Jaxx dipped his head. “You could even sell weapons to those asshole races that want to take over peaceful cultures. I mean, what’s stopping you?” He patted his chest. “Oh, yeah, me.”
Taz’s smile diminished and he straightened his gray lips. “You couldn’t stop me, Jaxx.”
Jaxx winked, the same way Slade always had—with contempt; as if he had something devious up his sleeve. “Over my dead body. Literally.”
Taz tilted his head. “You’re thinking of killing yourself?”
“If you think you can use me to control the galaxy, and in a negative way, then yes, death would be my only resort.”
“You die and your wish to close the pyramid network will die with you.” Taz twitched, his head cocking to the side a few times. He nodded. “Good.” He bowed to Okbak. “I just transferred my abundant storage of galactic credits to your storage.”
Okbak leaned into a guard. “Verify, please.”
The guard knocked his fists together and exited the hut.
“And, Jaxx,” came Okbak. “Once the funds are verified and in my storage bins, I’m handing you over to our new friend and galactic ally, Taz, here.”
A faint whisper entered Jaxx’s mind, “Anata no kai o kidō shi, junbi ga dekite iru.” It was Kiyo-zan. Had they come? Had they answered Jaxx’s calling? Was Rivkah with them?
He closed his eyes, searching the area outside the hut. Three energy signatures were nearby, hiding behind a Kelhoon hover vehicle at the camp’s entrance. It was Zara, Kiyo-zan, and Fox.
Fox actually did his job and found them.
Jaxx opened his eyes and brought up his Chi. Taz tensed, sensing something change in the room.
Taz went into a defensive stance, grasping his phaser and glancing around the room. “Who’s there, Jaxx?” His lips upturned. He was ready and wanting a fight.
Jaxx played dumb. “Who’s where?”
Kaboom!
The hut rocked back and forth. Jaxx stood planted to the ground while Okbak and his guards were tossed backwards. Cement-like material splattered against Jaxx, covering him with gray debris. A cloud of dust formed in front of him, coming from a giant hole in the wall—a hole big enough for several people to fit through.
Taz stood, unhurt, unflinching. He growled like a bear. “Come and get it.” He raised his hands, energetically lifting a fallen hunk of the blasted wall, and threw his hands forward, hulking the chunk at the hole. The chunk broke in half, hitting something hard on the other side of the fog.
The smoke cleared. Kiyo-zan was standing at the opening with his shield up; Fox and Zara behind him.
The energetic bars surrounding Jaxx zipped off. Jaxx crouched and jumped toward Taz, wrapping his arm around Taz’s neck, putting him in a choke hold. He raised his energy even more, and tightened his grip.
Taz grunted, slamming his elbow into Jaxx’s side, pushing him against a wall. Taz turned and swiftly backed up, readying for a swift punch, then paused. A moment later, thick, blue liquid spewed out of his mouth. He grabbed his throat with his hand, gasping for breath. He looked down. The side of Kiyo-zan’s sharp shield had sliced through his spine and stuck out of his chest.
Kiyo-zan pulled it out, disgust all over his face.
Taz dropped to his knees and then landed face first into the floor. Fox leaped beside Kiyo-zan, pulled out his phaser and squeezed the trigger several times, poking holes in Taz’s back, making sure the prick was dead.
And he was.
Jaxx spun around. Okbak and his guards were stirring, awakening from the sudden blast that had knocked them sideways.
“We need him,” said Zara, rushing over to Okbak. She picked him up, sliding her furry arms under his scaly armpits. “I’m pulling him to the transport.”
“Transport?” inquired Jaxx.
“Yeah,” replied Fox. “And we need to hurry. The Kelhoon will be coming in hordes.”
A laser whizzed through the hole in the hut and struck the far wall. Kiyo-zan’s back hugged the wall and he poked his gun out of the opening.
Wapooo! Wapooo!
His phaser sent bolts at Kelhoon warriors. “San-ri no senshi.”
“Only three on their way?” Jaxx picked up Okbak’s rifle and slammed the rifle butt on the back of the two Kelhoon guards’ heads, knocking them out cold. “More will be on their way in a matter of minutes. Let’s go.”
Kiyo-zan lifted his wrist in the air. And out of his gold wrist band materialized his shield. “Yuko.”
“Yes, let’s go,” replied Jaxx.
Kiyo-zan jumped through the opening, his shield up. A Kelhoon laser bolt hit the shield, sizzled wildly, and branched around the face of his shield like lightning.
Darkness had started to set on the moon, which was good, and for better cover. Jaxx and Fox crept to the opening. They targeted two Kelhoon and popped a few shots off, downing the alien bastards.
Zara pulled Okbak through the hole, dragging the prime chieftain on the cold, snowy ground. “Up ahead we have a Kelhoon transport ready.”
Jaxx and Fox continued firing, riddling everything in sight, and followed Zara through the hole. They shot wildly, missing Kelhoon after Kelhoon, but hitting them wasn’t necessarily their goal. Keeping them away, was.
Jaxx targeted a hover vehicle, and shot off two blue phasers, hitting the unit’s ion drive. It quivered, then exploded, picked up off the ground and twirled in the air. Several Kelhoon dove for cover, others weren’t so lucky as the vehicle slammed down hard on them.
“Turn,” yelled Zara, running backwards, tugging the Kelhoon leader. She turned, pulling Okbak down an alleyway.
Jaxx followed. A Kelhoon transport came into view. “How did you get that?”
“Hotwired the shit out of it,” replied Fox, running and shooting.
Jaxx, running beside Fox, aimed his weapon at oncoming Kelhoon soldiers.
“Your Japanese-looking friend did.” How Fox could run and talk was a mystery.
Jaxx should have known. The Tayonians—whose culture had been destroyed by the Agadon—could engineer just about anything better than any race in the galaxy. But saying the Taiyonians were merely tech geniuses was an insult. They were beyond genius.
Several Kelhoon stepped around a corner in the alley, and in front of the transport. Their rifles pounded against their chests as blue bolts left the tips of their muzzles.
Jaxx slid, ducking. Fox did the same, and a group of bolts flew over their heads.
Zara roared, lunging awkwardly to the side, blood flinging from her hip. She curled away from Okbak as more bolts flew in her direction. Kiyo-zan back flipped, landing directly in front of her. He held his wrist up and took the brunt of a dozen rifle ion slugs into his shield, absorbing the energy.
Jaxx dashed forward, and slid to the side, pulling his trigger as many times as he could. More photon bolts sprang from his phaser, slamming into the Kelhoon blocking their way. A few direct hits and some fell.
One of them let out a loud hiss, pointing directly at Okbak. Despite Zara’s injury, she managed to continue pulling their leader along behind her. The Kelhoon bowed their heads at their prime chieftain and moved out of Zara’s way.
A Kelhoon warrior touched the back of his ear, pressing a communication device. He mumbled incoherent sounds and clicks. An instant later, the Kelhoon ceased fire.
Jaxx eyed Okbak, his head bobbing back and forth, his eyes slowly opening and closing. He was still out of it and not fully aware of what was happening.
A Kelhoon kicked dirt, and another Kelhoon glared like he wanted to do nasty, violent things to Jaxx. The soldier’s rifle hung from his scaly hands, no doubt wanting to pull the trigger and blow Jaxx’s brains out—then eat them. Those sick pricks.
Yet, the Kelhoon remained quiet, obedient to their leader. The last thing they wanted to do was accidentally harm their prime chieftain, or worse yet, kill him.
The tension was palpable as they reached the transport. More Kelhoon began to congregate around the ship,
watching, and waiting for something—perhaps their leader to wake up, and then order his warriors to open fire and destroy those who were kidnapping him.
Fox tapped the back of the transport, its silver ramp clicking, then moving down to the ground. It hopped a few times as it touched down and Fox waived his crew to follow him up the ramp. “Zara, hurry your tail. Drag lizard-brains up with you”
Zara pulled the massive Kelhoon up the ramp.
Jaxx and the rest were close behind. Reaching the top, Jaxx turned around and slapped the close ramp knob, watching the Kelhoon disappear as the ramp ascended. The craft shook when the ramp closed and locked in place.
“Kiyo-zan,” said Jaxx. “Take the controls.”
The craft was large, built for the tall Kelhoon—about fifteen feet from floor to ceiling—and filled with rows of seats to transport Kelhoon soldiers.
Kiyo-zan sat down on the cockpit’s pilot seat and studied the ship’s controls, then nodded as if he’d figured everything out—in under ten seconds. He pressed several buttons, and the ship lifted off the ground.
Zara dropped Okbak next to a seat and grabbed her side, wincing in pain. She unclipped a vial of red liquid from her chains that crisscrossed her furry torso, and placed several drops on her injury. She cringed, growling, baring her sharp teeth.
Jaxx sat next to her. “Are you okay?”
“Worry about Okbak, not me. He’s starting to wake up.”
Okbak’s eyelid slits opened and closed several times. He rubbed his face.
Jaxx pulled out his phaser and aimed it at the prime chieftain’s temple. “Understand, my friend, that if you make a wrong move, one of us will end your life.” He eyed Fox. “Where are we going?”
Fox was sitting across from him. “Far from here.”
The transport zipped forward and Jaxx glanced at Okbak. “I’ll deal with you my way from now on, lizard-man.”
Zara pounded the seat next to her. “Your way? What exactly is your way, peach-fuzz? Your last attempt to deal with Okbak nearly got you and the rest of us killed. We had to take unnecessary steps that took time that we don’t have in order for us to rescue you. You being captured, you doing this on your own, was not needed, and your unilateral decisions are poisoning us. We’re here to rescue the galaxy, not to fill it with negative Beings that want control and power because of your failure to be a cohesive team member.” She waived her arm around, then grimaced in pain. “You don’t know the meaning of we, do you? You think you are the major cog in the universe, the one that needs to deal with the negativity…and alone? Are you that unwise, that unintelligent that you would bar your friends and your allies from helping you. No, you are no longer capable of trust. You, my peach-faced ally, have shown us that you are only capable of nearly killing us.”
Jaxx went white, stunned. He wasn’t going to kill any of his friends. His plan worked. “I knew what I was doing.”
“Have you already forgotten the thought packets you sent us? You were calling for help. You were asking us to save your life. That’s the opposite of knowing what you were doing. Together we had a better chance to get in, and out. Yet, you pushed us aside for your own selfish reasons.”
Okbak grumbled, then touched the back of his ear. “Get our Leaping Lizards in the air. Attack this transport ship. Jaxx and I are no longer needed. It’s a been a pleasure being your prime chieftain.”
Jaxx kneed Okbak in the face. The Kelhoon’s head went into the side of a seat. He hissed, pressing his hands on the floor, pushing himself up.
“No more,” roared Zara. She grabbed Okbak by the neck and flipped him on his back. She landed her foot on his chest, holding him in place. “You are not permitted to move. Now tell your soldiers to back off.”
Okbak shook his head, and hissed a laugh.
Kiyo-zan looked over his shoulder. “Tochu ze sutafaita no Kelhoon. Agadon mo shibara rete imasu.”
Jaxx crouched, pressing his gun into Okbak’s cheek, pushing hard, anger streaking through his veins. “Kiyo-zan here says Kelhoon starfighters are on their way. He also says we have Agadon craft in bound as well. The Agadon aren’t going to like you and your starfighters trying to kill me.”
Fox rushed to the cockpit, and sat in the co-pilot’s seat next to Kiyo-zan. “They’ll be here in a few minutes. The Agadon are also targeting us.” He pounded his fist in anger. “We’re sitting ducks.”
Zara leaned in, her face close to Okbak’s ear. “Taz gave you more galactic credits than you’ll know what to do with. You’ll be the richest individual in the galaxy. And you think you’re celebrated now? Imagine what you can do with all of those credits. You will rule the galaxy, and more.”
The craft banked right and Jaxx fell over the seat in front of him, tumbled off of it, and landed on his back.
Zara crashed into him a moment later.
“Get your restraining belts on,” yelled Fox. “This is going to be a rough ride.”
Jaxx stood, seeing Okbak struggling to get his leg out from in between two seats. Somehow, the big green guy had gotten stuck.
Jaxx jumped on one of the seats that had grabbed a hold of Okbak, and wrapped a restraining belt around the Kelhoon’s scaly lower leg several times, pulled tightly, then buckled the belt into place.
The ship veered right and Jaxx gripped the seat cover, holding on so he didn’t take another spill.
“They have us on weapon’s lock,” shouted Fox. “Pull up, Kiyo-zan, pull up, you dumb-ass.”
Kiyo-zan merely smiled. He straightened the craft, heading directly for a line of Kelhoon fighters. He was calm as can be, a tell-tail Taiyonian trait, especially when in combat.
Jaxx buckled in, noticing Zara had already done so several seats across from him.
The craft shuddered. A laser made its mark on the transport’s belly.
“I said, pull up,” ordered Fox.
“Ichi…” said Kiyo-zan, his eyes trained on the oncoming fighters.
“We have bogeys in front of us and behind us. Get us out of here,” demanded Fox, his face turning red.
“Ni…” continued Kiyo-zan.
“That’s it,” Fox went to unstrap and take over the controls.
Before Fox could unbuckle, Kiyo-zan pushed his control stick down, putting the craft in a sharp descent.
A few explosions above, and fire fell like rain. A Kelhoon and Agadon fighter had collided, mid-air.
Fox gave a squealy laugh. “Holy shit!” He threw his hands in the air. “This Japanese guy is a flyer.”
Kiyo-zan slapped his own chest, and narrowed his eyes. “Taiyo-zan.” He obviously wanted Fox to know he was from Taiyo, not Earth.
Kiyo-zan shifted the craft, zipping into a canyon. Several bandits closed in.
Zara unstrapped her restraints and made her way over to a seat next to Okbak’s leg. He was still stuck, trying to pull himself free.
She unclipped a knife from her chains. “He isn’t going to like this.” She jabbed the sharp blade an inch into the arch of his foot.
He hissed loudly in pain, grabbing his leg, and bringing his head up. His veins stuck out of his neck, green blood pulsing through them. “Get your paws off of me.”
She grabbed his big toe and dug in with her knife.
Okbak howled.
“Tell your fighters to withdraw.” She shook her head. “No, tell them that you are no longer allied with the Agadon and order them to attack the pursuing Agadon starfighters.”
“Don’t take my toe,” he said.
She pressed harder, slicing deeper into his toe. Blood oozed.
The craft moved and Okbak screamed.
“Oops, didn’t mean to cut more,” said Zara. “Another movement like that and your toe will come clean off. And then I’ll start with the next. Now, tell them your new orders, Okbak.”
The craft shuddered.
“Damn it to shit’s sake,” shouted Fox. “Direct hit. We’ve lost ion drive one.”
The craft vibrated again and the sound of debri
s dinging across the craft’s outer shell reverberated against the inner ship’s walls.
“Whoa, wait a minute,” stated Fox. “An Agadon fighter just went down.” A ball of fire erupted in front of the transport, and a flood of heat washed through the cabin. “And another. The Kelhoon are firing at the Agadon.” He turned in his chair. “What’s going on?”
Okbak sent out a heavy, loud hiss. He laughed. “My pilots and warriors do not wish to end my life. They are targeting the Agadon, not you. We are the most loyal of all races.”
Zara snorted. “Plus, he told them to back off. Okbak isn’t going to admit it, but I think he actually likes the idea of being the wealthiest in the galaxy.” Zara threw her knife in the air and caught it next to her torso. Not bothering to wipe the green blood from it, she clipped it back into the chains.
“They’re all disengaging us and engaging each other,” said Fox.
Jaxx gave Zara a look. “Now we find Bogle, Rivkah, and Abdu. And we close this pyramid network once and for all.”
“And, Mr. Genius, where are they?” asked Fox.
Zara glanced at Jaxx, her eyes and expression asking the same question. Her lips drew downward. “I lost internal communication with Abdu a few hours ago. I don’t know why he’s gone silent.”
Jaxx closed his eyes, searching the ethers for Rivkah and Bogle. He shook his head, not being able to find a thing. “Their energy signatures are gone. It’s like they left the entire moon.” He kept his eyes closed, then opened them in a jerk. His mouth gaped open. “Head south. I’ve found Slade.”
“He’s not on the moon,” responded Fox.
Jaxx sat straighter. “He is and we’re going to pay him a visit.”
Fox let out a sharp laugh. “Are you serious? That bastard.” Fox rubbed his hands together. “I get first dibs.”
24
J-Quadrant, Solar System - Namuh Farms, Callisto
The Complete Atlantis Series, Books 1 - 5: Ascendant Saga Page 83