Celestial Ascension (Splintered Galaxy Book 1)

by Eddie R. Hicks

  She paused for a moment and then placed her left hand on her right shoulder. “Your acquaintance is recognized.” The other three did the same, speaking in unison…but in a language the president didn’t understand.

  Steward mimicked their movement, understanding it as a customary gesture. “Well, er, your acquaintance is recognized, too,” he said.

  He offered them a seat on nearby couches. Odelea spoke to the other three aliens in their language before sliding down. The rest followed suit, all except the lizard man with four eyes. Mil she said his name was? Or was it Gengei? The humanlike lizard walked around the Oval Office, looking at the paintings on the walls, the carpeting, and the American flag next to Steward’s desk. Tanner, Steward, and Salamanca sat on the couch that faced their alien visitors.

  General Hilemei spoke to Odelea, who then interpreted for the three humans. “The general wishes to talk about our message.”The shaking in her hands had stopped—sitting down must have calmed her. “We understand this must be a glorious day for your people, but a threat lurks beyond the orbit of this world.” There was more interpreting between the two aliens. “We come from a galactic community of five races known as the Radiance Union. General Hilemei and I are Aryile, our race was the founders of the union.” She pointed to Gengei, who was examining a portrait of John F. Kennedy. “Gengei is a Javnis, the second race to join the union.” Odelea then motioned to Xyniea “And she is a Rabuabin, the third race. The last two races that make up the union are the Vorcambreum and the Linl.”

  Tanner and Steward nodded; Salamanca, however, had an ecstatic look on her face. She had a background in astrophysics, so this information meant without a doubt that life existed on many different worlds out there in the cosmos. “Amazing,” said Salamanca. “So you all united together to explore space?”

  “In a word, yes. The gods gave us great gifts and told us to share those with the rest of the galaxy,” said Odelea. Her facial expression changed to a more negative one as she thought about what to say next. “When the union consisted of only Aryile, Javnis, and Rabuabin, we encountered a species known as the Hashmedai.”

  “Demons,” grumbled Gengei.

  Steward looked at him, shocked at what had come out of his mouth. “What was that?” he asked.

  “Gengei is quickly learning your language,” said Odelea. “However, yes, his people view the Hashmedai as demons…and for good reason.” She continued translating. “The Hashmedai disrespected our customs, defiled our colonies when we asked if they were interested in joining the union. War broke out between us and them. When they attempted to enslave the Linl race, we couldn’t sit idle any longer. For centuries we have been at war. Thankfully our navy and army are much larger than theirs, as we are a union of five races. However, they seek to change this.” A worried look appeared on Steward’s face. He had a bad feeling about where this was going. “It would appear they plan to enslave your kind next, forcing you to become part of their empire, forcing you to fight us in a war that has nothing to do with your species.”

  Tanner released a massive sigh before speaking. “How much time do we have, and what can we do?”

  “Time is not on your side. A Hashmedai fleet lies not far from your world.” Odelea clasped her hands together before finishing with some good news. “We have a plan to help you, but it will take your whole species working together as one.”

  ………

  Nodevar’s and Lettielia’s invisible bodies stood atop a human high-rise structure overlooking the crowded city streets below. He moved his head in disagreement, even though they could not see each other in their cloaked states.

  “So that leaves us with—” Nodevar said.

  “We bring the female to Whigli,” said Lettielia, “or we obtain his data pad from the human law enforcers.”

  The sudden besting of Ure Hermaei, known as “Pierre” to the humans, put a damper on their plans. Hermaei was a tracker who recently discovered the locations of Kroshka and Akeia. His end caused humans to launch an investigation and confiscate his data pad and data crystals, which had lain next to his corpse. Humans wouldn’t know what to make of the Radiance data crystals or the pad’s data, which was written in the Radiance Union language. “Then we go with the woman,” Nodevar said.

  Hermaei had implanted a device in the head of the human female in question—something about an experiment to monitor her dreams. The details of the test were of no concern. However, the device was still linked to his data pad. A psionic could merge his or her mind with the implanted device and use it to gain access to his data pad as well as the knowledge of Akeia’s location.

  “If we infiltrate the law enforcers, we could obtain his data pad,” Lettielia explained.

  “We don’t know where they have it stored, and even if we did, we risk detection. I’d rather not have a large-scale fight. It’s just two of us after all.”

  “But it would be fun. Think of the carnage and terror as they see their friends dismembered via weapons from another world.”

  “Grabbing the female has minimal risks.”

  “Except for the fact you can’t use your disks.” She was right on that. Stun disks might overload the device, causing it to fail. Incineratary disks could burn and damage it. Kinetic disks could be used, but there was still the risk of the target’s head hitting something hard and causing damage. Daggers, stealth, and jump-porting were all the tools he’d reliably have access to.

  “I’ll be fine,” he said. “We just need her to not suffer any major head injuries. She doesn’t even need to be alive—we just need her head in one piece.”

  “Let’s play a game, Nodevar,” Lettielia said in a joyful voice. “You carry out your idea, and I’ll do mine.”

  “We don’t have time for this!” he retorted.

  “If I get to the objective first,” she continued, “you have to copulate with me…while I’m covered in the blood of humans.”

  Blue light carried her away as he fixed his eyes on a high-rise structure off in the distance. I’m going to request a new partner when I return home.

  ………

  Chloe admired the new look of her living room wall, her nose twitching at the smell of a fresh coat of paint. Painting wasn’t originally part of her game plan for the day, but with Pierre acting like a typical man and not calling…besides, it took her mind off the eerie sights in the news. Aliens had landed. Her military leave was probably going to be cut short, as the whole country—the whole world—was on high alert.

  Her eyes opened wide at the sound of James Brown’s “I feel good” hollering from her phone—an incoming call. Her feet rushed over to the phone, her hands rushing even faster to grip onto it. Unknown name, unknown number. She sighed, guiding the phone back onto the table.

  The tone continued to play as she entered the kitchen to brew a fresh pot of coffee. The pacifying music came to an end, only to start back up again. Must be the same caller, she thought, slowly moving back toward her phone. Indeed it was. Fine, what do you want?

  She raised the device to her ear. “Hello?”

  “Chloe Vaughan, correct?” asked a strange male voice.

  “Yes,” she replied, “and you are?”

  “Listen, I have some important information for you. You need to follow my instructions carefully as of now.”

  “Right.”

  “Have the police visited you recently?”

  “No.” Three firm knocks echoed throughout her apartment from the front door. Her gaze peered through the small peephole on the door, revealing the presence of two men donning NYPD uniforms. “Actually there’s cops at the door now.”

  “Do not open it.”

  “You can’t be serious.” Her statement came to an abrupt end as the two cops fell to the ground, their bodies trembling violently. A lanky figure appeared from behind them—a man in a black suit with long black hair, blue skin…and red eyes. “Holy shit! OK, you’re serious.”

  “What’s happening?”

 
Keeping her composure, Chloe said, “There’s a blue man in front of the door. He just took them out.”

  “You need to get out now. He’s after you.” Concern grew in the strange man’s voice.

  “Easier said than done. I’m in an apartment.” She peered through the peephole again. The blue man was armed with green glowing daggers and was lunging one toward the door. “What’s going on?” she said, instantly jumping back.

  “I’ll get to those details later. Right now I need you—”

  “Right now you need to fucking tell me what I’m dealing with!” Her eyes widened at the sight of the door’s lock glowing red as the edge of the blue man’s dagger poked through it. “He’s cutting through the door.”

  The man on the phone said a few things in a panicked voice. She didn’t catch any of it. Her phone was now on the floor as her hands gripped a pistol she had retrieved from her purse. She spun to face the door, aiming carefully as it the blue man booted it in. She waited for him to step forward…but nothing happened. A closer look at the forced open door revealed the two downed cops but no one else.

  A greenish hue suddenly reflected off the shiny wooden floor beneath her. Its source came from behind, and that source was extremely hot. Her feet shifted to the side, narrowly avoiding the green glow as she adjusted her aim. Blue light enveloped the intruder’s body seconds before the bullets from her pistol connected with it. He manifested physicality in an instant, and an unknown force pushed her body toward him and her pistol in the other direction.

  She tumbled onto the floor before resting at his feet. Perfect, she thought, leaping forward with a swift tackle. Blue light took him away again, this time reappearing a meter behind her. The extra distance didn’t help him.

  Her quick legwork brought her back to her feet, and her cunning handwork started a series of grapples that resulted in his daggers hitting the floor and then his face. Blue light carried him back toward the front door. She fixed her eyes on him as she kicked his weapons behind her, wondering what else was in his bag of tricks. She got her answer seconds later as he vanished into thin air without the aid of blue light. Plastic paint protection sheets on the floor ruffled as if someone were stepping across. So you can turn invisible? Neat. She firmly gripped an open bucket of paint. A tidal wave of white paint splashed forth, and a spatter of white hovered above, dripping down onto once-invisible legs. Gotcha!

  Chloe’s fingers rolled into a fist as she ran forward, slamming across his paint-drenched face. The two wrestled on the floor, Chloe quickly establishing dominance with a flurry of blows to his head followed by agonizing holds. She was surprised he didn’t teleport away during this assault or even put up much of a fight. Perhaps paint in his eyes disoriented him. His body turned limp as his invisibility wore off. One mind, any weapon.

  Now about that phone call that was unexpectedly put on hold. “Still with me?” Chloe inquired, wiping paint mixed with sweat from her forehead with her freehand.

  “Are you OK?” asked the strange man on the other end of the phone.

  “Yes, now what the fuck is going on?” Chloe demanded.

  “I’m almost to your location. Meet me in the parking garage.”

  ………

  Nodevar’s sore and sticky body woke to the sound of Lettielia establishing communication with him via his ear implants. He arose, recounting the fight that had just transpired. He had underestimated her. Not being able to freely use disks didn’t help either—holding back was never in his nature.

  “What is it?” he asked Lettielia, slightly irritated.

  “I’m bathing in human blood, and I have the data pad with Akeia’s last known location.”

  He rolled his eyes and asked, “How many did you kill?”

  “Enough for them to send backup, which brings me to my next problem. I need assistance right away. My battery pack is low.”

  “Terrific—send me your location, and Whigli and I will be there.”

  “How did you fare?”

  His eyes gazed down at the white substance dripping off his body. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  ………

  “I’m here,” Chloe said, stepping into the parking garage, her phone still raised to her paint-splattered head. “Where are you?”

  “To your left.”

  Her sight fixed in on the given location. A man wearing a black hoodie emerged from a group of parked cars. His hands waved in the air, beckoning to her. They met up quickly as both their heads scanned the area back and forth.

  “You’re CIA, I take it?” she asked.

  “No,” he said, removing his top. “Something much more than that.”

  Underneath his hoodie was a body with green scales on the sides of its arms and light brown skin that matched his dark brown hair. Oh, and a series of strange mechanical devices were fixed into his chest and arms. He was clearly not from Earth—then again, neither was the guy in her apartment. The devices on his body began to glow blue as her face twitched with concern. “Ah, hell,” she said as the two vanished into a burst of blue light.

  Chloe felt her hair and paint-soaked clothes free-floating as the blinding light faded. The parking garage was no longer there, replaced by a strange and brightly lit room. She quickly looked down to investigate why she couldn’t feel the floor beneath her.

  “Oh my God,” she whispered after realizing her body was floating.

  “Welcome aboard.” Chloe's attention focused on the strange man who floated behind her, no doubt an Aryile—well, that’s what the news headlines had labeled them. “My name is Ary Stolanei.”

  Chloe's vision drifted away from him and into the void behind him—a window peering out into the blackness of space. She remained motionless for a few seconds while her brain processed what was going on, unfazed at the fact the heat in this room were about the same as the outdoor summer heat. Finally she spoke. “Why did you bring me here?”

  “We have to remove a device that’s been implanted in your head,” Stolanei explained. “A man posing as a human placed it there while you rested at his residence.”

  “Pierre?”

  “He is a Linl. Their race looks much like yours.” Stolanei hesitated, not sure whether to continue. “He’s a heretic—a rogue group that infiltrated our ship to head to your world, conducting tests we do not approve of.”

  Great, aliens who can look like us. She asked, “How many of these heretics are roaming around down there?”

  “Not many, thankfully,” he said. “We believe he and only one other acted together.”

  Chloe’s thoughts instantly focused on what Sarah had mentioned before her trip. “Sister,” she mumbled to herself, beginning to piece everything together.

  “What?”

  “My sister, Sarah—she’s friends with him and his sister,” Chloe revealed.

  Stolanei raised his hand to cover his mouth, clearly lost in thought before he finally replied. “She is the other we need to find. Do you know where she is?”

  “Sarah went on a trip to LA with the sister.”

  “Then your sister is in grave danger. We need to act quickly.”

  ………

  Akeia’s eyes opened as two of his human captors entered the room. He had been locked up for a few days now. His platinum hair had blackened dusty parts to it—it hadn’t been maintained in a while. His beard hadn’t seen much grooming either—always the case when one was at the mercy of SOI.

  The square room he was in was simple in design. There was a door on the left side and a mirror next to it, and next to that was a rack with a monitor on it. In the middle was a table, where he sat and often placed his head to nap when left alone.

  The two humans approached, sitting at the opposite end of the table. One had dark skin and called himself Boyd; the other had a lighter tone and referred to himself as Keys.

  “Let’s take it from the top, and this time you’re going to tell the whole truth,” said Keys.

  “I told you everything,” Akeia m
uttered.

  Boyd chuckled. “Is that so?” He activated the monitor in the corner. Akeia glanced at the display of Radiance Union members interacting with humans. “Aliens exist, and the world knows it, so cut the bullshit. What the hell are you doing on our planet?” Boyd demanded.

  Akeia paused to think of a response. Radiance making contact at this time was unexpected. He needed more time to process this new turn of events. It was unfortunate his captors were so anxious—they wanted answers right away. “Those beings call themselves the Radiance Union,” Akeia explained. “They are the sworn enemy of my people, the Hashmedai. We came here hoping to make contact with your kind before they did.”

  “Why?” asked Boyd.

  “The Radiance Union have been slowly pushing into our territory for centuries, and our navy isn’t large enough to stop them. Having your kind join them as allies would spell doom for my people.” Akeia looked at the monitor to see a nervous-looking female Aryile being asked dozens of questions from the press. “We just wanted to show humans the other side of the story before they presented theirs.”

  “So you founded a terror group?” asked Keys.

  Akeia laughed and replied, “Ah, yes, please forgive me about that. I had no idea those people you found me with would do such a thing.” He turned his attention back to Boyd and Keys. “I came to this world with my sister and a recon team. We were attacked, and most of the team gave their lives so my sister and I could flee. So I made a deal with those men—they get the weapons from my now-dead recon team members, and they use them to protect me and smuggle my sister out of the region.”

  “So there are more of you?” Boyd asked.

  “There’s a fleet in space, yes,” Akeia said. “On the planet, however, just me and my sister. It’s possible more from my team survived, but I don’t know for sure.”

  “Who attacked you, and where is your sister now?” These were important questions Keys was asking.

  “I don’t know who did it. It happened fast while most of us were sleeping. Projectile weapons were used, suggesting humans or Radiance, though the Radiance have significantly more advanced means of firing those types of armaments. As for my sister, she was in a region called ‘Canada’ when we last communicated.”