Nightfall Strike

Colony 3, Heiro. Year 1186 of the Hyperion Era. Heiro is a frozen wasteland—barren, lifeless, and ignored by the human empire save for one thing: its mineral wealth. Of the three colonies clinging to its surface, none truly matter to the empire. Like all outer settlements, they exist only to serve and survive. Life in Colony 3 is brutally simple: mine or join the military. Education is a rare privilege, reserved for the few deemed worthy enough to rise above their birthright. Nico Rask never expected more. Raised in the shadow of war and cold steel, he joined the military at ten despite his father's low expectations. Now eighteen, he’s earned the title of Rider—not through service to the empire, but by proving himself to his fellow colonists. He has no love for the rebels who plague the empire’s fringe. To Nico, the true enemy is the Haqiy—an insectoid alien race waging a silent war over Heiro’s minerals. What little warmth remains in his life comes from his ailing sister, Alloy, whose fragile health keeps him grounded, and Victoria, his childhood friend—and the girl he dreams of building a future with, if the colony’s genetic pairing system doesn’t decide otherwise. But as the empire tightens its grip and new shadows rise, Nico must choose: remain a cog in a frozen machine, or risk everything to leave the planet—just as his sister once did. In the endless winter of Heiro, survival is simple. Living is not.