Supreme Leader of Anstractor: A Sci-Fantasy Space Adventure (The New Phase Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

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    “We’re about to be invaded, Aury, and none of our friends are here,” Velman said in a voice too calm to match the frightening things he was saying.
    “Geralos?” Aurora asked, and he nodded absently.
    “We need to get you and Ian to safety. This looks bad.”
    Aurora furrowed her brow and adjusted the baby in her arms. “Get us to safety? You forget that I am an officer in the Vestalian marine corps. We aren’t going to hide from any of them. We belong on this planet and I want to help to keep it that way,” she said.
    “No one’s questioning your bravery, Aurora, but Ian is just a baby. If you want me to take him to shelter, so be it, but we’re not going to risk his life,” he said firmly.
    Aurora started to say something back but realized he was right. She would be putting baby Ian in danger if they stood their ground to fight the Geralos, and that would not be fair.
    “I’m curious, Vel,” she said suddenly. “Why hasn’t there been an alarm, or any kind of warning about the invasion?”
    Velman was about to reply when he saw the energy field that surrounded Zallus turn cloudy in a translucent mesh and then an alarm was blaring. “Spoke too soon,” he joked, and as a voice on a loudspeaker began to give instructions on finding a bunker, Aurora locked eyes with him and smiled.
    “So, husband, is it run to the bunkers to wait out the fight, or do we go to the Phaser agency for a front row seat?”
    Vel could see that she was being serious and he didn’t know what to think. The agency would be the safest place in an attack. They could see the Phasers deploy when it was time to fight and there would be chances, albeit brief chances, for them to talk to Aurora’s brother, Rafian.
    “Let’s go,” he said and they got into their hover car and sped off in the direction of the academy.
    Aurora saw the patterned sky turn translucent again as their car pulled up close to the tall, square building of the Phaser agency. Marian VCA was walking towards them and Aurora couldn’t suppress the happiness she felt upon seeing her.
    “Sister!” she yelled as Marian grew close, then handed Ian to Velman and ran out to hug Marian.
    “Aurora, sister, I’m so happy to see you! I didn’t know you were living in Zallus—who is that little guy?” Marian inquired, looking past Aurora’s curly Afro to stare at Ian, who was making a fuss.
    Marian walked over to the car and reached for Ian, who Velman happily gave up before exiting himself. The baby’s crying died down when Marian cradled him and then he tried to reach up to touch one of her eyes. She dodged his finger and kissed his hand, then lifted his shirt and blew on his belly. Ian loved it and kicked his legs with glee, and Marian began to speak to him softly in the Tyheran tongue.
    Aurora watched while all of this was going on, amazed at how natural Marian was with the child. Ian TOR, the galaxy’s most miserable baby, was quite at home with his auntie Marian.
    “Aren’t you just perfect?” Marian said. “Take him away, Aurora, take him now. If you let me keep him longer, I swear we’re going to have to cross las-swords over him.”
    “You like your pretty auntie, huh, little Ian? Just like your uncle Rafian. I’m guessing this one already has a weakness for tall, pretty girls that like to fight,” Aurora teased and her words were met with a mocking tongue from Marian’s mouth.
    “How come you guys aren’t going to the bunkers?” Marian asked, looking them over as she bounced Ian on her arm.
    Aurora watched her and felt a wave of sadness. Marian was a natural, but she and Rafian would never be able to have a child of their own. Rafian had undergone the original trials that turned men and women into what the organization at the time had called “persons.” A person was robbed of their reproductive abilities, and even if Rafian had not been sterilized, Marian was an alien woman from a different galaxy, which meant there was a chance that