On the Run (Verity Chronicles Book 3): A Cadicle Space Opera Adventure
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ON THE RUN
VERITY CHRONICLES: BOOK 3
T.S. Valmond & A.K. DuBoff
ON THE RUN
Copyright © 2020 by A.K. DuBoff & T.S. Valmond
The Cadicle® Universe is a registered trademark of A.K. DuBoff
All rights reserved. This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. No part of this eBook may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles, reviews, or promotions.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
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Special thanks to Beta/JIT readers:
John Ashmore
Taria Faust
Steve DeBacker
Doug Burnham
Leo Roars
David Frydrych
Eric Haneberg
Gil Forbes
Bryan Ellis
Publisher: BDL Press
Cover Copyright © 2020 A.K. DuBoff
First eBook Edition: October 23, 2020
Kindle Edition
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword – The Cadicle Universe
Map of the Taran Empire
Key Terms, Cast, and Locations
The Story So Far…
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Read More by T.S. Valmond
Also by A.K. DuBoff
Authors’ Notes
About the Authors
Foreword – The Cadicle Universe
The events in the Verity Chronicles are a self-contained story arc set in the larger Cadicle Universe.
Tarans are the predominant race in the Cadicle Universe; humans are a Taran sub-race. Most of the Taran sphere falls within the purview of the Taran Empire, governed from the planet Tararia by a council of High Dynasties. Earth is one of several rogue colonies on the outskirts of the Empire, separated so long ago that they have forgotten their Taran ancestry.
The Tararian Guard is the primary military force for the Taran Empire. Its counterpart, the Tararian Selective Service, includes a specialty branch with Agents gifted in telekinetic and telepathic abilities. The TSS is headquartered in Earth’s moon, and its iconic Agents are known in Earth lore as the mysterious ‘men in black’.
Chronologically, the Verity Chronicles takes place after the events in the original Cadicle series and just before the Cadicle sequel series, the Taran Empire Saga. However, prior knowledge of this broader story universe is not required in order to read and enjoy the Verity books.
Map of the Taran Empire
The following map denotes key locations in this book within the Taran Empire in the Milky Way Galaxy. For a detailed color map, visit www.amyduboff.com/taran-empire-map.
Key Terms, Cast, and Locations
KEY TERMS
Taran – The race of all people in the Taran Empire; synonymous with human
Tararian Guard – The primary military force for the Taran Empire
Tararian Selective Service (TSS) – A quasi-military organization with Agents specializing in telekinesis; a complement to the Tararian Guard
Jump – Faster-than-light travel through subspace
Beacon Network – The navigation method for subspace jumps, maintained by SiNavTech
High Dynasties – The seven ruling families of the Taran Empire, collectively a governing council
Lower Dynasties – Influential families throughout the Taran worlds, second only in power to the High Dynasties
CAST
Verity Crew and Passengers
Iza Sundari – Captain of the Verity
Trix – Lynaedan android companion of Iza
Joe Anderson (AKA ‘Jovani Saletas’) – Undercover TSS Agent
Braedon Valtteri (AKA ‘Devon Arvonen’) – Pilot and VR gamer with a gambling problem
Cierra Quetzali – Healer and Braedon’s ex-girlfriend
Apex Enterprises
Karter Hyttinen – Lower Dynasty heir and starship salesman
Becca Drejas – Karter’s right-hand and assistant
Iron Dog Crew
Marten Douketis – Captain of the Iron Dog hauling freighter
Sydney Reis – Second-in-command of the Iron Dog
Additional Key Characters
Desirae Hyttinen – Failed TSS Agent turned Enforcer; cousin to Karter
Victor Arvonen – Head of Arvonen Dynasty; father to Braedon
Viper (AKA ‘Abby Quetzali’)– Competitive gamer and engineering genius
Yeaga – Leader of the miner revolt on Hubyria
Ian Mandren – TSS Sacon Agent Division Lead; Joe’s direct supervisor
Raquel Calveras – Old friend of Karter, now working with Victor Arvonen
LOCATIONS
Tararia – The central planet of the Taran Empire
Lynaeda – Technologically advanced central world, specializing in AI and cybernetics
Beurias – Middle world with significant shipping industry, including headquarters of Apex Enterprises
Galminus – Dusty outer colony world; transit hub
Hubyria – Outer colony planet specializing in ore mining
Leveckis – Outer colony planet; home to Cierra
Phiris – Prosperous middle world
Sarduvis – Asteroid housing the Sarduvis Penitentiary
The Story So Far…
After a month and a half of living together on the Verity, Iza, her passengers, and crew have settled into a rhythm. Iza is fighting her feelings for Joe in light of her fake engagement to Karter Hyttinen; Joe is feeling more comfortable in his Jovani Saletas undercover alias than as his real TSS Agent self; the mysterious sphere is giving Iza odd dreams; Braedon and his Healer ex-girlfriend, Cierra, are caught in an endless fight/break-up cycle; and android Trix is as logical as ever.
While trying to complete a delivery, the crew learns that there have been a series of abductions of notable scientists. Braedon notices that his father, Victor Arvonen, has put out a call for scientists, and he fears the worst. The concerns are confirmed when he and Joe witness an attempted abduction in progress, and they intervene to get the scientists to safety.
Things get more com
plicated when the Verity and Trix both start to malfunction. It appears to be some sort of foreign virus wreaking havoc with the computer systems, but its origins and goal are a mystery. To make matters worse, someone released information about Iza and Karter’s secret engagement to the tabloid Sensationals, prompting the organization of a last-minute engagement party to be the official reveal.
Iza is whisked away to the Hyttinen Dynasty’s Blue Hills Estate to play the role of Karter’s fiancée for a few days. However, the night of the engagement party, thieves break into the estate, stealing the mysterious sphere along with jewelry and other valuables from the guests. In her attempt to thwart the robbery, Iza recognizes Reis, a crewmate of her rival, Captain Douketis, and a talented coder, Viper, whom Iza had once helped free from prison. They escape, but the damage is done. With fears of Karter’s life still being at risk, he joins Iza on the Verity.
Braedon locates an auction that’s a promising lead for where the stollen items will be sold, and they set a course. They reach out to Viper to assist with the heist from the auction, persuading her it’s a better option than continuing to work for Douketis. While waiting for the auction to begin, Iza notices a young man skulking around; she recognizes him from her weird dreams, though she doesn’t think they’ve ever met. Though the rest of the night doesn’t go to plan, Joe and Braedon are ultimately able to get the sphere and escape with Karter’s help.
Meanwhile, Joe has received strict orders from the TSS to get the sphere and keep it out from civilian hands. Ancient records suggest that it might be alien in origin, and research of the tech is strictly forbidden. However, Joe’s feelings for Iza have become more important than his mission, so he allows her to keep the artifact.
Karter’s old friend, Raquel—an archaeologist—whom Iza briefly met at the engagement party, joins them on the Verity, and she and Iza soon become friends. Iza allows her to study the sphere. It becomes clear that the sphere is the source of the computer virus messing with Trix and the ship, though Iza isn’t sure how to address the issue since she needs to keep the object out of Arvonen’s hands.
While malfunctioning, Trix takes the Verity to Tararia, where she directs Iza to meet with a woman who looks like her supposedly dead mother. Iza learns that the woman is her mother’s twin sister, and she recognizes the young man who’s been following her as actually being her cousin. Left with more questions than answers, Iza storms out from her aunt’s home, feeling betrayed and abandoned.
Unable to sleep one night, Iza goes to patrol the ship but is knocked out and taken to the Arvonen One. The vessel has been converted into a lab dedicated to researching the alien technology. The sphere allows the opening of a portal—a Gate—but no one has been able to pass through and return alive. Arvonen plans to use the technology to shift the balance of power in the Taran Empire and advance his own position. It turns out that Raquel has been working with Arvonen all along and is prepared to do anything in the name of their research. Iza is offered up as the next text subject. As they are about to force her through, the scientists notice that her pendant necklace is floating around her neck, apparently in reaction to its proximity to the Gate.
Joe and Karter, realizing Iza is in dire trouble, strike a deal with Investigator Hyttinen and Captain Douketis of the Iron Dog to provide backup for a rescue. The terms are that Joe will turn himself over for violating his TSS orders and Viper will return to the Iron Dog to work off her debt to Douketis.
In the chaos of the rescue, Iza is thrown through the Gate. She finds herself in a dark cavern on what could be an alien world. She’s certain she is being watched. Not wanting to push her luck, she quickly tries to go back through the portal. It feels like she’s being held back, and she loses a shoe.
Arvonen is defeated, allowing Iza and company to return to the Verity. Iza learns about the deals that were made to save her, and Joe also finally comes clean about his ties to the TSS. Iza gives the sphere to Joe, and they part on tearful terms with a promise to be reunited after he’s officially kicked back to Earth.
CHAPTER ONE
Victor Arvonen stood with his fists clenched and breath held, praying to the stars that the nebula would be enough to hide them from the TSS ship scanning the area.
They’d been jumping between remote planets and nebulous clouds since their unfortunate incident with the Verity, when all of his careful plans had suffered an unfortunate setback. Captain Iza Sundari, the key to using the Gate, was also an unbearable nuisance. She’d almost ruined everything. If it hadn’t been for his forward-thinking guard, they’d have been captured by the bumbling Enforcers. He needed Iza to work with him willingly if they were going to make any progress, but an alliance was impossible so long as she was aligned with his wayward son.
“They’re moving off, sir,” the helm officer reported.
Victor breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. Keep a close eye on them and alert me immediately if you see any more Agents or Enforcers nearby.”
He took his seat at the center of the flight deck, trying to focus on the sights outside the viewport rather than the interior of his once-glorious ship. Since the attack on the Arvonen One, the ship had been in a constant state of disrepair. Exposed wiring and damaged bulkheads peppered the ship like they’d been in the middle of a warzone. Those bandits, with the help of his youngest son, had broken through the ship’s defenses and pulled Iza and the sphere from his grasp. Victor was determined to not let it happen a second time.
“Sir?” The mousy woman at the communications station raised her hand as if she were a child in school.
He gritted his teeth to keep from roaring at her. The last time, it had only made her timidity worse. If she wasn’t the best communications specialist he could find, he’d have thrown her out the airlock ages ago. “What is it?”
“It’s the resonance signal—the one we’ve been searching for. I think I found it.”
Victor crossed the flight deck in three strides and leaned over her chair to stare at the console. “Where?”
“Here.” She indicated the position on a holographic map.
The planet was nothing remarkable on its own, but Victor admired the small, brown world like it held the greatest riches in the galaxy. In many ways, it might. They’d been searching for months, hoping to find additional evidence of the alien tech that was so critical to his plan. Now, for the first time since his run-in with the Verity, had had a solid lead on a new artifact.
“When did the signal appear?”
“A few moments ago. One minute, nothing. Then, all of a sudden, it was there.”
They had no time to waste. Few others would know what it was, but it would no doubt attract attention. “Helm, how long until we can reach the coordinates of that signal?” Victor asked.
“If we follow a covert path to the destination, avoiding the TSS patrols, it will take at least eight hours.”
He frowned. “How long if we take the direct path?”
“Three.”
“Make it happen.”
The helm officer shifted in his seat. “Sir, with the TSS in the area, I don’t recommend—”
“Circumvent them! Do what you have to do,” Victor roared, cutting him off. “I want to get to that artifact before anyone else does. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” the crewmembers on the flight deck said in unison.
Victor snapped a finger. “Bring me the digger.”
Several minutes later, a guard returned with Raquel Calveras. Calm and confident as always, she strode in with her blonde hair loosely tied and draped over one shoulder of her lab coat. Had Victor been a younger man, he might have entertained thoughts of testing their DNA for compatibility. A successful pairing between them would bear him tall, intelligent children. Maybe they wouldn’t be such a disappointment as Devyn.
“We’ve found a signal,” he told her without preamble.
“Really?” Raquel’s ocean-blue eyes lit up. She stepped over to the console to verify the signal as he had. “
This may be the break we’ve been waiting for.”
“Indeed. It’s far stronger than the signal we observed with the previous artifact.”
The side of her mouth lifted. “Is that so? Where is it?”
“It’s a place I believe you know well. Uephus.”
She faltered the slightest measure. “I see.”
“I thought you’d be excited,” Victor said. “Some might consider it quite an honor to have their homeworld play such a pivotal role in future history.”
“Of course. It’s just that we were there not that long ago, so we should have picked up something then.” She studied the information on the screen for herself, composing her face. “Based on these readings, a portal must already be active. A big one. But who opened it?”
“Any chance it’s your Verity friends?”
Her eyebrows furrowed and her lips drew into a pout. “No, I doubt it. They can’t have gotten the other artifact back from the TSS, and this is the first evidence we’ve seen of another.”
He smiled. “Then the only reasonable explanation is that the creators have decided to finally make contact.”
She took a slow breath. “I know we’ve been hoping beyond hope for exactly this, but I can’t help wondering what we’re going to encounter when we do meet them. It would be wise to be prepared for anything.”
“Oh, my dear, I am.”
She nodded. “Of course. And I stand ready to assist.”
“Where are we on the DNA sequence?” Victor asked.
“The synthetic process is lengthy and complex. The scientists we have left aren’t experts in this field. Their limited knowledge of the exact process is slowing us down.”
“That is unfortunate. Have we found anyone with a genetic match?”