Chapter 9

know there were—”

“There hasn’t been an official first contact with this race, but the

information we’ve received points to an influence outside of known Taran

biology. MTech’s reports refer to this new group as the ‘Robus’.”

Alien hybrids with telekinetic abilities? What the fok would a person like

that be able to do?! Kira shifted in her chair. “Sir, why are you telling me

this?”

“Because we fear that the Mysaran Coalition intends to use these alien-

hybrid Robus to attack Elusia, which we anticipate will soon rejoin the Taran

Empire. We want to stop that conflict before it starts.”

“Of course. But I—”

Kaen fixed her in a level gaze. “The Guard needs you to go back to Valta,

Kira. MTech has established a new lab. We need you to find out why.”

Kira worked her mouth, unsure what to say. She hadn’t been back to her

homeworld since she left as a teenager. Her stomach clenched, thinking about

what it would be like to return after so long.

While the Guard’s promises of using her abilities to help others had

resonated with Kira, not everyone in her community had seen it that way.

Some considered it a waste of her gift, others an adulteration. Her family had

begged her not to leave, but the opportunity to travel the stars was too much

for her to pass up. She’d left them all behind—suddenly and without

ceremony. She was certain there were lingering hard feelings, even after a

decade, and she didn’t need that kind of emotional baggage to distract her

from a mission. The Guard was her life now.

“Sir, why would MTech set up a lab on Valta?” Even as Kira voiced the

question, she already knew the answer. Whatever gives the planet its special

telepathic connections, they want it.

Mysar and Elusia had argued over claim to Valta since the system was

colonized. MTech, though, was a private company and could tread where

government could not. However, what Kira had witnessed on MTech’s

remote moon lab had made it clear that something else was going on besides

sanctioned research.

“We trust you’ll get to the bottom of it,” Kaen responded after giving her

a moment to reflect. “You have authorization to use any means necessary.”

“No restrictions, sir?” That was a first. Even in the most critical missions, Kira had always been held to strict rules of engagement about which forms of

telepathic influence were allowed—a code she followed even in her personal

life. If they were granting access to the dark side, the situation was very dire

indeed.

Kaen inclined his head. “We need this handled quickly and quietly.”

“That’s what my team does, sir.”

“Your team won’t be going with you on this one—at least not for the

initial recon work.”

Kira’s eyes narrowed. “Sir, but—”

“We feel that a more… local contact would be beneficial for the

mission.” His tone was final.

Kira sighed inwardly. “Of course, sir. I’m happy to work with anyone.”

She hoped the statement came out with a straight face. In truth, she’d joined

the Guard so she’d be among the esteemed elite rather than being partnered

with whatever poor sap happened to be assigned to a random project. Her

patience for idiots lasted about as long as her tolerance for poor musical

accompaniment to viral videos.

“When your name came up for the assignment, our local government

contacts remembered you. They located someone with the appropriate

qualifications who already appears to be an acquaintance of yours. He’ll

serve as your liaison.”

Just my fantastic luck… Kira braced herself. “Oh, and who’s that, sir?”

“Leon Calleti.”

Oh, shitebiscuits. “Um.”

Kaen raised a quizzical eyebrow.

“That’ll be… fine, sir.”

Leon Foking Calleti. That figures. It had been more like ‘foking Leon

Calleti’ a decade prior, before Kira dumped him with no notice to join the

Guard. Of anyone, he made her the most nervous to see again.

“Excellent. You’ll depart on a transport to Valta this afternoon,” Kaen

stated. “We’ll assess the right time to bring in your team once you have the

lay of the land.”

“Yes, sir.” She stood, her head swimming with the possible scenarios for

how her reunion with Leon might go. “Good luck.”

“Thank you, sir.” I’m going to need it.

— — —

It was obvious Kira has been flustered by her partnership with Leon, but

Kaen trusted her to adapt. She always did.

With the necessity for Kira’s team to be on the sidelines for the first

phase, she’d need someone she could trust. An ex, while not ideal, meant an

automatic level of familiarity that could never be achieved with a stranger.

Couple that with Leon’s degree in genetics and he was the perfect counterpart

to accompany her in an undercover investigation of the MTech facility on her

homeworld.

Kaen turned his attention to his own task: finding the mole in the Guard.

Ever since the official investigation into MTech began eight months

prior, little bits of information hadn’t added up—nothing on the scale of the

botched mission data for Kira’s team, but enough that he’d been suspicious.

Now, with the safety of his people and the fate of the Elvar Trinary on the

line, they needed to stem the problem. Fast.

He tapped his fingertips together while he thought. If the mole is working

with the Mysarans, we have to bait the trap. What information would a

potential opponent want to know?

An idea popped into his mind. He tried to dismiss it as too risky, but it

persisted. Before he could question it further, Kaen touched the comm link

icon on his touch-surface desktop. “Cindy, please draft an order for Bravo

Company to depart on the Zepher tomorrow at 06:00 for a patrol of Mysar’s

moon. However, do not distribute the communication.”

His assistant took a moment to respond. “Sir, I see no prior record of that

deployment.”

“There hasn’t been. Just save it in the public folder—I’ll talk to General

Lucian.”

“Understood, sir. Anything else?”

“No. Thank you, Cindy. Let me know when it’s ready.” Kaen ended the

comm link.

The idea now fully formed, he called up Captain Spencer Thoreau, the