don't die on me." She said shaking him. Nightstorm turned to look at Kate. Kate saw the knife that had been shoved into his abdomen and quickly removed it.

There was a nearby cloth on the ground. She grabbed and put pressure on Nightstorms wound to keep him from bleeding out. "C'mon Nightstorm stay with me, don't go." She cried out. Tears filled her eyes. "We did it. We beat him. The war is over. We won." Nightstorm said, struggling to speak.

Meanwhile Karma was slowly starting to push back the Dark Riders when suddenly, from the sky, a large ship crashed down, smashing several Dark Riders when it impacted the ground. Karma knew that this was the chance she had to end the Dark Riders for good. Out from the crashed ship, emerged several soldiers that were neither Dark Rider or Neon Rider, but rebels from the planet Starlight. Leading them was Starlight. As the Luna's men engaged the Dark Riders head on, Karma and her comrades joined them, slaughtering the outnumbered Dark Riders and pushing them back.

Meanwhile Kate was still with Nightstorm, who was slowly about to fade. Less than a mile away, a few remaining Dark Riders were on their way now. They were coming. They were coming to finish what their great leader had started. Kate knew they were on the way. She didn't care. Let them come. She wouldn't dare leave Nightstorm. They were upon her now, ready to strike her down as an act of revenge for the death of their leader. Kate did not even look at them.

Then, suddenly, just in the nick of time, they were shot down by Karma and her fellow comrades, along with Luna and her men. Kate turned to look at Karma as she and Ben rushed to where Nightstorm lay, tears trickling down her cheeks. Karma quickly examined the wound. "He's wounded get a medic here, fast!" Karma ordered. Ben motioned for some of the combat medics to come help them. Three combat medics in uniform rushed to where Nightstorm lay with a stretcher. They put Nightstorms body on a stretcher and carried him to an armored truck. "Okay guys lets head back home. It's over." Ben said through comms. Karma helped Kate up. "Don't worry he'll be fine." Karma said, reassuring her. They both climbed into the back of a black armored Gurkha and were taken back to headquarters.

The next day, Kate had gone to visit Nightstorm in the medical room of headquarters and arrived to find him standing upright in his blue armor. Kate couldn't believe it, he was alive. Nightstorm turned to see her in the room. "Hey Kate, what's the matter, surprised to see me?" Nightstorm teased. Kate rushed to hug Nightstorm. Words couldn't begin to describe how she felt seeing Nightstorm alive and well. "You know I have to go now right?" Nightstorm said after embracing Kate.

Kate didn't understand. Nightstorm had every reason to stay, why go? "Why, why do you have to go back?" Kate asked. "Now that Adrian is dead, there's nobody ruling Starlight. Someone needs to provide order so that chaos doesn't occur. I'm sorry." Nightstorm said apologetically. Kate understood. Despite how saddening it was to see him go, she understood.

Suddenly Nightstorm came up with an idea. "Kate, come with us. Starlight needs to know who killed Adrian and who freed them from his reign, they need a real leader. Please come with us." Nightstorm pleaded. Kate thought about it for a second. She couldn't leave Jack. That was her little brother. However, she didn't want to see Nightstorm leave. Not to mention, the people of Starlight did need a new leader to look over them. She didn't want what happened since Adrian came into her life to happen again, for Jack's sake. She finally gave Nightstorm her answer: "Yes, I'll come with you." They embraced.

Later, they both exited the medical room and saw Luna, the rebellion, and the other riders awaiting them. Jack was there as well. This made it hard her to have to tell Jack the news. She walked over to Jack. She hugged him. "Jack, take care when I'm gone." She told him. Jack didn't understand. "What do you mean? You're going with them?" Jack asked. Tears filled his eyes. "I'm sorry, I have to, they need me, please understand." Kate said apologetically. Outside of the hangar bay, stood a large spacecraft that was repaired by mechanics who worked for NASA. Kate walked toward the ship and walked inside.

Next Karma approached Jack and hugged Jack. "I have to head home now, I'll miss you, take care of yourself kid." Karma said to Jack. "I'll miss you too." Jack said as she walked inside the spacecraft followed by Nightstorm and the other riders. Jack looked at Allison. "Are you going to leave me too?" He asked her. Allison looked at the spacecraft and Luna who was waiting for her to climb aboard. "I'm not going." She told him. Jack's eyes widened. He was surprised. "Why not, isn't Starlight your home?" Jack said. Allison looked at Luna and signified that she could go without her and then looked back at Jack. "Too many memories over there. Painful memories. Things I don't want to remember." She confessed to him.

They watched as the ship that carried the Neon Riders and Kate, take off into the sky, leaving their atmosphere. Jack was going to miss his older sister. "C'mon Jack, let's go for a ride." Allison said, who was now on her motorcycle. Jack decided, why not, and climbed on the back of the motorcycle. They rode out, feeling as free as the birds in the skies, from danger.