Celestial Ascension (Splintered Galaxy Book 1)

by Eddie R. Hicks

  A couch, its back facing the kitchen, sat in front of a small glass coffee table. Ahead of that was a flat-screen television, no doubt Rick’s acquisition. Chloe remembered her parents arguing for the longest time over whether or not to ditch the old RCA they’d had for years. Rick always wanted newer upgrades when it came to entertainment systems. “Got to watch the Yankees in style,” he often said. Chloe agreed with her mother that, if the old TV still worked, a new one wasn’t needed. Looks like he finally got his way, since there she is watching CNN with it.

  Chloe sat next to her mother on the brown couch. She wanted to say something to lighten the mood but couldn’t really think of anything meaningful. A news report on CNN aired with the headline “Sons of Islam (SOI) terror group still a threat.”

  Julia turned to Chloe and said, “What do you think of these guys now? You guys going to bomb them soon or what?”

  “It’s a small group. They don’t pose a major threat, Mom.”

  “But look.” Julia stretched a withered finger toward the screen.

  According to the report, three gunmen had managed to destroy a market in a small Afghan town, leaving dozens dead in the aftermath. The terrorists got away with no casualties on their end, despite a massive shootout with local authorities.

  “Three guys torched that whole place up, got into a gunfight, then disappeared," said Julia. “And those last five attacks earlier this year? Same thing—killed lots of people and vanished.” Julia shook her head in disappointment as her mother continued. “This is why I don’t like the idea of you and your sister being allowed to fight on the frontline. If that SOI group gets bigger and we have to put boots on the ground—”

  “It won’t come to that,” Chloe insisted. “Like I said, it’s just a small group. Someone will—”

  Chloe was interrupted by knocking on the front door. Rick left the kitchen to open it. He let out a small cheer. Chloe’s sister Sarah had arrived. She wore a black summer dress that went well with her long hair, which was dyed jet-black. Rick gave Sarah a hug before returning to his culinary tasks. “The whole family is here,” he said excitedly, “and dinner is almost ready, too.”

  Sarah walked over to Chloe and Julia, with a warm mesmerizing smile on her face. “Did you get my message, Chloe?”

  “Oh…yeah, I did.”

  “And?” asked Sarah.

  “Later…” Chloe sighed.

  Julia turned to Sarah and said, "So the Marine Corps lets you walk around looking like that?”

  “It’s hot outside, Mom!” exclaimed Sarah.

  “You’re a soldier. Shouldn’t you be able to handle this heat?” Julia laughed. “At least Chloe kept her face free of all that face paint you ladies call ‘makeup’ these days.”

  “Chloe just wants the young guys to know fully well she’s been a cougar for at least five years,” Sarah said, bursting into laughter.

  Good to see you, too, Sis.

  ………

  Her moans of pleasure were music to Jake Johnson’s ears—or “Jazz,” as he preferred people to call him. His dark hands traversed her quivering naked body as her tongue interacted with his. Their lips separated briefly as she asked, “Wanna do doggie?”

  He smiled and nodded. It was her favorite position, the one that always got her off—always. Besides, what man could resist seeing that sexy booty while railing her from behind?

  His hips thrust back and forth for a few minutes as he wondered when her epic climax would happen, as his wasn’t too far off.

  “Oh fuck…oh fuck… oh fuck!” she murmured. “I’m coming!”

  There it is and just in time, too. “I’m comin’ right behind ya!” He then released a loud roar while his body shook in bliss.

  The two fell to the bed, creating a duet of heavy breathing and post-sex laughter before she rose to take a quick shower. Nice thing about wearing a rubber—less of a mess to clean up. Time was of the essence.

  While Jazz waited for her to finish showering, he retrieved his phone from the floor. No new text messages—typical for this cell phone—not that it mattered since he only picked it up to see the time. It was 3:00 p.m., still plenty of time before his flight was to leave. Of course if she took her time in the shower, that very well might put him in a position of cutting it close, unless he skipped a shower altogether. However, it was summertime, in a Las Vegas apartment that didn’t have working air conditioning, and he had just finishing having wild sex. Yeah, a shower is a must at this point.

  The sound of the shower stopped. Finally, he thought. She emerged shortly afterward, naked, not bothering to wrap herself up with a towel. He didn’t blame her. It was hot enough to simply air dry. And this might be the last time he would see her slim, pale body for awhile. He got up and walked toward the washroom. She smiled at him, eyeing his bare, athletically built body, dark skin, and shaved head.

  “It’s all yours, handsome,” she said. As he walked by, she reached out, slapped his behind, and giggled.

  His shower was much quicker than hers—had to be at this point. Flight tickets from Vegas to Toronto weren’t cheap, especially when living off of savings. Finding a job, more specifically an enjoyable job, wasn’t easy. As a college dropout and Afghanistan war vet, he was not exactly in high demand for employment. He reentered the bedroom and gathered his clothes from the side of the bed.

  She sat on the edge of the mattress, now wearing a robe and brushing her long ginger hair. “How long will you be gone for?” she asked.

  “Depends how well this gig works out,” he said, putting his clothes back on. “It’s a bar, so there’s lots of money to be made if it’s a hit.”

  He was now fully dressed, wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans. He pulled his wallet from his back pocket to produce two twenty-dollar bills.

  “You already paid me," she said with a smile.

  “I always tip. You know that.”

  “You’re also traveling to live in another nation.” She gently took his hand, which held the bills, and gracefully pushed it back toward him. “Keep it. You spent enough on me the last few months. You might need it along the way.”

  “Very well.” He grabbed his backpack from the corner of the room. “Though to be fair, I was born in Canada, so I’m just returnin’ to it.”

  He advanced toward the front door, and she followed behind to give him a hug.

  “Come see me again if you ever find yourself back here.” She undid her robe to expose her naked body underneath it. “I know you’re gonna miss these!”

  “Take care," he said with a grin.

  “Take care, and stay out of trouble, Jazz…if that’s even your real name!”

  “Depends. Is Destiny your real name?”

  She simply smiled at him, and he left to catch a flight.

  ………

  The refreshing breeze from the air-conditioning aboard the plane was a huge relief to Jazz and the other passengers. He sat at a window seat around the midsection of the aircraft, watching all the other people board. He was alone for a long trip, so there was nothing else better to do. Suddenly one passenger, someone very familiar, caught his attention.

  It was a young woman, no older than nineteen, with skin even more pale than Destiny’s, almost like she was sick. She wore shades and a white summer hat, and under that hat was smooth and curly platinum-blond hair. She also wore long black-satin gloves and a blue loose-fitting blouse and skirt. He tried to look away to avoid any awkwardness, but it was too late. Eye contact was made, and she took a seat next to him after stowing her belongings in the overhead compartment. It was the one time he wished the seat next to him wasn’t vacant.

  “Seeing you here is unexpected, Jazz.” She fidgeted with her oversized pendant.

  He turned and tilted his head down toward her, as she was at best five foot two in height. “Yes, some business I need to take care of came up," he said.

  “You, too, travel to the region north of here?” she asked.

  Seriously, he thought t
o himself, who talks like that? There was no doubt in his mind she wasn’t from around here, but then again her accent alone was a bit of a hint. He wasn’t quite sure where she was from—probably someplace in Europe, likely close to Russia, especially with that name.

  “Kroshka, that ‘region’ is called Canada," said Jazz.

  She gently stroked his arm and looked at his six-foot stature. “You seem calm. Did you visit Destiny recently?”

  How the hell did she know? he thought.

  Kroshka continued. “Destiny always makes you calm, relaxed…occasionally smell like her perfume.”

  Jazz was at a loss for words, afraid that anything else he said might turn into an awkward conversation, as this was what typically happened whenever they talked. Despite this, she was the closest thing to a friend he had at this point in life, even though they’d been talking for a few months.

  He typically ran into her at various restaurants and bars. She and Destiny were also friends, though only for a few a months as well. Most likely she arrived in the country around that time and went out of her way to get to know people. Why is she here, and what is she doing? It was something Jazz was never able to figure out. Must have had rich parents—that’s for damn sure—as well as a heavily sheltered life.

  ………

  Out of cigarettes, fuck me. Rina “Destiny” West had forgotten to pick up a pack before Jazz came over. She was now dressed in shorts and a tank top. The plan was to take it easy and play computer games, but no way in hell was she going to do that without any smokes.

  She stormed out of her apartment, fueled by a burning desire for her nicotine fix. There was just one problem—the door wouldn’t close, almost as if an invisible hand held it open. Her eyes gazed back inside, but she saw no one there.

  Let’s try this again. She slammed the door shut without issue. Perhaps the joints on the door were feeling the effects of wear and tear.

  Unknown to Rina, the door was working perfectly fine. The personal cloaking device of Lettielia deactivated, revealing the mysterious assassin from another world. With the human now out of the apartment and on her errand, Lettielia walked around with her face looking into the many strange objects throughout the unit.

  Her eyes glowed red as she entered a nearby closet to see so much useless apparel. How can one human female require so many dresses to wear? The communication implant in Lettielia’s ear beeped twice, indicating an incoming transmission.

  “The human female will not be gone for long, I suspect. You need to hurry.” It was Nodevar, Lettielia’s partner in crime.

  “My cloaking field has enough power to keep me in stealth for at least two days," said Lettielia. “I will be fine.” Her hands rummaged through the closet. Is this human some sort of ruler? Empress Y’lin has just as much apparel.

  She continued to search the apartment for clues of a person of interest but to no avail. Her forehead was dripping wet—the heat on this world was unbearable.

  The nearby washroom was the last place she had to check. As she entered, her eyes once again glowed. No light in here. “Humans don’t see well in the dark, correct?” Lettielia asked Nodevar.

  Nodevar replied via her communication implant. “Yes, they have devices that add light to dark areas.”

  Lettielia curiously looked around for a terminal that might activate the lights but found nothing—no computer terminal, no interactive hologram, no sensors to detect the presence of someone entering. These humans are truly primitive!

  She noticed a stall in the wall, clearly some kind of device, with a metal pipe up top. Small droplets of water dripped out of it. Must be where humans bathe. She retracted the claws on her fingers as her hands reached to the knob and turned it. Strange sounds roared out as water gushed from the top like a fountain.

  The sudden burst of water spraying caused her reflexes to propel her backward, and her claws sprang back into action from her fingertips. She slowly stepped forward and allowed her hand to reach in. The water was cold. Her eyes closed in a moment of bliss, triggering her claws to retract once more and a smile of joy to manifest across her face.

  She fiddled with the knobs a few times and noticed the water went from cold to hot to warm and then cold again, so it was definitely a temperature control. She made the water as cold as possible this time around, hovering her hand over the side of her outfit to deactivate the electronics powering her suit. Her suit began to loosen around her body, allowing her to remove the small energy pack on the back of it, her equipment belt, and then the black suit along with her boots.

  The cold water drenched her slim cream body as she entered the stall. Her red glowing eyes shut while she took in the overwhelming feeling of her body cooling down. Opening her eyes, she extended her arm forward and activated the cybernetics located within it. A small holographic interface appeared in front of her. She activated the device’s record function and blew a kiss toward it.

  Shortly afterward, Nodevar contacted her with a frustrated tone in his voice. “What are you doing?”

  Lettielia laughed and replied," Getting cool.” She turned around so water splashed on her back. “And wet without you.”She shut her glowing red eyes once again as her dripping hand slid down her breasts.

  Chapter 2

  Beyond the polar orbit of Jupiter was a Radiance Union cruiser. The Abyssal Explorer was its official name. The ship had a long rectangular central area surrounded by five smaller rectangular sections toward the back. At the tip of those five sections were its main guns, which were capable of firing a barrage of hot plasma at any hostile ships…or planets within range of the ship’s sensors. It was overkill for anything found on Earth but underkill for the Hashmedai command ship lurking in the darkness of the nearby asteroid belt.

  The crew of the cruiser had been tracking the command ship for some time now, and out of fear they would be discovered, they also evacuated the science team studying the human home world.

  Aboard the ship’s science lab, scholar Odelea entered her sixth hour floating in zero gravity, reviewing on her data pad what had been learned about human language—a painful task to most scholars, as humans spoke many different languages. She had a youthful appearance, caramel skin, and wavy light-red hair. The lab’s walls and floor were white, and the lighting was bright, typical of Aryile, as their home world orbited a large bright star. And it was that star that resulted in most of the land dwelling life forms on their world to evolve reptilian features. The Aryile had scales along their backs, traveling up to the sides of their neck, while the pupils in their eyes had a vertical slit. The lab was littered with data pads, scanners, and data crystals, which all floated aimlessly. On the wall were several chambers that housed samples of plants from the human home world.

  Hunger made its presence known in Odelea’s belly—time for a break. But first she checked on the new plant samples. She floated over to the chambers where the samples were kept. A glass wall kept them separate from the rest of the lab. The chamber before her held two round red objects—a fruit called “apple,” which many humans enjoyed eating. A data analysis was running in the back to determine its chemical composition…and if it was safe to eat. Not that she had plans to eat these samples—what she needed was a large meal.

  She pushed away from the wall to float toward the exit, which led to the rest of the ship. As she got close, the automated door slid open and she passed through. There wasn’t much going on in the main hallways, since most of the crew was still in cryo sleep. She preferred it this way, as the trip down the hall to the galley was quiet with the exception of the sound of the ship’s engine humming.

  She entered the galley to a less-than-ideal situation—someone else was there. A reptilian-like man with four eyes and wearing a gray jumpsuit was putting together a plant-based meal—he was a Javnis. He turned to see her at the entrance, noting the disappointed look on her face. “I will move aside momentarily," he said as a leaf from his meal spiraled up and away from the rest. “As you can see, the
military did not train us for life without gravity.”

  He gracefully propelled his body upward to catch the leaf with his mouth. As he did this, Odelea moved passed him toward one of five cabinets at the end of the galley. Each cabinet contained food and beverages tailored to the five races that made up the Radiance Union. Her small hands opened the one meant for her race—Aryile—and she pulled out a prepared meal in a package.

  The option to take fresh ingredients and make her own meal, like the Javnis did, didn’t appeal to her. Cooking in general was deemed a waste of time in her eyes—much faster to get something already made, eat it, and get back to work.

  The smell of spicy roasted vegetables from the Aryile home world invaded her nostrils. Her savory meal slowly floated up toward her, leaving behind a trail of warm water droplets. The Javnis had given up and began to eat what he had out already. Odelea took a double take at the situation before her. He said he was military, which meant he should be in cryo, only to be revived if things escalated.

  “Armed forces got awakened from cryo?” she asked.

  “Yes, a few days ago," he answered. “Did you not get the notification?”

  Odelea bit her lip as a wave of embarrassment hit. Staring down she took notice that her jumpsuit wasn’t fully on. The back was not zipped up, because wearing it for so many hours while reading wasn’t very comfortable at all.

  She promptly corrected the issue with the back of her suit, covering up the yellow scales on her back. A soft humming sound transmitted, signaling to the user that the suit was powered up. A new message notification beamed into her Heads up Display eyepiece.

  Skimming through the message, she got the important points: Hashmedai on the human home world, two Hashmedai ships in the area, and a Hashmedai command ship in the asteroid belt. Science and exploration teams were recalled, and combat personnel were being revived.