by Amy DuBoff
Wil’s jaw dropped. He knows I own the personal licenses to that tech. “The TSS” didn’t deliver anything. It was me.
“Another noteworthy accomplishment is the record highs in test scores for trainees at all levels. I am pleased to say that the trainees we have now will become the greatest group of Agents and Militia officers the TSS has ever seen. I’m excited to be the High Commander who got to know each of you as you found your calling within this great organization.”
Wil shook his head. Who’s listening in on this speech? This isn’t how he normally talks.
“To each of our newest Agents, I say thank you. Thank you for your dedication to the TSS, and thank you for everything you will accomplish throughout your careers. You are leaders and visionaries.” Banks paused as the audience applauded. “And now I’d like to acknowledge a particularly unique graduate,” Banks said, looking directly at Wil. “Wil Sights has been designated in a new Primus Elite Agent class. He’s only sixteen years old, but he scored an unprecedented CR of 13.7.”
There was a murmur of surprise from the crowd.
“We hope to never test the limits of that power in the outside world,” Banks continued, “but I know we can all rest easier knowing that we have him on our side.”
Wil surveyed the audience. Many of the younger trainees were whispering to each other, and the Junior Agents and Agents were sitting in defensive positions, arms crossed and jaws set. If they were only cautious of me before, now they’re outright scared. Even I’m afraid of myself.
“Wil, would you like to say a few words?” Banks asked.
“If you’d like me to, sir.”
“Please,” Banks said and stepped back from the podium.
Wil walked over to the center of the stage. All eyes were fixed on him. It was so quiet the slightest shift in a seat or sniff carried across the auditorium. “Hi,” Wil said, almost jumping at the sound of his own amplified voice. “I’m not sure what to say exactly. It’s been a tough journey to get to this point.”
He scanned the audience. Near the back center, he spotted Saera. Seeing her smiling with support set him instantly at ease. I know what I have to say. “It’s been a tough journey getting here, but the road ahead is going to be even harder. All of you are here because you’re committed to the TSS, just like me. You’ve been through your debriefs, and you have pledged yourself to fight on behalf of the TSS when and if you have to. Well, I’ll tell you now, you can throw out that ‘if.’ The war is here, and soon we’ll find ourselves on the frontlines.”
Off to the side of the stage, Banks was overcome with a look of horror. Next to him, Cris smirked. The audience members erupted in urgent conversation with their neighbors.
“The Bakzen are a powerful enemy. One that the TSS has been fighting in secret for a very long time. We’re the lucky ones who’ve been able to live in relative peace thanks to the sacrifice of our brethren. But the war is coming to a head. I have personally been charged with ending the Bakzen threat through any means necessary. Total annihilation.”
The room fell silent again. Banks looked ill—like he wasn’t sure if he should tackle Wil or chase him away. But the damage was already dealt.
Wil looked out at the crowd. Saera nodded, a slight smile touching her lips, so subtle that only Wil would notice. “I’m telling you this not to scare you but because I can’t do it alone. I need help from each and every one of you for us to win this fight. Tarans may be distributed across hundreds of worlds, each with its own ideals and aspirations for where we should go as a species. But we are united in one common principle: we respect what it is to be an individual, and we want every citizen to have a happy, fulfilling life. Now, that doesn’t always happen. While I was on my internship, I saw the darker side of life that no one ever wants to acknowledge. But seeing those things, I realized that we do need to eliminate the Bakzen or else we’ll never be able to address the other issues facing Tarans near and far. The longer we ignore what’s going on, the more people will be hurt. We can’t let that fight rest solely on those brave few willing to dedicate their lives to protecting the rest of us. We all need to start pitching in.
“High Commander Banks would have stopped me already if he disagreed. We kept the war a secret because we needed to have a reserve force that would be fresh and ready to jump in and finally end the war with the Bakzen. Well, we are that reserve force. And I’m going to lead you. Not right away, but soon. I’m telling you now so we have a chance to really know each other, to build the kind of trust and respect it will take to get the job done. I hope when the time comes for me to lead you in those final battles, you’ll be there to help me. Thank you.”
Wil hurried away from the podium, heading straight for the back door off of the stage. His father ran over to follow him as the audience broke out in a mixture of cheers and questions.
Banks glanced at Wil as he rushed over to reclaim the podium. “That isn’t exactly what I had in mind.”
“You know it was necessary. We can’t keep hiding the truth,” Wil replied.
Banks nodded and turned to address the audience. “That revelation has undoubtedly left you with a number of questions. I will give you some additional context now to hopefully set you at ease, but we’ll roll out a more comprehensive communication over the next several days.”
Wil exited the back door from the stage with his father close behind.
“That was a gutsy move,” Cris said as soon as the door closed. “I’m proud of you.”
Wil let out a long breath. “I really just did that, huh?” He laughed to himself. That’s going to unleash quite a shitestorm.
“Fok, I’m never going to hear the end of it from Banks,” Cris said, chuckling. “But I couldn’t be happier.”
“I was thinking about it, and no good will come from keeping it a secret from them. Waiting until the moment we need to go to the frontlines will only result in a bunch of scared people that want nothing to do with a war, even though they said they’d fight. If we can get them rallied and united now, we’ll be that much more effective.”
Cris nodded. “I couldn’t agree more. And though Banks won’t be happy in the short term, he’ll understand that this works to our benefit.”
“It’s always been the Priesthood that wanted to keep it quiet, not the TSS.”
“The Priesthood is all about keeping the public placated. If word gets out that there’s a war, there’ll be riots, strikes.”
“Or maybe,” Wil countered, “we’ll be able to unite against the enemy. Come together as a people in a way that we haven’t since the last revolution.”
“The last revolution brought down the entire system.”
“Is that always a bad thing?”
Cris nodded thoughtfully. “Let’s take it one step at a time.”
Wil looked back down the hall in the direction of the auditorium. “I should probably go hide somewhere to wait out this initial outcry.”
“Not a bad idea. I’ll gather some others to keep watch on your quarters.”
Wil shook his head. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“You can never be too careful—”
“Banks just told them I scored a CR of 13.7. No one is going to mess with me, even within the subspace bubble. Guards will just make it look like I’m afraid of something, but we need to show them I’m on their side. I’m a person just like them. That interpersonal connection—that’s what sets us apart from the Bakzen. That’s why we’re going to win.”
Suddenly, Cris embraced Wil. “You have grown into such a fine young man. I’m so thankful to have you as my son.”
Wil hugged him back. “Thanks, Dad.”
* * *
Saera snuck up to the entrance of the Primus Agents’ wing. The message from Wil had told her exactly which halls to follow to avoid potentially prying eyes.
She hurried down the hall and located the door to Wil’s quarters. After checking to make sure the hall was empty, she placed her hand on the bio
metric scanner. The door slid open and she darted inside, closing the door behind her.
Wil was sitting on the couch. He rose when she entered. “Hey.”
“Hi. Wow, this is way better than meeting up in a study room,” Saera said as Wil came over to her. She put her arms around his neck. “I can’t believe you did that at graduation.”
“Bad?”
“No, amazing.” She pulled him in for a kiss, melting into his arms. “So, this thing with us is totally illicit now, huh?”
“Well, it’s technically sanctioned. But yeah, stepping pretty far outside of convention.”
Saera smiled up at him. “I’m in if you’re in.”
“I was all in the moment we met, even if it took a while to admit to it myself, let alone anyone else.”
“I’m glad you came around.”
“Me too.” Wil looked her in the eye. “Thank you for standing by me through all this craziness. There’s no way I could face it alone.”
“I had some demons to face, too. I know this is just the start, but we’ll get through it together.”
Wil leaned down to kiss her, a tender caress that called to the bond that united them. In that moment, their connection was all that mattered. Together, anything was possible.
* * *
Banks slammed the door to his office, heart racing. Shite.
There was no containing the information. He told all of the trainees to keep the truth about the war confidential, but it would seep out into the general populace. It was only a matter of time. None of the safeguards were in place, as with those in the Jotun division. He had failed as High Commander, and the Priesthood was not forgiving.
Banks wet his lips. He could run. It might save his life, but he’d be abandoning everything he’d worked for his whole career. All of the sacrifice would be in vain. The only thing he could do was face the development head on. He instructed CACI to call the Priesthood.
The Priest answered after several seconds. His glowing red eyes assessed Banks from the viewscreen. “What happened?”
Banks swallowed hard. “He just started talking. I had no idea he’d disclose the war like that.”
The Priest’s eyes narrowed, his grimace partially hidden by the shadow of his hood. “There’s no going back.”
“No. I’d advise you to prepare a communication.”
“We have all the messaging in place. This was… anticipated.”
Banks breathed an inward sigh of relief. Perhaps this isn’t the end for me. “I know I let you down by allowing such a breach.”
The Priest scoffed. “We have survived far greater setbacks. We’ll do what needs to be done.”
They always do. “I will be standing by for further instruction.”
“Keep an eye on the Primus Elite. We don’t need any more surprises.” The Priest ended the transmission.
Banks let out a shaky breath. The Priesthood was confident in their ability to keep the war contained, but they greatly underestimated Wil. Banks was content to let them keep thinking that way. So long as they were focused on the Bakzen, the Priesthood wouldn’t notice that other plans were already being set in motion. Change was coming.
Banks smiled to himself. Now we begin.
Next in the Cadicle series
Volume 4: Web of Truth
Tension is mounting in the rift. With the situation dire, Wil is tasked to train a group of twenty young men to serve as his officers—collectively, the Primus Elites. He has five years to raise them to full Agents, and he’ll need every minute. Training alongside them and with Saera at his side, Wil still needs to master simultaneous observation. But, the closer he gets to achieving the feat, the more likely the Aesir will come to test him—to see if he’s worthy of the Cadicle title bestowed on him at conception. If he can survive their test, he’ll finally uncover the truth the Priesthood has gone to such great lengths to hide.
A fast-paced drama with intrigue, love, military duty, and politics, this novel reveals the true nature of the war as Wil learns the secrets behind the Bakzen’s origins.
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Acknowledgements
Writing this book was a change for me from the previous two volumes largely because it was mostly new. Whereas significant pieces of the previous two volumes had been written a decade ago (and subsequently revised—a lot), most of this book was written within the last two years, if not several months. While it’s daunting to stare at a blank page with a blinking cursor, it’s also freeing. I hope you enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.
As always, I have to thank Nick, who became my husband while this book was in development. I spent the two months leading up to our wedding in “headphone land” trying to get the first draft of the manuscript ready. I wanted to send it out for review before the wedding so I could come back to address comments with fresh eyes after our honeymoon. Somehow, I made the deadline—but only thanks to support from Nick and the understanding of our friends and family.
Thank you to all of my beta readers for their insightful comments and candor—Eric, Bryan, Katy, John, Stephen, and Jakeb. Special thanks also to my mom for her continued support.
And, thank you to all of my readers—it means so much to be able to share my passion with the world. I appreciate you being a part of making my dreams come true.
Glossary
Agent - A class of officer within the TSS reserved for those with telekinetic and telepathic gifts. There are three levels of Agent based on level of ability: Primus, Sacon and Trion.
Bakzen - A militaristic race living beyond the outer colonies. All Bakzen are clones, with individuals differentiated by war scars. Officers are highly intelligent and possess extensive telekinetic abilities. Drones are conditioned to follow orders but still possess moderate telekinetic capabilities.
Cadicle - The definition of individual perfection in the Priesthood’s founding ideology, with emergence of the Cadicle heralding the start to the next stage of evolution for the Taran race.
Course Rank (CR) - The official measurement of an Agent’s ability level, taken at the end of their training immediately before graduation from Junior Agent to Agent. The Course Rank Test is a multi-phase examination, including direct focusing of telekinetic energy into a testing sphere. The magnitude of energy focused during the exercise is the primary factor dictating the Agent’s CR.
Earth - A planet occupied by Humans, a divergent race of Tarans. Considered a “lost colony,” Earth is not recognized as part of the Taran government.
High Commander - The officer responsible for the administration of the TSS. Always an Agent from the Primus class.
High Dynasties - Six families on Tararia that control the corporations critical to the functioning of Taran society. The “Big Six” each have a designated Region on Tararia, which is the seat of their power. The Dynasties in aggregate form an oligarchical government for the Taran colonies.
Independent Jump Drive - A jump drive that does not rely on the SiNavTech beacon network for navigation, instead using a mathematical formula to calculate jump positions through normal space and the Rift.
Initiate - The second stage of the TSS training program for Agents. A trainee will typically remain at the Initiate stage for two or three years.
Jump Drive - The engine system for travel through subspace. Conventional jump drives require an interface with the SiNavTech navigation system and subspace navigation beacons.
Junior Agent - The third stage
of the TSS training program for Agents. A trainee will typically remain at the Junior Agent stage for three to five years.
Lead Agent - The highest ranking Agent and second in command to the High Commander. The Lead Agent is responsible for overseeing the Agent training program and frequently serves as a liaison for TSS business with Taran colonies.
Lower Dynasties - There are 247 recognized Lower Dynasties in Taran society. Many of these families have a presence on Tararia, but some are residents of the other inner colonies.
Makaris Corp - A corporation run by the Makaris High Dynasty responsible for the distribution of food, water filters, and other necessary supplies to Taran colonies without diverse natural resources.
Rift - A habitable pocket between normal space and subspace.
Sacon - The middle tier of TSS Agents. Typically, Sacon Agents will score a CR between 6 and 7.9.
SiNavTech - A corporation run by the Sietinen High Dynasty, which controls and maintains the subspace navigation network used by Taran civilians and the TSS.
Tarans - The general term for all individuals with genetic relation to Tararian ancestry. Several divergent races are recognized by their planet or system.
Tararia - The home planet for the Taran race and seat of the central government.
Tararian Selective Service (TSS) - A military organization with two divisions: (1) Agent Class, and (2) Militia Class. Agents possess telekinetic and telepathic abilities; the TSS is the only place where individuals with such gifts can gain official training. The Militia class offers a formal training program for those without telekinetic abilities, providing tactical and administrative support to Agents. The Headquarters is located inside the moon of the planet Earth. Additional Militia training facilities are located throughout the Taran colonies.