Empire Reborn (Taran Empire Saga Book 1): A Cadicle Space Opera A.K. DuBoff (guided reading books TXT) 📖

“I suspected that might be why you were calling.”

“It shouldn’t have taken a tragedy to open this dialogue, but here we are. We need to set aside our differences and start working together.”

Mathaen drew in a long breath. “The differences have been significant.”

“There’s no point dancing around our friendly rivalry over the years. The Guard has been the butt of many of our jokes, as I’m certain we have been of yours. But underneath that, I know there’s a foundation of mutual respect. We’re both committed to protecting the interests of the Taran Empire, even though we’ve sometimes found ourselves on opposite sides of conflicts. However, in this case, the civil disputes pale in comparison to the outside danger. Our very existence as a race might be at stake. We’ll need to be a united front in order to stand a chance against what, by my estimation, will be a full-on invasion.”

The admiral didn’t reply at first. He rubbed his chin, studying Wil on his screen. “Have you talked about this with anyone?”

“No. It’s a non-starter if you don’t have any interest in putting our petty differences aside.”

“It’s strange, isn’t it? The two people in charge of the Empire’s most preeminent armed forces and we’ve never had so much as a friendly chat.” The admiral shook his head.

“Like a relationship with a bad relative, isn’t it? Only calling when one of us needs something.”

He chuckled. “We should really change that.”

“That’s why I wanted to reach out now. I think a lot’s been left unsaid. The way everything went down with the Priesthood was… awkward.”

“It was.” He sighed. “And for that, I owe you and your people an apology. I was following orders, and I know you won’t fault me for that. Still, I should have been more willing to listen when you began presenting evidence of the Priesthood’s corruption.”

“The TSS was launching a coup. You were right to resist.”

“Even so, I’d felt in my gut that there was something rotten going on with them for years. Part of me regrets not taking action sooner to be on the right side of history. You made a courageous move, and the Empire is indebted to you.”

“No one owes me anything,” Wil said. “All I’ve ever wanted is to work toward a better future for my loved ones. This case is no different.”

“And, to that end, I agree that we’re facing a tremendous threat. Possibly the most significant of our lifetimes.”

“This is far worse than the Bakzen, trust me.”

“You’d know better than anyone.”

“So, we’re in agreement to move forward as a unified front?”

“Heartily.” Mathaen nodded. “But one question: who’s in charge?”

“I think we’ll need to see how that plays out.” Though Wil didn’t want to press the issue, he had rather strong feelings that it should be him. With the transdimensional nature of their enemy, the TSS was in a far better position to assess and respond.

Based on the way the admiral was looking at him, the thoughts may as well have been spoken aloud. Still, he didn’t seem ready to admit as much. “As a team, then?” he proposed.

“Agreed.” Wil nodded. “Now that we’re in alignment, there’s some information you should know about this enemy, and it won’t be easy to hear.”

—

The rest of the conversation with Admiral Mathaen went surprisingly well. As it turned out, the admiral had been wanting to reach out to Wil for some time to begin building rapport. Though he had almost two decades of experience on Wil, he made no attempt to diminish Wil’s authority of command. If anything, he’d been shockingly complimentary.

Unfortunately, joining forces with the Guard wouldn’t be enough on its own to prepare the Taran Empire for the confrontation to come. The aliens would no doubt be back, and likely in greater numbers. Too many Taran worlds would be utterly defenseless. Stars, maybe none of the worlds stood a chance against them, but the TSS and Guard needed to at least make a show of support so their people didn’t think they’d been abandoned.

The Taran Empire was at a crossroads. Wil could see it plainly before him, as much as he wished that wasn’t the reality. They’d been heading toward the inflection point for centuries, though the interventions of various players had done a good job of delaying the inevitable. Now, they faced not only a potential civil war over the appropriate form of Taran leadership, but also were squaring off against an outside threat with capabilities beyond their comprehension.

Part of him wondered if the Aesir had anticipated that things would come to a head in his lifetime. When he’d first met with them decades before, they’d indicated that he was positioned to be a guiding voice for the Taran people. It was a role he was reluctant to fill, fearing his own shortcomings, but he kept finding himself in situations that necessitated he speak for the collective well-being of his people.

Now, the transdimensional aliens—whatever they were—would force him to take action at an unprecedented level. The TSS was the best equipped to deal with their unique nature, and he was the organization’s leader. The responsibility fell to him.

He’d been sitting at his desk in the High Commander’s office for the last hour trying to figure out the best way to proceed. There were countless political and military factors to consider, and he was running through the possibilities to determine the best way for the pieces to work together. Slowly, a plan was forming. No doubt, it would take work to convince others it was the most sensible approach.

A knock on the door roused him from his thoughts, and Michael entered at his indication.

“Am I interrupting?” his friend asked.

“No, just thinking.” Wil straightened in his seat. “In fact, there’s something we should discuss.”