by A. K. DuBoff
“As am I.” Wil bowed his head. “To that end, we will soon be rolling out implementation of a planetary shield for Earth to protect against asteroids and other potential hazards. It is but the first of many advanced technologies we will begin sharing with you. Your world health authorities are also vetting medical nanotech we would like to make available. If approved, it’s fair to say that common disease will be a thing of the past.”
“Remarkable.” The interviewer smiled broadly. “Can you tell us a little more about how this technology works?”
After another fifteen minutes, the discussion finally wrapped up.
“Thank you for the enlightening conversation,” the interviewer said. “I appreciate your thoughtful insights.”
“Gladly. I hope your report helps set people at ease.”
“It’s been quite a ride over the last few days, that’s for sure!” He laughed. “I think we’ll get there.”
“I believe so, too. Please, reach out if you have any follow-up questions.”
“I will. Thank you again.”
Wil ended the transmission and collapsed back in his chair. “I don’t know how many more of these I can do this week,” Wil said telepathically to Saera; she was in her office a short way down the hall.
A few seconds later, she entered his office with a smile. “You’re doing great. She closed the door behind her and walked over to his desk.
“I appreciate your cheerleading.”
She sat down on the inside lip of his desk facing him. “You’re pulling off an incredible thing. I never thought my homeworld would get to be a part of this deep, ancient culture I now get to live in every day.”
“It should have been you making contact, not me.” He looked into her jade eyes.
She shrugged. “Nah, not my scene. You’re way better at speeches. Plus, it needed to be handled by a full Taran—someone who could really represent the Empire.”
“Well, you were there at my side in spirit.”
“Always.” Saera leaned down and gave him a kiss. “Honestly, I’m amazed by how peaceful the contact has been so far. We were all braced for the worst.”
He smiled. “It gives me hope that the rest of the Empire can take a nonviolent approach, as well.”
“I guess this means that we can start sending researchers down to Earth to look for hidden alien tech? Whatever our ancestors found important enough for them to keep vigil over Earth.”
He nodded. “On it. I suspect it will be quite some time before we know anything definitive, but I’m excited to see what they might find.”
“Me too. Where are we on the security front?”
“We should be able to begin installing the shield around Earth within the next few days. Still no sign of the enemy.”
“Good news, then,” she assessed.
More like the calm before the storm. He could feel the tension building—the kind of shift in cosmic energy that foretold impending danger. He squeezed his wife’s hand, savoring the warmth of her touch. “We can, and should, celebrate this victory with Earth, but I don’t expect the peace to last.”
— — —
Calls from people in Jason’s past on Earth kept coming through. Several he was certain shouldn’t even have his number. Whenever he found himself feeling irritated with the intrusion of inane questions, he reminded himself that he would have reached out to an old acquaintance he saw show up on global television, too. It was human nature to want to connect, especially to draw links between oneself and anyone with perceived celebrity status. He was famous now, whether he liked it or not.
He ignored yet another call as he strolled to his father’s office for their check-in meeting. “Have you been getting random people reaching out to you, too?” he asked his father while he sat down in his usual chair.
“Oh, it’s been constant. I want to be nice about it, but it’s to a point where I’ve needed to start sending calls straight to voicemail.”
“Me too. I can’t blame them for being curious, but a person can only take so much!”
Wil chuckled. “I suppose we could be wrestling with worse issues.”
“Speaking of which…” Jason turned solemn. “Anything new from the patrols around the Rift?”
“No, which has me more concerned than if we were seeing activity.”
“Is it possible that destroying Alkeer was enough to get even, and that was the end of it?”
“I think believing so would be wishful thinking.” Wil sighed. “The treaty was clear: all Tarans will be destroyed.”
“So, where are they?”
“A very good question. Planning a larger-scale attack, I fear.”
Jason sat in quiet reflection for a few moments. “Are the shields going to do anything to stop them?”
“Between us?”
Jason nodded.
His father shook his head. “Based on the analysis of the attack on Alkeer, that… weapon—I don’t even know what to call it—will cut through anything we have. The only potential countermeasure would be generating a spatial disruption field with a large-scale focusing aperture, such as the ateron band on the Conquest.”
“But that’s the one ship we have with that capability to do anything on a meaningful scale.”
“Our only ship, yes. But the Aesir have offered their assistance; our common Taran ties put them at the same risk as us.”
“How large is their fleet these days?”
“As usual, Dahl wouldn’t give me a straight answer. My guess is they have a few dozen ships with that capability, at most. We could perhaps protect ten planets, optimistically.”
“Ten of fifteen hundred isn’t a great percentage.”
“No. Worse, we can’t maintain a disruption field for long.”
Jason’s heart sank. “Where does that leave us?”
“We continue trying to find a way to communicate with the enemy and attempt to open diplomatic relations. Any combat scenario would result in unacceptable losses, in my assessment.”
“And if they won’t talk?”
“Then we’ll do everything we can to prevent our race’s extinction.”
CHAPTER 19
Getting back into a normal routine, if there was such a thing in the TSS, was proving difficult for Wil. In the week since Earth’s induction into the Taran Empire, there’d been reactions ranging from celebration to protests across the galaxy. Strange that one little planet could spark such strong feelings.
He tried to focus on Michael’s latest operational report, but his mind kept flipping through the multitude of high-priority issues. Tensions were rising everywhere. It would only take a tiny push to send the Empire into chaos.
“Where are we with the transdimensional imaging?” Michael asked, setting his tablet on his lap while he awaited the reply.
Wil sighed. “I wish I had better news on that front. Using the new scan data, we did figure out a way to replicate the conditions used by the Andvari to capture the image, but even CACI can’t come up with a way to maintain those conditions for a continuous video observation. So, it looks like the best we’ll get is bursts.”
“How rapidly?”
“Approximately thirty-second increments. And it’ll take almost the full instantaneous output capacity of the Conquest’s PEM, so communications and jump capabilities will be interrupted during each burst.”
Michael frowned. “That’s disappointing.”
“We have limitations, as much as I hate to admit it. And seeing a fraction of these entities is the bare minimum. What do we do with that?”
His friend shook his head slowly. “I don’t know, Wil. When we’re face-to-face in the moment, you’ll think of something, like you always do.”
“I appreciate the faith, but this time… I don’t know.”
“No sense worrying about matters beyond our control.”
“I suppose so,” Wil agreed. Not that it’ll stop me.
“Which brings us to the matter of Earth and the general unrest t
hroughout the Empire,” Michael said.
Wil didn’t know what the big deal was, honestly. He knew firsthand that humans and Tarans were remarkably similar in their mannerisms and life outlooks. Sure, the planet was lacking technological sophistication, but so were many of the Outer Colony worlds. And humans were industrious and adaptable. Give them the tools, and they could turn Earth into a power to rival the influence of the Taran Middle Worlds in short order. So, he didn’t put a lot of stock in the objections. People resisted things that were new; eventually, they’d realize their complaints were ill-placed.
Given that outlook, Wil was concerned by Michael’s seriousness. He knew his friend to be cautious in his assessments—which made him a fantastic officer to have as a top advisor—but there must be something else going on to warrant the present level of pessimism.
“What about the unrest?” Wil asked.
Michael frowned. “There’s a developing… situation.”
“Meaning?” He braced for the worst. Whatever ‘developing situation’ might be, it couldn’t be good.
“That attack on Duronis seems to be part of a growing separatist movement.”
“Yes, old news. The Guard is handling that.”
Michael nodded. “Which is why I wasn’t going to say anything…”
“But…?
“We received a message sent to one of the TSS field offices near Duronis by a woman claiming to be a part of the movement who’s behind the uprising on the planet. She’s made assertions that they’re connected to something larger, and she’s looking for a friend who went missing after joining them. She doesn’t want to be a part of what they’re doing, but she’s afraid about what might happen if no one is watching from the inside.”
Is she a standup citizen or is this a trap? Wil met his friend’s gaze. “Do you have a copy of the message?”
“Yes.” Michael forwarded it to Wil’s account. “I know this is the Guard’s domain, but their response hasn’t been proportional to the magnitude of this potential threat. The rumblings are becoming louder and more persistent.”
Wil pinched the bridge of his nose. “I thought the recent approval ratings for the Taran High Council were favorable?”
“They are. And that joint statement from Dainetris and Sietinen has been getting positive press. So, it’s possible this may turn out to be nothing.”
It’s never ‘nothing’ once you have a seasoned Agent taking notice. Those whispers would turn to shouts sooner than later, if history was any indication. “What are our people in the field saying?”
“They’ve tried to ask around, but you know how it is around Agents—people see us coming and get far away.”
“Apparently, our presence is no longer deterrent enough.”
“The problem is, the events on Duronis have been timed to what’s going on with the Rift, tracing all the way back to the Andvari’s salvage contract. They seem to have a response ready for our every move.”
“Do they have an informant within the TSS or Guard?”
Michael shrugged. “I haven’t seen anything to suggest insider intel. They’re just smart.”
“That’s worse. It would be nice to know who is driving the message that the Outer Colonies are better off without Tararia. At least, I assume that’s what the separatists are calling for?”
“In a nutshell.”
“Well, pulling away from the Empire won’t get them in a better place, regardless of what some may think. Every time a planet has seceded, they’ve fallen into a Dark Age.”
Michael studied him. “Like Earth?”
“Of course—the Empire’s favorite cautionary tale.”
“I think there was a concerted effort to leave Taran technology behind, in that case.”
“Yes, but look where that got them—a divergent genetic branch with lost ability potential, technologically hamstrung, and barely able to look after the health of their planet. Yet, they were venturing out into the solar system and wanted to spread those problems. We’ll have a chance to guide them toward a better path now that we’re reunited, but it goes to show what’s possible. If we get too many rogue groups like that…” He didn’t need to complete the thought.
“Right.” Michael nodded. “So, that’s why I thought it prudent to follow up on the tip. See what you make of it.”
“Thank you for raising these concerns. I’ll go over the available information with Saera and figure out a plan.”
“I’ll be standing by.” Michael showed himself out.
Wil sent a telepathic summons to his wife, and she joined him in his office. Once she was seated, he played the video message received from the informant, who had identified herself as Lexi Karis. They listened to it three times to confirm the details.
“This isn’t good.” Saera frowned at the final frame of the video, showing the attractive brunette’s concerned face. “Wil, I’m worried. They have a case.”
“What do you mean?”
“The arguments about power dynamics in the Empire. After all, these protests directly impact your parents and our daughter, and we’re using our influence in the TSS to ‘monitor the situation’, and we’ll use that information to report back to them. The altruistic intentions don’t matter. There’s enough validity to the messaging that it may take hold.”
“I can’t deny being invested beyond an official capacity,” Wil admitted.
“What do we do about it? Step aside?”
“No. The truth is that anyone will have bias in their position. At least we’re aware of ours and openly acknowledge it. That’s why we’ve surrounded ourselves with good people who’ll make sure we don’t let those feelings factor into our decision-making.”
Saera nodded. “That’s true. But how do we convince the public of that?”
“With tensions running so high at the moment, we certainly can’t make any open move right now.”
“And covertly sending in an Agent to follow up on this lead is out of the question, because they won’t trust anyone with abilities.”
“Not to mention, after what happened the last time we sent someone in undercover, I’m hesitant to try again.”
She grimaced. “Yeah, that one is still a little raw.”
“The easiest thing to do would be to kick this tip over to the Guard. However, I’m not sure if their approach would align with our own preferred methods.”
“If they don’t handle this, is it the TSS’ place to intervene?”
“Who else could?”
Though Wil always tried his best to stay clear of Taran politics, it was inevitable that the TSS needed to get involved in certain matters. While the Tararian Guard was the military and police force of the Empire, the TSS was recognized for its diplomatic aptitude. Their reputation allowed them to intervene without it being seen as an overt application of force on the part of the government; instead, their involvement was often welcomed as a sign of good faith for fair negotiation.
Any separatist group had a reason for wanting to pull away from the Taran Empire, valid or not. The TSS was in the best position to find out why and see if an amicable agreement could be reached that would maintain a measure of harmony between the Taran-occupied worlds. Though true equity remained a lofty forward-looking aspiration, there were at least little things the Empire’s leaders could do to improve citizens’ lives. The trouble was, with a population in the trillions, they needed to be made aware of specific issues in order to address them. As unfortunate as it was, trying to manage fifteen hundred worlds meant that sometimes people fell through the cracks in the system.
Saera leaned back in her seat. “So how do we proceed?”
“I can’t ignore testimony like this with everything else that’s going on. We need ears out there—someone who can get the real story.”
“Who could we send?” she asked.
“Since when does the High Commander need to make those kind of staffing decisions?”
“Since you ordered Michael and me to subscribe a
ll available field units to monitoring the Rift.”
“Of course.” The tension rose in his chest. We’re already stretched thin and the real conflict hasn’t been begun. However, just because he didn’t fully trust the Guard’s methods, that didn’t mean they couldn’t draw on their resources. “Fortunately, I have another idea.”
— — —
Jason cautiously entered his father’s office. Cryptic summons almost always meant bad news or a mountain of work. Either way, he already had enough on his plate between the Rift situation and trying to convince his old acquaintances on Earth that the Taran Empire wasn’t attempting a hostile takeover of the planet.
“Hey, what’s up?” he greeted his father, closing the door behind him.
Wil looked up from behind the High Commander’s desk and motioned for Jason to sit in one of the guest chairs. “Complications, of course.”
“What now?”
“Disruption in the Outer Colonies, naturally. Because we need another civil war in the midst of this other shite.” He sighed and combed his fingers through his hair. “Sorry, this is reminding me too much of the years after the war. I hadn’t anticipated the need to mentally prepare for another crisis.”
“Dad, are you okay?”
“I will be. But fok! We can’t get a break, can we?”
This was the last thing Jason had expected when he walked into the room. He’d known the situation with the Rift was serious, but seeing his father’s nerves frayed drove home that things were far worse than he’d realized.
“Is there something else you haven’t told me?”
“Things in the Outer Colonies are getting heated, and the Guard isn’t handling it.”
“We don’t have jurisdiction, do we?”
“It’s not an issue of jurisdiction but of resources and leadership.”
Jason nodded. “The Guard is often lacking in finesse.”
“We have been able to work together and unite our unique skillsets in the past, and we need to do a lot more of that going forward. I’m thinking of one soldier, in particular, who can help create that bridge.”