Ascendant Saga Collection: Sci-Fi Fantasy Techno Thriller Brandon Ellis (ebook reader for comics txt) 📖

and went to the floor. Sandy reached toward Rivkah just as Rivkah dashed out of the closet. The door closed.

Rivkah swiped her hands together. Her head down, her cap pulled low, she hurried down a corridor. Perhaps there was a back exit to this hospital wing. Going out the same way she came in might not be the best idea.

She picked up her pace and hugged the wall as an orderly walked by, a clipboard in his hand. Up ahead was a lobby and a doctor marched around a desk, face glued his tablet. He spoke something to a nurse, then walked in Rivkah’s direction.

The ID badge’s chain jangled against Rivkah’s leg, and she snatched the badge in her hand. A door to her right, and she swiped the badge through the panel. The door sucked into the wall and she entered. As the door shut, the sound of rhythmic beeps bounced off the walls.

A closed, blue curtain stood in front of her, an empty hospital bed to her right. And a bathroom was to her left with a toilet facing her. A counter was deeper in the room with a sink. Good. Water.

She took steps toward the sink, soft and quiet. The beeps meant someone was behind the curtain, sleeping or recouping. No need to wake the pour soul.

A moan, then someone mumbled. She paused. She’d heard that voice before. “Shoot him, Slade. Just…kill Jaxx…” the voice became incoherent into a low murmur.

She opened the curtain a crack. “Fox?” Her body tingled with shock. Or was that excitement? This might turn out to be her lucky day.

There he was, laying on a bed. Bandage over his stomach. In his boxers, his eyes were shut. An IV dripped liquid into a bag next to him and down a tube that went from his arm to the IV bag. He moaned a second time.

What the hell happened to the guy? A smile grew on Rivkah. If she ever had a chance to end a piece of shit without a struggle, without a fight, it was now.

She crept forward. A quick strangling wouldn’t hurt anyone. It might just bring a bit more light into the Universe.

21

J-Quadrant, Solar System - Callisto

The Master stood as Bogle approached, Grenik Star by her side. The Master had on a long, white dress, a metallic four-petaled rose clasped on her shoulder. She had blond hair and piercing blue eyes, her body toned and powerful. There wasn’t a wrinkle on her, confirming Bogle’s suspicions that the crystallo fabrica on her chest had frizzled out and translated Grenik Star incorrectly when he said the Master was thousands of years old.

Heck, if the crystallo fabrica had indeed fried out, then what else had it mistranslated?

The Master stood by a simple table, her face fixed in what Bogle believed was the most welcoming smile she’d ever seen.

Bogle remembered her Hamlet, “One may smile and smile and be a villain.”

Rosemary mixed with lavender fragranced the air. An ornate tea pot and cups were set on the table, steam rising from the fresh-brewed jasmine and ginger tea.

“Welcome,” the Master bowed. “My name is Salasha Libertanius. In your language, I’m Liberty Speidel.” She raised one brow and smiled anew. “Call me Liberty.”

Bogle, not knowing the correct protocol, followed Grenik’s lead and bowed with him.

Grenik spoke, “Thank you, Master. Would you like me to stay or leave?”

“Sit and take tea, Grenik. Your service is appreciated.”

Grenik pulled out a seat, gesturing for Bogle to take it. “Wow, a gentleman. You don’t see too many of those on Star Ward—” Her voice cracked. She had to turn her face from her rescuer and host to hide the tears. The lush surroundings had almost lulled her into a false sense of security. But she couldn’t let her guard down with these people. Her entire bridge team, her crew, and her ship were gone—dead. And, it was because of them. She was dealing with the enemy. Devils.

Liberty took a seat, her eyes on Bogle. “We only attacked because we do not want to be used as chattel or our land as a bargaining chip. Our intent was not to kill. Our intent was to keep peace within our society.”

Bogle kept her eyes trained to the floor. Her words came out as a whisper, anger rising from her belly. “Then why did you kill if that wasn’t your intent?”

“We ceased fire the moment your admiral decided to retreat. We re-opened fire when he wanted to end all life on our portion of Atlantis Alta, Flood of Dawn.” She spoke matter of factually, her face calm and serene, a hint of melancholy in her voice.

Grenik took a sip of tea, but remained quiet.

Bogle wiped away a tear and spoke through gritted teeth. “I tried to stop the admiral.”

Liberty pressed her cup to her lips, glancing over at Bogle, then pushed a cup of tea toward her. “We know. Our heart is with you.” She put her cup down, clasping her hands together. “You must understand that a nuclear explosion would lay waste not only to our people here in Flood of Dawn, but to the millions in other cities on our moon. We weren’t willing to suffer another people’s nuclear misdeed.”

Bogle stiffened. This wasn’t the only city on Callisto? There must be more pyramids, obelisks, farms, domes, biospheres, and coliseums all over the moon. How could the Secret Space Program have missed them for all these years?

Liberty straightened. “Because we wanted you to overlook our civilization. We wanted every Being to overlook us. It wasn’t time to be seen yet. In fact, if we had it our way, we would have closed our doors forever and remained a closed society, happy in our solitude and glad of our own company. But, the soothsayer spoke.” Liberty looked out over the gardens. There was no doubt that her eyes had seen a thousand-thousand sunsets and for a moment, she stiffened, as if the weight of her duty swam into focus. She