by A. K. DuBoff
She traversed the halls to the conference room near Kaen’s office. The two officers were just stepping inside as she approached.
“Good work,” Kaen told her as she walked into the room. “That was smart thinking, with the connection.”
“Thank you, sir.” Kira tried to suppress the dissatisfaction that was gnawing at her.
They took their seats.
“We took some risks on this mission,” Kaen began, “and not everything went how we would have liked. However, we defeated the enemy. That’s what’s important in the end.”
So we think. The thought wasn’t as private as Kira thought.
Jasmine smiled in her mind.
Kira looked across the table at the two officers.
Kira took a deep breath. “Have you given any thought to who these Trols were, sir?”
It was strange to use the past tense, but it fit, given the circumstances.
“A little,” Kaen replied. “Why? Did you have something specific in mind?”
“Well,” Kira folded her hands on the tabletop. “We know they had access to advanced technology, but nothing we’ve seen from them can cross space—they were using the Mysarans for all transportation. They were on Valta at one point, but Nox made it sound like they didn’t start out there.”
“Is there a question in there?” Sandren prompted.
“Well, sir. It just makes me wonder if they were the only ones of their kind.”
The two men exchanged glances.
“That’s not a line of questioning we want to go down at present,” Kaen stated.
“Yes, sir. It’s just—” Kira bit her tongue. “Never mind.”
Sandren took a deep breath through his nose and released it. “What is it, Captain?”
“I was pondering whether beings as different as them and us could ever coexist. Are our frames of reference too different to ever truly understand each other?”
“I’d think not,” Sandren jumped in. “I mean, they were able to jump in and assume people’s lives with relative accuracy.”
“But is it genuine understanding or just mimicry?” Kira countered. “After all, they treated people as a vessel to be controlled. How well could they understand us and find that to be acceptable?”
“There are plenty of sentient beings with their own bodies—Tarans included—who perform acts that violate the autonomy of others,” Kaen pointed out. “Just because they showed no remorse doesn’t mean that they didn’t know it was wrong.”
Kira nodded. “I like to hope that there’s another group of Trols out there who thrive on positive emotional energy.”
Sandren cracked a smile. “That is a nice thought.”
Kaen steepled his fingers. “And maybe more likely than not. There are counterpoints in nature, after all—like an antidote for poison.”
Kira smiled. “I choose to believe we scored one for the good guys.”
“We did,” Kaen agreed. “And we’ll always keep fighting for the good.”
— — —
Leon paced back and forth in his quarters. He knew that Kira was back, but she had yet to reach out to him.
Debriefing, maybe? How long is that supposed to take?
He sighed. Consciously, he knew he was being impatient. All the same, he wanted to know what had happened in the Gaelon System. If Kira wasn’t yet available to provide answers, maybe others were.
The central logs indicated that Kira was presently in a meeting with Kaen and Sandren, but the rest of Kira’s team was in their quarters.
While he’d never presume to be in their inner circle, he had, perhaps, progressed beyond a generic outsider enough for them to fill in him on recent events. He headed for the team’s quarters.
Kyle answered Leon’s knock on the door. “Hey. Why are you here?”
“Sorry. I haven’t been able to talk with Kira since you got back. Is she okay?”
The soldier softened. “Yeah, she’s fine. Come in.” He stepped aside.
That’s a promising start!
Leon went in, and Nia and Ari got off their bunks.
“It’s sweet of you to be worried about her,” Nia said.
“Yeah, well, you were going up against a pretty nasty enemy,” Leon replied.
“She was a pro,” Ari said. “The rest of us got pinned like useless fools, but she kicked some major telepathic ass.”
“Made it look like nothing,” Kyle added. “After that performance, I think it’s safe to say that she’ll be actively embracing the new abilities from those nanites of hers.”
Leon’s stomach twisted, to his surprise. On the surface, he was thrilled that Kira had come to terms with the changes she’d undergone, but part of him had still been holding on to the person she used to be.
No, neither of us are those people anymore. We’re here together now, as we are.
He took a deep breath. “So, what happened in Gaelon?”
“Crazy shite,” Nia replied. “We had our plan all ready to go, and then they immobilized all of us.”
“I thought they could only get to people with a TR?” Leon asked.
“Yeah, we did, too,” Kyle admitted. “We were wrong.”
They filled him in on Kira’s heroism, using superlatives that may or may not have been appropriate for an official report.
“I know she was powerful, but that…” Kyle faded out at the end of his recounting.
Ari looked at him. “Kira’s not just our leader anymore. She’s a weapon unto herself.”
Leon frowned in spite of himself. Definitely not the innocent telepath I knew as a teenager.
But even knowing how much she’d changed, that didn’t make him love her any less. If anything, he was even prouder to know that she’d grown so much and there was still a place for him in her life.
“I guess we’ll all have to get used to those new abilities,” Leon said.
Kyle snorted. “Yeah, to say the least.”
“What’s this, now?” Kira said from the doorway.
“Kira.” Leon took her in.
She smiled at him, love in her gaze. “Hey. I was just coming to find you and saw that you were over here.”
“How did the debrief go?” Nia asked.
“Debrief-y,” she replied. “I don’t think we’ll ever have the complete story. Too many unknowns about where the Trols came from.”
“Just glad they’re gone,” Nia muttered.
Kira looked down at the floor, then plastered on a forced smile. “Not our problem to worry about now.” Her gaze met Leon’s.
“Well, thanks for filling me in,” he said to the team. “Catch you later.”
“See you at dinner,” Kira said to her team.
She and Leon exited into the hall and
walked several meters to the nearest recess.
Kira pulled him out of view. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.”
Their lips met, and she relaxed against him. “It’s nice having someone to come home to.”
“From now on, you always will.”
— — —
Nothing about Ellen’s mission to Mysar had gone how she expected. However, with the Trols’ deceptiveness behind them, people on the world could finally begin rebuilding.
She looked around the conference table at Trisha and Fiona. The women had earned her trust in her brief time on Mysar, and she was happy they would have that foundation to build upon to help forge a lasting friendship between their worlds.
“I guess we can finally get back to why I was here,” Ellen said after a moment.
“Right, figuring out our new leadership,” Fiona said, followed by a sigh. “Garett is out of the running now.”
Trisha’s brow knitted. “How is he?”
“It’ll be a process to rediscover himself,” Ellen replied. “The TR has been dissolved, not that the Trols are around anymore to tap into it.”
“All the same, I feel better knowing there aren’t ticking time-bombs in our brains.” Trisha shuddered.
“Couldn’t agree with you more,” Ellen said.
“I guess the task falls to us, then.” Fiona drummed her fingers on the tabletop. “No small feat, selecting those who will determine the future of an independent planet.”
“The bigger question is, do we need to stay a separate world?” Trisha asked.
Fiona smiled. “If recent events prove anything, it’s that we’re stronger together than we are alone. If the Elusians and Valtans are amenable, I move that we unite the Elvar Trinary with the Taran Empire once and for all.”
Ellen pushed aside the work that sounded like it was about to become moot. “Do others feel the same way?”
Trisha shrugged. “The fact that no one has stepped up with a desire to hold a leadership position indicates to me that Mysarans are ready for a change in structure.”
“We’d have a lot of details to work out,” Ellen cautioned.
“Of course,” Fiona acknowledged, “but this is our chance to build things the right way from the ground up.”
Somehow my projects keep getting bigger and bigger. Ellen folded her hands on the desktop. “All right. Let’s get to work.”
— — —
When Kira had sworn revenge against Ari for all his pranks, she had known it would be a long game.
The stage was set. With the help of Sven, and a friend responsible for ordering fresh produce, Kira had procured all the materials she’d need to turn Ari into his own viral sensation on the Net.
She’d arranged an assortment of fresh flowers on the table, with a vase filled with water sitting nearby. Based on his assertion of making arrangements in the past, it’d drive him crazy seeing the incomplete task.
To top it off, Sven had helped rig a helium tank with a remote trigger under the table. All that she needed was to get Ari in place.
“Hey, Ari,” Kira called over the local comm. “Could you meet me in the cafeteria on Deck 7? I think they need some help getting ready for the party later.”
“Sure,” the soldier replied. “On my way.”
Kira crept into a closet with slotted doors that gave her a clear view of the table with the flowers, from where she would be able to film Ari in action using a combat recorder she’d disconnected from a helmet.
Shortly after she was in place, Ari entered the room. He looked around for other occupants and then wandered toward the table with the flowers.
After five seconds of staring at the vase and flowers, Ari sighed. “Can’t just leave them here to wilt,” he mumbled while picking up a bundle of stems.
Kira covered her mouth to keep in a snicker as he continued to arrange the flowers in the vase.
Kira watched him work for another five minutes. At last, Ari stepped back to admire his handiwork.
He smiled. “That looks delightful,” he said in a voice two octaves too high. “What the fok?” He clapped his hands over his mouth.
Kira busted out in uncontrollable laughter. <‘That looks delightful’?!> she repeated in her mind to Jasmine, unable to speak aloud through the laughs.
Kira emerged from her hiding place with a grin on her face. “Hi, Ari. Whatcha up to?”
The soldier stepped in front of the flower vase. “Just, uh, helping out for the party,” he said, his voice returning to normal.
“Oh, this?” Kira gave him a quizzical look, sneaking a peek behind him. “I thought you were on banner duty.”
“Banners? Since when do we make banners for anything?”
“I’m sure it will seem appropriate after you get your first million hits.” She smiled sweetly at him and then sauntered out of the room.
“Shite! You didn’t…”
She glanced back over her shoulder. “I warned you.”
Leaving Ari to fume, Kira traced the halls to the real party location, which would be getting underway in the next half hour. Nia had roped her into setup duties, but that was a welcome change of pace after being shot at and mind-controlled for the last two weeks.
She greeted her friend, and they began the final preparations for the celebrations ahead.
At the designated time, their colleagues arrived and began partaking in the copious refreshments.
Kira smiled at Leon when he entered and worked her way over to him. “This is a good chance to meet the support staff that keep this place running,” she said around a mouthful of cheese and crackers. “Best to stay in their good graces.”
“I can only imagine.”
She introduced him to some people, and then eventually found herself surrounded by her team. Ari had decided to show his face, but he shot her an icy glare every chance he got. Kira couldn’t wait to send a link of his new video to the rest of her team.
With Leon by her side and her friends around her, Kira’s heart was filled with the sense of fulfillment and belonging she’d always desired.
Eventually, Kira’s cup ran dry and she went to get another round. When she turned back to the group, she realized that Leon had wandered off. She spotted him several meters away, leaning against a table and staring out the viewport.
She moseyed over. “Hey, everything okay?”
“Yeah, sorry.” He stood up and faced her.
“I thought you’d be more enthusiastic about joining in the celebrations.”
Leon smiled and reached out for her hand. He squeezed it. “I couldn’t be happier to be here with you.”
“Then why isn’t all of you here?” She tilted her head and gave him the questioning look that she’d perfected over their years together as teenagers.
He sighed, yielding to her just as she knew he would. “There’s something that’s been nagging at the back of my mind that I didn’t want to bring up at the meeting.”
“What’s that?”
“When we drew that line in space from Gaelon to Valta, we only traced it the one direction. What if there was something else further out in space, beyond the Empire’s territory?”
Kira frowned. “Like a Trol homeworld?”
“Yeah.”
Kira took a deep breath. “If that’s the case, then we just royally pissed them off.”
This is the end of Mindspace Book 3
THE STORY CONTINUES IN ENDGAME…
Get Book 4 now!
smarturl.it/mindspace4
Kira’s nemeses are back, and they’re after her home.
Captain Kira Elsar is adjusting to her new Robus abilities, but a series of strange attacks on the Tararian Guard’s computer network throw her life into chaos.
A planet-sized ship appears out of nowhere, and it’s heading straight for Kira’s home system. With the lives of everyone in the Elvar Trinary—and Taran Empire—at stake, Kira embarks on a daring mission to stop the massive ship before it can attack.
Conventional weapons aren’t enough to take down the alien vessel. Kira alone has the necessary abilities to defeat the Trols. This time it may be a one-way mission.
Get the next Mindspace book now!
smarturl.it/mindspace4
***
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