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

Slade backed into the elevator. The doors began to shut. He pushed Cross out of the elevator, knocking her to the floor. He thrust his gun at Ken, aimed, and pulled the trigger.

Ken’s head jerked and he fell, lifeless, a bloody hole between his eyes.

The doors shut and the elevator descended.

“Round two of the mutiny. Slade one, mutineers one.”

43

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

Jaxx ascended his craft into the sky, his body not yet one with it, and pulled into a hard left corkscrew past several Agadon fighters.

A weapons lock sounded. A missile was inbound and coming in fast. He spun his craft, targeted the missile, and shot tracer rounds. The missile lit up in a bright light, then broke apart and fell like rain toward the ground, smoke trailing the debris.

Jaxx flew through the smoke and an abrupt cold hit his heart, accompanied with an image of Kiyo-zan. He inhaled sharply. “Kiyo-zan, where are you?” Dread washed over him.

A mech flew in front of Jaxx and fired a slew of missiles at an Agadon star carrier coming through the clouds. The missiles sidewinded and smacked into the large ship’s starboard, impacting against the ship’s energy shields.

A beam erupted from the carrier, fast and blinding, cutting through Taiyonian starfighters like knife through butter and connected with a mech, ripping its torso in half, sending sparks and chunks of armor flying. The mech’s shoulder cannons caught fire and flared, blowing the head and neck clean off, leaving a shroud of debris around the mech before it began falling to the earth.

Jaxx pinched his lips together and narrowed his eyes. He pulled in Chi and began melding his consciousness into his Air Wing.

“Jaxx-zan, watashi wa jimen zi iru.”

Jaxx flinched and the melding halted, his consciousness separating from his craft. “Kiyo-zan, you’re on the ground? Get back up here.” He looped away from the carrier, avoiding several blasts.

“Nishi zo miru,” said Kiyo-zan.

“Holy mother of all that’s wrong.”

A giant ship, bigger than any X-class nebula craft in the Secret Space Program, pierced the atmosphere, casting a dark shadow as it blocked the sun.

Jaxx’s chest tightened. “Send all forces to intercept and down that thing.”

“That’s a negative. Get on the ground. We need you at coordinates 29.9792 degrees north, 31.1342 degrees east,” interrupted Zara. “We have to get you out of here. You’re our hope, Jaxx. No one else. That incoming ship will obliterate everything. We can’t take any more chances with you.”

Jaxx shook his head. “No. We can defeat these guys.” He brought this hell upon this planet and he’d see to it to chase that hell away.

“You have no idea who these guys are. They’re much stronger than you can imagine. Get to the coordinates or more planets like Leonia and Taiyo will be exploited, their inhabitants used as slaves, and their worlds utilized for asset building. The Agadon are just one of the negative Beings flowing through the open portals. Battles like this are raging across all known worlds. If you do not return to the portal and meet your destiny, more worlds than you can count will end up like this planet, completely destroyed,” replied Zara.

Jaxx clenched his jaw. “This planet isn’t destroyed yet.”

“You aren’t listening!” roared Zara. “Get down here, now! If you don’t, then the rest of the galaxy is at risk. This planet is done. Let those who perish today, and all the animals on this planet, die with glory and dignity. You must understand that there is always a higher plan, always a higher reason. It’s not for you to judge. Your job is to serve and protect this galaxy. That’s your deal.”

“My deal?” Jaxx hesitated, then punched in his coordinates. A knot in his throat formed. They may as well call him the ruiner of worlds. Because the title would fit.

He lowered his craft, then shot straight toward the ground, like a falcon to its prey. “What do I do when I land?”

“We teleport you through the pyramid network back to Callisto. You need to close the entire network or chaos reigns across the galaxy again, interrupting the evolution of every species and race that inhabits the Milky Way. It will be a huge step backward in galactic consciousness.”

Jaxx pulled his ship out of the dive and skimmed the top of the jungle, heading toward the coordinates. He tapped on holographic buttons. The landing skids extended and clicked in place.

Up ahead was a massive hill, covered in trees, brush, and grasses. Kiyo-zan’s starfighter, along with several cargo ships, transports, and two mechs sat at the base of the hill.

Jaxx slowed and hovered. “I’m here. Where’s everyone?” He lowered his ship. It jostled when it touched down.

Zara spoke. “You’ll see an entrance into the hill. Come inside.”

Jaxx opened the cockpit and hopped out of his Air Wing, helmet still atop his head. The ground rumbled as a thunderous roar echoed across the sky.

He glanced up, seeing the giant ship coming in closer to the city, starfighters and mechs sending projectiles and cannon fire in its direction.

Jaxx swallowed hard when a red, fiery energy grew at an indentation beneath the ship’s belly. He couldn’t watch, so pushed onward. “Who are these Agadon?” he asked over his helmet comm.

“They aren’t from our galaxy, that’s why they’re so dangerous, Jaxx. They’ve been locked out until now. But they were waiting, amassing,” said Abdu.

Jaxx rounded the hill and halted when he saw an entryway, built with white and red stone. Abdu stood to the side of the doorway, hands crossed in front of him like a calm monk. “The Agadon want to prevent you from helping the Atlanteans ascend.”

“Ascend?”

“In time you’ll understand that word. It’s our hope that you’ll help the Atlanteans with their ascension along with the homo sapiens, and in that way, the rest of the galaxy will follow suit, doing so from your examples. The problem is, the Atlanteans were too hasty, too greedy,