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

Craig bent down and wiped the girl’s tears. “We’re going to get you to a safe place.” He bit his lip. “Where is your sister?”

She held on to his arm, resting her cheek on his bicep. “Daddy, I want to go home. I want to go back. Please.”

Craig nodded. “That’s exactly what we’re going to do.” He lowered his mouth to her ear. “Where’s your sister?”

“He took her with him.”

“Who is he?”

“The bad man who killed Mommy.” Her crying picked up.

Craig called over his shoulder. “Lon.”

Lon peeked around the entryway then stepped out into the hall. “Yes, Mr. President.”

“My youngest daughter is missing. We need to case every room on this damned ship.” He hugged his daughter, Claudia. Her brown hair in a ponytail, her large brown eyes looking up to him for comfort, her chin trembling even more than Craig’s. “Do you know what direction they went?”

She shook her head, her wet cheeks smearing on Craig’s.

“And, Lon,” said Craig. “I don’t care where Slade wants to take this ship. We’re heading back to Earth.”

Lon stared at him for a moment. Finally, he dipped his head. “Will do, Mr. President.”

Craig dropped his chin to his chest and closed his eyes, doing his best to wipe the memory of his bloody wife out of his mind. “Do me a favor?”

“Yes, Sir?”

His voice cracked. “When you find Slade.” He covered his daughter’s ears. “Do the worst you can. Then kill him.”

34

Edge of M-Quadrant, Nearing Jupiter - Starship Atlanti

Slade stood in a storage room, eyeing his holoscreen. He perked up when he heard Craig tell the Fleet Admiral to end Slade’s life and a slow smile grew on his lips. That was his life the Pres was talking about.

His plan was working.

Slade had every hallway, room, loading bay, and mess hall bugged. Every piece of clothing President Craig Martelle wore had a miniature chip in it. He could follow Craig around Starship Atlantis no matter where he went.

He pushed his finger through the holoscreen, his index finger turning the many vibrant colors the holoimage presented. “See you soon, Mr. President.”

He unholstered his pistol, pressed the button on the side of the handgrip and ejected his magazine. He pulled back the rack and pushed up on the slide lock, revealing the chamber. He placed a rubber bullet in the magazine, then another one until the magazine was full. He inserted the magazine back into the weapon and pushed firmly upward into the handgrip. A click told him it was locked and loaded.

He gently tapped the back of the magazine with his palm so he could align the ammunition. He pushed down on the safety lever at the gun’s rear, disengaging it. The side lock slid forward on its own. He aimed it at the wall and closed one eye. He mimicked a shot, this time at the imaginary fleet admiral in front of him. “Pew, pew, Lon.”

He gave the wall a wink, then held the gun to his side and glanced down at his feet. “Let’s get this shit on the road, shall we?”

A murmur in the room interrupted him. He turned, staring at Craig’s daughter, bound and gagged. She was small and probably very precious to Craig.

He pouted, over exaggerating the jut of his bottom lip. “You miss your mommy?”

The girl sputtered, snot dripping from her nose.

“Bye, sweetheart.” He opened the storage door, pulled a rectangular device out of his pocket, and eyed it. A holovid pulled up, showing a map and a blue dot, indicating the president. Craig was on the deck above.

Slade gave a half smile, his crow’s feet only wrinkling a little. He walked out of storage, closing the door quietly behind him, then jogged in Craig’s direction.

35

Kelhoon Leader’s Ziggurat, Callisto - J-Quadrant, Solar System

Fox struggled in his energy cuffs. He pressed them closer. The cuffs sizzled and blue electricity sparked. In the Secret Space Program, they’d taught techniques on how to escape Kelhoon cuffs. The Kelhoon were now using an updated version.

Fox stared at a wall, alone, listening to a battle raging outside the makeshift prison walls.

A door opened behind him, followed by several heavy footsteps. Unable to turn, Fox craned his neck. He winced when a shock zipped down his neck.

And that’s what sucked the most. Any quick motion, any movement that required more than a few inches, would send electric shocks up and down his body. It was torture and he couldn’t wait to get Okbak, the ugly-ass Kelhoon leader, in a room by himself to beat him up all pretty like. That would be of course after his deal went through. To put Slade in a locked room with him.

Vvvvzeeeee!

The energy cuffs around his hands and ankles vanished.

Okbak walked around Fox; Kelhoon guards by his side.

Fox looked the Kelhoon leader up and down. The half-lizard, half-man was thick, his hands calloused from battle, his armor singed with burn marks.

On second thought, this guy wouldn’t be the easiest to fight.

Okbak narrowed his eyes, as if reading Fox’s mind. “Koojka Atlantean manjoozna Jaxx komfjaka ascension maj.”

Fox tilted his head. “Excuse me? The Atlanteans are using Jaxx to ascend?” What did that mean?

Okbak nodded, his tongue slightly protruding from his mouth. “Boonjaka moonja kajkan.”

Fox leaned back and rubbed his hands against the chair’s arm rests. “Ascension is bad? I don’t know about that. Didn’t Jesus ascend? Doesn’t seem like Jesus would do such a thing if it was considered...” Fox put his fingers up in air quotes, “Bad.”

Saliva dripped from Okbak’s mouth. Even this Kelhoon had no control over his salivary glands. It was obscene. He looked at Fox as if he couldn’t wait to eat him. “Funja koonja lakanja.”

“Ah,” Fox nodded. “Ascension is good for the Atlanteans but bad for everyone else? So, you’re telling me that the Atlanteans are using Jaxx, Rivkah, Bogle, and me, for their own benefit. Sounds like the Kelhoon way, not the Atlantean way.”

Okbak slammed his fist against a crystal table. “Boovka najka lana.”

Fox