by A. K. DuBoff
“Knowing what I know now, I would protect your life by giving my own,” she replied.
“Then what could have been never was, and so shall never be.”
Her face screwed up for a moment while processing the words, then smiled. “Need anything else today?”
“No, take the evening for yourself. I suspect we’ll be at it bright and early tomorrow. If you’re up for it, I’d like you to lead the team that’s compiling the statement about reintegration and its benefits.”
Ellen inclined her head. “I’d be honored, sir.”
“Excellent. Have a good night.” He waved farewell.
Joris returned to his office for one final task before he could rest easy for the night. The conversation with the Mysaran chancellor still had him on edge.
He knew Colonel Kaen was likely still on Valta dealing with cleanup, so he sent a secure email communication for him to address once he was back at Guard Headquarters.
He kept the message concise: >>Chancellor Hale may not be herself. Possible connection to the subversions within the Guard. Investigate immediately.<<
Elusia may now have the Guard’s protection, but they weren’t out of danger yet.
— — —
Kira hopped off the medical exam bed. “So, nothing anomalous?”
“All clear,” Doctor Elric replied. “Have you been feeling okay?”
“Great, aside from being unusually hungry.”
“That’s not surprising after the amount of activity you’ve had.” The Guard doctor opened the door. “Rest up. Your stress indicators were higher than I’d like.”
“You should know by now that’s normal for me.”
“Doesn’t mean it should be that way,” the doctor chastised. “Rest.”
With Leon being here, I’m not sure how much sleep I’ll be getting in the near future, but releasing tension I can do. She hid her smirk. “Yes, Doctor.”
Kira wound her way through the station’s corridors, taking a leisurely pace to her quarters. It was more of a home to her than Valta had been since she was a teenager, but she now had the most important piece from her former home here, as well—and even the relationship with her parents was on the mend. While perhaps not a perfect arrangement, things were the best they’d been in years.
She found Leon leaning against the wall outside her quarters. “How’d it go?”
“Healthy as can be. Though, I am under strict medical orders for some stress relief.”
He grinned. “Say no more.”
Indeed, few words were spoken over the next half hour. As she basked in the afterglow of the lovemaking, it was clear that the doctor’s prescription for stress relief had been filled.
“I missed you,” Kira murmured into the crook of Leon’s arm.
“I missed you, too.” He kissed her forehead.
Kira traced her finger down his bare, toned chest. “I don’t really know how to do relationships, but I want to try.”
“I’m out of practice myself. I think the fact that we’ve been missing each other after a decade apart indicates things will be just fine.”
“Won’t argue with that.” She nestled closer to him.
They lay together for a while longer until Leon dozed off. Kira eventually dragged herself out of bed and wandered into the bathroom.
She cupped her hands under the cool water and leaned over the sink to splash her face. As she wiped the water away, Kira gazed into the wall mirror. Her heart skipped a beat. Gone were the hazel eyes she’d had her whole life—her irises were glowing orange.
“Well, shite.”
This is the end of Mindspace Book 1
THE STORY CONTINUES IN CONSPIRACY…
Get Book 2 now!
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Kira’s greatest opponent may be herself.
Following her exposure to experimental nanotech, Captain Kira Elsar faces an uncertain future. But uncontrollable transformations aren’t her only problem.
A previously undetected alien menace, a race capable of remote telepathic control, is threatening her home system… and the Tararian Guard. With the discovery that a government official in Kira’s home system has been subverted, Kira’s team must get control of the situation before the Elvar Trinary descends into chaos.
Get the next Mindspace book now!
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***
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ALSO BY A.K. DUBOFF…
Cadicle Series
The Mindspace series is part of the broader Cadicle universe. The seven-volume original series sets the stage for a political revolution which will change the Taran Empire forever.
"Exciting space adventure" - Publisher's Weekly
The Taran Empire is fighting a secret interdimensional war... and they're losing.
Out of sight from modern-day Earth, the Taran Empire rules the galaxy from the planet Tararia. Cris Sietinen, a High Dynasty heir, leaves home to seek training for his prohibited telekinetic abilities and start a new life with the Tararian Selective Service (TSS). But training to be a TSS Agent isn’t the dream life it seems. Cris and his family are at the center of a galactic conspiracy and must fight in a secret interdimensional war that will spur a political revolution. Join three generations of the Sietinen family as they challenge destiny to win a war where enemies are not always who they seem.
Book 1: Rumors of War (Cadicle Vols. 1-3) - Buy it now: smarturl.it/cadicle123
Book 2: Web of Truth (Cadicle Vol. 4) - Buy it now: smarturl.it/cadicle4
Book 3: Crossroads of Fate (Cadicle Vol. 5) - Buy it now: smarturl.it/cadicle5
Book 4: Path of Justice (Cadicle Vol. 6) - Buy it now: smarturl.it/cadicle6
Book 5: Scions of Change (Cadicle Vol. 7) - Buy it now: smarturl.it/cadicle7
Dark Stars Trilogy
“Do-overs” are possible.
Elle and a team of companions with magically enhanced abilities embark on an interstellar quest to stop an alien invasion. The unique crystalline network connecting their worlds allows reality to be reset to past moments in time, but an alien Darkness is corrupting the crystals and entire planets. If Elle and her friends can’t stop the Darkness, their worlds and loved ones will be lost in shadow forever. Dive into this adventure with a fun blend of high-tech sci-fi and traditional fantasy magic!
Book 1: Crystalline Space - Buy it now: smarturl.it/darkstars1
Book 2: A Light in the Dark - Buy it now: smarturl.it/darkstars2
Book 3: Masters of Fate - Buy it now: smarturl.it/darkstars3
Troubled Space
Nothing could possibly go wrong. Probably. Well, maybe…
When you go to the trouble of legitimately buying a ship for your illegitimate smuggling operation, and that ship turns out to be stolen from a powerful weapons dealer… well, you might figure the universe hates you. But not Jack Tressler, an aspiring smuggler; he’s used to taking misfortune in stride. Given the choice to die—or get an ill-fitting cybernetic eye and join a crew of thieves on a crazy heist—he opts for the unpleasant modification. After all, it’s just another day in the life. With rabid pirates, ruthless corporations, and a scorned former employer all vying for the same bounty, Jack and his new friends will need all their wits and snark to survive until their next meal in this farcical space opera adventure.
Buy it now: smarturl.it/tsms1
More Books and Stories
For a complete list of Amy’s writing:
www.amyduboff.com/books
> Browse Amy’s books on Amazon: smarturl.it/amyduboffbooks
AUTHOR’S NOTES
Thank you for reading this first book in the Mindspace series!
There were many steps along the way for this series to become what it is today. The journey began almost two years ago, when I reached out to Michael Anderle and Craig Martelle about writing in the Age of Expansion within the Kurtherian Gambit Universe. The opportunity allowed me to quit my ‘day job’ so I could write full-time, and I can’t express enough thanks to Michael, Craig, and the rest of the LMBPN family and JIT readers for helping me to take that initial plunge!
Working with them, this Mindspace series was originally published as the Uprise Saga. In that iteration, the Robus were Hochste, a form of Were-Vampire. For anyone familiar with Cadicle, that wouldn’t fit well with the universe cannon. When I found out that I’d been able to get my rights back to this series and republish, I started thinking about how I could rework everything.
One element that the original Cadicle series didn’t have was properly alien-y aliens, so I took this as an opportunity to begin weaving some truly foreign biology into the storyline. The political unrest in the Elvar Trinary was an ideal transition to the post-Priesthood era in Cadicle, so everything started to fall into place perfectly.
I wanted to be sure to draw direct connections to the original Cadicle series and planned Taran Empire sequel series. General Allen Lucian, introduced in Cadicle Volume 7, is the commanding officer over Kira’s base; how he got to be in that position will be revealed in later books. I have some other crossovers and character cameos planned, but I don’t want to spoil anything for what’s to come in Mindspace!
I’d like to thank John, Jim, Leo, Eric, Pam, Kurt, Tracey, Troy, Curtis, and Deborah for their tireless beta reading assistance, as well as the original JIT readers on Uprise Saga. You have so many great ideas and have such amazing eyes for language. Thank you also to Andrew Dobell for the awesome cover, Jen McDonnell for editing, and Diane and the rest of my incredible proofing team for adding the final polish to the book.
To my amazing husband, Nick, thank you for supporting me. Almost two years ago, he gave the go-ahead for me to quit my day job to write full-time. I am so very lucky to have him as my best friend and life partner. I’d dreamed of being an author since I was a little girl, but I never imagined I’d be able to make that dream a reality.
Thank you again for reading, and I hope you will continue reading the Mindspace series as Kira’s story unfolds!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A.K. (Amy) DuBoff has always loved science fiction in all its forms—books, movies, shows and games. If it involves outer space, even better! Now a full-time author, Amy can frequently be found traveling the world. When she’s not writing, she enjoys wine tasting, binge-watching TV series, and playing epic strategy board games.
To learn more or connect, check out:
www.akduboff.com