The Dragon's Harvest by Jason F. Boggs Book Tour and Giveaway :)
The
Dragon's Harvest
The
Dragon Trilogy Book 2
by
Jason F. Boggs
Genre:
Space Opera, SciFi
Join
Nelson Jones on a journey of horrifying discovery as an expedition to
uncover the mystery of the sun gates leads to a terrible secret. This
time, the Humans and the Aesini are fighting for their very lives as
Nelson's nemesis, Ira Bilis, finds a terrifying ally in her quest to
restore the New Era to its former glory. Nelson and his friends must
now race against the clock to defeat this new threat - a power beyond
imagination! Author Jason F Boggs continues the journey into a
fascinating universe full of complex characters where what it means
to be human and the line that separates right from wrong is explored
on an epic scale.
Chapter
21: The Devil's Dragon
Ira
Bilis stepped up to an awaiting shuttle, a lieutenant saluted her at
the base of the landing ramp, she ignored this and walked past him to
the top of the ramp, the loud clacking of her jack boots on the steel
seemed to contradict her demure figure, she turned to regard the camp
one last time, it was swarming with Aesini warriors, a small
contingent of Paladins in defence formation were picking off any of
the aliens who dared shoot at or make a rush toward their position. She
breathed in the carnage for a short time before regarding her junior
officer with a smirk as he walked up to join her "It makes you
feel alive doesn't it"? "Uh, yes ma'am". "Is
the shuttle loaded with what I ordered"? "Yes
ma'am, the storage containers have the trinkets that you selected
from the local villages". "I
know what there are"! She tightened her grip on her riding crop,
the familiar ominous leather on leather sound made him flinch. He
knew that these cases of plunder was everything she had stolen from
the Aesini, bracelets, earrings, fine fabrics, jewels, even some
gold. He guessed that these spoils of war would fund her retirement. "Give
the order". She nodded to him who saluted, turned and barked to
the small group of soldiers below. "Move out, go go go"! He
made a wind up signal. "Yes LT"! They clamoured up the ramp
and as it was closing, enemy bullets hit the steel door making a loud
pinging sound. The shuttle took off with two dragonfly escorts, the
last of the fighters that remained, the roar of its engines
punctuated the tumult below, Nadija heard the turbulence and looked
up to see the spectacle of the three ships taking off and shook her
head with dismay. "She escaped didn't she"? Horx shared her
conclusion. "There
are other ways to exact justice, the Gods will see to that".
Seric sought to offer some comforting words, Nadija gave him a
sinister grin "No, not the Gods, we will". Seric
gave her a look of displeasure and cleared his throat for a rebuttal;
however, Nadija felt the need to supplement her thoughts. "We
don't have time to discuss the finer points of faith and philosophy
my friend but suffice it to say, we are all made of stars and both of
us are tiny insignificant life forms scuttling around under the same
sun like microbes in a Petri dish, that makes us more or less the
same under any God or Gods that you nominate, whether there is a God
or Gods or not, whether we're here because of evolution only or
evolution assisted by intelligent design from a higher power, it
doesn't really matter in the end, I just do what I do because it
makes me feel good". "Doesn't
really matter? Creation is not purely by chance look around you! We
are the instruments of the Gods, some are called upon to carry out
their will, others work against it merely to benefit themselves, most
do nothing overall, I most certainly disagree with your simplistic
assessment". Seric coughed with incredulity. "That's
your right, let's just keep moving". Horx wasn't inclined toward
profound conversation at this point. "Wow Nadija that's kinda
deep, here I was thinking you were just a soldier". "No
one's just anything Evan, what we are isn't nearly as important as
who we are". Her eyes had a sparkle in them whenever she looked
at him lately and it made his heart skip a beat. "To be
continued over some noodles". He smiled, hoping she understood
that noodles was a euphemism for so much more. They
ran down an embankment until they arrived at the main entrance to the
camp, Seric took his temporary blanket robe off "I think we'll
be safe here". He declared as he waved to a group of about a
hundred Aesini, clearly this area at least was secure and although
gun shots could still be heard in the distance, Nadija gestured for
Horx to put his weapon away. There
were at least fifty Paladins squatted with their hands on their
heads. As Seric was greeted by his fellow warriors, Nadija asked "You
guys are taking prisoners?" Seric
glanced at the POWs and nodded "They can be used at the
negotiating table, they will be treated with more kindness then you
humans afforded us". "Present
company excluded, don't paint us all with the same brush".
Nadija protested. "Right,
of course, I'm sorry it's just that whatever the outcome, prejudices
will remain, so much damage has already been done". An
elderly warrior rode up atop a strider and peered down with a smile
"Seric, the fact that you’re still alive proves that the Gods
have a sense of humour". "Chief
Naid, the convert Nelson Jones is at the base hospital with Meaghan,
we have to go rescue them". Nadija looked up to regard him. "Lead
the way then". Naid let out a whistle to summon a mank, when one
appeared Alene's face was already on its belly. "Nelson's
at the infirmary with Meaghan". Naid reported.
"That
area is in the middle, still unsecured, gather up your troops, I'll
head in from the West, you take the south and we'll meet up there,
the dragonflies have retreated to their mother ship for now, probably
to resupply so we must act fast". Naid
saluted his daughter. "Alright, you heard your queen, move out"!
And enthusiastic roar of approval erupted from the warriors as they
swarmed up the alley that Seric and his entourage had just come from. Nadija
held out her hand to Horx to stop him and shook her head. "We've
done enough fighting, let's find a safe area and see if your little
experiment worked". Horx
nodded and turned on his tablet, scrolling through some menus, Wong's
concerned face appeared on the screen. "Report Evan". "Mission
failed but I think we still have an outcome that may be to our
advantage". "I
have heard that the Aesini have overrun the camp yes"? "True
enough, it's safe for you to meet up with us now, we'll be in guard
post...". Horx looked up and saw some large numbers emblazoned
on the side of a white tower, a single Aesini warrior was in position
at the window. "... Sixteen". "What
will you be doing up there"? Wong cocked an eyebrow. He
glanced at Nadija who blushed. "Watching some TV" Horx
smiled. The
atmosphere inside the shuttle was sombre, Resen had fallen to the
enemy and the soldiers had their heads bowed with the shock and
disappointment of defeat, except Bilis who strode up and down between
them with her head held high, she gently tapped each of their knees
with her riding crop to get their attention. "Ladies
and gentlemen". They all regarded her, including Botany who sat
silently between the crates at the back of the cabin, almost unseen
like he was part of her loot. "We
are now in space, about to dock with the command ship, despite
appearances, we have not lost, this is part of a greater plan that
the President has foreseen". She smiled menacingly. "There
is a moment of truth that is about to occur, a moment of reckoning
that will determine the outcome of this struggle against the alien
menace, I'm taking overall command of this mission to ensure final
victory and I need to know if you are with me or against me, right
now". She
peered into each of their eyes, one by one and in turn they answered
"with you ma'am", "loyal and true", yes sir",
"to the end", "now and forever". She
didn't bother with Botany; he sat there expressionless, silent in the
shadows. "Good,
when the moment comes, I will give you the codeword "downfall",
at that moment you will not hesitate to open fire on Admiral Reece,
he has refused a direct order from the Central to fire upon the enemy
which has now taken over the camp, once we take command of
the Gilly, we bomb the shit out of them, we do not tolerate weakness
in the new era do you get me"?! "We
get you sir"! When
the shuttle landed in the main docking bay, Reece was there with a
ceremonial compliment of troops to greet her, she was obviously
outnumbered, now was not the right time. "Major
Ira Bilis, it's good to see that you made it out, I've been in
contact with the President and have given him an update of the
situation". She saluted Reece who returned in kind. "Admiral,
it was by the skin of my teeth that I escaped and the bravery of my
Paladins shall not be forgotten, by the way it's General Bilis now".
She turned to look at her troops and gave them a small smile. "I
didn't hear of this promotion, congratulations". His face had a
sceptical expression. "May
we meet in private"? "Of
course, there is much to discuss". Reece gave a junior officer a
nod who gave the order to dismiss the honour guard, as they marched
off, Reece held out his hand for her to walk toward another exit
which would eventually lead them to the ship's meeting room. "You
may dismiss your troops General; they've fought well and must be
eager for R&R". "They
will have earned it before this day is over". She agreed, her
pace was slow as they walked, it didn't occur to him that she was
stalling for time, waiting until his troops had entirely left the
docking bay before confronting him. "Are
you injured"? He feigned concern. "Just
fatigued sir, a little battered and bruised too". This was the
truth. When
they got to the exit door, Reece's troops were finally gone but
Bilis's contingent remained in formation behind her, Reece's face had
a growing look of concern. "Dismiss your troops General or I
will for you". "Not
yet". Reece
went to grab his cylinder but Bilis put her hand on his wrist to stop
him, the concerned expression now turned to alarm. "What the
hell's going on Ira"? Her
troops now cocked their rifles and trained them on him. "Oh
my God". "Admiral,
I am taking over this mission, I would much prefer that you remain in
command of the Gilgamesh and we'll pretend that this little awkward
moment never happened as long as you acknowledge that I'm in charge
overall". "The
president's in charge overall". He scowled at her. "And he
has deemed me fit for command of the expeditionary forces, I am the
Admiral you silly little girl"! He
regarded the soldiers behind her. "When you put on that uniform,
you took a sacred oath to follow the proper chain of command put
forth by the leader himself, put down your weapons, that's an order
or you'll be in front of a firing squad"! He barked at them but
they remained unmoved. Bilis
walked a circle around Reece, her riding crop twisting between her
leather gloves at her back. "Reece, this is an opportunity for
you to make things right, this is the turning point of this war, all
you have to do is resume your post as fleet Admiral and follow my
orders, the first being to bomb the crap out of the camp below and
then Apolinya, is that understood"? "I
only follow orders from two people Ira, Jessie and Jacob, we've known
each other for a long time, from the start, you know I can't change
that, you know there is no compromise"! "They're
not here, they will never be here, this system belongs to us now and
the only way we can rule it is with an iron fist, the outcast
colonies will be a shinning beacon, an unreachable outpost
of the new era, an impregnable fortress, a utopia of strength and
order defying a universe of chaos, I'm giving you the chance to be a
part of that Adam, to revel in its glory!" Her
eyes sparkled with a maniacal intensity as she made a fist, Reece
grimaced, she'd never called him by his first name before. "President
Freeman ordered that I do not bomb the camp and withdraw the
fighters, unlike you he values his personnel still down there".
He looked at the troops in her entourage. "You are only here to
forward her agenda, she's addicted to power, that's why Freeman held
her back on a short leash, he knew she'd turn out like this, don't
you see that"? "He
lies, last chance Reece, join me". She stared into his eyes at
close range and for a moment he could see something he couldn't
reconcile with his mind, it was fire blazing in her eyes, was it his
fear playing tricks with his eyes?
"Never".
He whispered. Her
troops raised their guns, ready to fire on her orders. "Downfall".
Reece
slumped under a hail of bullets, dying in a pool of his blood he
looked up at her standing over him. "You're
the devil". He managed to spit out before he closed his eyes and
ceased to exist.
"No,
I am the devil's dragon". She whispered to herself as she walked
out of the hangar, her troops marching in formation behind her. "I
am what the universe has made me". The doors closed behind her,
only Botany remained, standing in the middle of the bay, alone,
forgotten. Meaghan
lay on the operating table, coughing meekly and wheezing she stared
into his eyes. "I love you Nelson".
"That's
twice I've heard that today but you're the only one I wanted to hear
it from". He held her cool hand tightly as the doctor applied
anesthetic over her mouth and hooked her up to various machines. "She's
haemorrhaging; I've got to go in now". He muttered. The doctor
was soaked in the blood of patients he'd worked on before her, his
expression was frazzled. "Save
her doc". "I
can only play with the cards I'm dealt, the less you talk from now on
the better so shut up". Her
eyes closed under the effect of the anaesthesia and the doctor
proceeded to cut her open, he didn't even bother cleaning the
equipment first. Some
minutes of silence passed as he worked furiously over her, the
doctors face was obscured by his mask so Nelson watched his eyes, he
didn't like what he saw, the eyes betrayed him, they looked
increasingly less confident and Nelson's heart sank, tears welled in
his eyes. "Please
doc, please save her, she's pregnant". "You
don't think I know that"?! They
heard shouting and shots being fired from outside the operating
theatre and for a moment they looked at each other with trepidation,
the doctor then returned to Meaghan and shook his head. "Looks
like your war found its way here". He grumbled. The
doors swang open to the theatre, a few Aesini walked in and raised
their weapons at them, Nelson stood up, his hands raised. "I'm
done fighting". A
female stepped forward adorned in a purple cape. "Are you Nelson
Jones"? To his surprise she could speak English. He
nodded, his hands still raised. "Do
you mind? I'm trying to save a life here"! The doctor bellowed. "Two
lives". Nelson tilted his head toward the doctor who shook his
head regretfully, one of the machines made a flat line sound. "No,
just one now". Nelson
lowered his hands and turned to look over Meaghan, she was gone. "Oh
Jesus no, no no no, why God why"? His tears now flowed down his
face as he sobbed over her, his expression grew dark. "Bring her
back"! The
doctor shook his head, Nelson pulled out his pistol and raised it to
the doctor "Bring her back, at least try, why don't you at least
try"?! Naid
leaned over and grabbed his gun, wrenching it off him, Alene held him
as he cried, he wasn't even aware that he was embracing the alien.
Seric walked over and put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "Too
much death has been seen today". Naid whispered. The
doctor continued to operate "I can save the child but she will
need an incubator to survive, she's premature". "Tell
me where to find this incubator". Alene said. "There's
none on this mound of shit you call Resen, the only ones we have are
on the capital ships, the Gilgamesh has one. Nelson
wiped his eyes and looked at the doctor "I'm sorry about my
reaction doctor". "I've
seen worse, now, can you get me on that ship"? He
thought for a moment and shook his head regretfully. "No, I
don't see how". Alene
stepped in front of him and looked into his eyes "Never lose
hope Nelson, the Gods have determined that we meet for a reason". "Who
are you"? "I
am Alene, first Empress of the Great Tribe and I will lead all of us,
human and Aesini alike to the path of righteousness". Naid
and Seric looked at each other and said in bemused unison "Empress"? "This
is my father Chief Naid and my good friend Seric". They
nodded and Nelson let out a slow exhale. "So, what now"? "Now
you need to name this child". A small cry could be heard behind
them and they all turned to see a new born baby girl being cradled in
the doctor’s arms, so tiny and fragile and Nelson let out a gasp,
he couldn't believe his eyes. He walked over and held out his little
finger, the baby's hand could feel it and grasped at it.
"Liana". "Why
this name"? Alene asked. "That
was the name of Meaghan's grandmother, she told me about her once,
right about the time my daughter was conceived in fact". He
smiled, recalling the moment of his short lived intimacy with
Meaghan; it seemed so long ago now. "She lived in a better time,
a better world, far from perfect but better". "Then
the birth of this child shall herald better times again". Alene
declared. "Touching,
but she's only got a few hours to enjoy these better times unless we
get her to an incubator and a proper hospital". The doctor
growled.
The
Devil's Dragon
The
Dragon Trilogy Book 1
Set
80 years into the future, Nelson Jones, a young military cadet full
of optimism, is enlisted into the New Era: a fascist regime that
arises to rule the world after an attack from an alien species. Under
the leadership of Earth’s dictator with his ruthless enforcer,
Nelson witnesses horrible abuses of power and is forced to confront
his values and his world view to make difficult choices. When he
happens across a small faction of resistance against this tyranny,
Nelson must risk his life to do what he feels is right. Author Jason
F. Boggs introduces a universe full of complex characters where the
line that separates right from wrong is blurred. The Devil’s Dragon
is the first of a rich trilogy that explores what it means to be
human, from a multiple of perspectives.
Jason F Boggs has spent over 25 years in hotel Management where he experiences peoples' true natures - both good and bad, fertile ground for these stories. Jason currently lives on the Gold Coast in Australia with his wife SueEllen who patiently endures his imagination and their two cats, who do not.
"I
set out to write something that would be a fantastic experience on
the big screen, a thought provoking space opera with a female villain
and a reluctant hero who's on a journey of self discovery. This
action-packed trilogy explores what it means to be human, even if
you're not". Jason F Boggs 2018.
Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive content and a giveaway!
Comments
Post a Comment