Ascendant Saga Collection: Sci-Fi Fantasy Techno Thriller

by Brandon Ellis

  Jaxx attampted to hypnotize himself in his room, but it never worked. Slade had said something about there being tech buried in the walls of Donny’s office, but that was back when he lied about implanted memories. The reason he couldn’t hypnotize himself was auto-suggestion. He’d been trained, Pavlov-style, to respond to Donny’s voice. He knew that. Still, a bummer. He needed Donny in order to travel back through his own damned memories. He needed to do something about that. Maybe if he laid down, imagined he was in Donny’s office, and regulated his breathing, perhaps he could trick himself into an altered state. He’d heard that dweeb count him down enough times; he could probably conjure up his voice, so it felt like he’d take him in…

  All it took was his head hitting the pillow. He didn’t need to hear Donny counting him down.

  Jaxx landed on the forest canopy’s floor with a thud, a portion of his parachute slipping through the branches and landing on top of him. He pushed the parachute away. Ripped to shreds. He unstrapped, pressed the rescue beacon on his belt, and sent out a signal to Star Cruiser Liberty in hopes they’d send a rescue mission.

  A couple of cuts in his jumpsuit pants had reached deep enough to scratch a few bloody lacerations on his leg, but minor. His lower back a bit sore, nothing he couldn’t deal with.

  He climbed out of his ejection seat and trudged forward, away from his starfighter’s wreckage a few klicks behind him and toward Rivkah’s burning wreckage. Maybe she was alive somewhere near her downed craft.

  The forest was one big shadow under the canopy of trees. The air was humid. A mix of jasmine and soil tickled his senses.

  A bush swished back and forth next to him and something scurried off deeper in the brush.

  He was on a planet he’d never visited. Hell, he’d never been on any planet but Earth. He unholstered his Interstellar Plasma Gun, IPG-14, from his belt, a weapon he’d never used before. A laser sight attached.

  He held his gun out and cautiously moved around a spiked tree. He touched the spike then pulled his hand away when an insect, a scorpion on pumped-up hyper-steroids, jumped from behind the spike and hissed. “Holy Shit.” Jaxx reeled back and reflexively pulled the trigger.

  The bug splattered, and a gooey mess was left in a charred divot in the tree’s bark. A thin line of smoke twirled upward.

  He stood, his breath shallow and hard. “Calm down, Jaxx.” His heart beat in his throat. “Relax.”

  If a bug could scare him that easily, Rivkah might get a hole in her chest if she came out from behind a tree and startled him. He pushed the thought away, squeezing his free hand into a fist, pushing his nerves as deep down as possible.

  He stepped over a rock and brushed aside a low hanging branch full of reddish-orange fruit. He inched his way silently across the forest, the heat getting to him. Spots of perspiration spread across his jumpsuit. He needed water but the Taiyonians were probably looking for him and in force. If they had a trackers, he didn’t have much time to find Rivkah, locate a hiding place, and wait for a rescue team; if one was on its way.

  “Just keep trekking,” he whispered.

  Pushing aside a palm leaf and ducking a thick tree limb, he took a long stride. His foot fell into thick sludge. A rabid cry pierced the forest and mud splashed across Jaxx’s torso like someone threw a can of paint with no lid at him.

  He back peddled, his forearm coming up and covering his face.

  A trumpet sound mixed with a low, whining drone—not unlike bagpipes—erupted in front of him and a tentacle lashed out. It connected with his shoulder.

  Jaxx flung his arm back, losing his weapon. It bounce across the ground as he tumbled and landed on his back.

  The large tentacle loomed and whipped away. The earth lifted in front of Jaxx and an animal, with a bulky frame and a tentacled nose, emerged from the slime. Its eyes were almond-shaped and blue, its body like a hippopotamus. It leaped forward, landing in front of Jaxx.

  Jaxx cautiously moved, his palms out. The universal symbol for slow it down, buddy. “Whoa, back up. I don’t mean any harm.”

  Its tentacle extended and gave Jaxx two gentle pats on his head, then sidestepped around him. Its hairless, hippo-like torso grazed his shoulder as it walked by and over a small hill.

  “What in the world...?” Jaxx wiped himself off and looked in all directions. If the Taiyonians hadn’t known his exact location a minute ago, they did now.

  He picked up his IPG pistol and hurried to a boulder at the base of a hill. He crouched behind, watching and listening for movement; any indication that the enemy neared.

  Nothing.

  Not even an alien bird whistling.

  The battle, the crash, and the strafing of the city might have driven the majority of the animals into hiding.

  Jaxx raced up the hill, staying low.

  At the top, he spotted smoke spiraling from a line of burning, fallen trees. Rivkah’s crash. He could see the the top of a vast forest from here and turned and faced his crash site, then dove to the ground. A craft hovered over his site. Black smoke billowed. A beam blasted from the craft’s belly, extinguishing the fire beneath. It spun, its nose in Jaxx’s direction.

  Jaxx crawled behind a tree, branches full of needles and leaves. Strange combination. He rested his back against it. The craft purred overhead and slowed into a hover.

  He eyed the sky through the breaks in the branches. The craft hummed a hundred feet above. It ascended higher and sped toward Rivkah’s crash. Jaxx stood. He eyed the craft as it reached Rivkah’s crash site and extinguished the expanding fire.

  The craft moved south and lingered over the canopy two klicks away. Did Rivkah escape to that area? Shit. Maybe.

  Jaxx hiked hard and fast. Down the hill. Over rotten wood. Around mushrooms taller than him that were covered in fluorescent red and green colors. He rushed by flora and fauna that would make his university colleagues mad with jealousy. And he’d barely gave any of it a second glance. At this moment, only Rivkah mattered. And he gasped when he saw her. He ducked low behind a line of tall shrubs that resembled rhododendrons in bloom and surveyed the area. He didn’t want to crash into her hideout and give her away, if she hadn’t yet been found.

  She positioned herself under a small, low outcropping. Trees and fern-like plants surrounded her. They concealed her well. He crept toward her, lifting one foot over a golden-hued shrub and the other leg over a gooey, green puddle. No telling what might fight and what might flee.

  Rivkah clutched her leg just below a tourniquet she made. She winced as if pain consumed her.

  He took another step, then abruptly stopped. Movement on the outcropping above her. He lifted his IPG and went to one knee. His stomach hardened. He slipped his finger through the trigger guard. “Don’t move,” he yelled.

  A figure stood on the ledge directly over her. A man with long black hair. Asian in appearance, black pants and a blue coat that flared into a cape. He jumped from the outcropping and onto the forest floor. A Roman scutum-style shield materialized in his hand.

  Rivkah let go of her leg, cringing in agony. She moaned and toppled to her side and out of Jaxx’s line of sight. The man took a step toward her. Jaxx pulled the trigger.

  The guy crouched and held the shield out. Blue electricity spun at the shield’s center, absorbing the shot. A whirr sounded and the electricity vanished. The man peered around his shield. He dipped his head at Jaxx as if in respect.

  Odd.

  Jaxx lowered his weapon. The guy stood straighter and the shield disappeared. He slapped his fist in the palm of his other hand and held it at his heart. He gave a short bow, then dashed off and through thick foliage and out of view.

  Jaxx rushed Rivkah. She squeezed her eyes shut and groaned in pain. Opening her eyes, she lurched back. “Jaxx?” She reached for him. He’d never see her so vulnerable, so pale, so...scared. She was losing blood. They needed to get their butts off this planet, and now. Or she wouldn’t make it.

  He slid in next to her. “Rivkah?�
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  Her eyes fluttered closed. He gently slapped her cheek to keep her awake. Her eyes opened. Vacant. He touched her forehead. She burned like a stove. He placed his index and middle finger on her neck and to the side of her windpipe, checking her carotid artery. Her pulse was slow, barely noticeable.

  “Rivkah, can you hear me?”

  She nodded.

  “Stay awake. A rescue team is on its way.” He didn’t know if there was any truth to his words, but wanted to keep her hopes alive. “Stay with me. They’ll be here soon.”

  “They...won’t.” Her voice was as weak as her pulse.

  He checked her leg. Below the tourniquet was a large gash. Blood streamed, pooling on the ground. The tourniquet was too loose and she was bleeding out.

  Jaxx reached down her leg, untying the tourniquet. He slipped it off and rolled it tighter, then retied it around her leg, making sure it tightly squeezed. The blood now dripped. He didn’t fix it, but the slower the bleed the better.

  He looked around for something that would cauterize the wound. Maybe he could hold up a broken branch and shoot the upper portion with his IPG. That would get the branch scorching hot or disintegrate the targeted portion of the branch altogether. Didn’t matter. He had to give it a try.

  He scanned the leaves and branches, the shrubs and grasses, for something that would burn hot enough to staunch the bleeding. He caught sight of a silver, oval pouch lying on the ground just out of reach. The man he attempted to kill must have dropped it. Hopefully, not on purpose. If so, it was probably dangerous. A bomb, perhaps. Or could be a chemical device. Heck, it could be a phone for all he knew. But, they were running out of options and his curiosity was piqued.

  He approached the pouch, IPG in hand. He poked it with his gun.

  The pouch shot up a few feet. Jaxx dove for cover. He went into a ball and covered his head. No explosion. He lifted his gaze. The pouch sat upright. A neck extended from the body of the contraption, a cap atop the neck. The pouch popped into a flask?

  He hopped to his feet and walked, almost cat-like, toward the thing. He lifted it carefully, turning the silvery flask over in his hand. His intuition said it was safe, though when had his intuition ever done him any favors? Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained. He twisted the cap open, closing one eye and looking inside.

  Gold flecks stirred in a clear liquid. He repeated the same questions he had just moments before. Did the guy accidentally drop this? Did he leave it on purpose, thinking Rivkah and I would drink it and die shortly after?

  He checked in again with his newest friend; intuition. Apparently, he had the go-ahead. He dipped his finger inside. He leaned his head back and opened his mouth and held his finger over his tongue. The warm liquid streamed down his index finger until it came to a head at his fingertip. A drop touched his tongue.

  Water. He expected the flecks to taste, but they didn’t.

  He blinked, waiting for the effects to take hold. If it was poison, then a little amount probably wouldn’t kill him. He’d simply vomit.

  He straightened his shoulders, then his spine, feeling a rise of energy. He took a deep breath, or rather, his body breathed more life into on its own accord. He yawned, taking in more air.

  He felt alive. Strong. Energized.

  He wanted to run, just for the sake of running. He wanted to move around, do push-ups, sit-ups. He didn’t care as long as he exercised.

  He stretched, taking in another breath.

  “Rivkah, you gotta…”

  She slumped to the side, eyes closed. Hardly breathing.

  He sprang to her, flask in hand, dropping to his knees and feeling for her pulse. She was alive, though her pulse more faint. He was losing her.

  He opened her mouth, pouring in a small amount of the liquid. It dribbled out, the water merely dampening her lips and skin.

  He lightly slapped her cheeks to wake her up. “Stay with me, Rivkah. Stay with me.”

  She took in a deep breath and held it for a few seconds.

  Then exhaled.

  He felt her pulse a second time. Almost undetectable. He filled a cap-full of the water and gave her more.

  Her pulse lightened.

  “Dammit. Don’t leave me, Rivkah.”

  He gave her another swig and checked her pulse yet again.

  Nothing changed.

  He slumped and sat hard on his butt.

  I’m killing her.

  This had to be poison and if it wasn’t, then he had overdosed her.

  “Ne, Mishusta.”

  Jaxx let out a sharp breath. He dropped the flask, the contents spilling out until there was nothing left. He grabbed for his IPG and pointed it at a man hanging from the outcropping by his feet. The man flipped to the ground and bowed.

  Jaxx kept the IPG steady on the man’s forehead. “What do you want?”

  The man pointed to his chest. “Kiyo-zan.”

  “Kiyo-zan? Is that your name?” Jaxx had taken Japanese in high school. It sounded Japanese-ish. Perhaps he had an accent? Maybe his people had migrated from Kyushu, the southern-most island of Japan? Their accents were thick as molasses; wonderful to listen to, but hard to comprehend. It was so long ago that if this guy spoke Tokyo-style Japanese, which Jaxx highly doubted, he still couldn’t figure out what the man was trying to say.

  He trained the IPG on the man more intensely. “Please leave.”

  The man lowered and reached for something inside his cape.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

  The man paused, then nodded. “Anashita no tame ni.” He slowly slid his hand out from inside his cape and put another flask on the ground. It stood upright and a neck popped out, exposing a cap over the flask’s mouth.

  The man jabbed a finger at his chest. “Kiyo-zan.” He spread his arms out wide, motioning outward and at the entire forest. “Taiyo-zan.”

  Jaxx shifted in his seated position. The guy’s name was obviously Kiyo-zan and they called the planet, Taiyo-zan.

  Jaxx glanced at Rivkah. Her lips now a blueish pink, she trembled.

  Another flask landed near Jaxx, startling him. He lifted his gaze. Kiyo-zan imitated drinking the flask by holding an imaginary flask in his hand, while simultaneously pointing at Rivkah with his other hand. “Shite kudazen.”

  Jaxx snagged the bottle and untwisted the cap. He poured the water into Rivkah’s mouth, then let up.

  Kiyo-zan shook his head, imitating drinking the flask but leaning his head all the way back more as if finishing the entire drink.

  Even though Rivkah didn’t swallow, she by chance took some down her gullet. Maybe that’s what Kiyo-zan was getting at—the more, the better.

  “Here goes. This guy better not be trying to kill her,” he said under his breath.

  Jaxx emptied the flask into Rivkah’s mouth, the water dribbling down her chin and cheeks, drenching her jumpsuit collar.

  Rivkah smacked her lips. Her eyelids twitched. Her skin tone morphed from “scary grey” to “healthy brown,” and her lips turned pink. He checked her leg but no change. It dribbled blood. He touched her neck, feeling for her pulse. Better, stronger.

  Kiyo-zan made a click sound. Jaxx clutched his gun when brush moved and foot steps carried across the forest. Taiyonians came into view. Same outfit as Kiyo-zan, though a bow and arrow weapons strapped to their backs, glowing a hazy orange.

  One woman held out a bowl and gestured to it, then placed her hand in it, pulling out a yellow cube. She put it in her mouth and chewed, rubbing her stomach. She smiled and placed the bowl in front of Kiyo-zan. She pushed it forward.

  Jaxx shook his head. “Do you have anything for her wound?” He motioned to Rivkah’s leg. He didn’t know why they helped him, especially after his small starfighter squad just took out a quarter of their city, no doubt killing countless Taiyonians. Regardless of whether they were friendly or not, he held his IPG in front of him, making sure they could see it. Who knew, the Taiyonians might be massing in the hundreds on th
e ridge and outcropping above him, waiting for him to come out so they could seize their moment of glory.

  A flash of light split the sky, followed by a boom. Everyone looked up, including Jaxx. A craft descended, smoke trailing from it. His belt vibrated, which meant the rescue team was well on their way.

  That was fast.

  He touched his belt, turning off the vibration revealer, and looked out across the forest. The Taiyonians were gone.

  The ground shook. Jaxx held onto Rivkah, keeping her stable and secure. Cracking branches riddled the forest and an intense rumbling echoed against the ridge.

  Then silence.

  An Oospor Class-9 Dropship hovered ten yards away, broken branches littered the ground around it, the sun’s rays highlighting the ship through the newly created hole in the forest canopy.

  There was the standard pffftcha of a ramp unlocking from the airtight craft, then steam curling around the opening. A large man in an armor suit stepped through, his boots clanking on the ramp at each step.

  “I’m Special Agent Nick Cole. Do you need my assistance?” His voice was loud and digitized through the helmet's external speakers.

  Jaxx shook his head. He had Rivkah in his arms, holding her like a husband carrying his bride.

  A crack came from behind the craft. It could have been a shot, but it could have been the octo-hippo searching for lunch. Cole took no chances. In one leap, he was on top of his craft. He balanced like a tightrope walker on a tension wire and reached for his rifle, the IPR-9, magnetized to the back of his titanium suit.

  He aimed and riddled the forest with plasma fire, each shot followed by a tracer. Trees snapped in half and brush caught fire until he created a circular inferno around his ship. The perfect, unassailable perimeter. No one could get in or out.

  Jaxx stepped onto to the ramp, desperate to get Rivkah on-board, where she could get the medical attention she needed. The craft looked wider on the inside than the outside. A hospital bed in one corner. A pilot and a doctor rushed to him, helping him rest Rivkah on the bed.