Prometheus Ascends (The Great Insurrection Book 6)

by David Beers

  Well, after his grandson bled out, they could probably put all those rumors to rest.

  The rest of the kill squad was made up of Titans. He didn’t recognize any of them, nor did he know any of their callsigns.

  A smaller one sat in front of him, her colors a bright blue. Her helmet was retracted, and she had her Whip in her palm.

  He could tell she wanted to speak, though orders or propriety was keeping her from doing it.

  Alistair leaned back against the train wall. “Got something on your mind, Titan?”

  The Titan shot a quick glance at Gracilis to her left. A slight shrug from him, and she turned back. “You were the greatest Titan ever. I heard about you as a child. I saw you march. Why’d you turn to them? You would have gone down as a hero of the Commonwealth for all time. Now you’ll die a Subversive. Why?”

  Alistair closed his eyes. His mind was still. “What’s your call sign, Titan?”

  “Aletheia.”

  Alistair nodded with his eyes still closed. “The god of truth and sincerity. You want the truth, Aletheia, or you want me to give you the line your Ascendant would use?”

  She was quiet for a moment. “What would the Imperial Ascendant say?”

  Alistair shrugged. “Probably that I was corrupted by power and wealth and wanted to cause destruction for my own purposes. Wanted to burn down the Commonwealth. Sound about right?”

  “From where I’m sitting,” the Titan said, “that looks exactly like what you want to do.”

  He gave a small smile. “Do I look wealthy and powerful? But I guess you and he are right. I do want to burn the Commonwealth to the ground, then I want to scatter its ashes to the ends of the universe so they can’t be found.” He opened his eyes and leaned forward. She gripped her Whip tighter. “You know why? Because it’s all a lie. Every single bit, Aletheia, and that’s my reason. I decided I couldn’t live with those lies anymore.”

  She held his eyes, not glancing away for a moment.

  He leaned back against the train and closed his eyes. The Titan said nothing else.

  A half-hour passed in silence.

  Alistair’s mind wasn’t still. He was hardly on the train but pushing himself to new limits. He didn’t know if he was like the AllMother with how his mind worked or something new like the mutant sitting across from him, but it didn’t matter. He used his gifts, and he moved through the planet as he’d never been able to do while living on it.

  As he’d never even tried to.

  The train’s slowing jolted him, and his eyes flashed open.

  It came to a stop, and everyone stood. Kane rose last. They formed another tunnel for him, letting him walk past, with de Gracilis stepping up to walk by his side. It wasn’t the mutant’s presence that caused the question in his mind, but everything that was to come next.

  Luna, he questioned the wife in his mind, can I do this?

  She didn’t pause for a second. Allie, you better. He heard the laughter in her voice that he remembered so well as she said, Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve been laid? Need you to get home and satisfy these needs, my lover.

  Alistair smiled. She might not be here, but his damned mind did a good job of portraying her.

  As he was marched through tunnels, he looked straight ahead, letting his mind do the work of his eyes. He was finding it easier now to spread out through the tunnels, caverns, and rooms, his abilities adapting easily to this new command.

  De Gracilis was silent next to him, but the mutant’s size let Alistair know he was there. It couldn’t be denied.

  Finally they reached an elevator, and Alistair understood they’d arrived. The time was nearly upon him.

  Hector spoke as he touched the panel that opened the doors. “Aletheia and I only up here. You all did well, and I’ll make sure your superiors know it.” He turned and nodded at them all. Alistair saw that they looked at the mutant with the respect and awe he’d seen in his own followers after the feats he’d accomplished.

  They’d follow him to their deaths, he thought.

  Soon they’ll be able to do just that, Prometheus whispered from behind his door.

  The elevator rose again, stopping a half-minute later.

  It opened, and Alistair saw the Primus in front of him. He stood at the head of a long rock table, and his leadership team remained standing. Alistair knew the man—Jovan, call sign Hephaestus, god of metallurgy and carpentry but used in the current day for weapons. The man was a master with his Whip, which lay on the table in front of him.

  “Salve, Hephaestus,” Alistair said.

  He was present in the room, but also through kilometers and kilometers of this rock world. He was ready.

  Hephaestus didn’t waste time with pleasantries and didn’t bother using the old Odin call sign either. “We know you’re not alone, Alistair. Tell us where the rest of your team is, and I promise everyone you brought beneath ground safe passage to Earth. Whatever you wanted to do, you have to know it’s impossible. Don’t make us kill you.”

  de Gracilis moved to Alistair’s left, facing him. The light blue Titan went to his right. No one was behind him, which was a good thing.

  Alistair shrugged. “I’m alone. Here to negotiate terms of surrender.”

  Hephaestus raised an eyebrow. “Then why go to the other side of the planet? Why not just call it in? I’m not a fool, Alistair.”

  Alistair was using this time to make sure his mental grip was firm. “If I’d dropped down here, I’d probably be dead. If I did anything up there, I’d risk my fleet before the terms were established. You might think it’s stupid, but I’m here alive, as are my people above. It worked.”

  Hephaestus touched his Whip with his right hand, clearly trusting none of this. “And what terms do you think you can negotiate?”

  Prometheus came forward, Alistair giving up control. See it and die, he whispered the last of his war mantra. “Complete and total surrender of the Commonwealth. You leave this planet, your fleet disbands, and the Imperial Ascendant steps down from his throne. If you give me that, I’ll let some of you live.”

  Hephaestus smiled. Others at the table laughed or shook their heads.

  Prometheus’ mind flexed.

  Quicker than someone could blink, his Whip flew from de Gracilis’ belt, landing in his right hand and unfurling.

  Air defenses boomed loud enough to shake the room. One after another, missiles, plasma, and lasers shot from the planet’s surface, racing through the fiery atmosphere to target the ships just within range.

  The sound of laser defense systems could be heard beneath them, cutting down Titan and Martian alike.

  Prometheus was on the table and moving before Whips could be activated. He cut down four Titans in mere seconds, finding Hephaestus on the other side and impaling him through his chest.

  The room shook as his mind continued to put pressure on the rock around him—the booming sound of weapons outside only increased. The ground beneath his feet rumbled.

  He danced off the table as a Whip unfurled to take his leg off at the knee. He split the attacker's head open as he landed on the floor.

  De Gracilis slowly took his sabers out and set them afire.

  Pro continued his one-man army, moving through the Titans he’d trained like a boat through calm water, ending their lives with little to no resistance.

  He saw de Gracilis grab the light blue Titan’s suit, and he pushed her behind him.

  There’d been eight Titans in the room. Six were dead. One was on the other side of the table trying to figure out what to do next, and the other was behind the mutant.

  “Stand back,” de Gracilis said as he stepped forward.

  Now it’s time, Prometheus thought.

  A rock fell to his right, crumbling from the shaking infrastructure. He paid it no mind but kept his mental grip firmly on the weapons outside. Relm would be doing his part now if he still lived.

  Pro stepped back onto the table, his Whip at the ready.
<
br />   The mutant followed him on the other side, sabers at his side.

  He’d fought the Ice Queen without using his mind, but he’d never fought like this, split between controlling a planet and physically fighting. Alistair might have thought of such things.

  Prometheus didn’t. He went forward, bringing fire with him. Not to save…

  But to burn.

  The Written History of the Great Insurrection

  I can’t tell you what it was like for Relm, Prometheus, or anyone else.

  I can only tell you what I saw from the dreadnought. My leader—my brother—had told me to be ready. That we’d know when to act.

  I stood on the bridge next to Faitrin, thinking there’d be no sign. I stood, believing it was over since so much time had passed and we’d heard nothing.

  Then the blaze started. I can think of no other way to put it. Across the planet, weapons launched through the fire, heading for the fleet that held sway over everything.

  Pro had seen the truth, even if no one else had. The Commonwealth had moved just beyond the fiery atmosphere, within a half kilometer or so. I later learned why they’d done it: they had been trying to cut down the time required to deliver their soldiers to the war against the Terram. The underground men and women had fought so fiercely that the Commonwealth wanted every second they could get.

  After the planet was claimed, they’d remained.

  Why not? No one would be firing.

  Until Prometheus had shown up.

  The barrage spread across the planet, hitting ships of all sizes. They started to fall into the fiery atmosphere almost immediately.

  We knew what to do.

  The war for Phoenix had begun.

  A thousand years after a young woman had left Earth, the first true challenge to the empire had arrived.

  Titan’s Return

  The story continues with Titan’s Return, available at Amazon and through Kindle Unlimited.

  Claim your copy today!

  Author Notes - David Beers

  Written September 1, 2021

  When Michael and I were outlining this series, we wrote it in three arcs. The first arc was Alistair becoming a warlord, the second was him building his army, and the final arc was him returning home.

  If you’ve made it this far, you’ve reached the end of the second arc, and for that, I am thankful (as is Michael).

  As a writer, I truly enjoyed creating the first two arcs, but in comparison to the final three books? Well…to put it in kid-lingo, the first two were like Easter, and the final was Christmas.

  The first six books in this series really let you dig in and get to know the characters on a personal level. You understand them as if they live in the same house with you, and that’s all necessary for a story to have a fantastic payoff.

  The last three books? Get ready for an action-filled roller coaster, in which you’re watching the people you love, hate, and those you love to hate, all try to fulfill the desires you’ve come to know so well.

  I’m was excited to write the last arc, and I might be even more excited you’re about to read it.

  Also, and this is important: someone told Mike about this being a love story. It might’ve been Steve – who knows… Whatever you do, do not tell him about the ending to book six. He’ll kill me.

  Book 7 is right around the corner. Ave, reader.

  All the best,

  db

  Author Notes - Michael Anderle

  Written September 1, 2021

  Thank you for not only reading this book but this entire series so far and these author notes as well.

  So, I don't have David's author notes yet, so I can't respond to them.

  He's LATE! Or I'm early writing my author notes. But I doubt that.

  LMBPN - an Entertainment company.

  Believe it or not, I had envisioned LMBPN (my publishing company) as an entertainment company back in 2015. Much like IBM (which was a typewriter company when it started, but IBM stands for International Business Machines), I figured LMBPN is more than just a book publishing company.

  Mind you, when I was dreaming big LMBPN had one (1) author, me, and three books.

  I'd like to say we came from very (very) humble beginnings. On my third day as a published author, I think I made something like $0.97 cents.

  Over the years, we've published many collaborations with some great authors, and some of our fans have started working with us to help in several areas.

  Right now – just under six years from when I published Death Becomes Her – the company has over 1,200 books released in English. About 700-800 of those are released in paperback. We have over 100 books translated, most in German. We're also translating into French, Italian, Spanish, and Dutch.

  LMBPN has produced over 200+ Audiobooks and licensed out over 400 more to other companies.

  We are looking into comics, children's books, and Romance. (Don't tell Zen-Master Steve™ or Editor-Supreme-Lynne™, or I might have uncomfortable questions thrown my way. I'm in Cabo, so I'll plead sunstroke if you do.)

  We are reviewing AI efforts with Google, looking into using the Unreal Engine for Machinima efforts and AI voices, and eventually will have our Kurtherian Gambit soundtrack for sale.

  All while releasing over 300 titles in 2021.

  We have other projects moving along, but those are under wraps for now.

  On the downside, we have no projects going with James Patterson… Dammit!

  Well, that's it for now for me. David should discuss with you the new trilogy he has in the works… But if he doesn't…

  Well, ask him on Facebook ;-)

  May you have a great week or weekend, wherever you are!

  Ad Aeternitatem,

  Michael Anderle

  Also by David Beers

  Nemesis

  She's coming and no one can stop her...

  An alien Queen, Morena, was removed from power and forced into exile. Doomed to roam space forever, with no hope of return.

  Until a random party brings a man named Michael to her crashed ship. For the first time in millennia, Morena sees her salvation. First, in Michael … and then Earth. The perfect place to repopulate her species. And those already here? They can bow or die.

  As Morena begins her conquest, can Michael warn the world before it's too late? Can anyone stop the most powerful force the world has ever seen?

  Earth’s final Nemesis has arrived.

  Don’t miss this pulse-pounding science fiction series! If you love thought provoking thrill-rides, grab this book today!

  The Singularity

  One thousand years in the future, humans no longer rule...

  In the early twenty-first century, humanity marveled at its greatest creation: Artificial Intelligence. They never foresaw the consequences of such a creation, though...

  Now, in a world where humans must meet specifications to continue living, a man named Caesar emerges. Different, both in thought and talent, Caesar somehow slipped through the genetic net meant to catch those like him.

  Eyes are falling on Caesar now, though, and he can no longer hide. The Artificial Intelligence wants him dead, but others want him to lead their revolution…

  Can one man stand against humanity’s greatest creation?

  A don’t-miss epic science fiction novel that pits one man fighting for the future of all people!

  Red Rain

  What would you do if you couldn’t stop killing?

  John Hilt lives The American Dream. His corner office looks out on Dallas’s beautiful skyline. His amazing wife and children love him. His father and sister adore him. John has it all.

  Except every few years, when Harry shows back up. Harry wants John to kill people. Harry wants to watch the world burn.

  Murderous thoughts take hold of John, and as flames ignite across his life, the sky doesn’t send cool rain water, but blood to feed their hunger.

  If you love taut, psychological thrillers, grab Red Rain today and
prepare to sleep with the lights on!

  The Devil’s Dream

  He'll raise the dead, at all costs...

  Perhaps the smartest man to ever live, Matthew Brand changed the world by twenty-five years old. In his mid-thirties, he still shaped the world as he wanted, until cops gunned down his son on the street.

  Brand's life changed then. He forgot about bettering Earth and started trying to resurrect his son.

  Eventually, Brand's mind overpowered even death's mysteries; he discovered how to bring back the dead--he only needed living bodies to make his son's life possible again. Why not use the bodies of those who killed his son?

  In the largest manhunt the FBI's ever experienced, how do they stop a man who can calculate all the odds and stack them in his favor?

  Books By Michael Anderle

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