Infiltration Read online

  INFILTRATION

  MINDSPACE: BOOK 1

  A.K. DuBoff

  MINDSPACE: INFILTRATION

  Copyright © 2018 by 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. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  Editor: Jen McDonnell

  Special thanks to Beta/JIT readers:

  Craig Martelle

  John Ashmore

  Jim Dean

  Kurt Schulenburg

  Leo Roars

  Eric Haneberg

  Pam Haneburg

  Tracey Byrnes

  Troy Mullens

  Charlie Obert

  Diane Smith

  Curtis Johnson

  Kelly O’Donnell

  James Caplan

  Joshua Ahles

  Kimberly Boyer

  John Findlay

  Paul Westman

  Peter Manis

  Larry Omans

  Keith Verret

  Micky Cocker

  Kyle Rayl

  Publisher: BDL Press

  Cover Design by Andrew Dobell (www.creativeedgestudios.co.uk)

  Cover Copyright © 2018 A.K. DuBoff

  First eBook Edition: January 4, 2019

  Kindle Edition

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  About the Mindspace Series

  Forward – The Cadicle Universe

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  Also by A.K. DuBoff

  Author’s Notes

  About the Author

  About the Mindspace Series

  Prevent a stellar civil war... or die trying.

  When Captain Kira Elsar comes face-to-face with a military assault mech inside a civilian research lab, it’s abundantly clear that MTech is up to no good.

  Illegal alien nanotech experimentation. Clandestine political dealings. Disappearances. Connections all trace back to MTech’s newest research lab on Kira’s homeworld.

  As the Taran military’s sole telepath, Kira goes undercover to get to the bottom of the mystery. Hints point to a brewing interplanetary civil war, but she needs to gather proof. Except, the mysterious forces behind the conflict already have their own plans for Kira that will change her life forever.

  NOTE: A different version of this series was previously published as the Uprise Saga. Though the core story remains the same, the Mindspace books have been fully rewritten as a standalone story arc within the Cadicle universe.

  Forward – The Cadicle Universe

  The events in the Mindspace series 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. Because these characters aren’t human, they use different swears and terms. Most of the Taran sphere falls within the purview of the Taran Empire, governed from the planet Tararia. There are several rogue colonies on the outskirts of the Empire, some of which broke away from the Empire so long ago that they have forgotten their Taran ancestry, such as Earth.

  Chronologically, the Mindspace series takes place after the events in the original Cadicle series and before the forthcoming Cadicle sequel series, the Taran Empire Saga.

  There are references in Mindspace to the Bakzen War and a political coup related to the Priesthood. These are the central events in the original Cadicle series, so it is recommended to read that series first if you’d like to experience the events in chronological order. However, prior knowledge of this broader story universe is not required in order to read and enjoy the Mindspace books.

  CHAPTER 1

  Captain Kira Elsar raced through the desolate concrete corridor past darkened research labs. “Retreat!” she shouted into her comm.

  Behind her, footsteps echoed from deeper within the underground MTech facility. Too many footsteps.

  A shout sounded behind her, then a spray of plasma fire lit up the hall. Kira’s HUD politely informed her that hostile forces had been detected nearby. Really helpful, thanks.

  She ducked behind a collection of pipes protruding from the wall. It was terrible cover, but she’d take what she could get.

  Glancing toward the exit, she noticed Ari peeking around a bend in the corridor.

  “I thought I ordered a retreat, soldier,” Kira said over her comm.

  “That was before you got yourself cornered,” Ari Lanmore, a lance corporal on her team, replied. “No one gets left behind.”

  Kira couldn’t help grinning behind the blacked-out faceplate of her helmet. She loved Tararian Guard honor, especially in a time like this. “Lay down some cover fire on my mark. I’m going to try some fancy footwork.”

  “You’ve got it.”

  “Now!” Steeling her resolve, Kira bolted from behind the pipes.

  Her powered armor propelled her down the hall while plasma blasts flew in either direction. She’d only gone three strides when a new warning flashed on her HUD—the concentrated enemy fire was about to overload her suit’s defenses. Without thinking, she spun in a series of swift circles to diffuse the load on the armor’s electrified skin.

  After seven awkward strides of spinning and skipping, Kira made it to the corner where Ari was hunkered down. She leaped the final step to safety.

  “Ma’am, you are a graceful angel,” Ari said over the comm. His opaque helmet hid his face, but there was no mistaking the amusement in his voice.

  “We speak of this to no one.” Kira snatched a concussion grenade from a pouch on her tactical belt and tossed it back down the hall, then she pressed herself against the wall.

  Ari followed her lead.

  A moment later, Kira’s HUD lit up with a flash and heat signature. The helmet muffled the explosion, but she could feel it reverberate through the wall at her back. Try walking away from that, fokers! That’s what you get for burning my new armor.

  Dust and debris flew down the corridor. When the particulates began to settle, Ari poked his head around the corner.

  “Clear,” he announced. “You do realize that your entire dance down the hall is documented on my combat recorder, right?”

  “And that will be filed with the mission report and shown to no one.” Kira glared up at the huge soldier through her faceless helmet.

  “Yes, ma’am, I’d never think of sharing.”

  Liar. The video would be uploaded to the galactic Net before dinner. She’d be a viral sensation.

  Kira rolled her hazel eyes. “At least select a tasteful song to set it to, okay?”

  Ari bust out laughing again. “I was thinking it’d go great with—”

  The walls sh
ook anew with a concussive boom and series of thuds.

  What in the stars was that? Kira swapped places with Ari and refreshed the info display on her HUD. When she checked the hall around the corner, she was greeted by the sight of a mech twice her height.

  A volley of kinetic rounds flew from the gun mounted on the mech’s right shoulder.

  “Hello to you, too.” Kira took off full-speed down the side hall with Ari close behind.

  “I thought this place was supposed to be abandoned!” Ari shouted.

  “Yeah, well, our intel was wrong.” Kira reached an intersection and turned to the right, in the direction her HUD indicated was the exit. “Asher, Boro,” she raised the two other members of her team on the comm. “We’re coming out hot.”

  “Looks like you’re having quite the party, ma’am,” Nia Boro replied. “I have a direct link into the local Net. I think I can lower a blast door and seal off that section.”

  “Do it, for foksake!” Kira reached another intersection, this time turning left. “ETA on—”

  “Done! You’re almost to threshold…”

  Kira spotted the thick, metal strip in the ceiling and along the walls. As soon as she and Ari passed through, the blast door began to lower.

  The mech charged for the door. Kinetic rounds pelted the blast shield, a handful making it under the metal slab. Kira and Ari flattened themselves along the side walls of the corridor to avoid the enemy fire until the shield was secured.

  Kira let out a long, deep breath. Though thuds continued to sound against the blast door, there was no way the mech could get through the meter-thick barrier. “That could have gone better.”

  “We do have some good news,” Kyle Asher offered over the comm. “When you had to abort the data retrieval at the alpha location, we headed to the beta target. Location is secure. Plan B is still an option.”

  “Good.” Kira assessed the relative position on her HUD. Provided there weren’t any more unexpected mechs, it should be a straight shot through another wing of research labs. “We’re on our way.”

  Kira’s team was an unusual structure within the Guard—her as a captain in command of three lance corporals—but their unique specializations related to information extraction had kept them together as a unit longer than most. Situations like this when they came under unexpected enemy fire were rare, but she wouldn’t want anyone else to have her back.

  Ari took point as they jogged down a side hall toward Nia and Kyle’s location. The corridor was lined with doors, and a handful of the labs had observation windows. The rooms inside looked to be sterile chambers, some of which had exam tables in the center surrounded by an array of equipment. At least no one seemed to be around in this section of the supposedly abandoned facility.

  “Creepy much?” Ari commented.

  Something about the stark white environment and empty medical rooms did make Kira’s skin crawl. “Yeah,” she replied, eyeing every surface for potential threats.

  As if on cue, an overhead light began to flicker.

  I’m really starting to hate this place. Kira suppressed her nerves and stayed focused on the mission at hand. “I hope the data archive has answers and I didn’t scuff up my new armor for nothing.” She frowned at the newest pit on the left arm of her sleek, black armor, which had been sustained during the latest volley of kinetic rounds.

  “Better dents in the armor than holes in you.”

  She couldn’t argue with that.

  The corridor terminated in a set of windowless double-doors. Ari cautiously cracked open the right door and peered into the hallway beyond.

  “Shite… you’ve gotta see this.” He stepped into the room and held the door open for Kira.

  Her breath caught as she took in a bank of holding cells. Clear plexiglass covered the fronts of the tiny rooms, each containing a cot, toilet, and sink. The rooms looked like they’d been used.

  “So much for this being a typical MTech research lab.” Kira walked over to the nearest cell and examined its interior. Her HUD picked up gashes in the white plastic of the side wall. “Are those claw marks?”

  “The configuration is more like a person’s hand.” Ari’s tone was dark.

  “Normal nails couldn’t do that. Not even close.”

  “Could this be connected to the Bakzen’s genetic experimentations during the war?”

  Kira shook her head. “The Bakzen didn’t have claws—they were more or less like us. No, this is something different.”

  “Regardless, why the fok would a civilian research lab have holding cells like this?”

  “For nothing good.” Kira took a calming breath. “Come on, we need to get to the others. There’s no knowing if any more of MTech’s guards will show up and try to kill us.”

  Without another word Ari resumed jogging down the hall, keeping watch to either side in case someone—or something—was in one of the cells. He’d been assigned to the team of technical specialists as their muscle, and his commitment to that role had gotten the team safely out of worse situations than this.

  Kira followed him at a slight distance, mentally running through the possibilities. Those stupid fokers in intel. They throw out shite and we have to clean up the mess.

  The assignment was supposed to be simple: scope out an abandoned Mysaran research facility on the remote moon and scour the data archive for any reference to the Elusian government. Like many of the border worlds operating independently from the Taran Empire, not everyone wanted to play nice all the time. The Mysarans had been particularly obstinate of late and were looking for any opportunity to pick a fight with their Elusian neighbors.

  As the public-facing branch of the Empire’s military might, the Tararian Guard had been called upon to run interference and keep the situation from escalating. Of course, it wasn’t the Guard’s place to police non-Empire worlds, but Kira’s team specialized in gathering information that no one knew was being gathered. At least, that’s how it was supposed to work; throwing grenades tended to undermine the stealth part of a covert ops mission.

  The Guard clearly hadn’t been given the whole story. Whatever was going on, Kira would get to the bottom of it—even if her armor did have to get some scrapes along the way.

  After eighty meters, the corridor of cells opened into a square room filled with what appeared to be monitoring and surveillance equipment. An archway at the back led to another passageway. According to Kira’s HUD, the two other members of her team were in an adjacent room. She swept her gaze around while she walked toward the door, recording it for later review. Maybe they could get more clues if the data archive didn’t have the complete story.

  She exited with Ari and traversed the short distance to the room where Nia and Kyle were waiting. The door was ajar.

  Instead of just Kyle and Nia, though, there was a middle-aged man tied to a chair. He was wearing a white jumpsuit and looked pissed.

  Kira stopped in the doorway. “You didn’t tell me you had a guest.”

  Nia’s helmet was off, exposing her slicked-back black hair. She shrugged, a smirk highlighting her dark features. “Well, I said we had secured the beta location. We just need a little help with the rest.”

  “I thought you’d hacked into MTech’s local Net?” Kira asked.

  “We did,” Kyle confirmed, shaking his head of close-cropped brown hair, “but the data we’re after is locked up behind some kind of firewall with encryption I’ve never seen before. We can crack it, of course, but how much time do you want to spend on this? A password would be much faster.”

  Minutes made all the difference when there were enemies breathing down their necks. It was obvious why the man was strapped to the chair.

  Her team was looking at her. They knew what she could do—it was why she was the leader of a team of soldiers a head taller than her. For all Kira’s comparative physical limitations, she could do what no one on her team—or anyone else in the Guard—could: read their captive’s mind and extract the information they
needed.

  Kira swallowed. “I don’t have the authorization.”

  Nia glanced at the man tied to the chair. “Then, ma’am, it is unlikely we will be able to access the encrypted files and fulfill the mission objective before enemy forces reach our position.”

  Protocol existed for a reason. Telepathy and mind-control were a slippery slope, and specific rules were the only way to keep things civilized. But, the mission was at stake.

  Easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. Kira nodded to her team. “All right. We need to know what’s going on. Someone wasn’t honest about why we were sent here.”

  Relief filled the faces of her teammates.

  The man in the chair shrank back. “Wait, what are you going to do?” he asked, a quaver in his voice.

  Kira popped the latch on her helmet and slid it over her head. She massaged the fingers of her gloved hand over her scalp to fluff the pixie cut of her red hair. “You’re going to tell me the password to access that encrypted information one way or another.”

  The man shook his head. “I don’t know it.”

  It didn’t take a telepath to know he was lying.

  “Are you sure you want to do this the hard way?” Kira questioned.

  He didn’t reply.

  “All right.” Kira took a step forward and focused her hazel eyes on him. He tried to look away, but Kyle placed his hands on either side of the man’s head to make him face forward.

  “What is your name?” Kira asked the man in his mind.

  “Stewart,” came the response.

  Good, he hadn’t been trained in any mental blocking techniques, like the ever-present guards Kira maintained around her own thoughts. This would be easy. Kira dove into his mind using the methods she’d been training in since she was a child.

  Her homeworld of Valta was known for the unique properties of the natural ecosystem, where animals across the world shared telepathic bonds. When people had settled on the world and consumed the native resources, they found that certain members of the population developed telepathic abilities of their own.