In war, nothing goes right.
“It’s our turn,” said Morning Star, giving Rivkah a slight nudge.
“What?” Rivkah eyed in front of her, the long tunnel empty. “Scotty beamed them up that quickly?”
“Who?”
“Never mind.”
Rivkah walked up a long ramp, almost crawling she had to bend down so low. “Who designed this piece of shit? You could have made it a little easier to walk through.”
“It’s designed by our master engineers.” Morning Star said, walking a pace behind her, the rest of Dut Team behind him. “This isn’t a passageway for people only. It’s for energy, water, and orb clusters to enter and exit out of. It’s made perfectly to create conductivity – ”
“Okay, got it,” interrupted Rivkah. “Let’s skip the quantum physics.” An opening came in view and Rivkah entered a rather wide, deep room, surrounded by black granite walls. An empty, stone sarcophagus, otherwise known as a coffer, sat in the middle.
“Everyone place your hands on the coffer,” ordered Morning Star. “And, for those that can’t, put your hands on our backs.”
Rivkah placed a hand on the coffer while holding her rifle in the other. Morning Star stood next to her, doing the same. One by one, the rest of the team placed their hands on the stone coffer, except for two who didn’t have room. A hand touched Rivkah’s back.
“Hi Rivkah,” said Bogle, booming into Rivkah’s mind.
Rivkah jerked back, startled, then rolled her eyes. “Don’t do that.” She looked at everyone, pointing to her head. “Bogle’s on the line.”
Bogle spoke. “I guess I just press this button and –”
Everything went white and Rivkah watched as her hands faded in front of her, then reappeared, hands still on the same coffer. “What was that?”
“Let’s go,” said Morning Star, lifting his hands off the coffer and running out of the door.
“Okay, we’re safe when you exit the coffer,” mentioned Bogle.
“Hold on. We teleported?”
“Yes,” responded Bogle. “You’re now in East Rise. Get out and get out fast. Kelhoon are coming.”
A woman soldier grabbed Rivkah’s hand, pulling her out of the opening and down another shallow and narrow tunnel.
Rivkah shook her hand loose just as an explosion pounded next to the pyramid they were about to exit, shaking the ground. Rivkah slid down the descending tunnel, her feet touching the ground at the exit. She popped up and ran, following Morning Star and the rest of the team.
Bogle’s voice blipped back into her mind. “Tell them to go left, down the Garden Downs alleyway.”
Rivkah ran forward, jumping over a man lying on the ground, dead and charred to the bones. “The Garden Downs alleyway?”
“They’ll know what I’m speaking of, so hurry. Tell them.”
The city burned, fire consuming the trees and smoke billowing out of dome windows, graying the sky. Tracer rounds pocketed the hills encompassing the city, followed an instant later by hefty explosions from ion blasts.
Rivkah couldn’t tell who was winning or losing, but East Rise and its inhabitants were in the middle of hell, which was much like most ground battles that Rivkah had witnessed and participated in when she was with the Secret Space Program.
The air was filled with burning skin and inflamed trees, wafting all around in the breeze. She reached Morning Star.
“Bogle says we need to go down Garden Downs alleyway.”
Morning Star nodded and turned on a dime. “Follow us. We need you in the middle of the pack. We’re guarding you.”
They turned down a narrow passage in between domes and golden gates, untouched flowers of vibrant colors, streaming down green vines hanging off of the dome’s roofs and intertwining in the gates, lined the alleyway.
“Halt! And, duck down. Kelhoon will be passing your twelve very soon,” yelled Bogle.
Rivkah covered her ears, Bogle’s voice pounding against her brain. “Lighten up, Bogle. You about made me fucking deaf.” She ignored Bogle’s apologies and put her hands up. “Stop. Kelhoon approaching. Take cover.”
Dut Team wasn’t about conflict. They were the assassin team, and in East Rise to kill off the Kelhoon beloved leader. Somehow, the Atlanteans knew where the leader was. How they could even tell a Kelhoon apart, let alone find their leader, was an anomoly to Rivkah. In combat, however, you don’t question and if you do, you better have a life-saving question, because any other question may be the hesitating moment you needed to duck, dive, or return fire.
The team spread out, butting up against anything and everything.
Rivkah leaned back against a gate, the colorful foliage somewhat camouflaging her, hiding her torso from view, but the rest was out in the open, begging to be seen.
A small troop of Kelhoon ran by a cobblestone path at the end of the alleyway, their green scales covering their very human-like faces, their bodies tall and wide, thick with muscle. Their weapons of choice were cannon blasters that hung over their shoulders by a strap and long, thin rifles, very much like the rifles issued to the Space Marines in the Secret Space Program.
One Kelhoon stopped at the alleyway opening and turned, his scales protruding outward, his pupils slit like a snake’s, his tongue pushing outward. He wore armor, thick and blue, his helmet covering his black hair, though its long strands fell down its back. He raised his rifle, then lowered it, slowing striding into the alleyway. “Boongasha!”
He let loose a few shots and a Dut Team member slumped over, shooting back with his three-pronged trident, missing wide, dying as his body slammed into the ground.
Everyone, including Rivkah, returned fire, riddling holes throughout the Kelhoon’s body. It fell back onto the cobblestone street, its blue blood oozing onto the ground, its eyes open, deathly staring at the heavens that its soul had no chance of reaching.
“They are doubling back, Rivkah,” said Bogle. “Tell your team to get ready.”
Rikvah went to one knee, aiming her rifle at the soon to be oncoming Kelhoon grunts. “Get ready, they’re doubling back.”
A few of the Dut Team raced toward the end of the alleyway, passing the Kelhoon they just stuck a couple dozen ion bolts through, and leaned up against the gate. The rest went to one knee as well, aiming their weapons.
The first Kelhoon jumped into the alleyway, blasting at anything and everything, putting holes in the domes, rocks shooting out everywhere. Rivkah pulled her trigger, hitting the Kelhoon smack-dab between the eyes. The Kelhoon was then greeted with a shot to the gut and to the side of the head by the two Dut Team members at the end of the alleyway. Blood splat outward as the Kelhoon dropped to his knees and fell forward, dead.
A long sward flew across the alleyway from behind the team, digging into woman’s back. She screamed, then turned, putting two ion charges into a Kelhoon coming from their rear. The woman lay on her side, dropping her weapon, reaching for the sky. Her arm fell and her breathing stopped.
They were surrounded, if you could call it that. The Kelhoon had them at both ends of the alleyway, the gates and domes were trapping them in at the sides.
“You led us to our death, Bogle,” moaned Rivkah, taking aim at another Kelhoon, dropping it before it could get a shot off.
“I’m tasked to get you to their leader. I’m doing my best to keep you alive.”
“Find us a way out.”
Morning Star rushed forward as a Kelhoon was mere feet from Rivkah, and slammed his shoulder into the side of the intruder, tackling him to the cobblestone. Morning Star slipped his arms around the Kelhoon’s neck, twisted, and broke its neck.
They were being overrun, Kelhoon coming in from each direction; over gates, from the top of the domes, and in the front and back of the alleyway.
“Use your powers, Rivkah!” screamed Bogle.
Rivkah dropped her rifle, covering her ears. “You fucking –”
Rivkah’s anger rose, coming to the surface, and then outward as
she thrust her arms to her side. A Kelhoon lifted off the ground, flying back into a fellow soldier. Rivkah rushed the Kelhoon, sliding in by its side, putting two shots into its brain, then quickly stood, pounding her fist into another Kelhoon making its way past another recently killed Atlantean. The Kelhoon fell back, toppling over another downed Kelhoon.
Rivkah jumped and landed a knee on its chest, then pounded her fist against his face. He grabbed her and tossed her off like a rag doll, then pulled out a jagged sword. It reared back, the sword slicing through another Atlantean Dut Team member coming to help, dropping the woman. She flopped to her side, holding her stomach.
Rivkah placed a well-aimed kick into the Kelhoon’s groin just as he came down with the sword. A blast rang out, hitting the Kelhoon in the head, and Rivkah spun away, the sword penetrating the ground where she once was, the Kelhoon fell forward, dead.
Rivkah immediately popped back up in a defensive crouch, waiting for the next enemy, seeing that the others from her team were ready to pounce as well. Yet, everything in the alleyway was strangely quiet, the echoing of the distant battle bouncing off the dome walls.
She gathered herself, glancing at the damage done in the alleyway. “Five of us dead, fourteen of them.” Not bad. These Atlanteans knew what they were doing. Trapped, and they still came out on top.
Rivkah walked forward. “Bogle, no more fuck ups. Where now?”
“More Kelhoon coming, so get out of there as fast you can. Race to the domes in Koptic End. Await instructions there.”
Rivkah rushed to the end of the alleyway, the rest following her. She peeked around the corners, seeing a blood bath taking place down the way, the Atlanteans taking the brunt of a battle they didn’t want.
A hand grabbed her shoulder. “You get in the middle of the pack.” said Morning Star, blue blood splattered across his golden chest armor. “Where to next?”
“Koptic End.”
“Excellent. Follow me.”
A few soldiers pushed Rivkah back, making her the center of the group, surrounding her the best they could with five less warriors on their team.
They entered a scorched blackened forest, smoke trailing off tree branches, the ground blanketed in ash. They ran for ten minutes, brushing past dead tree after dead tree, a few Kelhoon and dozens of Atlanteans were strung around the trees, charred to the core. Rivkah did her best not to inhale the smell of barbecued flesh.
“Koptic End is up ahead,” said Morning Star.
They pushed passed the edge of the forest, entering a meadow filled with dome upon dome, also beaten to shit, their walls caved in, their roofs collapsed, and many more dead laying on the streets.
“Bogle, we’re here.”
“The Kelhoon HQ is moving. It must be a ship.”
“Is it taking off?”
“It’s too far away now.” Bogle sighed. “You will never get there from here. I’ll call in a transport.”
Rivkah leaned up against a dome, eyeing Morning Star. “She’s calling a transport. The HQ has left its current position.”
Morning Star smiled. “We may need to attempt this at another point in time, Rivkah. Let’s fall back. We’ve done too mu–” He suddenly winced in pain, his breath expelling quickly. He looked down, grabbing a sword thrust through his stomach, blood dripping across his hands and down his stomach armor. “So much for double-gilded armor.” He turned around. A Kelhoon was racing toward him. He lifted his spear, sending a smearing of shots in its direction, hitting him, then more shots blanketed the Kelhoon from the rest of Dut Team. The Kelhoon and Morning Star both hit the ground at the same time, never to breathe again.
Rivkah looked down at the fallen warrior, Morning Star, shocked. That came out of nowhere. Almost as if they’d been sent into a trap. If so, why? “Bogle, what are you doing?”
“I’m sorry, Rivkah. I’m not here to defend the demons that killed Star Warden and have taken you, me, Jaxx, and Fox prisoner. I’m here against my will, Rivkah. I’m here against the will of God.”
“I’m your God Damn Captain, Bogle. You take orders from me.”
“I’m sorry. Bogle, out.”
“Bogle?”
No reply.
“Bogle!”
Nothing.
“That piece of shit. Does anyone have any loyalty?” She lifted her rifle. A swarm of Kelhoon came out of domes, their weapons aimed at Rivkah and what remained of Dut Team. Dut Team opened fire and several Kelhoon fell. Rivkah knew this wasn’t a winning battle and backed up, firing her IPR-8 on auto, red-tracer fire ripping apart Kelhoon after Kelhoon. If she had to die, she was going to take as many of them with her as she could.
An ion bolt sliced into her thigh and she dropped to the ground, picking off more Kelhoons as they filed out in droves. An Atlantean slammed into her, knocking her over. She pushed the Atlantean away, only to see he was dead.
She crawled backward, butting up against a dome, the IPR-8 starting to burn her hands from the continued auto-fire, practically melting her skin to the rifle.
She took a quick survey around, still firing wildly, doing her best to keep the Kelhoon at bay. She was the only one on her team left alive, and although Dut Team had killed a lot of Kelhoon, a lot wasn’t enough.
A boom erupted overhead and a flash lit up the sky. A ship descended fast, dropping at what seemed to be thousands of miles per hour, then stopped on a dime, hovering a few inches off the ground a bit in front of her, taking the brunt of Kelhoon fire.
It was a dropship. In fact, it was Fox’s dropship.
The ramp hissed, then descended and Fox jumped out, full striated-ebb nebula titanium exo-suit on, and a cannon hanging tightly from a strap around his shoulder. He leaped atop his dropship and pulled the trigger, letting cannon blast expel, hit a target, then repeat.
A dome went up in flames, crystals and rocks splintered out from it, a slight miss by Fox, but nonetheless it crumbled onto a Kelhoon who thought it wise to use it as cover.
Rivkah pulled herself forward, dragging herself just as another energy charge zipped into her foot, slashing her boot open, exposing blood and singed skin. She screamed in pain, cringing, biting down hard and hobbled up, jumping up and down on one foot until she made it to the ramp.
Another shot clipped her shoulder and spun her around, tossing her to the ground.
She felt a thump next to her. It was Fox, using his body and striated suit to deflect any shot directed at her. He slapped the cannon onto his back, magnetizing it in place. He picked her up, rushing her up the ramp and into the dropship. He quickly shut the ramp, placing her on the bed, strapping her in.
The ship shook from the oncoming fire, but its armor was thick and ion fire from hand held weapons would do little damage, if any.
He sat at in his pilot’s seat. “Time to get you back to Flood of Dawn, Rivkah.”
The dropship lifted, then bolted forward, leaving the combat zone.
37
J-Quadrant, Solar System
Callisto
Jaxx hovered over Callisto. Whatever shields had blocked her mighty cities from view had been decimated. She was bare, smoking, vulnerable. He felt her pain, at the cellular level. If he left, he’d be the coward he’d always feared he was. If he stayed, he was dead meat. If it had just been him, he’d have stepped on the gas and been out of that quadrant and headed back for Earth, just as fast as his ship could carry him, but Rivkah was still down there. He could save her. He had one act left in him and it was the one that counted.
He turned the ship back towards the apex of the pyramid that had shot him out into space. As soon as he held the thought that he was to return, the light from the pyramid swallowed him whole. The bolt filled him from his crown to his soles, activating DNA he didn’t know existed.
He passed through the King’s Sarcophagus and deposited his body on the stone table that graced the center of the chamber, deep inside the pyramid.
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.
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.
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Colony Atlantis (Book 3 of the Ascendant Chronicles)
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
Colony Atlantis
Veiled
Destination Atlantis (Ascendant Chronicles Book 2) Page 18
