Ascendant Saga Collection: Sci-Fi Fantasy Techno Thriller by Brandon Ellis (easy to read books for adults list txt) 📕

the beautiful turquoises, tans, and yellowish-reds of Jupiter shone like a sun down upon her, giving her a warmth she knew she didn’t deserve.

Worst off, she was speechless. All the words she wanted to throw out at Fox, that piece of junk, wouldn’t come out, wouldn’t rise to the surface.

She went to take another breath and this one came, but lethargy came with it. The death sleep, the body’s acceptance of death. It was starting, and for some reason all she wanted to do was hold Fox’s hand, anyone’s hand. Jaxx’s hand most of all. Where was he? Why wasn’t he here with her, holding her? She didn’t want to die alone. She didn’t want the last moments of her life to be uncared for, unloved.

It didn’t matter. No one was here for her. They never were and it wasn’t anyone’s fault but her own. She failed in life, and in death as well.

Rivkah’s eyelids became heavy, tired. She was too tired. Her eyelids shut.

Rivkah took one last breath before everything faded to black.

18

Leonia, Canis Major - Galactic Arm, Milky Way Galaxy

The incoming missiles were seconds away. Jaxx jumped, gripping the cable, then loosened his grip to slide down the outside of his own mech. The mech lurched back as one explosion, and another, battered against it, and fire erupted inside Jaxx’s mech’s missile batteries, recoiling the mech. Another missile hit the mech’s shoulder, twisting it around, whipping Jaxx like a slingshot.

He lost his grip and flailed through the air. He kicked his legs and arms, his body doing a somersault he wasn’t expecting or wanting, and he crashed onto the dirt laden ground.

He tumbled over brush and rock, smacking against a small tree. He grunted and got to his knees, the smell of burning metal filling the air.

“Look what we have here,” said a Leonian, the same one he first met—the old, wise-sounding man. He extended his hand.

Jaxx took it.

The Leonian lifted him, then put Jaxx over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry.

“Here we go. Time to get you inside.” The Leonian took off at an amazing pace, moving his legs as fast as he could, the entrance to the base inside the hill coming closer and closer. The pyramids atop the hill were shining, probably some of the few that hadn’t been damaged by the Agadon invasion.

Entering the hill, the wise-lion made a whistling sound. Immediately, the opening in the hill’s side began to close, the ground rumbling beneath them.

The Leonian set Jaxx on his feet.

Jaxx’s mech toppled to the ground, a secondary explosion taking its arm clean off.

The Agadon were moving swiftly toward their position.

The hill closed and lights flickered on.

Starfighters and combat-mechs lined the back of the built-in bunker, gigantic ships were off to the side, also in lines. The hill was ginormous, much larger inside than it appeared from the outside.

“You are brave, young one.” The Leonian patted Jaxx on the back. “You were the last one outside and you saved our pride troops. They owe you their lives.”

“They don’t owe him a lion’s mane,” said Zara, stepping between Jaxx and the old lion. “He brought this carnage. He brought this wrath upon us.”

“He didn’t bring nothing to no one. It wasn’t Jaxx’s fault. You stick to your blame-game, Zara, and the only thing that will come crumbling down will be you.”

Jaxx shifted in his stance. “Why aren’t you two talking? I can hear you, but your lips aren’t moving.”

Zara shook her head. “You see? This peach-fuzz brain only just figured out we don’t speak. He is dumb. Worthless.”

The wise-lion bowed to Jaxx. “My name is Abdu. We’re telepathic Beings. You move your lips, saying some type of gibberish, but we get what you’re saying through the thoughts forming your words. Telepathy is the true universal language.”

“Then how can I hear you?” inquired Jaxx.

Abdu gave Zara a satisfied look, his thick brows rising. “You see this Jaxx is much smarter than you think. He’s obviously open to our communication and has been since he first arrived.”

A thunderous sound rang inside the facility and everyone ducked. The lights blinked off and on, and dust fell from the high ceiling.

“What do we do?” asked Jaxx.

Zara unclipped a red vial from her chains. “We drink up.” She downed it in several seconds. “We then leave our home world. It’s dead, gone, taken over and soon to be ravaged and sucked of all life by the Agadon magic-makers.” She growled and marched off toward hundreds of mechs.

She unclipped another vial and threw it at Jaxx. He took off the cap and peered into it. Inside, shimmering gold flakes floated in the liquid. He took a sniff, then bent over with his hand on his mouth. He held in vomit. Maybe he’d drink up later.

His back began to tingle, then his head—no, more like his brain. He stood straighter, his mind clearer and fresh, as if he’d just gotten back from a week’s vacation in Barbados. No longer wanting to throw up, he turned to Abdu. “Where are we going?”

Abdu motioned at the thousands of Leonian’s jumping in starfighters, transport ships, and mechs. “We’re regrouping. We have to teleport via the pyramid network you opened. As long as we have one actively functioning pyramid on this planet, we can teleport where we please.”

He wanted to know how that was possible. He closed his eyes, linking up to the pyramid network. He took a long, deep breath, clearing his mind, intending the network to speak to him, to answer his question.

A pyramid, golden and shining like the sun, appeared in his mind’s eye. Out of its apex, it shot an energetic tube, clear and wide, to a network of ethereal tubes in space. His vision panned out, seeing the pyramid network like a translucent sphere of tubes surrounding the Milky Way Galaxy. Planets that held pyramids all had tubes extending from the planet to the network. It was simple. If he wanted to go somewhere, he’d need to designate