Covert Talents: Age of Expansion - A Kurtherian Gambit Series (Uprise Saga Book 1)

by Amy DuBoff

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Ava stared out the shuttle window at the Coraxan landscape before her.

  Pristine mountains rose above a fertile valley, which contained a sprawling forest and a river that wove its way toward the ocean to the east. The unique environmental properties had prompted officials to declare ninety-nine percent of the planet protected land, and her hometown of Tribeca was the largest of only three settlements on the planet.

  Due to the covert nature of her mission, she was being dropped off in a civilian shuttle from the orbiting spaceport. Also on board were a group of tourists from Alucia—the obnoxious kind that found obvious features to be the most fascinating thing ever.

  The couple across the aisle from Ava was particularly insufferable, making a point of explaining to one another how the hills were different shades of green the farther away they were in the distance. Ava found herself counting prime numbers to keep herself distracted from the inane comments while they landed.

  She had just reached three thousand one hundred eighty-seven when the shuttle finally came to rest on the ground.

  Across the aisle, the woman pointed out the window at a grove of trees along the edge of the landing pad. “Are those, like, parasites?”

  “What do you mean?” her husband replied.

  She scrunched up her nose. “That white poofy stuff on them. Is it some kind of growth?”

  Ava barely resisted smacking her forehead. “Uh, I think that’s just a flowering tree.”

  “Oh, really?” The woman tilted her head. “Huh.”

  I’m going to strangle her if I don’t get off this shuttle right now! Ava unbuckled her harness and quickly grabbed her travel bag before the tourists could make it into the aisle.

  The side hatch dropped open, and Ava stepped out.

  A warm breeze ruffled her short red hair, and she took a deep breath of the fresh air.

  Thanks to the limited number of inhabitants and the strict tourism limitations, the planet was one of the most pristine colonized worlds in the galaxy. Ava felt fortunate to have grown up in a place with such natural beauty, and it irked her that tourists took it for granted that they could waltz in like they owned the place while meanwhile trashing their own planets. If she had her way, Coraxa would have much stricter visitation rules—no ‘ecotourists’ who couldn’t identify a flowering tree.

  At the bottom of the gangway, Ava paused to assess her surroundings. She had been told someone would come to meet her but had no details beyond that.

  No one jumped out at first, but then she spotted him—Luke Carter. Tall and fit, with sandy hair from his human father and mesmerizing violet eyes from his Torcellan mother, Ava instantly remembered why she’d fallen for him all those years ago.

  Thoughts of their time spent together on Coraxa as teenagers surfaced—begging her to reminisce about simpler times. Ava ignored the temptation. She didn’t need a distraction from her mission.

  She strolled over to him and gave a casual nod. “Hey.”

  “Hi, Ava, it’s good to see you.” His voice still had just the right timbre.

  Snap out of it, Ava! she snarled at herself. You’re an FDG officer. You’re better than this. She took a deep breath and smiled, trying to look calm as the military officer she’d become. “You, too, Luke.”

  “Everyone was pretty surprised to hear you were coming home.”

  “Yeah, well, I needed a vacation. Not many places better to unplug than here.” Her cover story was thin, but it should serve its purpose. While Luke knew the real reason for her visit, it was best to keep up appearances in the public setting.

  “Your timing is good. I almost had to leave the planet to find work, but then this new NTech lab opened up.”

  “That’s right, you went to school for genetics. I guess it’s ‘Dr. Carter’ now, huh?”

  Luke’s smile enhanced his already luminous eyes. “You should still call me ‘Luke’. My position isn’t nearly as fancy as it sounds.”

  Still humble as ever. She nodded. “I’m glad it worked out for you.”

  “Not much had changed around here since you left, until NTech set up shop. You know how Coraxa is.”

  “I do.” She nodded while looking over the dissipating crowd. “I guess we should get going…”

  “Right. I have a car parked at the lot,” Luke replied and began strolling toward the small check-in terminal.

  “So, how’s life?” Ava asked.

  “Parents are doing well. Karen moved to Alucia two years ago and hasn’t looked back.”

  “That’s right, I do remember her being more of a city girl.”

  “She’s working in politics now, if you can believe it. Last time we talked, she was interviewing for some position on the press staff for the president.” Pride filled Luke’s voice while he talked about his elder sister.

  “That’s great!”

  He smiled. “Yeah, she was really excited.”

  They passed by the terminal and entered the small parking lot. Luke headed for a blue two-door vehicle parked in the second row. Its lights flashed as they approached.

  “And you—aside from the new job, anything of note?” Ava questioned as she opened the passenger door.

  “Not really.” Luke shrugged as he slid into the driver’s seat. He resumed when Ava was seated and doors were closed, “Since I graduated from grad school on Nezar, I’ve been focused on getting my career established. I didn’t expect to stay here, so I’ve been keeping to myself.”

  Is that a roundabout way of letting me know he’s single? Ava smoothed her hair behind her ear and secured her seatbelt. “I know what you mean about focusing on career.”

  Luke placed his hands on the steering wheel but didn’t start the vehicle. “Ava, what does the FDG want with this NTech lab?”

  “I’m just here to gather information.”

  “No, you’re here to decide what information you want me to gather. I want to know what it’s for.” He stared at her, studying her features as if trying to determine if she’d tell him the truth or not.

  “I’m here to make sure NTech’s work is all above board.” At least that was half-true.

  “Ava…” He tilted his head questioningly. “This isn’t going to work if you’re not honest with me.”

  “You know the details are classified.”

  “Of course, but you have to give me a little more.”

  She sighed. “Fine. We recently investigated another NTech operation that was… questionable. We’re concerned that this facility might be working on that same project, and I need you to use your position at the lab to get me in as a visitor so I can check it out.”

  Understanding passed across his face. “Right, and they sent you because of your unique gifts in that information-gathering department.”

  “Being a native was part of it, yeah.”

  “Well, I’ll tell you right now, I don’t have access to most of the lab. They have all the operations compartmentalized, and clearance to different areas goes along with that.”

  “I can find my way,” she assured him.

  He sat in silence for several seconds. “What happens if your suspicions are confirmed?”

  “My team comes in, and we shut it down.”

  “This is NTech, Ava. They won’t take kindly to the FDG showing up at their door.”

  “We’ll bust the door down whether they invite us in or not.”

  He took a deep breath and started the electric engine. “You never used to think about things that way.”

  “A lot has changed.” Ava was proud of who she’d become and wouldn’t hide behind memories of who she was before the Force.

  “I guess people do go in different directions, like you said when we last saw each other.” Luke directed the car toward the road leading away from the port.

  An unexpected pang struck her heart. “I couldn’t stay here and just be a Reader, making a living off tourist tips.”

  “I get that, but there were other—” />
  “The FDG has been good for me, Luke. I don’t have regrets.”

  He focused on the road ahead. “Good.”

  Ava bit her lip. Even without glimpsing his mind, she could tell Luke still had a flame burning for her even after all this time. That really wasn’t what she needed to hear. Despite what she said, she did regret never letting the relationship run its natural course. No one she’d met in the FDG came close to what they’d had together. But as much as she wished they could rekindle that romance, they were in different worlds now. Despite this brief intersection.

  She set the thoughts aside. She had a job to do. “I need to get in a workout, or maybe some sparring. Would you know a place?”

  “As a matter of fact, I’ve taken up Fizic Proma. You’re welcome to come to the gym with me.”

  “I never pegged you as one to get into martial arts.”

  He shrugged. “I’m not the same person I used to be, either.”

  Ava eyed him. “All right. I’ll see what you’re made of.”

  Luke grinned. “I think I might even be able to show a Force warrior a thing or two…”

  ***

  The capitol building for the Alucian government rose above the surrounding city, its gleaming metal façade and blue glass reflecting the afternoon sun. From her office on the seventh floor, Karen Carter was able to see the bottom portion of the tapered structure, sloping down the enclosed garden surrounding the base of the building. It all seemed so shiny and pristine from up here, but over the last two years on Alucia, she’d learned the inner workings of government were anything but.

  Karen tucked a loose strand of sandy hair behind her ear and tapped her stylus against her touch-surface desktop, thinking through the implications of the latest message in her personal email: >>The next phase has begun. Be ready.<<

  She had been ready since the day she left Coraxa. Everything she’d done had led to the position she now held, giving her access to the most senior members of the Alucian government. That position placed her in the center of powerful political machinations with opposing goals.

  On the one hand, the Etheric Federation offered a measure of political stability and access to resources unlike anything her people had ever seen. Becoming a ratified member of the Federation would mean her people would want for nothing.

  However, the Alucian Alliance and its frienemy neighbor, the Nezaran Coalition, disagreed about what their place would be in the Etheric Federation. The Alucians were all for becoming a permanent vassal, but a growing number of Nezarans favored complete independence. A shared economy between the two planets meant that only one planet joining would disrupt the balance for everyone.

  As far as Karen was concerned, continued independence was worth that temporary upset.

  She knew what happened if transit between worlds became open to all—how her beautiful home of Coraxa would be overrun by tourists and Federation scientists seeking to exploit the planet in the name of scientific research. Beyond that, she couldn’t trust that a galactic entity like the Etheric Federation would have any respect for a little three-planet system like her home. Her people would be swallowed up and exploited.

  They would be better off if the Alaxar Trinary was on its own. The only obstacle was Alucia.

  An incoming voice-only call lit up on Karen’s desktop. The caller details were marked only as ‘Unknown’. She knew exactly who it must be.

  She answered. “You shouldn’t be contacting me at my office like this.”

  “It is almost time for action. Are you ready?” the digitally distorted voice replied.

  “Of course. But I thought the next phase was still months away?”

  “We decided an expedited approach was needed. The details aren’t important.”

  Karen frowned. Her collaborators never seemed keen on sharing the details. Until she pressed. “What does this next phase entail?”

  “A deliverable that isn’t your concern.”

  “But what—”

  “You must play your part,” the voice cut her off. “Can we count on you?”

  Her face flushed, and she took a deep breath. “Yes.”

  The call disconnected.

  Karen wiped her sweaty palms on her gray pencil skirt. Her role was critical, and she knew her people were counting on her. One day soon, she would kill the President of the Alucian Alliance.

  ***

  Data could lie, but the story these particular data forensics told might just be twisted enough to be true.

  Kurtz evaluated the trail left by his dummy file. He had anticipated the file would be relayed directly from the FDG servers to some outside recipient, likely in the Nezaran Coalition. However, not one but four individuals had viewed the file and then subsequently forwarded it on.

  One of the forwards was a legitimate fleet order, so Kurtz dismissed it. The other three, though… He was up against more than just one collaborator, and it was obvious from the transmittal records that it was not toward the same ends. The test he’d designed was a little too enticing. He may have inadvertently accelerated a civil war.

  Damn it! Why now? The Alucian Alliance had been so close to signing the official vassal agreement with the Etheric Federation. He needed to come clean so they could get ahead of the situation—if that was even possible.

  Kurtz grunted his frustration as he pulled up the contact details for the Alucian president.

  Alastair Connors answered almost immediately. “Colonel Kurtz, I didn’t expect a call so soon.”

  “I’m sorry to bother you again, Mr. President, but my investigation has taken an unexpected turn.”

  “Oh?”

  “I’m afraid the leak isn’t isolated just to someone in the FDG feeding information to the Nezarans. It appears that there’s a contact in your very administration, and that individual is connected to a contact in one of the major news outlets.”

  The president frowned, the flush in his face making his hair appear even whiter. “What would be gained from that?”

  “Indirect control. If the FDG needs to take military action, our stealth movements could be preempted with a public news article. It’s a great way to control what we can do with any effect—stay quiet when our movements are beneficial for their agenda, or expose us if it’s not in their interest.”

  “There have to be more effective ways to intervene.”

  “Yes, but by adding a public disclosure component, they gain significant leverage.”

  Connors considered the argument. “That means an article might be being written right now.”

  Kurtz took an unsteady breath. “Yes, sir, and it won’t tell a good story.”

  “Why, what bait did you use?”

  “For a fleet to mobilize at Nezar’s moon.”

  “Fuck!” The president turned away from the camera and shook his head. He breathed out through his teeth and then turned back. “How bad is it?”

  “That depends on how closely someone looks. The orders were never officially signed off by Colonel Walton. However, if someone is interested in sensationalized news media, that detail is probably irrelevant.”

  “Well, that’s just fucking great.” The president rubbed his violet eyes.

  “I apologize, sir. I didn’t anticipate this contingency when I designed my test. The intent was to see if Nezar mobilized a military response for a fleet that wouldn’t be there. But if this false information becomes public, they’d declare that the FDG is making a decisive military move.”

  “Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse…” Connors paced in front of the camera. “Someone in my own administration could bring the entire agreement with the Etheric Empire crashing down.”

  “I’ve pulled the document and issued a cancellation.”

  The president groaned. “That doesn’t matter. If someone wants to use those original orders against us from the inside, they’ll do it. People only look at headlines, so real fleet or not, we’d be facing an unchecked outcry of public opinion on how
to handle the situation.”

  Kurtz hung his head. “I’m sorry, sir. I never thought we’d have to worry about anything on the Alucian side.”

  “Neither did I.” He sighed. “I’ll need to make a statement. We can’t have public opinion questioning the vassal agreement at this late stage.”

  “In better news, the test was successful. I know where the leaks are, so this won’t be an issue in the future,” Kurtz offered.

  “Assuming those are the only leaks.”

  One step at a time. “Yes, sir.”

  “Fix this.” The president ended the call.

  Kurtz slumped back in his chair. This went sideways at record speed…

  His worst nightmare escalated to a whole new level of hell when an incoming communication request illuminated on his desktop. Colonel Walton was calling. Oh, fuck.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Ava’s hometown of Tribeca had grown since she left, but it had retained the quaint charm of stucco building finishes and extensive greenspace even within the urban center.

  She and Luke chatted as they drove to a new residential suburb located next to the recently constructed NTech lab. The residential neighborhood consisted of compact one- to two-bedroom cottages that shared common outdoor space.

  “Only about half the homes are occupied so far,” Luke explained as he pulled up in front of a cottage in the middle of the development. “I reserved one for you near mine so we can debrief more easily.”

  “Great, thanks.” Ava stepped out of the car and stretched while taking in her surroundings. The grounds around the cottage were landscaped with long-stalked red flowers, and the lawn wrapped around a central fire pit and patio area. “It’s beautiful here.”

  “Sure beats those tin cans you live in.”

  Ava frowned. “You might be surprised how nice some ships are these days.”

  “And those luxury yachts are what you travel around in with the FDG?”

  “That’s beside the point.”

  Luke chuckled. “Thought so.”

  She retrieved her travel bag from the car’s trunk and followed Luke to the cottage’s entrance.