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

winked. “You catch on quickly.” He spit on the floor and rubbed his boot in it. He took out a folded piece of paper and dropped it on Craig’s desk.

“What’s this?” questioned Craig.

“Read it.”

Craig opened it, resting his temple against his hand. He pushed off his desk and crumpled the piece of paper and threw it at Slade. “Not a chance.”

Slade picked up the paper and unwrapped it. “Sign it.” He slammed it back on the desk, leaving his hand on the upper portion, pinning it to the desktop.

“You’re asking me to give up my position as president so you can be the president on Callisto?”

Slade eyed him intently. “Yes. This is for technical reasons. The Kelhoon want me in charge. They like my style.”

“No president would do that.”

“I want you there with me, Mr. President. I don’t want to have to tell them that you’re not on board. They need the signature. They need proof you’re going to do what I’m asking. You don’t do this, then I don’t know what they’ll do to you or your daughters.”

Craig let out an angry laugh. “You’re threatening me? You’re crazy. I’m not signing a thing.”

“You must.” Slade gestured to Craig’s computer. “Turn it on.”

“Wha—”

Slade pulled out his pistol. “Turn it on!”

Craig turned it on and a holoscreen folded open above his desk, materializing.

“Go to our spacenet and open the email I sent to you, titled, I have your wife and kids.”

Craig’s eyes went wide. “No. What did you do?”

“Open it up and you’ll see.”

Craig’s hands shook as he opened the spacenet and then his email.

“Press on the video,” ordered Slade.

Craig did and his wife, bound and gagged, hands tied behind her back, was sitting on a bed, her two young daughters next to her, both crying, also bound and gagged. On video, Slade walked into camera view and pressed a gun against Craig’s wife’s head. Although all bullets on the ship were rubber to not poke holes through the ship’s walls, they were still deadly.

Slade pulled the trigger.

“No!”

“If you don’t sign those papers, your daughters are next.”

Slade walked to the door and watched it slide open.

Craig dropped his head in his hands, sobbing, his shoulders shaking, whispering, “This isn’t happening...this...isn’t...happening.”

Slade stepped through the doorway. “Sign the papers, Mr. President.”

27

North of Flood of Dawn, Callisto - J-Quadrant, Solar System

Rivkah looked over the war field, lit by several of Jupiter’s pale moons glowing on the Kelhoon encampment.

Her palms were singeing with heat, her adrenaline nearly jumping through the atmosphere. She glanced at her hands. They were trembling, not out of fear, but energy.

The Kelhoon were falling over themselves, rushing this way and that way, grabbing weapons, jumping on turrets and rotating them into firing position.

A grenade lobbed from over a temporary encampment wall, hurtled toward Rivkah. She thrust her hands out, directing Chi at the grenade. It blew apart and a cloud of purplish-blue erupted just above. Shards bombarded a Kelhoon tank gunner, throwing him off the tank. Knocked out cold, green blood oozed from his leg.

Rivkah stared at her palms. “What?” The energy flowing through her wasn’t only powerful, it was ridiculous.

She curled her hands into fists and ran toward the wall, where Atlanteans and Kelhoon were in hand to hand combat.

Up ahead, a Kelhoon ducked an Atlantean punch and grabbed the Atlantean’s legs, swiping his feet out from under him. The Atlantean landed on his back. The Kelhoon pulled out a dagger and raised his arm for an ending stab.

Rivkah aimed her hands in the Kelhoon’s direction and a heat rose in her shoulders and pumped down to her fingertips. She screamed bloody murder as emotions from her childhood surface like a slide show. An image of her mother, dead, in her backyard, her dad the suspect, but never charged. Bobby the bully with a punch to her stomach on the playground and she cried while her dad shook his head and ridiculed her pain. “You’re a wimp,” he said. More and more of her father blinked in and out. Her hands vibrated.

“Dad, get out of my mind,” she yelled as she thrust her hands at the Kelhoon.

The Kelhoon lifted off his feet. He spun around, swiping at air. Rivkah dropped her arms and the Kelhoon went down fast, bouncing off the ground. The Atlantean ended the beast quickly.

Rivkah rushed toward another Kelhoon having his way with several Atlanteans. She pushed the energy through her hands, targeting the Kelhoon’s legs. Her body burst into sweat and her legs wobble for a moment as the Kelhoon was thrown face first onto the ground.

He twirled around just as an Atlantean landed a foot on his chest, pinning the Kelhoon. The Atlantean pointed his trident. The three-pronged weapon sizzled as blasts exited the pointed barrels. The Kelhoon twitched twice before it lay motionless.

“Stop fighting, Rivkah,” came Bogle’s voice inside Rivkah’s head. “Retrieve Fox and we’ll be on our way. We have no way of winning this battle, let alone this war. We’re a distraction for you.”

“Nice of you telling me the game plan now.” Rivkah dropped her arms by her side, her face twisted in a scowl.

“Stop experimenting with Chi and get Fox.”

A Kelhoon starfighter lifted into the air from behind the encampment’s walls.

“Get going, Rivkah. We don’t have time for you to play around with your gifts. Go!”

She shook her head and dashed forward, getting closer and closer to the Kelhoon encampment.

The starfighter flew forward, passing directly overhead. Cannons on its wings twisted as it strafed the battlefield. Atlantean yells and screams accompanied their spilt blood.

Rivkah reached for her blaster. “Dammit, Fox.” He had taken her gun and her continued reaches for it only slowed her down. “Fox, you got yourself up and captured. Now, I’m having to save your ass?”

Up ahead was the encampment’s metallic wall. She zeroed in on a portion of it, the energy rising up her spine and to her brain. She pushed the Chi outward. Emotions accompanied with images of her father slapping her across her