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

Craig smirked. “I’ll contact him myself. It’s time for you to leave.”

The Marine nodded. “Yes, Sir.”

A crackle came over the Marine’s comm device. “We need you on Deck 5, ASAP. We’ve got them secured, but we need more bodies.”

The Marine clicked his comm. “On my way, Sir.” He turned, saluted the president and ran out of the bathroom.

“Being the president must be nice,” said Slade. “You can get away with anything.”

Craig’s eyes twinkled. “It’s better than nice. Let’s go.”

49

Edge of J-Quadrant, Starship Atlantis (Slipping Further Away from Jupiter)

Slade and Craig made their way out of the bathroom and into the hallway. They followed the signs on the walls that pointed to the launch bay until it opened up into a large lobby where two large, metallic doors hugged a wall.

Alarms blared. It took some time, but the starship’s central ops eventually pressed the high alert button. The Kelhoon were on board and of course, the alarm was a great distraction Craig and Slade were waiting for.

Craig punched in his code onto the control panel. It beeped and the doors slid open, displaying a bay full of pilots and technicians chaotically moving around on high alert, rushing orders back and forth. Several Space Marines ran in, protecting the perimeter, just in case the Kelhoon made it this far.

A transport ship sat in the middle of the bay, this one large and wide. Slade jabbed a finger at it. “That’s our ride.”

“Excellent.”

They hurried to the transport. It hissed and the back portion opened with a ramp descending, the ramp clanking as it met the bay floor.

“President’s go first, Mr. President,” Slade said.

The President formed a steeple with his hands and pressed them to his lips. He wasn’t a man of God, but it was as close as he would come to prayer. He needed this to go right. “Off to our new home. Congratulations, Slade. It’s finally done.”

The president walked up the ramp and Slade followed closely behind, their steps clacking against the ramp’s tough metal iron alloy. Slade slapped a round button just inside the transports cargo deck and the ship quavered, the ramp lifting. He stood, arms clasped around his stomach, and watched the ramp shut, letting Craig make his way to the small bridge on his own.

“So long, my friend. You were a good ship to me.” He gave a quick salute to Starship Atlantis then spun on his heels, and paced through the enormous carrier—past boxes of supplies and a few cargo hatches—until he came to a door. He typed in the code and the door opened.

Two wide-eyed girls stood next to Dr. Andrea Cross. They screamed in unison, “Uncle Slade!” and dashed over to him, hugging his legs.

He patted their backs. “Hey, girls. It’s great to see you.” He took a couple pieces of gum out of his pocket and handed it to them, feigning an overly exaggerated smile. “Chew up.”

They popped the gum into their mouths and sat down on some chairs, swinging their legs back and forth, giddy, as if they were heading to Disneyland.

Craig appeared behind him.

“Daddy! Daddy!,” said Rose. “Uncle Slade let us have candy!”

Craig whispering in Slade’s ear. “I see they have a new uncle now? Congratulations.”

“Yeah, I thought you’d like that memory implant. They actually think I’m a nice guy.”

Craig chuckled. “Well, give them some time. They’ll see through it.”

“Where’s your secret service?”

“Crew quarters.”

“Well, let’s get this show on the road.”

Craig walked to the command chair. “Girls, follow Andrea to the entertainment area. I’m about to launch us to our new home.”

Andrea grabbed their hands and pulled them off the chairs. “Let’s go, darlings.” She led them past Slade and down a set of stairs beyond the ship’s bridge.

Craig swiveled. “Get out of view, Slade. I can’t have them seeing you, compromising our mission.”

Slade hid behind a beam, then slid down to the floor, making sure he was out of the vid screen’s vision.

Craig brought the starship’s flight deck on the screen.

A man in white, observing calculations on a data hologram came to attention. “Mr. President.”

“Please open a tube. We’re ready for a launch.”

The space controller looked over his launch bay status screen. “Opening tube 5. Please proceed.”

“Thank you.”

The vid bleeped off and Craig rolled the craft forward. “I never thought it would be this easy.”

The vid screen bleeped back on. “Mr. President, Fleet Admiral Lon Vernadore here. What in God’s black-space and everything in between are you doing?”

“I’m getting out of here. I have my kids, safe with me. Please don’t worry about my safety. I’ll be back ship-side as soon as you notify me the coast is clear.”

“Where are you going?”

“Out on a stroll until everything eases up, Admiral. I couldn’t help but hear all the commotion on Decks 5, 6, and 7. I hear enemies are on board. We have to leave now.”

The admiral eyed him like a wolf, analyzing his every word.

Craig knew Lon. He’d been looking for a crack in his story.

“The threat is neutralized, Sir. You don’t have to leave.”

“I may be a day out here, maybe two. I can’t risk any more of my family.”

“Is there something you’re not telling me, Sir?”

The vid screen split, showing tube 5’s inner doors opening. Craig moved the craft closer. “Are you calling the president a liar?”

“Stop your ship, Mr. President. Like I said, the threat it neutralized.”

Craig continued to move the ship forward. “You do not have executive orders over me. I’m putting this bird in space.”

Craig turned off the comm link and Lon blinked out. The screen changed from the split screen to the tube.

Slade eased himself into the co-pilot’s chair. “Initiate Adaptive Boost. We need that space Doppler system to find the nearest portal.” Slade opened the comm line, typing in 5-1-0-0-8 into the radio frequency, making the ship itself into a massive receiver.

“Initiating launch,” said Craig, pressing the holographic thrusters, throttling them up. The ship moved faster. The launch tube’s exit doors opened and in a matter of seconds, they blasted out