Divided Loyalties (Verity Chronicles Book 2): A Cadicle Space Opera Adventure Read online

  DIVIDED LOYALTIES

  VERITY CHRONICLES: BOOK 2

  T.S. Valmond & A.K. DuBoff

  DIVIDED LOYALTIES

  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

  Gil Forbes

  Liz Singleton

  Kurt Schulenburg

  Steve DeBacker

  Chris Pattee

  Taria Faust

  Leo Roars

  Robert Benson

  Eric Haneberg

  Bryan Ellis

  Charlie Obert

  Crystal Wren

  Publisher: BDL Press

  Cover Copyright © 2020 A.K. DuBoff

  First eBook Edition: May 29, 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

  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 Devon

  Viper – Competitive gamer and engineering genius

  Yeaga – Leader of the miner revolt on Hubyria

  Ian Mandren – TSS Sacon Agent Division Lead; Joe’s direct supervisor

  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…

  Iza Sundari grew up as an orphan on the rough streets of outer colony worlds, where she’s done what she needed to survive with her Lynaedan android companion, Trix. Even when a chance encounter with teenager Braedon sends unwanted attention from the authorities in her direction, Iza remains committed to her plan to turn her life around.

  With the opportunity to get her own ship and begin a private hauling business, Iza meets with her former employer, Karter Hyttinen of Apex Enterprises. Karter always wanted more from Iza than just cargo-hauling work, but she has successfully rebuffed his advances. Iza convinces Karter to lease her a ship, but she quickly realizes that he’s intentionally stacked the terms against her so she’s all but guaranteed to default.

  In an effort to get the money she needs for ship payments, Iza reluctantly agrees to take on Braedon and his mysterious bodyguard, Jovani, as passengers. Unknown to Iza, Jovani is actually disgraced TSS Agent Joe Anderson, who’s been sent to the outer colonies on an undercover a
ssignment. Joe is desperate to prove his worth to the TSS so he can return to Headquarters, and traveling with Braedon and Iza is the perfect opportunity to launch covert investigations. Joe and Iza have an instant connection, though Iza is reluctant to act on those feelings.

  As she gets to know her new ship, Iza discovers a hidden ancient box, which contains a small metal sphere with mysterious properties. It seems to be giving her bizarre dreams, and she can feel its presence like a hum in her head. To complicate matters, Braedon’s father, Victor—the head of the Arvonen Dynasty—is after the sphere, and he will do anything he can to get his property back. He sends the authorities after Iza and her ship, led by Karter’s cousin, Desirae Hyttinen, a captain in the Tararian Guard.

  While trying to stay out of trouble, Iza’s first hauling job with her new ship takes an unexpected turn when they are shot down with an EMP blast. Hubyria is supposed to be a quiet mining world, but Iza discovers that the miners are on strike and are looking for leverage to use against their corporate overlords. The situation is exactly the kind of civil unrest Joe was sent to seek out, so he allows himself to be abducted by the miners and brought in for questioning by the rebel leader, Yeaga. Just as he’s gathering the information he needs, Iza launches a rescue and they double-cross another hauling crew to get away.

  Though everyone is safe, the hauling job is a bust and there is no way for Iza to make her lease payment on the ship. Worse, Braedon has gambled away Iza’s only backup plan, leaving her on the brink of losing everything. Seeing that his own undercover mission is in jeopardy, Joe arranges for Iza’s ship to be secretly retrofitted with a specialized independent jump drive, typically only available on military vessels, and reveals his true identity to Trix in the process.

  In a desperate move, Iza takes on a dangerous job promising great pay that will clear her debts. However, Joe’s arm is shot off in the botched escape from the job, threatening his life. They bring Joe to a Healer named Cierra, who is Braedon’s former lover. Cierra manages to save Joe’s life, but he’s still in need of advanced medical care to regrow his arm.

  Karter Hyttinen offers Iza a solution to all of her problems: enter into a fake engagement with him to get his domineering mother off his back, and he’ll pay for Joe’s recovery and also let Iza keep her ship. Backed into a corner, Iza agrees, though she keeps the engagement a secret.

  With the Tararian Guard and Victor Arvonen off Iza’s back for the time being, Iza settles into life aboard her ship, named the Verity, with her passengers and crew. However, she must still solve the mystery of the ancient sphere’s origins, and with news that her mother may actually still be alive, her life is about to get much more complicated.

  CHAPTER ONE

  For the fifth time that morning, Iza wondered why she’d allowed so many people on her ship. All she needed were a couple of non-sentient androids to help Trix carry heavy loads when the time came. What she had instead were complications, expenses, and liabilities.

  She tried to block out Braedon’s and Cierra’s bickering as she scooped up more hay to toss around the makeshift pen in the back corner of the cargo deck. “Can we get there any faster?” Her question echoed off the large domed room as she called out to Trix working on the opposite side of the room.

  Trix’s pale skin hid her non-organic components, her brunette hair hanging past her shoulders in neat waves as she bent over to move more bales of hay into the cargo hold in preparation for their next job. The Lynaedan android could pass for any woman delivering news in the Sensationals, but her artificial frame could lift five times her body weight and her advanced processing core could complete computations impossible for anyone of flesh and blood. Of all Iza’s crew members, Trix was the one she could trust to be drama-free and focused on the task at hand.

  Trix scrutinized Iza. “We are almost to our destination now, and the route was plotted in accordance with your instructions to minimize transit fees. Specifically, you said,” she switched into an exact copy of Iza’s voice, “ ‘We’re not made of money, so get us there on the cheap. This boat is already costing me too much as it is. I refuse to give those bomaxed officials another credit.’ ”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Iza’s mouth twitched as she held back a smile. Trix had no idea she was so funny.

  Owning a starship meant having the credits to take care of minor things like repairs and transit fees, so she needed to be smart about her expenditures. In some cases, taking a little longer was worth the savings gained by traveling through normal space rather than using the SiNavTech beacon navigation network for subspace jumps. At least her next job was a done deal; she only had to pick up the haul and drop it off on a nearby colony. It was so easy she could do it in her sleep. Too bad she wasn’t getting any.

  Strange dreams continued to disrupt Iza’s rest. She blamed the mysterious artifact she’d found under the stairs in the cargo hold a month and a half prior. The metal sphere remained in its box within her nightstand, humming. Whatever its origins and purpose she couldn’t blame the sphere for her annoying guests. Nor was it the cause of her current dilemma with Jovani Saletas or her fake engagement to Karter Hyttinen.

  Above, Braedon and Cierra erupted into another round of shouting about natural cooking and Braedon’s unappreciation for holistic living.

  Iza sighed. “I miss it being just the two of us,” she said to Trix.

  The android shook her head. “You do not mean that. You are happier now than you have been in the many years I’ve known you.”

  Maybe I am, but for how long? Iza didn’t reply out loud. She hadn’t even been able to tell Trix about the true nature of her arrangement with Karter. When Jovani learned the engagement, she had no doubt it would devastate him. She’d tried to keep her distance, but she could only make so many excuses.

  She vented her frustration through the hay-tossing. As if the interpersonal drama wasn’t enough, she could never escape the mysterious sphere’s infernal humming emanating from the nightstand drawer in her cabin decks above. It didn’t matter where it was, the hum followed her everywhere. Iza still found it strange that no one else heard it. Other people would probably laugh and assume she was crazy if she told them the truth about what she’d found in that hidden little box.

  Iza and Trix completed the preparations for receiving their cargo, and they headed for the flight deck. She wasn’t keen about their pickup from Galminus, but it paid well. The last time she’d been on the planet, the local Enforcers had falsely accused her of transporting stolen goods. This time around, she didn’t want to risk any delays or complications.

  Jobs never came easy. Iza had to haggle, debate, and persuade the people she worked with that she had the capacity and honesty to get products delivered on time. With all the underhanded dealings and disreputable crews out there, the Taran Empire needed sharp-witted and honest haulers. She was up for the challenge, provided the universe was willing to give her a chance.

  The Verity dropped out from subspace shortly after Iza arrived on the flight deck. She stared out the viewport at the world’s familiar green and red land masses where the dry northern hemisphere met the wet southern one.

  “How are we on timing?” Iza asked.

  “We are on schedule for the pickup,” Trix replied from where she stood at the center of the flight deck. “I should note, however, that there was a slight hesitation during our last entry to subspace. I will run a diagnostic on the jump drive.”

  “Thanks, Trix. I want to stay ahead of any problems. No more getting stranded due to poor maintenance.”

  Along the port side of the room, Jovani was at the tactical station. Iza couldn’t recall offering him an official place on the crew, but she couldn’t argue with the skills of the former TSS Agent. “Just a heads up, there’s a chance that we’ll have trouble at the border.”

  “Why?” Iza asked. Jovani had a knack for sensing potential issues; that’s why she liked him at tactical, even though his presence tended to cloud her head. “Aren’t the clearance
codes working? Our documentation is legitimate.”

  “No, it’s something else.” His eyes narrowed as he pored over information on his console. “All ships are being stopped at the border and questioned. It appears there was an incident earlier today.”

  “Why bother with the inbound ships?” she asked.

  “In case they’re arriving to aid an escape, I suppose.” Jovani shrugged.

  Iza made a tsk of annoyance. It was the last thing she needed today, but she remained calm and put on what she hoped was her most charming smile. Enforcers loved a friendly smile.

  “Trix, open a comms channel to border patrol.”

  “Channel open.”

  The holodisplay went black and then white as the vid displayed the Enforcer sitting in front of a white background.

  “This is Captain Sundari of the Verity. We’re here on a standard haul.”

  “Just checking your credentials, Captain. We had some trouble this morning.” The local Enforcer seemed annoyed to have to repeat his story.

  “What kind of trouble?” Iza asked. Despite his annoyance, she wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to get as much information out of him as she could.

  “It’s all over the local news. Several of our top scientists went missing from the lab in the Upper West End at the start of the workday. It seems they were just going about their business when someone snatched them.”

  “Is there a shortage on scientists in the colonies?” Iza asked in an attempt to lighten his mood.

  “Not that I’m aware of,” he replied, missing her intended humor. “All of them were average folk with families. If you hear or see anything out of the ordinary, we’re asking that you report it to the Guard immediately.”