by A. K. DuBoff
“Are they freaking out about this?” she asked him once the elevator doors closed.
“No, they’re the sort of people to roll with the unexpected. You’ll like them. And I have no doubt they’ll adore you.”
“Okay.”
He took her hand, sending an electric tingle up his arm. “I know this is a lot to take in all at once.”
She gazed into his eyes. “I still don’t understand how you can make me feel so comfortable when I barely know you.”
“I’m still wrapping my head around it, too. But I know how I feel about you.”
“Me too. I promise not to go snooping through your drawers and stuff.”
He smiled. “I appreciate that, though I have nothing to hide.”
Once on Level 2, Jason escorted her to his quarters. At the door, he added her as an approved guest so she would be able to come and go. The user profile would restrict the files Lexi could access from Jason’s devices, so leaving her unattended wasn’t a security risk.
“Thank you for trusting me.”
“We’re going to need a few gestures of good faith if there’s any chance of this working.” He opened the door.
Lexi took in the space. “It’s nice.”
“Nothing special, but it’s home.”
“Big upgrade from anywhere I’ve been.”
He motioned around the room. “We have an entertainment library of almost anything you can imagine, so feel free to help yourself to the viewscreen. It shouldn’t be more than a couple of hours before I can come check in.”
“Thanks, I’m sure I can manage.”
“And that handheld with information on it was your personal device, right?”
Lexi nodded.
“We have a bunch around Headquarters for the new Trainees. I’ll get a replacement for you.”
“Thanks. I think the other one probably has a bunch of Alliance spyware on it, but there are some pictures and things I’d like to get from it eventually.”
“I’m sure we can arrange that.”
She eyed the couch. “This is pretty nice treatment for being a prisoner.”
“You’re not a prisoner.”
“I can walk away right now?”
“No.”
She flourished her hand.
“Do you want to walk away?”
Lexi searched his face. “No.”
“Then we’re in agreement.”
They stared at each other. He suddenly wasn’t sure why he’d opened his private space to her so soon. He felt at ease in her presence, yet he still had a barrier up that he couldn’t quite let down.
Lexi stepped forward, closing the distance between them. “How long are we going to keep dancing around this?”
“I…” Jason didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t so much as kissed anyone since Tiff, let alone more. He knew Tiff wouldn’t have wanted it that way. Even before her death, she’d want him to move on and find happiness with someone. Still, it felt like a betrayal to her memory to have those thoughts about anyone else.
Even as he tried to rationalize his commitment to Tiff’s memory, he could hear her voice in his head. “Don’t be a foking idiot. You need to live your own life. Just kiss her already!” He smiled at the perfectly rendered tone in his mind. Tiff was still, and always would be, alive and well in his memory, no matter what else he did.
Lexi smiled back, unaware of the reason behind his. She drew him to her.
He gave in.
Their lips met in a passionate kiss and he pressed his body against hers. The surge of desire to be close to her was overwhelming. But it was more than the amount of time since he’d last been close to anyone. It was her. Everything about her.
This feels so right. It was easy and natural, like they’d known each other for a lifetime. Old lover reunited after too long apart.
When they parted, all of Jason’s doubts had vanished. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He rushed away; if he lingered, he might never leave.
— — —
“That was what I think it was, right?” Wil asked his wife as they strolled to the Command Wing.
“A new resonance connection? Yes.”
They glanced at each other.
“How?” Wil wondered aloud. It wasn’t that Lexi wasn’t attractive or Gifted, but rather the odds against a chance encounter like this were astronomical.
“I have no idea, but she’s here now,” Saera said. “This isn’t something we can ignore.”
— — —
Jason took the elevator back up to Level 1 and met up with his parents in the High Commander’s office. His father was seated behind the desk, and his mother was in one of the two visitor chairs. Jason took the empty seat next to her.
“Before we get into the debrief, we should discuss the obvious,” Wil began.
How I’m falling for our civilian informant? Jason nodded. “I know, this whole thing blindsided me.”
“It often does.”
The words flooded out from Jason’s mouth, “I know what you’re thinking, and yes, I’m well aware that this looks bad with her being associated with a terrorist organization, even though she was working against them from the inside. It’s messy and not becoming of a TSS officer, let alone a dynastic heir, to be connected with someone like that. But we—”
“Jason, there’s no judgment here,” his father said calmly. “We know exactly what it’s like to experience that kind of sudden pull to someone. It’s inexplicable, unstoppable, and rarely without difficulties.”
“We love you and trust you,” his mother added. “While this is an unexpected wrinkle, it’s ultimately a good thing.”
“I’m pretty overwhelmed, to be honest,” he admitted.
“It’s one of those things that’s thrilling and scary and rewarding all at the same time,” his father said. “I don’t envy you needing to navigate this development amidst everything else, but you have shown time and again how you can keep a level head.”
“How is she taking it?” Saera asked.
“Confused but excited. Stars! We’ve only known each other for a few hours, but it already feels like a lifetime.”
His parents exchanged knowing glances.
“Yep, know all about that,” Wil said with a smile. “At least you have the benefit of being a little older than we were. Extra perspective to bring to bear.”
“If I may offer some unsolicited advice?” his mother ventured.
Jason nodded his assent.
“With most relationships, you go into it unsure if it will work out; you test it to see if you’re right for each other. In the case of resonance connections, you already know the outcome. So, rather than focusing on potential dealbreakers, you can go straight to the part of the relationship where you figure out how best to support each other.
“While that’s critical in any relationship, it is exponentially more important when bonding comes into play. You share a part of yourself with your partner. You feel what they feel, and vice versa. Joy, heartache, trauma. From the moment you bond, it’s all there, and the depth of those feelings will continue to grow with time.
“Each relationship is different, but from what I’ve experienced myself and witnessed in other Gifted couples, everything goes much better if you take the time to get to know each other before jumping straight into a bond. Talk about those heavy things you carry with you so you can lay the intellectual groundwork for the other person to understand those feelings once they become shared. Build emotional intimacy, as you would in any relationship. It’ll be intense no matter what, but there are ways to ease the transition.”
His father nodded. “You’ve been through a lot over the last year, and it seems like Lexi has had some challenges in her life, too.”
The subtext was obvious, and Jason was glad his parents had left it unspoken. I didn’t lose Tiff that long ago and the loss is still fresh. Am I ready for this?
As fast as things were progressing, he kn
ew he was ready. Everything with Lexi felt ‘right’. Natural. Effortless. It was the spark he’d aspired to find. That happiness and bright future didn’t diminish Tiff’s memory or what he’d had with her. It was time to move into the next phase of his life, as she would want him to.
“Thank you for your support,” Jason said.
His mother’s brows drew together with an expression of deep caring and concern that brought him back to his youth. “We will always be here for you, no matter what. I’m so happy for you.”
Stars, they’re acting like I just told them I’m getting married! He realized that he actually had, in a way. Finding a resonance connection with someone invariably led to a lifelong partnership. Whenever they were ready to bond, that would make it official—regardless of paperwork. Lexi is going to be my wife.
Thinking about it in those terms made his head spin, so he decided that changing the subject was for the best. “All right, so back to what happened on Duronis.”
His parents straightened in their seats and turned serious.
Wil folded his hands on the desktop and leaned forward. “Our tech team was able to prevent a critical failure of the planetary shield. The tampering was done in such a way that it would have been difficult to identify, so it’s fortunate that Kira was able to pass on that tip.”
“Though the planet wasn’t a total loss, the devastation was significant,” Saera said. “Casualties are currently estimated around two hundred million worldwide.”
Jason took a slow, steadying breath as that figure sank in. “What about the other planets?”
“Twenty-two worlds in the Outer Colonies all experienced similar attacks within minutes of each other.” His mother kept her tone professional, but the pain was there in her eyes. “The bombings focused on ports and utility infrastructure. There was similar tampering with the planetary shields, as well.”
“We had been unaware of the security vulnerability that made that kind of weaponizing of the shield possible,” his father continued. “I’ve arranged for a roll-out of an update so we shouldn’t have to worry about this again in the future. It was too close to a catastrophic incident.”
Jason’s cheeks flushed. “That’s what they wanted, no doubt.”
Wil nodded. “No one has yet stepped forward, which reinforces the suspicion that chaos was the goal. We are operating on the assumption that the Coalition is responsible, though we’ll need proof.”
“What about the files from Lexi’s handheld?” Jason asked.
Saera shook her head. “Since the transfer didn’t complete, the information that copied over is jumbled and piecemeal. It’s going to take time to try to reconstruct it.”
A knock sounded on the door.
“Come in,” his father said.
Kira entered. “I’m all signed off and fit for duty.”
“Please, join us.” Saera telekinetically dragged a third guest chair over to the desk.
“We were just discussing the project files from the Alliance.” Jason filled her in on the status.
Kira frowned. “That’s disappointing.”
Considering those files had hopefully held clues to Leon’s location, ‘disappointing’ was a significant understatement. Jason’s parents were also aware of the situation, and his mother jumped in.
“Your mission didn’t work out like we’d hoped, but we are immensely grateful for your investigation into the Alliance’s deeper operations. We never leave our people stranded, so you can rest assured that we’ll do everything possible to find Leon and get him home safely.”
“I appreciate that,” Kira replied. “The good news is that they wanted him for his skills, so they want him alive. That buys a little time.”
“We’re optimistic that we’ll be able to glean enough information from the copied files to determine his location in short order. With any luck, that will also yield some insight into the Coalition’s larger plans.”
Kira nodded slowly. “I heard that Duronis wasn’t the only planet attacked today.”
“Twenty-two in total,” Wil confirmed.
“Any significance to that number?” Kira asked.
“We don’t know yet.”
Jason groaned. “Everything related to this group is ‘unknown’, it seems.”
“Hopefully not for much longer. Let’s get back to what happened on Duronis today,” Wil said. “The field offices are attempting to find witnesses to the incidents on the other planets, but we didn’t happen to have field operatives working undercover at an Alliance office at the time, so you’re the most reliable witness we have, Kira.”
“It might be easier if we just show you,” she stated. “Jasmine has the whole thing recorded. May we tap into the display?”
“Sure.” Wil input the necessary credentials for Jasmine to interface with the room’s integrated audio-visual system.
“Hi, nice to speak with all of you directly,” the AI greeted over the speakers in a bright, friendly synthetic voice that was nothing like CACI’s rigid tonality.
“Hi, Jasmine,” Jason replied. He’d only had limited interactions with the AI implanted in Kira, but she was a fully sentient consciousness like any other living being. In the years since he’d met her, he’d occasionally pondered what it would be like to have another voice in his head—and had decided that he already had enough internal disagreements without adding that extra layer of confusion.
“Jasmine keeps a catalogue of my sensory experience,” Kira explained. “It’s not as objective a record as what you’d download from a combat suit, but you’ll get the gist.”
Jasmine brought up a visual and auditory record from the moments leading up to the first explosion on Duronis that afternoon. Kira appeared to be standing guard duty at the top of a staircase.
“I knew Leon had a meeting in the basement that afternoon, and I was waiting for him to come out,” Kira explained. “I traded for that shift so I could be close by. They always liked to have someone standing watch at that stairwell because it was so near the main entry door.”
The recording advanced from Kira’s point of view as a window next to her suddenly exploded in a shower of glass. She closed her eyes and ducked as a powerful boom took over her hearing.
When images and sound returned on the recording, dozens of people were running toward the main door. Kira ran to look out through the window, where she saw a massive plume of dark smoke in the distance and the ruins of several buildings on the street. Flames and smoke billowed from the sites. Multiple cars were overturned in the street.
“Pause,” Saera requested, and Jasmine complied. “Why the attacks here? Blowing up the port makes sense, as does disrupting the power grid. But why these random attacks on the street?”
“I’ve been wondering that, too,” Kira said. “I believe it was to cover the evacuation. At least half the people working in the Alliance office had quietly slipped out through a hidden exit without our knowledge, so there weren’t nearly the numbers in our building that there should have been. By creating a distraction in the vicinity, we didn’t realize we were missing people.”
“And all of the hand-selected people were already off-world by this point?” Wil asked.
“Presumably so. Assuming they took off in a shuttle from the local port, they must have been gone already because that dark smoke in the background marks where the port used to be.”
“What about transit records?” Wil asked.
Saera shook her head. “Nothing registered.”
“I’m pretty sure they had a bunch of port workers on the payroll,” Kira said. “Doesn’t surprise me one bit that there’s no record of anyone leaving.”
“What about locks on the nav beacon?” Jason suggested.
“Good thought, but no dice there, either,” his mother replied. “It appears they were using an independent jump drive—illegally, of course.”
Wil deflated a little in his chair. Jason knew his father was sensitive about that technology and sometimes regretted
it making its way into the hands of civilians. Naturally, criminal elements always had a way of exploiting systems that were intended to improve lives.
“Everything after that was pretty much just us running and hiding until Jason picked us up,” Kira continued.
She walked them through the rest of her sensory data from the afternoon, fast-forwarding to the significant events. Jasmine offered commentary a few times, presenting observations about the detonation patterns that suggested the bombs had been set in place well in advance, following a cohesive design.
By the time she got to when Jason had picked her up—thankfully stopping before Kira had observed his meeting with Lexi—Wil and Saera were scowling at the screen.
“They really did a number on that planet,” Wil said.
“Were the others this bad?” Kira asked.
“The destruction was more confined to infrastructure elsewhere. This has the look of a personal attack,” he replied.
“I suspect that Duronis was the headquarters location for the Alliance,” Jasmine said. “I’ve been reviewing footage from the other planets, and only Naevo and Erosaen exhibit similar destruction patters. I believe those planets may also have held strategic bases, so we may be looking at three cells operating within a unified command structure.”
“Those planets are nowhere near each other,” Saera observed, consulting a map on her handheld.
“They are, however, each in major transit lanes for their respective territories,” the AI stated. “I believe it may be possible to narrow down likely destinations for evacuees based on this information.”
“Please, run the analysis,” Wil said. “It would also be helpful if you could speak with a couple of our Agents about your longer-term observations while undercover within the Alliance. Any behavioral clues you can offer might help us determine their future actions.”
“Gladly,” Kira agreed.
Wil turned to Jason. “Now, I believe it’s time we speak with Lexi and get her side of the story.”
— — —
Lexi was amazed that she could have access to every bit of entertainment the Taran Empire had to offer and still not find anything to watch. Truthfully, it wasn’t the overwhelming choice that was her hang-up, but rather that she was too distracted by everything else going on.
