by Viola Grace
A life of pain is swapped for a rabid urge to collect experiences. Being a recruiter with an elusive species is just as much fun as it sounds.
Kyna was shocked when she got an invitation to the Reset Project. She was even more shocked when she found out that her nephew had found her application from decades earlier and forward it to the Volunteer Project.
She had been mature then, she was older now, but her body was still her prison. Wracked with two types of arthritis, her body had been a temple to pain since childhood. The project says that it can reverse the effects on her body, so she cannot believe it actually works.
Kyna gains her health with a few additions. Her hair is darker, longer, and her ears are pointed. The one fun alteration is her eyes, as she is tired of being overlooked.
Kyna lands on Rai and begins her career helping the local retreat for wounded guardians to organize, and from there, she branches out and starts to perform her contracted obligation in guardian recruitment.
A few years pass, and she comes home to a full house, her normal room occupied, and she is given one of the VIP rooms. Across the hall is a guardian who is a little gruff but very charming, and there is pain in his eyes. She was always very comfortable with pain.
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Recruiting Measures
Copyright © 2021 Viola Grace
ISBN: 978-1-4874-3223-2
Cover art by Angela Waters
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by eXtasy Books Inc or
Devine Destinies, an imprint of eXtasy Books Inc
Look for us online at:
www.eXtasybooks.com or www.devinedestinies.com
Recruiting Measures
Terran Reset Book 2
By
Viola Grace
Chapter One
Kyna Meadow walked carefully through her home and answered the door. She used one hand on the wall and the other on her cane, but she managed to reach her door lever and push it open. “Please, come in.”
She moved slowly back into her sitting room, and she waited until her guest came in and took a seat. Kyna smiled. “May I get you some tea?”
The woman shook her head. “No, but thank you. Please, have a seat.”
Kyna nodded and slowly lowered herself to her couch. “You were very minimalist with your information on the phone. What can I do for you?”
The woman smiled. “My name is Minerva, and I represent the Volunteer Project. It has been brought to my attention that you filled out an application that was diverted by one of your relatives.”
Kyna snorted. “Yes. My mother took it. It turns out that it was for the best. I was in no shape to take a one-way trip to the stars.”
“That was not her call. It was mine. Having gone through your history, I would like to offer you that opportunity now.”
Kyna stared at the young woman with the bright green eyes. “Is this a joke?”
“No.”
“My hand can barely even hold my cane, the walk to the front door was all my knees can handle, and I can’t even hold a spoon. I am in no shape to do anything more than stay here and wait until my next treatment.” Kyna smiled. “Those were the dreams of a young woman. I am no longer that woman.”
Minerva smiled. “I believe that woman lurks within you. You have congenital rheumatoid arthritis?”
“Yes, as well as osteoarthritis due to falls and damage. My joints are shot, and painkillers don’t do anything for me. This is where I live and where I meet the world.” She gestured to the house across from the park, coffee shops, and walking paths.
“If you could live your life young and without pain again, would you? Would you be willing to go through agonizing treatment in order to have the life that you once dreamed of?”
Kyna lifted her hands and used both to pour a cup of tea. She cupped both hands around the teacup and lifted it to her lips.
Minerva smiled. “If you could design your ideal situation, what would it be?”
“If I was fit and pain-free? I would like to have a place where folks came to visit me. Where I could talk to and read strangers, helping them to get where they needed to be. I guess I want a life where I can be social for a living and still enjoy myself.”
“How social do you want to be? You could easily get a job as a courtesan.”
Kyna laughed. “I think that is rather advanced. I have been sick for a very long time. I just want to cautiously observe the world around me. Romance is for other people. I just want to finally start a life. Oh, but I want a way to move my body, things to learn and experiment with.”
The other woman smiled and picked up a tablet. “So, aside from making your body fit, what else would you like? Height changed? Alterations to the shape of your body?”
“You are serious.” Kyna stared at her.
Minerva’s eyes glowed, and gold and green moved in them. Power began to radiate from her. “Nothing is too good for the daughters of Gaia. If you wish to be reborn, you shall have it.”
“Do you know where you are sending me?” Kyna sipped at her tea and played along.
“I have been getting requests for women of Terra to fill specific roles in administration.”
Kyna blinked. “Why?”
“The first round of Volunteers has made a favourable impression. The worlds that have had exposure to the daughters of Gaia want more of them. So, since there were a number of women who volunteered thirty years ago, I am going through the list of those who are unencumbered by family or obligation and offering them a chance at their dream again. This time, we are adding genetic restructuring to get them back to the point where their bodies were at their absolute peak. It is the least that we can do considering that they are fulfilling a need for us.”
Kyna refilled her teacup and sipped again with both hands. She had to. She had no grip strength with either of her hands. The joint swelling was intense today.
“So, the idea is to basically redesign me from the ground up?”
“You would be posted on Rai. The weather in the inhabited areas is warm and soothing. I suppose I can negotiate for you to have a teahouse or something. You would need to match the species specs for the most part, which means a little taller and more of a golden cast to your skin. Long hair is also a requirement for females. The sensibility is similar to Asia if it were overtaken by elves. There is little technology available, but their people are at an evolutionary crossroads, and their skills are needed around the sector. There is already a Terran there. Amethyst Decker. She is the wife of Lord Akutan and is the current Lady of Rai. She is willing to help you adapt.”
The concept that there was someone in the distant stars who wanted her company was amusing.
“Fine, let’s say that this will work. Wh
at is the procedure?”
“Well, you sign this contract, get your affairs in order, and then we get you in a gel transport and up to the Lunar Base where more of the medical procedures can be started. That is where the genetic manipulation will begin.”
Kyna nodded. “May I see the contract?”
Minerva got up and brought her the tablet, sitting next to her and scrolling the page when it was requested.
Kyna sat back and said, “So, I give myself over to the Nyal Imperium, body and soul. They pay to have me rebuilt from the ground up, and I agree to live out my life on one of their worlds, living a life and doing the job they have set for me. In this case, they wish me to be a recruiter for... guardians?”
“Superheroes by human standards. You are in a unique position to do that job. You have the ability to see to the heart of people and what they are capable of.”
“I do? News to me.”
“You spotted the second mind through my eyes, you saw the waves of power that I put out, and your face only flickered a little. I imagine with a slight enhancement, you would be able to see what I am.” She smiled.
“What are you?”
Minerva smiled. “Many worlds have a mind that has guided the evolution of the dominant species. The mind of Earth just woke up and embossed herself into my soul. When I say that your genome can be rewritten without having an effect on your intellect, I mean it. When I say, you can be made stronger, with no pain and an energy for life again, believe me. If I have to dissolve this house down to get you out of it or carry you to the shuttle port myself, I will.”
Kyna chuckled. “Hand me that contract. Anyone as passionate or crazy as you are has to be someone I pay attention to.”
Minerva grinned and held the contract out. Kyna read it once more, and then, she signed for it. “Can I ask who brought my application forward?”
The woman chuckled. “Your nephew, Harold.”
“Good. Now I know who to leave my money to.” Kyna smiled. “I will contact my lawyer when you leave.”
“When would you like transport to the shuttle port?”
“The moment that my will is done and my assets are set to go to Harry, I will call you. Wait. Can I call you?”
Minerva produced a business card and handed it over. “I look forward to launching you into space.”
Kyna smiled and carefully put the card in her purse next to her phone. She kept the phone with her, and when Minerva left, she made her call. It was time to get rid of what she had left on Earth and get ready to start a new life. She had seen more than Minerva thought, and the woman and the planet that had been talking to her had spoken the truth all the way along. There was power in the woman and power in the consciousness that was in there with her. Kyna wanted some of that or, at least, wanted to see it in the alien faces around her.
She just had to tell Harry that she was going into space as soon as she finished getting her dispensation of assets in line.
Harry poured her tea and said, “So, Auntie An, what is so urgent that you need me over here?”
She chuckled. “You found my Volunteer application at Grandma’s?”
“Yeah. I just heard that they were getting ready for a new round of Volunteers, and it seemed like the right time. That was five years ago, though.”
“Well, in a few days, I am leaving. Everything I have is going to you. There is money for this year’s property taxes set aside, my bank has been notified, and all assets are being transferred to you. It should let you complete your schooling and help you get started in life.” She smiled slightly as she sipped at her tea.
“Why not donate it somewhere?”
“Oh, honey, I think you can do that if you like, but this way, if you have it, you can use it for whatever you like.”
Harry smiled. “Thank you, Auntie. I am glad you are finally getting what you have always wanted. When, exactly, do you leave? Maybe we could have dinner again before you go.”
Kyna smiled. “Well, instead of days, I should have said hours. I am leaving tonight. They are coming for me in a few hours and are bringing a med team to help transport me.”
She took the file on the table and slid it toward him. “My exit is being recorded, so you won’t have any trouble. I have made my vid statements to confirm my departure. I have tried to seal up everything I could for you.”
He opened the file, and the hand holding the teacup started shaking. “Auntie An?”
“Yes, Harry?”
“This is twelve million dollars.”
“Yes, Harry. It hasn’t done me any good, so I thought you could use it.”
“Where did it come from?”
She chuckled. “Before I was useless, I was an investor in a number of businesses. I saw the potential in people and ideas, and I made quite a lot of money. Believe it or not, I used to leave the house under my own power. Yeah, I was slow, but I knew what I wanted to do. I do wonder where I lost that.”
They both looked at each other and nodded. “Grandma.”
There had been a golden window between being a pain-wracked teen and an adult who was hobbled by her mother’s concern that was used to gain her societal attention. Kyna had missed her window to escape.
“Well, she doesn’t know I am going this time, and since she hasn’t seen me in five years, I don’t think she will make it in time to whine and cry like an infant.”
Harry smiled. “Can I stay with you until they come?”
“Sure. I can show you where I keep the jewels and the hard liquor. Don’t use them together.”
They moved around the bungalow, and he supported her as she walked slowly with her joints screaming and moaning at her in turn.
The knock on the door was welcome, and she left with only her identification and her passport. They were two items that she had to turn over when she left.
Harry helped her into the med van, and they settled her in a bed lined with a soft plastic above fluid. All of her weight was off her hips, and she relaxed to the point that she was barely able to answer the questions that the med team asked.
Minerva was at the shuttle port and kissed her forehead as she was loaded into the transport. “I wish you everything that you want, and I promise that you will get quite a bit more.”
They were the last words spoken to her on Earth. They were pretty good words.
Chapter Two
The next thing that Kyna remembered was throwing up a lot of fluid with someone speaking to her in soothing tones. The alien language translated in her mind, and she heard, “There, there, get it all out.”
She looked up, and there was a woman who had all the hallmarks of your average human, but she was wearing a series of sashed robes and looked to be in her mid-thirties.
“You are a Terran.”
The woman smiled. “I am. I am the Terran as far as you are concerned. I am also the Lady of Rai, and I am here to collect you. My name is Amethyst, but you can call me Amy or Lady Amy if the servants are around. They are a little protective of my status.”
Kyna coughed again. “Kyna, but please call me An.”
Amy smiled and nodded to the medics. “Let’s get you cleaned up and dressed. We are in orbit over Rai, and my niece is waiting to fly us home.”
“Just like that?” She pushed herself up, and there wasn’t any screaming from her elbows or hips. “What the hell?”
“What is it?” Amy was concerned.
“It doesn’t hurt.” She stuck out her legs and wiggled her toes. Taking her courage, she looked down at her body, and she shrieked. “Oh, my god.”
The medics got her to her feet, and a chuckling Amy followed. “You have been regressed to the best physical condition possible. In your case, that condition was calculated after some Rai genes were added to make it easier for you to blend in. You will look like one of my children.”
“My skin is more on the gold side, but that isn’t outside human norms.”
Amy ch
uckled. “Check your ears.”
Kyna lifted a hand in the scanner and touched what were definitely pointed ears.
Amy snickered. “Don’t play with them. Touching them can enhance foreplay.”
Kyna stopped touching them immediately.
The medics went over her readouts, and they nodded.
Amy nodded to them. “The suppressor shot, please.”
Kyna blinked. “Suppressor?”
“It is a chemical IUD. It will be in your system for three years, and then, we can refresh it if you like. It keeps you from having to worry about periods and the like.”
“Good. I haven’t had one of those in years. I certainly don’t want to start with an unfamiliar body.”
Amy frowned. “How is it unfamiliar?”
“I have abs. I have never had abs. My spine began to inflame when I was in my twenties. My compliments to the designer.” She chuckled.
Amy held out a blanket, and she said, “Come with me, and we will get you sorted.”
Kyna let herself be wrapped and walked through the ship to a room with a series of robes laid out on the bed, some stockings, and boots.
Amy showed her how to use the shower and left her for the moment.
The controls were easy to use, and after a flash, she felt clean and could literally feel her hair lift from her scalp and down her back. She pulled the hair to one side and looked down. “Holy heck. How am I supposed to deal with this?”
“Come on out, and I will brief you on what you need to know for Rai while I help you get dressed. We start with this underlayer that can also double as nightwear if you like.” Amy went through the four layers, and when she was done, she dealt with Kyna’s hair.
“Since you are unmarried, you have a choice between pinning your hair up or leaving it to run down your back. I will put it in a loose tail, which will leave it straight behind you and just confine the last eighteen inches.” Amy chuckled. “Flick it out of the way when you sit down.”