On Galaxy's Edge: Ascendance Read Free

She hadn’t moved in that time, seemingly not caring about the knife that he held.
    “Hello?” he said. He waited a moment, but she didn’t respond, instead simply staring at him with those large eyes of hers. “What’s your name?” he continued. He lowered the knife to his side. “Can you speak? I’m Nero.”
    For another few seconds, she continued to stand and stare at him, but then it appeared she made a decision of some sort, and spoke in a strangely confident and musical voice. “Talyah. My name is Talyah.”
    “Talyah? Do you live around here?” Nero asked, somewhat relieved that she could talk.
    “Yes. But you don’t. I am wondering, where are you from, Nero?”
    He wouldn’t normally talk to a stranger about himself, but there was something about this girl that made him relax his guard a bit. And besides, he thought, he didn’t live at home anymore. It couldn’t do any harm telling her. “Section 75,” he said. “My mother and I... used to live there.”
    “Where is your mother now?”
    “She...” Once again he paused, lost in her eyes. What harm could it do, telling her? “She’s dead. She was murdered. I had to run away.” He said it in such a clinical way it surprised even him.
    “Very well, Nero,” the girl called Talyah said after another one of her pauses. “You may come with me.”
    And with that, she turned around, and on her long legs, began to stride quickly down the alley. Without a second thought, Nero followed her. He didn’t think about where they were going, nor even about his bag, left alone in the small alcove behind him.
    They walked for half an hour, or perhaps it was nearer to an hour, making their way through the alleys and streets of the city, until Talyah finally slowed down, and came to a halt outside what looked like an old, disused shop. Set in the bottom of one of the great metal and glass skyscrapers, the ground floor fronting had been destroyed, leaving a gaping hole in the bottom of the building. Inside, an old counter could still be seen, though it looked like the others had long been removed. In passing, Nero wondered why no one was living in this shop. A makeshift wall at the front, and you’d have a pretty decent place.
    When nothing further happened, and they were still standing in front of the building, Nero turned to Talyah. “What are we waiting for?”
    “Patience, Nero. We must wait.”
    Getting the message, Nero proceeded to wait without saying anything further. About five minutes passed without Talyah making a movement, and then Nero heard a faint noise. It was a sort of grinding sound, as of metal brushing past another bit of metal. Glancing at Talyah, he saw that he wasn’t imagining it. To Nero’s ears, it had come from inside the shop, though he could see no other doors in there, nor any other sign of movement.
    The noise came again, but louder this time. Almost as if a door was grinding open. Then from behind the single remaining counter in the shop emerged a head, with a body following it. Out stepped a huge man, built like a tank, holding the largest laser rifle Nero had seen. The weapon looked as if it could punch a hole through a few inches of metal, at the very least. In fact, it wouldn’t have surprised Nero if the man himself could punch through a sheet of metal. He must have been seven feet tall, with arms and legs as thick as Nero himself was. Pointing the weapon directly at Nero and Talyah, the man strode towards them.
    As he approached, the stern expression that looked ingrained on the giant’s face transformed itself into a big grin, immediately putting Nero even more on edge.
    “Talyah!” he boomed, lowering the weapon. Perhaps he wasn’t a danger.
    “It is nice to see you again, Mal.”
    “You as well, little one,” he said, with a slight twinkling in his eyes. “And who is this you bring with you?”
    “This is Nero. I found him in Section 93. He’s safe to bring below, Mal.”
    “Very well, Talyah,” Mal said,