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

A large cruiser, cannon turrets at rest and offline, was a ways in front of them. The Doppler system beeped and a map pulled up on the vid screen’s upper right portion, showing a spinning energy source close by.

“We go through that and they know we are up to something. They’ll see us disappear right before their eyes.” Craig glanced around the map. “Is there another portal farther off?”

“No.” Slade had no reason to look for another portal and didn’t care to. He wanted to get away from Lon and his fleet as fast as he could. No more waiting, no more ducking, dodging, and setting conspiracies in motion. “We go through that vortex.”

Craig let out an exasperated breath. “They need to think I went down in flames somewhere, Slade. That was the plan. They need to think I crashed into an asteroid off in the distance. We have the detonations set and we can drop them, crack a meteor in half, ‘cause a big stir, then blast into the next portal—a portal they won’t see us disappear into. I don’t want them following me. I want a clean break. A way out.”

Slade unholstered his weapon. He’d pull the trigger if he had to. “Fly through that portal now.”

“That gun is becoming your best friend, Slade. Be wary of what you consider a friend.” He adjusted his navigation to the nearest portal and changed to Sub Light 3.5. “We’ll be leaving the fleet in four seconds, entering the portal in five.”

Slade watched space, the stars all around. He couldn’t see an actual portal or vortex or any energetic doorway that would lead him and this ship into another quadrant, but he knew it was there, waiting, wanting him, daring him to jump from this quadrant to the next.

A static sound erupted and the transport ship shuddered like a house during an oncoming tornado. Slade gripped the armrests, digging his fingernails into the leather, and held his breath. Blue, yellow, and orange lightning streaks twirled inside and around the ship. An orange-lit tunnel opened before them, sucking them in, like lint into a vacuum. The tunnel rotated, spun, pushing them at an incredible pace.

The ship rattled and the holographic instrument panel shorted in and out as the ship blitzed through.

“What the hell is happening, Slade?”

“Hold on.” Slade had no idea if they were heading straight for a brick wall or the actual quadrant he hoped for—J-Quadrant, just outside of Callisto orbit.

Their craft buffeted and spun, lights of every color shrouded the cockpit, clouds of electric gases and more lightning erupted, creating a swirling array. The static-sound stopped, and they heard a low, deep rumble, like thunder. Another lightning bolt cut through the gases and then shifted, blanketing them with clouds of pale whites and reds.

Silence filled the cockpit, until Andrea, Craig’s daughters, and a few Secret Service ran up the small staircase and onto the bridge.

Andrea, nearly out of breath, held onto the kids like a mom to her own children. “What happened?”

Slade couldn’t see anything outside the window except the colorful clouds. He flinched when another crack of thunder rumbled around their transport. He checked his holovid, pulling up the radar. “Nothing bad. We are...” He smiled. “We are near Ganymede, a Jupiter moon. Along with Europa, Io, Lysithea, Elara, Autonoe, and bang! Callisto.”

“Where are we now?” asked Craig, standing, making his way over to his children.

Slade brought up their exact location and about fell out of his seat. They were in Jupiter’s upper atmosphere.

“Everyone, sit down and buckle up. Getting out of here won’t be a smooth ride. We’ll be heading out of Jupiter’s atmosphere and exosphere and to our new home on Callisto. And soon.”

50

Flood of Dawn, Callisto’s - J-Quadrant, Solar System

The Callisto sky was filled with ash and black clouds. Thunder and lightning split the heavens like a gong and fireworks show.

Flood of Dawn was ravaged and scorched, the trees were black with leafless branches, the homes burnt to soot, the crystal domes and palaces resembling charred coal.

The glass dome, which had given Flood of Dawn its pristine environment, was in pieces throughout the city, glass everywhere. A sabretooth tiger lay on its side, breathless and dead, dried blood covering its face.

And everyone was gone. Other than the many dead just outside of the city, where had everyone else gone? Where did they flee? Was there a safe haven some place nearby?

Jaxx took a step, crunching glass beneath his boot, Zara and Kiyo-zan behind him.

Jaxx looked over his shoulder, eyes sad and dreary. “Where are they?”

“We can’t fulfill the prophecy without them, Jaxx,” explained Zara. “Abdu is looking for them.”

Jaxx tightened his fists. “I know.” He picked up a charred piece of rock and chucked it at a blackened crystal dome. It ricocheted off and tumbled down a small hill, the hill’s grass brown and dead.

“Nani shiyou za?” asked Kiyo-zan, his cape whipping in the breeze.

“What are we going to do?” Jaxx dropped his head. “I don’t know.” He closed his eyes, searching for Rivkah’s energy field in his mind’s eye. He perked up when he saw a faint, reddish-purple trail of ethereal smoke. It led over a desert hill, over a mountain range in a place he’d never been before. He followed it to a base in the northeast. Kelhoon ships surrounded the base. Several Atlantean starfighters and battle tanks were broken and torn apart from what must have been a terrible battle. A battle the Atlanteans had most certainly lost.

In his mind, he saw a Kelhoon standing over a dying soldier with golden armor, holes pierced through it, blood oozing out. The soldier was crawling away, moving to what he thought was safety. The Kelhoon leapt, landing on the Atlantean warrior’s back, then knocked his helmet off and kicked it down into a ravine.

The Kelhoon roared, threw his weapons to the ground, and widened his mouth, lunging at the Atlanteans head.

Jaxx opened his eyes before he saw the