Rivkah stood over him, her face blank and unreadable.
Liberty guided her hand over Jaxx’s solar plexus, then took Fox’s hand and placed it over Rivkah’s.
“He must decide,” said Liberty. “Only he can activate the solution.”
Jaxx’s hand moved from his side and joined Fox and Rivkah’s.
“For you, Rivkah,” he said. “Always for you.”
He felt Rivkah’s hot tears on his bare chest.
He smiled and pressed down hard on the crystal that graced his sternum.
“What do you wish to do, Jaxx?” asked Liberty.
“Eliminate all the Kelhoons from Callisto.”
“Then it’s done.”
It started as a single wave, but built so fast he was tripping through the stars and catapulting around the galaxy, the songs of all his people pouring through his brain. He was part of The Law of One. He was Kaden Jaxx, eradicator of all Evil. He was loved and held.
He was the answer to Callisto’s prayers.
49
J-Quadrant, Solar System ~ Callisto
Rivkah leaped back, staring at where Jaxx had been. He disappeared before her eyes.
Fox put his hands out. “Where in death’s name did that guy go?” He turned and glared at Liberty with gritted teeth.
Rivkah took a step forward, wiping the watery mess from her eyes. Embarrassing, how could she let something like this affect her? Jaxx came back to save them all, and he did. Now he’s gone. Dead.
She fell to her knees, grabbing at her heart, and sobbed. Why did she have to have these feelings, this sensibility, this pain? In spite of all her good intentions that piece of shit, Jaxx, had grown on her to the point that she couldn’t help but long for him, think of him, and worst yet, cry for him. And, of all things, he just surprised the ever-living hell out of her by giving his life to these people, to her, for their ultimate survival.
He was gone. Screw everyone else. No matter how much he bothered her and for so long, that bastard deserved another starfighter battle, another swing at someone’s face.
She wiped more tears from her eyes and nose, flinging the blubbering discharge on the floor. She grabbed her hair and screamed from her belly, a scream she held in since she was a child, since her dad first pushed her to the floor, and kicked her while she was down. She screamed again. Harder. The pyramid shivered. Dust fell from the ceiling.
And then silence.
She acted like a fool. She raised her shoulders and swallowed the last of her sobs. Her armor clamored. She’d almost forgotten she was wearing the Atlantean war attire.
She cleared her throat. She had to forget Jaxx. She had to fight every feeling she had for the son of a bitch who saved her one moment and screwed her over the next.
She wiped off her knees. Her voice cracked. “I don’t feel him anymore. He’s gone. Dead.” She shook out her hands in an effort to relax her body, hoping the initial shock of his disappearance would soon pass. In fact, she wanted to kick the crap out of the initial pain, throw it in the garbage, and burn it.
Liberty’s eyes widened. “XO Katherine Bogle didn’t bear witness to this. How did I let this happen?” She raced out of the chamber and down the steep tunnel.
Rivkah and Fox gave each other a look.
“Fox, what’s happening?” asked Rivkah.
“Don’t ask me, Riv. I’m going to find out.” He tipped his head to the side, gesturing for her to go down the tunnel first.
“That your idea of chivalry?” Rivkah’s lip curled. She did nothing to hide her derision. Fox was a steaming sack of dog doo and she didn’t care who knew it. She walked around the sarcophagus and into the shallow tunnel, inching her way down. Liberty was already gone and the sound of her quick feet pounded on the ground outside. She made it to the bottom of the tunnel and looked over her shoulder.
Fox was on her tail, having a hard time. He tripped and tumbled, his armor clanging like tin against rock, arms flailing. He tried and failed to stop himself from twisting and turning as he spilled out onto the ground.
Rivkah raised her eyebrow, giving Fox a glassy stare. “And you made it to Captain? How?”
“Oh, screw off.” He put his hand up for her to help him stand.
She snorted and reached for his hand.
He swatted it away.
“Classy, Fox.” She turned her attention to the distant city, set deep in a crater and surrounded by a glass dome. Liberty ran toward the city.
“She’s headed towards Flood of Dawn,” said Rivkah. “Why is she freaking out?”
Fox swatted his pants. Small poofs of dust escaped at every swipe. “I don’t know. Don’t care.” He took several steps toward the city. “You coming along or do I have to carry you?”
Rivkah shook her head. “Keep going.” She took a seat on the cold, dusty ground and grabbed a handful of dirt. She let it fall through her fingertips.
“All right. Suit yourself.”
She watched Fox walk away. A smile touched her face. “So, Jaxx, this is what love is?” Her heart was numb and split in two. She eyed the sky. “You gave your life for ours and for people you barely knew.” She laughed. “I guess, deep down, you were a damn good man. And I guess I did, in some screwed up way, love you.”
She shifted. “And, don’t worry. Eventually I’ll forgive you. I love you, so I guess I’ll take that next step and erase whatever negative shit you’ve done to me.” She dropped her eyes to the ground. “Though I’ll never see you again, I think we had a good run.”
She winked, picturing Jaxx looking down on her. Another tear exited her eye. “I mean, look what you do to me? I’m a poor sap now.” She didn’t wipe her tear. She’d let it slide down as long as she could to savor this memory, the one where Jaxx helped her as much as he helped the rest of the Callisto’s inhabitants. She snorted another laugh and pushed herself up and walked toward the domed city. “I’ll see you when I see you, Jaxx. I’ll see you when I see you.”
Epilogue
Kaden Jaxx lay on a granite table in the middle of a pyramid. A sharp wave of hot energy shot through him. His chest lifted violently toward the ceiling, his back arcing away from the stone table, his body shaking. A flash of light singed his vision and penetrated his cells, widening them, expanding them. He slowly drifted, his hands and feet tingling, his spine firing signals to every area of his body, activating latent DNA. With a distinctive click, he was connected to the pyramid and a vast network opened up like a map before him, golden beams connecting planet to planet, pyramid to pyramid. Its lines created a sacred torus—the geometric seed of all life, the primal shape of all DNA.
Then, for a fleeting, terrifying second—in which he doubted his choice, doubted whether dying to save a world, a people, his one true love, was the right move—absolute darkness.
Out of that darkness, a star appeared. Then another and another. He was in space. The harmonious chimes and songs from invisible angels surrounded him.
Wasn’t space supposed to be a vacuum without sound?
Not today.
He flung forward at a ridiculous pace, passing through the solar system, bypassing planets and moons he’d never known existed, speeding on a stream of light pulling him along like a surfer on a mammoth lauloa, the mystic Hawaiian wave that never ended.
Until it did.
He landed on something hard, strong, and unbreakable, then bounced and shuddered to a stop.
He gasped for air as if emerging from under water for too long. He pushed himself up, his hands behind him, propping his body in place. His heart pounded and his eyes darted around, taking in his new surroundings.
He blinked. Where the hell am I?
He was in another pyramid, this one with white walls, less polished. No one was in the room but him.
He blinked several more times. He was in a new place—on another center stone in another pyramid.
He hopped off the stone, his boots landing on the hard, granite floor. He backed away and butted against
a wall. A breeze drifted across the front of his body, bringing the scent of nature; trees, flowers, wheat.
Wheat?
He glanced over the rock slab lying on top of the sarcophagus. He didn’t know if he was dreaming or dead. If this was death, it was a damn sight livelier than he’d expected. But he had to keep moving. There was something he was supposed to do. A tunnel descended on the other side. His exit.
“Hello?” his voice echoed off the walls.
The ground rumbled.
He walked toward the tunnel, bracing himself against the center stone as the ground shook a second time. Did he hear an explosion? He crouched, ducking under the shallow frame that made up the tunnel’s entrance, and headed down, hoping to reach the outside—wherever and whatever outside was.
“Hello?” he called again.
No reply.
Karoooooj!
The tunnel vibrated and Jaxx slipped, landing on his rear, then slid down the passageway. He pointed his boots outward to catch him when he hit the ground.
He stepped through the opening and out of the pyramid. A village with white huts, made from a shimmering material; fields of wheat-like grain, tall as corn stalks, were laid out in front of him and went on for miles. A massive pyramid hovered twenty feet or so above the ground and spun in the distance. A red light blinked at its apex.
“Where the heck am I?” He turned and gazed up at the pyramid he’d exited. The capstone was golden and gleamed brilliantly under the two suns—one sun blueish-white, the other yellow-white, together casting a yellow-blue that suffused the air.
His mind raced, searching for answers. This must be the afterlife.
He stepped back, glancing around, his body heat rising from the humidity.
A hiss echoed across the land, loud and far away. He glanced in the sound’s direction. A pyramid was lifting off the ground, a sandy cloud curling beneath it. The pyramid spun and hovered twenty or thirty feet, its golden apex changing to a blinking red.
He frowned, his jaw dropping. He’d never witnessed a freaking pyramid hover, let alone lift off the ground and off its foundation. Who had? What was it doing? Were rocket boosters going to unfold from the bottom and propel it off the planet?
He scanned the area, desperate to find who in God’s name was controlling that thing.
Jaxx jumped back at a deafening, unearthly sound, the ground trembling. Again, his mouth fell slack, this time in horror. Large black combat-mechs with their thick, monstrous torsos and arms, giant legs, and fire billowing out of their feet, were entering the planet’s atmosphere, leaving a smoky trail behind them.
Jaxx spun, eyes wide, and ran toward a wheat field, the stalks taller than him, something he wasn’t used to. Wheat never grew this tall on Earth.
His heart raced and his feet took him as fast as he could go. As Jaxx barreled through the tall grains, the sounds of more combat-mechs filled the air, the ground shaking under his feet.
He skidded to a halt. Surrounded by the long, thick wiry grasses, Jaxx observed that their tan color matched the terrain he stood upon. He didn’t know how long he had run or how far, but he was lost in the sea of stalks.
A crunch then another crunch. The steps came closer, the wheat jostling as someone or something made its way toward Jaxx.
Another combat-mech ripped through the sky.
The footsteps stopped. The wheat’s movements ceased.
Something touched Jaxx’s sacrum and quickly ran up his spine, making his back tingle. He spun, staggered, feet planted slightly wider than his hips, ensuring his body’s weight was distributed fifty-fifty on each foot, ready for the coming fight. He brought one elbow and forearm close to his body, protecting his solar plexus, liver, and ribs, his hand in a fist. He brought the other fist close to his face, positioned near his jaw.
No one was there.
He closed his eyes, observing the energy field around him. A Being was a few feet away, hidden in the vast field of wheat.
Jaxx opened his eyes. His boots were caked in dirt and whisks of grain. He dropped his arms by his side and straightened himself. “Why don’t I fear you?”
The wheat rustled. A Being in a brown robe, a hood covering his head and face, stepped forward and came into view. The man was a good six feet taller than Jaxx and twice as wide.
Jaxx stepped back in disbelief, shock pounding his core.
The Being dipped his head. “You know me, Jaxx.” The voice was low, almost a growl, but pleasant and welcoming, like a wise, old man.
“Where am I?” said Jaxx.
Another loud noise erupted in the sky, more mechs on their way to do God-knows-what.
“You’re on Leonia, near the Dog Star, also known to you as Sirius, 57.3 stars of celestial navigation away from your Earth. We’re in the constellation Canis Major within the Galactic Arm of our Milky Way. My people are energetically attached to a pyramid network grid, connecting many planets. The pyramid network has been closed since the ancient days. You’ve opened it back up. The network was closed for a reason, Jaxx. Of all people, you should have known this.”
Jaxx pointed to his chest, his heart pulsing, his mind opened to the pyramid network spanning from planet to planet, galactic arm to galactic arm. A thought packet entered his mind or a memory. He didn’t know which, but it revealed an issue that not only plagued him, it plagued everyone on Callisto. And apparently now plagued the entire pyramid network. “The hieroglyphs and scrolls on Callisto mentioned that I was the Atlantean’s savior. Yet, I missed a step, and so did my friends. A very important individual was supposed to be present during my ascension to another plane, a plane that would halt all negatives on Callisto to usher in a bright new age upon that moon. Katherine Bogle wasn’t there. That was a mistake, a missing ingredient in the primordial soup. I opened up the network, yes. However, the missing ingredient would have created a secure opening within the pyramid network. Without Bogle, I opened up what could be considered the gates of hell.”
The old man dipped his head. “Ah, the gates of hell you say?” He gave a hearty laugh. “Not possible. There’s neither a good or bad with this, only how you individually perceive the moment.”
Jaxx shrugged and took his eyes off of the old man and looked toward the sky. Combat-mechs were falling fast, and more were coming in. A ship crested the horizon, just above the exosphere. It was bigger than any ship he’d ever seen, including the Secret Space Program Star Carriers. “How should I perceive this?”
The old man bowed, uncovering his hood, revealing a lion’s face, huge purple eyes, a yellow mane, and a serious expression. “I’d suggest you run.”
Colony Atlantis
Ascendant Saga Book 3
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Starfighter: Freedom Star Book 1
1
J-Quadrant, Solar System ~ Flood of Dawn, Callisto
Kaden Jaxx lay on a granite table in the middle of a pyramid. A sharp wave of energy shot through him. His chest lifted violently toward the ceiling, his back arcing away from the stone table, his body shaking. A flash of light singed his vision and penetrated his cells, widening them, expanding them. He slowly drifted upward, his body now too light for Callisto’s gravity, his hands and feet tingling, his spine firing signals to every area of his body, activating latent DNA. With a distinctive click, he was connected to the pyramid and a vast network opened up like a map before him, golden beams connecting planet to planet, pyramid to pyramid. Its lines created a sacred torus – the geometric seed of all life, the primal shape of all DNA.
Then, for a fleeting, terrifying second – in which he doubted his choice, doubted whether dying to save a world, a people, his one true love, was the right move – absolute darkness.
Out of that darkness, a star appeared. Then another and another. He was in space. The harmonious chimes and songs from invisible angels surrounded him.
Wasn’t space supposed to be a vacuum without sound?
Not today
.
He was flung forward and toward the pyramid’s top capstone and out of the atmosphere, moving at a ridiculous pace, passing through the solar system, bypassing planets and moons he’d never known existed, speeding on a stream of light pulling him along like a surfer on a mammoth lauloa, the mystic Hawaiian wave that never ends.
Until it did.
He landed on something hard, strong, and unbreakable, then bounced and shuddered to a stop.
He gasped for air as if emerging from being under water for too long. He pushed himself up, his hands behind him, propping his body in place. His heart pounded and his eyes darted around, taking in his new surroundings.
He blinked. Where the hell am I?
He was in another pyramid, this one with white walls, less polished. No one was in the room but him.
Moments ago, Jaxx had laid on a warm stone in the center of Flood of Dawn’s great pyramid chamber, his eyes meeting Rivkah’s. Two tears streamed down her cheek and dripped onto his chest. She’d bared herself to him and that was all Jaxx had needed to take the next step.
Moments ago, he had smiled, touching the crystal on his sternum, his other hand already on top of her’s and Fox’s. Jaxx’s stomach was tight. How many more breaths before his life would be taken from him, from Rivkah, only to be motionless, lifeless, a corpse for others to stare at? Where would he be next? Was there an afterlife? Was he truly the prophesied savior?
And again, just moments ago, he had been on a moon called Callisto with an entire civilization which, in his countless years of pyramid research and Atlantean hieroglyphic studies, he’d thought only existed in his dreams. And yet, there they were and there he was. It was his fate, his calling, his privilege to die for them. Die for a race that had captivated his heart for years.
The Complete Atlantis Series, Books 1 - 5: Ascendant Saga Page 48
