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

brought his eyes back to Drew and gave him a look that said nothing less than, “I’m going to kill you.”

38

Planet Taiyo, Sector 9 - Galactic Arm, Milky Way Galaxy

Jaxx raced toward his Air Wing, one that Kiyo-zan had energetically towed in with his starfighter. He had to get his starfighter into the air before the strafe run began, before the Agadon ended all life in the city.

Jaxx gave Kiyo-zan a thumbs-up as he ran by his friend’s starfighter and jumped onto his craft’s wing, then pulled himself into the Air Wing’s cockpit. He put his helmet on, then initiated the drives, and lifted the bird into the air. “Get everyone, including the Leonians, to target the incoming starfighters, Kyo-zan.”

Jaxx tilted his ship toward the newly created opening in the city’s domed ceiling and accelerated, boosting his craft through the breach. He twisted his fighter and shot forward at an incredible speed. He closed his eyes and his body tingled. His consciousness expanded, taking him outside of his cockpit where he viewed everything as if he was the Air Wing.

He was one with his craft. He thought to bank right and he did.

An enemy fighter came into view. It ducked low, getting a better trajectory for a strafe run on the city.

Jaxx went into a dive. He thought of letting loose an Air to Air Intermediate Missiles, AAIM-5 Dart. The missile fired, in time with his thought, and his thrusters amped a level higher, keeping him and his starfighter on the same course.

The Agadon went into an oblique turn, but too late. The missile impacted the Agadon ship’s tail, splitting it into two, then ignited the engines just behind the cockpit. A loud thunderous roar echoed across the sky and the enemy craft turned into a ball of flames.

Jaxx barrel rolled through the incinerated enemy and dipped right, sending tracers across another starfighter, hitting the Agadon craft’s stern, lighting it up into another fiery spectacle.

His sensors beeped, telling him an enemy had weapons lock. Jaxx held his position and waited, trying to coax his opponent into thinking he wasn’t paying attention, that he was green, a rookie.

The sensors beeped one long beep. If Jaxx didn’t move now, didn’t stop his act, he’d be dead in three seconds.

Jaxx slowed, flipped a one-hundred-and-eighty degree turn and engaged. He sent a Dart, clipping the enemy’s wing. The Agadon spun out of control.

Jaxx riddled the next craft with more tracer fire, finishing him quickly. The ship cracked into a dozen pieces, plummeting into the forest below.

“We have a lot more coming in, boys and girls,” informed Jaxx.

“Watashi wa koko zi imasu,” said Kiyo-zan.

“Thank you, Kiyo-zan. I got your back, too. Anyone else up in the sky?”

Before he heard a reply, he spotted several Leonian mechs and ships entering their air space, ready to end the Agadon threat.

Missiles and cannon slugs flew from the Leonian mechs, whizzing past Jaxx in perfect precision and struck a squadron of Agadon fighters en-route to Jaxx’s position. Enemy starfighters erupted into a glowing mess, spattering shards of armor and debris across the sky.

“Inbound,” warned Jaxx.

A slew of starfighters exited a large Agadon carrier. They passed through a thick cloud and headed in for combat, weapons ablaze.

Jaxx evaded. He noticed a bogey breaking from formation, maneuvering in a way that defied logic; the way that Jaxx flew a starfighter.

Jaxx’s belly tightened and he veered toward the Agadon. “Everyone, cover each other’s asses. And don’t worry about me. I got this one.”

“You can’t get me, Jaxx.”

“Who said that? Kiyo-zan?”

“Zen-zen ie desu. Agadon desu.”

“It was an Agadon?” Jaxx went into a dive, entering into a long wing-over maneuver, pulling himself into a quarter loop. “I heard someth—”

Laughter filled his cockpit. Agadon Laughter. “Don’t be stupid, Jaxx. You don’t expect to think you’re the only one in the galaxy with the ability to merge with a flying machine, do you?”

The Agadon starfighter spun around, sending several missiles in Jaxx’s direction. Jaxx targeted them, sending cannon fire, turning the missiles into flaming dust.

“Gotcha!” screamed the Agadon, laughing even louder.

Jaxx went into an inverted roll, placing himself into a fast dive, changing his trajectory one-hundred and eighty degrees and rounded on the bandit’s tail. “Who are you?”

“My name is Tazadon Zindomeon Locka.” There was a pause. “Just call me Taz.”

“Okay, well...hi, Taz.” Jaxx shot two AAIM-5 Darts. One to distract and force Taz wide, the other to hit where Jaxx predicted Taz would turn.

Taz spun in a way only Jaxx could do, sending blasts toward the Darts, obliterating the missiles.

Jaxx turned into a break, moving sharply across the Agadon flight path. “Kiyo-zan, we have a problem. Some Agadon prick can fly like me and speaks in my language.”

Laughter coursed over Jaxx’s comm line again. “I can hear you. I’m on all channels, Taiyonian, Leonian, and yours.”

Jaxx pulled right. The Agadon dipped left, sending a barrage of missiles toward a different target; the back of a Leonian Mech.

The missiles ripped the mech’s external armor. Sparks flew. The Agadon let loose more, then broke away.

The mech jostled as its internals exploded. It fell out of the sky, the forest below no doubt the mech’s eventual doom.

The mech pilot ejected and Jaxx rotated, heading in the pilot’s direction. The pilot, a Leonian with white fur, striped in blacks and oranges, sat in her seat as the boosters slowly eased her toward the ground. The wind buffeting against her fur as he could see her surveying the battle like a captain surveying a map. Jaxx gasped. It was Zara, and Taz was flying right for her.

A flashback of Rivkah falling from the Taiyo sky came to mind. Rivkah was practically burned alive when he couldn’t help her the last time. He had failed her then. He wasn’t going to fail again. He didn’t want the same fate for Zara.

Jaxx aimed just above her. “Lower it faster, Zara.”

Zara complied and Jaxx shot one cannon slug after another, sending thousands of shots bursting above Zara, slamming into Taz’s starfighter