Empire Reborn (Taran Empire Saga Book 1): A Cadicle Space Opera by A.K. DuBoff (brene brown rising strong .txt) 📗

“The easiest thing to do would be to kick this tip over to the Guard. However, I’m not sure if their approach would align with our own preferred methods.”

“If they don’t handle this, is it the TSS’ place to intervene?”

“Who else could?”

Though Wil always tried his best to stay clear of Taran politics, it was inevitable that the TSS needed to get involved in certain matters. While the Tararian Guard was the military and police force of the Empire, the TSS was recognized for its diplomatic aptitude. Their reputation allowed them to intervene without it being seen as an overt application of force on the part of the government; instead, their involvement was often welcomed as a sign of good faith for fair negotiation.

Any separatist group had a reason for wanting to pull away from the Taran Empire, valid or not. The TSS was in the best position to find out why and see if an amicable agreement could be reached that would maintain a measure of harmony between the Taran-occupied worlds. Though true equity remained a lofty forward-looking aspiration, there were at least little things the Empire’s leaders could do to improve citizens’ lives. The trouble was, with a population in the trillions, they needed to be made aware of specific issues in order to address them. As unfortunate as it was, trying to manage fifteen hundred worlds meant that sometimes people fell through the cracks in the system.

Saera leaned back in her seat. “So how do we proceed?”

“I can’t ignore testimony like this with everything else that’s going on. We need ears out there—someone who can get the real story.”

“Who could we send?” she asked.

“Since when does the High Commander need to make those kind of staffing decisions?”

“Since you ordered Michael and me to subscribe all available field units to monitoring the Rift.”

“Of course.” The tension rose in his chest. We’re already stretched thin and the real conflict hasn’t been begun. However, just because he didn’t fully trust the Guard’s methods, that didn’t mean they couldn’t draw on their resources. “Fortunately, I have another idea.”

—     —     —

Jason cautiously entered his father’s office. Cryptic summons almost always meant bad news or a mountain of work. Either way, he already had enough on his plate between the Rift situation and trying to convince his old acquaintances on Earth that the Taran Empire wasn’t attempting a hostile takeover of the planet.

“Hey, what’s up?” he greeted his father, closing the door behind him.

Wil looked up from behind the High Commander’s desk and motioned for Jason to sit in one of the guest chairs. “Complications, of course.”

“What now?”

“Disruption in the Outer Colonies, naturally. Because we need another civil war in the midst of this other shite.” He sighed and combed his fingers through his hair. “Sorry, this is reminding me too much of the years after the war. I hadn’t anticipated the need to mentally prepare for another crisis.”

“Dad, are you okay?”

“I will be. But fok! We can’t get a break, can we?”

This was the last thing Jason had expected when he walked into the room. He’d known the situation with the Rift was serious, but seeing his father’s nerves frayed drove home that things were far worse than he’d realized.

“Is there something else you haven’t told me?”

“Things in the Outer Colonies are getting heated, and the Guard isn’t handling it.”

“We don’t have jurisdiction, do we?”

“It’s not an issue of jurisdiction but of resources and leadership.”

Jason nodded. “The Guard is often lacking in finesse.”

“We have been able to work together and unite our unique skillsets in the past, and we need to do a lot more of that going forward. I’m thinking of one soldier, in particular, who can help create that bridge.”

He had no doubt to whom his father was referring—an acquaintance from the joint op two years ago with the Tararian Guard. Conventional weapons had been wholly ineffective in their engagement, and they’d only prevailed thanks to the heroic actions of one Guard soldier who’d been modified with experimental nanotech and an embedded AI. Aside from her modifications, she also possessed telepathic abilities, though through different means than most Tarans, making her skills unrecognizable, unlike those of Agents.

Jason crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair. “Kira? Yeah, she’s good.” He was intentionally downplaying it. Truthfully, he thought she was a total badass.

Wil nodded thoughtfully. “Have you stayed in touch with her?”

“No. I’d meant to, but you know how it goes.”

He nodded. “Well, I was thinking that she might be helpful in this situation with the Outer Colonies.”

Jason sat up straighter. “What did you have in mind?”

“The Guard is more likely to quell rebellion through force, but I believe that would make things worse. So, the TSS is ultimately in the best position to intervene diplomatically, except our Agents can’t sniff around, because everyone can see them coming and won’t open up. Even so, we need someone with an enhanced skillset to get the whole truth, in this case. As far as I know, Kira is the only covert ops Guard officer who’s also a telepath.”

“That she is. And that nanotech she has… Suffice to say, she can go into a fight alone, and I feel sorry for whoever wrongs her.”

“That’s exactly what made me think of her for this mission.”

“If she’s still in General Lucian’s chain of command, I’m not sure he’ll be willing to loan her to the TSS.”

“We loaned him a ship; it’d be in poor taste for him to deny the request.”

“He kinda hates me.”

“Lucian is an arrogant prick who can’t admit he made a fool of himself with you. Don’t worry, Mathaen can put in the order straight from the top. Before that, though, I’d like to see if Kira is amenable to