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

spreading through the fringe worlds. We’ve been at peace. Why is this happening now?

It’s not like the years since the Priesthood’s fall had been wholly without discontent. Despite high satisfaction polls, there were always those who complained—an annoying regulation, a burdensome tax, an antiquated law. But no matter what might change, people would find something new to latch onto that needed fixing. Perhaps it was simply in the nature of people to find dissatisfaction. It could be an evolutionarily selected feature to make a person always strive for advancement. Get too content and complacent, and nothing gets done.

She didn’t have another explanation for what was happening, because everything—at least, on the surface—seemed to be going well.

“I don’t get it,” she muttered, shaking her head.

The statement was rhetorical, but Ryan responded, “It didn’t come from nowhere. The messaging is too uniform. Someone is driving this behind the scenes.”

“But why?” she asked. “This is the most prosperous the Empire has been in centuries. Why plunge it into chaos?”

“The usual reasons. Power. Pursuit of wealth. It’s not like these are respectable business people. When things are good for the rule-followers, criminals don’t have as many opportunities. Apparently, someone decided to do something about it.”

“You think a bunch of thugs are behind this?” Raena waved her hand at the videos of the expertly orchestrated protests.

“Not all criminals are ‘thugs’, as you put it,” he said. “Select criminal organizations are probably managed better than some dynastic corporations.”

“That’s an unnerving thought.”

“But it’s a reality that we need to be prepared to face.”

She massaged her temples with her fingertips. “We had enough to worry about with the Rift without adding this mess, too.”

“I’m certain that’s not a coincidence. Which is what makes me think these people must be well-connected and efficient operators. They’re smart.”

“It’s true. If I was trying to sow discontent with the High Council, I’d make a move toward Dainetris first. It sucks for us, but you’re the youngest leader by several decades and are still rebuilding the family name and business. A lot easier than trying to unseat an institution like Vaenetri.”

“And those opening jabs about Sietinen set the stage, given our relationship. Dragging Sietinen through the mud by association with Dainetris is probably the only way your family would ever get bad press, aside from the ongoing baseless complaints about the ties to the TSS.”

Raena sighed. She was sick of going over the same material time and again. Can’t they just believe we’re genuinely trying to do right by our people?

“I know it’s frustrating, my love.” Ryan reached across the table and took her hands in his. “We’ll get through this.”

“I know we will.” She paused. “Let’s prepare a statement and run it by my parents, grandparents, and the press team. We can express our condolences to the families of the people who died without taking responsibility. Say an investigation is underway.”

“There’s probably a way to word that to make it work.”

“I have some ideas. I’ll draft it up tonight and we can send it out for review—aim to release midday tomorrow.”

He nodded. “Sounds good.”

“All right, next issue…” She scrolled through the conversation points on her handheld. Before she could select an item, Ryan spoke up.

“Something you said a little bit ago got me thinking. You’re right that Dainetris makes the most sense as a target on paper, but DGE’s assets are actually very stable. There’s another High Dynasty that’s a less obvious choice.”

Raena set down her handheld as she caught on to where he was going. “Monsari. Stars, you’re right! They’re the ones that have the most to lose.”

“Is it possible they’re behind this unrest, to serve as a distraction?”

“I’m willing to explore every possibility. It would make sense, in a twisted way.”

Ryan leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. “Celine Monsari was hedging during the council meeting, that’s for sure.”

“Even if this isn’t what they’re up to, there’s something going on behind the scenes that doesn’t bode well for the rest of us.” A shiver ran down her back.

“We need to be careful, Raena. Players this powerful don’t respond well to others getting in their way.”

—     —     —

Wil’s crash course in dealing with Earth’s politicians revealed that they were even higher maintenance than those on Tararia. What was I thinking agreeing to this?

Being the first Taran to be interviewed had made him the de facto face of the integration efforts, though he’d intended for Raena to serve that role. However, with DGE in the crosshairs, she had needed to return to Tararia sooner than he’d hoped. That left him to deal with the reporters and government officials.

The latest interview, conducted in English, was for an in-depth public relations piece called ‘Getting to know the Taran Empire’, or some such equally hyperbolic title. So far, the questions from the interviewer had been superficial, at best. Wil was playing along for the sake of making a good impression, but he hoped they’d get to some meaningful content soon.

The well-dressed man on the other end of the video conference nodded thoughtfully as he looked over his notes. “So, were the governments of Earth aware of what’s been going on?”

“Of course, the government is always in on it when there’s something of this scale,” Wil replied. Finally, getting to the meat of it.

“Nothing you’ve said made it sound like they were part of the coverup.”

“Well, not actively, perhaps. But they were aware of the truth. It’s no coincidence that humans set their sights on Mars more fervently than the moon, despite the significant proximity difference. The TSS had claim to the moon well before humans possessed the means to venture beyond the planet’s atmosphere, and we’ve made a point to discourage exploration and colonization. The exploration and settlement of the moon that is permitted stays as far