Offensive

by A. K. DuBoff

  “Meeting is ASAP,” Nia replied.

  “Classic.”

  Kira smoothed her suit and re-styled her short, red hair as best she could while they walked down the hall to the designated briefing room. It wouldn’t be the first time she showed up to a meeting directly following a workout, and it likely wouldn’t be the last.

  When they arrived, Kyle, Major Sandren, and Colonel Kaen were waiting for them around the table.

  “Sirs,” Kira greeted the two officers.

  “Thank you for the prompt arrival, Captain,” Kaen replied.

  “Of course, sir.” Kira took the chair closest to the door.

  “I’m sure you’ve already guessed why we’re meeting,” Sandren stated as soon as everyone was settled. “We need to address Gaelon.”

  Kaen nodded. “We’ve rolled out testing for the telepathic receptor—or TR—neural structures Leon and his team identified, but Guard leadership has deemed future telepathic assaults to be too big a risk for us to move past this incident without further investigation. We’re authorizing a recon mission to Gaelon so you can see what we’re up against.”

  Kira’s chest tightened. “Yes, sir.”

  “I’ll accompany you on the Raven,” Sandren continued. “Our long-range scan indicates that there’s at least one, or possibly two, planetary bodies in the system. There’s some strange radiation that’s made it difficult to get an accurate assessment.”

  “So, we run an in-system scan and report back?” Kira asked.

  “This might require an on-the-ground investigation,” Kaen replied. “You mentioned that the alien, Reya, shared a vision of a planet with you. If you do find a world matching that description, biological samples might shed more light on what kind of being we’re dealing with.”

  Kira exchanged glances with her team members. “Sir, none of us are trained botanists.”

  Sandren smiled. “Considering your skillset includes hacking into complex computer systems while under enemy fire, we figured picking flowers would be within your ability level.”

  Kira smiled back. “So long as you don’t require an aesthetically balanced bouquet in a vase, sir, we should be able to manage.”

  “Hey now,” Ari interjected, “I’ve been known to make some lovely arrangements when the situation demands.”

  Kaen sighed and shook his head.

  “We’ll keep that in mind,” Kira told him. That’s very good to know. She added the tidbit to her mental file for the practical joke payback she had been planning.

  “Stand by for departure details,” Sandren stated. “You’re all dismissed—except Kira.”

  She remained seated while the rest of her team departed. “Sir?” she said when she was alone with the two officers.

  Kaen folded his hands on the table. “Major Sandren and I discussed your condition while we were planning the upcoming op. After reviewing the mission report from Mysar, it appears you’ve gained some control over the abilities granted by your new nanites, but not enough to be reliable.”

  “Yes, sir,” Kira acknowledged.

  “We understand that Leon developed a suppressant for you, though the side effects are unknown,” Kaen continued. “Frankly, we don’t have time to go through proper trials to see if that’s a viable solution—especially given that we don’t know how the nanites are coded to you, specifically.”

  Kira nodded. “I agree.”

  “For that reason, the best option seems for you to be paired with an AI,” Kaen concluded.

  Kira’s heart skipped a beat. “Sir?” Leon had already suggested that option to her after she returned from Mysar, but she hadn’t yet given it proper consideration.

  “I did. We’ve identified an AI on Lynaeda who seems like she’d be a perfect fit for your present situation. She received an excellent recommendation from one of Doctor Elric’s colleagues.”

  Sharing my head with someone else… Kira took a slow breath. “Do I have time to think about it?” she asked.

  “We’ll need to know before we depart for Gaelon, and we can’t delay that mission for long,” Sandren replied. “You can have an hour.”

  “And if I don’t want to move forward with the procedure?” Kira questioned.

  “Then we’d have a discussion,” Kaen stated.

  They either convince me, or reevaluate my role on the mission. Kira took a slow breath. “Yes, sir, I’ll let you know.”

  CHAPTER 2

  As soon as she was dismissed, Kira sent Leon a message to meet at her quarters.

  They’d had little alone time since she returned from Mysar, so the notion of heading out to Gaelon so soon didn’t thrill her. However, she wouldn’t rest easy until she was certain the alien threat had been neutralized. In the meantime, she could use a sounding board for the decision about getting an AI.

  Leon was waiting outside her door when she arrived. “Hey,” he greeted.

  “Hey. You made it here fast.”

  “I was already on my way back from the lab.” He looked her over. “You’re going to Gaelon, aren’t you?”

  She nodded. “Order just came down.”

  He sighed. “All right.”

  Kira opened the door and stepped inside. “I feel like I just got back.”

  “Because you pretty much did.”

  “True.” She grabbed her travel bag from its storage cubby and tossed it on the bed. “I swear, things normally aren’t like this.”

  “The part about evil forces threatening to destroy the galaxy or you traveling a lot?”

  Kira thought about it. “Okay, so maybe both of those things happen more often than I realized. I guess I’m just not used to leaving someone when I go on a mission.”

  Leon sat down on the edge of the bed to watch her pack. “We have plenty of time to figure things out. I had no expectations when I took this job. You have a career and a life here independent of me.”

  “Stars, how are you so nice and understanding?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Is that a bad thing?”

  “No.” She grabbed a pile of underwear from a drawer and dropped it in her bag. “You’re entirely too good at being objective.”

  “Well, I am a scientist,” he pointed out with heavy sarcasm.

  Kira only rolled her eyes in response.

  “Okay, fine, you want to know my secret?”

  She paused her packing. “Please, enlighten me.”

  Leon propped his hands behind him on the bed. “When everything went down on Valta, my entire life was turned upside down. You came back into the picture, I realized that what I thought was my dream job was in fact a corporation controlled by evil aliens, and I discovered my sister had been intending to assassinate a president. Oh, and I watched you strangle a woman.”

  “Yeah, that was a thing.”

  “Needless to say, it was a pretty rough few days,” Leon continued. “As I was processing all of it afterward, I realized that I didn’t completely lose my shite while it was going down. Freaking out at any number of times during those events would have been tantamount to death, so I stuck it out. And, I survived. That got me thinking, maybe it wasn’t productive to get upset about a lot of the little things that happen on a day-to-day basis.”

  Kira cast him a sidelong glance. “Are you suggesting that you decided to not let anything get to you when you came here?”

  “Not exactly,” he clarified, sitting upright. “More like, I decided from now on, every time I feel myself getting worried or angry, I ask myself if having a gut reaction will help the situation. Sometimes, that adrenaline rush is just what’s needed—like when I was down on Valta getting the equipment out of the lab, and we were attacked. But getting upset when you have to go off and do your job? That doesn’t help either of us. I’d rather enjoy the time we do get to spend together.”

  “I can totally tell that this is scientist-you applying logic to real life, but you’re right.”

  “I feel like I should get a recording of those last two words being spo
ken in that order.”

  Kira rolled her eyes. “I admit when I’m wrong.”

  “You do.” Leon beckoned her, and she sat down next to him on the bed. He took her hands in his. “But in this case, it’s not a matter of correctness. I just don’t see the point in spending energy getting upset about circumstances that won’t change no matter what I do.”

  “I could use some more of that attitude myself. There’s been a lot to come to terms with.”

  Leon caught her gaze. “And we can help each other with that.”

  She squeezed his hand and leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m really happy to have your freaky calmness.”

  “Always.” He kissed her forehead.

  Kira pulled away. “There’s something else. Before we go to Gaelon, they want me to get an AI.”

  Leon’s eyes widened. “An AI? That’s quite a step.”

  “Yeah.” She frowned. “I know you’d suggested it already, and there are definitely merits to a pairing. It’s just a little different when it’s a formal request.”

  “They’re not forcing you, are they?”

  “No, they’d never violate autonomy like that. It’s more of a ‘highly encourage’ kind of scenario. But, if I don’t want to, I could see my position on my team being reevaluated.”

  He searched her eyes. “How do you feel about it?”

  She shrugged. “I’ve spent a lot of time being in other people’s heads. It’s strange to think of someone being in mine.”

  “Don’t do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

  “That’s not my hesitation. The tech is well-established.”

  “Then, what?” Leon asked with concern in his voice.

  Kira searched for the right words. “What if the AI discovers that the nanites have done something to me beyond what other tests have shown? I mean, they’re coded to me and don’t transmit to others. Does that mean they’re linked to my DNA, or something?”

  “Blissful ignorance doesn’t solve problems.”

  “But it’s so much less stressful!” Kira cracked a smile.

  Leon squeezed her hand. “If it does discover something, then I’ll do whatever I can to help you find a solution to that, too.”

  She sighed. “Not getting the upgrade would just be delaying the inevitable.”

  “I think that’s the right call, for what it’s worth.” He eyed her. “Not to mention, you already started packing for an op you knew you likely wouldn’t go on unless you get the AI.”

  Kira stared down at her half-packed bag. “Huh, I guess I did.”

  “Never underestimate the power of your subconscious.”

  Kira nodded. “Decided before I realized it. Well, I guess I should finish packing and then report to Medical.”

  “Of course. I’ll just sit here and silently judge your lack of folding technique.”

  She gave Leon a playful shove as she walked toward her dresser, and he caught her hand on the backswing.

  He drew her back to stand in front of him while he remained seated on the bed. “Look, joking aside, I know we’re still figuring each other out again. We spent a decade apart, and even now you’re going through some major transitions—first the nanites, and soon you’ll have a new AI to get to know. As tempting as it is to pick up right where we left off, we’re not the same people we were when we were a couple before.”

  Kira placed her hands on his shoulders. “I like the first impression of the new you as much as the old one, and I want to see where this can go.”

  “I’d like that, too.”

  She gave him a quick kiss. “But right now, I really do need to pack.”

  “I know. I’ll leave you to it.” He started to get up.

  “Stay. Keep me company,” she told him, resuming her packing.

  Leon settled back on the bed. “Do you think you’ll find that world you saw in your vision?”

  Kira glanced at him over her shoulder. “If we do, I’m worried what might be on the surface.”

  “It goes without saying, but be careful.”

  “I will.”

  — — —

  Rebuilding the Mysaran government was proving even more difficult than it sounded on paper, and Ellen Calleti had anticipated it would be anything but straightforward. As she reviewed the latest report about the government officials who had been under alien telepathic influence, she was reminded just how large the job ahead would be.

  Ellen sighed and spun around in her office chair to look out the window at the Elusian capital city. I’ll never be able to take care of everything from here.

  Mid-morning sun bathed the glass buildings in a warm glow. The city had become her home, despite the roundabout way she’d come to serve the world. Even with her continued ties to Mysar and Valta, her first duty going forward had to be to Elusia.

  In that capacity, it was critical that she help restore stability to the Elvar Trinary. Following the Mysaran chancellor’s untimely death, the power vacuum had introduced opportunity for the wrong people to force their way to the top. President Joris of Elusia was counting on her to make sure that didn’t happen. But sitting in an office a world away didn’t provide a great deal of control.

  Ellen rose from her desk. I know what I have to do, but going back there…

  Mysar had become a place of bad memories. Her years in school during her early-twenties had been what any young person would wish for, but her involvement in the dark dealings of the subverted Mysaran government, and its secret manipulations of the Sovereign activists, had forever changed her impressions of the world. Even though this was her opportunity to rebuild, part of her was afraid of how much more unpleasantness would be uncovered and further taint what few positive memories she did have of Mysar.

  “Worrying about what I might find won’t help anyone,” she muttered to herself.

  With a heavy sigh, she trudged to the door.

  President Joris’ office was two floors above her own. The elevator deposited her in the reception area.

  Behind the reception desk, Nico smiled at her. “Finally decided you need to go in person?” the young man asked.

  Ellen tilted her head. “How did you know?”

  “Based on the recent communications regarding Mysar, it doesn’t take much extrapolation.”

  “Good point. Is Joris free?”

  “Should be wrapping up a call any minute,” Nico replied. “I’ll let you know.”

  Ellen took a seat in one of the waiting chairs at the center of the lobby, using the time to create a mental packing list for her upcoming journey. She’d have to dig through her closet for some lighter-weight dress clothes, for sure.

  After five minutes, Nico gave her the go-ahead to enter the president’s office.

  “Good morning, sir,” Ellen greeted as she opened the door.

  “How are you doing, Ellen?” President Joris was standing behind his desk while reading from a tablet. He glanced up when she approached the desk.

  “Fine, sir. I’ve reviewed the present state of affairs on Mysar, and I think it’s prudent for me to go in person.”

  He nodded. “I thought that might eventually be the case.”

  She smiled. “It seems like since I officially became your press secretary, I’ve done almost everything but that job.”

  “I think you’ve written a speech or two,” Joris replied with a smirk.

  “Well, I do need to justify my employment.” She chuckled. “At any rate, I’d like to go to Mysar so I can really dig into things.”

  “I anticipated that when I suggested you work on this. It’s what we need to solidify the relationship with the new leadership, whoever that may be.”

  “More than that, I’m hoping to do some recon,” Ellen continued.

  “Regarding what?”

  “The ancillary government activities. I’ve seen a handful of reports containing conflicting information about production, with no clear trail for where the materials went.”

  Joris gave her a
questioning look. “Trade with Elusia and Valta?”

  “Not enough to account for it,” she replied.

  “Another question for others to answer on our behalf.” Joris sat down in the swivel chair behind his desk.

  Ellen raised an eyebrow and took a seat in one of the two guest chairs across from him. “Have you heard from the Guard?”

  “Yes, but they’ve given no indication about specific action items. However, now that Colonel Kaen is himself again, I’ve been assured that all future matters regarding this situation will be dealt with swiftly and decisively.”

  “That sounds more like it.”

  He nodded. “Music to my ears.”

  “Anything else you’d like me to be on the lookout for while I’m on Mysar?” Ellen asked.

  Joris turned serious. “Potential threat to us, present or future. If the Mysarans have a secret militia stashed away somewhere, I’d rather know about it now than find out when they send a landing party to Elusia.”

  “Consider it done, sir.”

  He nodded. “Safe travels. You’ll have a job waiting for you when you return.”

  Ellen smiled. “I won’t hold my breath for it to be the same one.”

  — — —

  Colonel Terence Kaen wasn’t particularly fond of interruptions, but he couldn’t ignore a call from the Elusian president. With a sigh, he activated the video call on his office viewscreen.

  “Hello, Mister President, what can I do for you?”

  “I’m sorry to interrupt,” Joris said, smoothing back his white hair. There was a slight flush to his face, highlighting his light blue eyes. “I wanted to give you an update on our rebuilding efforts.”

  “Yes, I’ve been meaning to check in with you. How are things progressing?”

  The president smiled. “Ellen is in the thick of it now. Again, I can’t thank you enough for stepping in to help on Mysar before.”

  Kaen held back a scowl. “We would have moved in regardless. As I explained, we were only delayed in acting because of my… condition.”

  “Forgive me, I should have asked how you’re doing.”

  “Good as new,” Kaen replied. It was close enough to the truth to share with an acquaintance.