by A. K. DuBoff
The side hatch dropped open, and Kira stepped out.
A warm breeze ruffled her short red hair, and she took a deep breath of the fresh air.
Thanks to the limited number of inhabitants and the strict tourism limitations, the planet was one of the most pristine colonized worlds in the Taran realm. Kira felt fortunate to have grown up in a place with such natural beauty, and it irked her that tourists took it for granted that they could waltz in like they owned the place while meanwhile trashing their own planets. If she had her way, Valta would have much stricter visitation rules—no ‘ecotourists’ who couldn’t identify a flowering tree.
At the bottom of the gangway, Kira paused to assess her surroundings. She had been told someone would come to meet her but had no details beyond that.
No one jumped out at first, but then she spotted him—Leon Calleti. Tall and fit, with sandy hair from his father and mesmerizing violet eyes from his mother, Kira instantly remembered why she’d fallen for him all those years ago.
Thoughts of their time spent together on Valta as teenagers flooded back—begging her to reminisce about simpler times. She tried to ignore the temptation, knowing she couldn’t become distracted from her mission. All the same, he was going to make that difficult.
Hoping her face wasn’t as flushed as it suddenly felt, she strolled over to Leon and gave a casual nod. “Hey.”
“Hi, Kira, it’s good to see you.” His voice still had just the right timbre.
Snap out of it, Kira! she snarled at herself. You’re a Guard officer. You’re better than this. She took a deep breath and smiled, trying to look the part of the military officer she’d become. “You too, Leon.”
“Everyone was pretty surprised to hear you were coming home.”
“Yeah, well, I needed a vacation. Not many places better to unplug than here.” Her cover story was thin, but it should serve its purpose. While Leon knew the real reason for her visit, it was best to keep up appearances in the public setting.
“Your timing is good. I almost had to leave the planet to find work, but then this new MTech lab opened up.”
“That’s right, you went to school for genetics. I guess it’s ‘Dr. Calleti’ now, huh?”
Leon’s smile enhanced his already luminous eyes. “You should still call me ‘Leon’. My position isn’t nearly as fancy as it sounds.”
Still as humble as ever. Part of Kira had hoped that he’d be bitter or angry with her after how she’d left him, but his poise had been one of the things she’d always found most attractive. She’d realized years before that she’d been in the wrong to leave him how she did, and any ill-will would be well deserved. Seeing him again, still so much like the memories she’d cherished, resurfaced the self-doubt that plagued her in her darkest moments. If she didn’t get it in check, she’d have to convince herself all over again that leaving home to join the Guard had been the right move.
“I’m glad everything worked out for you,” she replied, just barely meeting his gaze.
“Not much had changed around here since you left, until MTech set up shop. You know how Valta is.”
“I do.” She looked over the dissipating crowd. “I guess we should get going…”
“Right. I have a car parked at the lot.” Leon began strolling toward the small check-in terminal.
“So, how’s life?” Kira asked, trying to keep the present moment in perspective. I’m here for the Guard.
“My parents are doing well. Ellen moved to Elusia two years ago and hasn’t looked back.”
“That’s right, I do remember her being more of a city girl.”
“She’s working in politics now, if you can believe it. Last time we talked, she was interviewing for some position on the press staff for the president.” Pride filled Leon’s voice while he talked about his elder sister.
“That’s great!”
He smiled. “Yeah, she was really excited.”
They passed by the terminal and entered the small parking lot. Leon headed for a blue two-door vehicle parked in the second row. Its lights flashed as they approached.
“And you—aside from the new job, anything of note?” Kira questioned as she opened the passenger door.
“Not really.” Leon shrugged as he slid into the driver’s seat. He continued when Kira was seated and doors were closed, “Since I graduated from my doctoral program on Mysar, I’ve been focused on getting my career established. I didn’t expect to stay here, so I’ve been keeping to myself.”
Is that a roundabout way of letting me know he’s single? Kira smoothed her hair behind her ear and secured her seatbelt. “I know what you mean about focusing on career.”
Leon placed his hands on the steering wheel but didn’t start the vehicle. “Kira, what does the Guard want with this MTech lab?”
“I’m just here to gather information.”
“No, you’re here to decide what information you want me to gather. I want to know what it’s for.” He stared at her, studying her features as if trying to determine if she’d tell him the truth or not.
“We only want to make sure MTech’s work is all above board.” At least that was half-true.
“Kira…” He tilted his head questioningly. “This isn’t going to work if you’re not honest with me.”
She stared straight ahead. I never should have agreed to this mission. It was under the pretense of hiding her true feelings and intentions that she’d last seen him, and now, a decade later, she was still keeping things from him. “You know the details are classified.”
“I won’t be able to help you if you don’t give me a little more.”
Kira finally looked over and met his gaze. “You still want to help me? After everything?”
He slouched in his seat. “You really want to do this now?”
“Not really, no. Honestly, I never thought I’d see you again.”
“Well, you’re here.” There was the bitterness she’d been waiting to hear.
“Yes, I am.” She picked at the bottom hem of her shirt. “I’m sorry. I should have said that a long time ago.”
He took a slow breath, saying nothing as he stared out the windshield.
“I owe you an explanation—”
“You know, never mind, Kira,” Leon cut in. “I don’t think I want to have this conversation right now. The past is the past. Let’s focus on this MTech situation.” He started the car.
“Yeah. Okay.” She gathered herself. The mission. Stay focused on the mission.
“So, what are you after?” Leon prompted while pulling out of the parking space.
She sighed. “All right. We recently investigated another MTech operation that was… questionable. We’re concerned that this facility might be working on that same project, and I need you to use your position at the lab to get me in as a visitor so I can check it out.”
Understanding passed across his face. “Right, and they sent you because of your unique gifts in the information-gathering department.”
“Being a native was part of it, yeah.”
“Well, I’ll tell you right now, I don’t have access to most of the lab. They have all the operations compartmentalized, and clearance to different areas goes along with that.”
“I can find my way,” she assured him.
He sat in silence for several seconds. “What happens if your suspicions are confirmed?”
“My team comes in and we shut it down.”
“This is MTech, Kira. They won’t take kindly to the Guard showing up at their door.”
“We’ll bust the door down whether they invite us in or not.”
He shook his head. “You never used to think about things that way.”
“A lot has changed.”
“I guess people do go in different directions, like you said when we last saw each other.” Leon directed the car toward the road leading away from the port.
A sharp pang struck her heart. “I couldn’t stay here and just be a Reader, making a living off tou
rist tips.”
“I get that, but there were other—”
“The Guard has been good for me, Leon. I don’t have regrets.”
He focused on the road ahead. “Good.”
Kira bit her lip. Even without glimpsing his mind, she could tell Leon still had a flame burning for her even after all this time. That really wasn’t what she needed to hear. Despite what she said, she did regret never letting the relationship run its natural course. No one she’d met in the Guard came close to what they’d had together. But as much as she wished they could rekindle that romance, they were in different worlds now, despite this brief intersection.
She set the thoughts aside. She had a job to do. “I’m feeling antsy after being cooped up on the civilian transport ship. Do you know a good gym?”
“As a matter of fact, I’ve taken up Fizic Proma. You’re welcome to come with me later.”
“I never pegged you as one to get into martial arts.”
He shrugged. “I’m not the same person I used to be, either.”
Kira eyed him. “All right. I’ll see what you’re made of.”
Leon cracked a smile. “I think I might even be able to show a Guard soldier a thing or two.”
— — —
The capitol building for the Elusian government rose above the surrounding city, its gleaming metal façade and blue glass reflecting the afternoon sun. From her office on the seventh floor, Ellen Calleti was able to see the bottom portion of the tapered structure, sloping down into the enclosed garden surrounding the base of the building. It all seemed so shiny and pristine from up here, but over the last two years on Elusia, she’d learned the inner workings of government were anything but.
Ellen tucked a loose strand of sandy hair behind her ear and tapped her stylus against her touch-surface desktop, thinking through the implications of the latest message in her personal email: >>The next phase has begun. Be ready.<<
She had been ready since the day she left Valta. Everything she’d done had led to the position she now held, giving her access to the most senior members of the Elusian government. That position placed her in the center of powerful political machinations with opposing goals.
On the one hand, the Taran Empire offered a measure of political stability and access to resources unlike anything her people had ever seen. Rejoining as a full member of the Empire would mean her people would want for nothing.
However, the Elusian Alliance and its frenemy neighbor, the Mysaran Coalition, disagreed about what their place would be in the Taran Empire. The Elusians were all for reunification, but a growing number of Mysarans favored complete independence. A shared economy between the planets meant that only one world joining would disrupt the balance for everyone in the Elvar Trinary.
As far as Ellen was concerned, continued independence was worth that temporary upset.
She knew what would happen if transit between worlds became open to all—how her beautiful home of Valta would be overrun by tourists and Empire scientists seeking to exploit the planet in the name of scientific research. Beyond that, she couldn’t trust that a galactic entity like the Taran Empire would have any respect for a little three-planet system like her home. Her people would be swallowed up and exploited.
They would be better off if the Elvar Trinary was on its own. The only obstacle was Elusia.
An incoming voice-only call lit up on Ellen’s desktop. The caller’s details were marked only as ‘Unknown’. She knew exactly who it must be.
She answered. “You shouldn’t be contacting me at my office like this.”
“It is almost time for action. Are you ready?” the digitally distorted voice replied.
“Of course. But I thought the next phase was still months away?”
“We decided an expedited approach was needed. The details aren’t important.”
Ellen frowned. Her collaborators never seemed keen on sharing the details. Until she pressed. “What does this next phase entail?”
“A deliverable that isn’t your concern.”
“But what—”
“You must play your part,” the voice cut her off. “Can we count on you?”
Her face flushed, and she took a deep breath. “Yes.”
The call disconnected.
Ellen wiped her sweaty palms on her gray pencil skirt. Her role was critical, and she knew her people were counting on her. One day soon, she would kill the President of the Elusian Alliance.
— — —
Data could lie, but the story these particular forensics told might just be twisted enough to be true.
Kaen evaluated the trail left by his dummy file. He had anticipated the file would be relayed directly from the Guard servers to some outside recipient, likely in the Mysaran Coalition. However, not one but four individuals had viewed the file and then subsequently forwarded it on.
One of the forwards was a legitimate fleet order, so Kaen dismissed it. The other three, though… He was up against more than just one collaborator, and it was obvious from the transmittal records that it was not toward the same ends. The test he’d designed was a little too enticing. He may have inadvertently accelerated a civil war.
Shite! Why now? The Elusian Alliance had been so close to signing the official reunification agreement with the Taran Empire. He needed to come clean so they could get ahead of the situation—if that was even possible.
Kaen grunted his frustration as he pulled up the contact details for the Elusian president.
Elton Joris answered almost immediately. “Colonel Kaen, I didn’t expect a call so soon.”
“I’m sorry to bother you again, Mr. President, but my investigation has taken an unexpected turn.”
“Oh?”
“I’m afraid the leak isn’t isolated to someone in the Guard feeding information to the Mysarans. It appears that there’s a collaborator in your very administration, and that individual is connected to a contact in one of the major news outlets.”
The president frowned, the flush in his face making his hair appear even whiter. “What would be gained from that?”
“Indirect control. If the Guard needs to take military action, our stealth movements could be preempted with a public news article. It’s a great way to control what we can do—stay quiet when our movements are beneficial for their agenda, or expose us if it’s not in their interest.”
“There have to be more effective ways to intervene.”
“Yes, but by adding a public disclosure component, they gain significant leverage.”
Joris considered the argument. “That means someone might be writing an article right now.”
Kaen took an unsteady breath. “Yes, sir, and it won’t tell a good story.”
“Why, what bait did you use?”
“For a fleet to mobilize at Mysar’s moon.”
“Fok!” The president turned away from the camera and shook his head. He breathed out through his teeth and then turned back. “How bad is it?”
“That depends on how closely someone looks. The orders were never officially signed off by General Lucian. However, if someone is interested in sensationalized news media, that detail is probably irrelevant.”
“Well, that’s just foking great.” The president rubbed his eyes.
“I apologize, sir. I didn’t anticipate this contingency when I designed my test. The intent was to see if Mysar mobilized a military response for a fleet that wouldn’t be there. But if this false information becomes public, they’d declare that the Guard is making a decisive military move.”
“Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse…” Joris paced in front of the camera. “Someone in my own administration could bring the entire agreement with the Taran Empire crashing down.”
“I’ve pulled the document and issued a cancellation.”
The president groaned. “That doesn’t matter. If someone wants to use those original orders against us from the inside, they’ll do it. People only look at headlines, so real flee
t or not, we’d be facing an unchecked outcry of public opinion on how to handle the situation.”
Kaen hung his head. “I’m sorry, sir. I never thought we’d have to worry about anything on the Elusian side.”
“Neither did I.” He sighed. “I’ll need to make a statement. We can’t have public opinion questioning the vassal agreement at this late stage.”
“In better news, the test was successful. I know where the leaks are, so this won’t be an issue in the future,” Kaen offered.
“Assuming those are the only leaks.”
One step at a time. “Yes.”
“Fix this.” The president ended the call.
Kaen slumped back in his chair. This went sideways at record speed…
His worst nightmare escalated to a whole new level when an incoming communication request illuminated on his desktop. General Lucian was calling. Oh, fok.
CHAPTER 6
Kira’s hometown of Tribeca had grown since she left, but it had retained the quaint charm of stucco building finishes and extensive greenspace even within the urban center.
She and Leon chatted as they drove, falling into a comfortable rhythm once the initial tension dissipated. Though the issues from their unresolved past would no doubt come up again, she embraced the opportunity to catch up with Leon as a longtime friend.
Their destination was a new residential suburb located next to the recently constructed MTech lab. The residential neighborhood consisted of compact one- to two-bedroom cottages that shared common outdoor space.
“Only about half the homes are occupied so far,” Leon explained as he pulled up in front of a cottage in the middle of the development. “I reserved one for you near mine so we can debrief more easily.”
“Great, thanks.” Kira stepped out of the car and stretched while taking in her surroundings. The grounds around the cottage were landscaped with long-stalked red flowers, and the lawn wrapped around a central fire pit and patio area. “It’s beautiful here.”
“Sure beats those tin cans you live in.”