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

The question then became how to find the control room. Most likely, it was accessible via the underground tunnel network, since that’s where Josh had been heading. She couldn’t very well walk into the room unexpectedly, though. And how do I stop them from taking over the defense grid?

She wasn’t a programmer or even that great with technology beyond the level of a proficient user. So, any option necessitating countermeasures from a tech standpoint was off the table.

Mind-control wasn’t reliable and also had a high probability of her getting caught. While she could take on one person and manipulate their thoughts to not carry out a particular action, it was unlikely she would find the hacker alone.

The only viable option was to render the entire control center inoperable, if there was such a place, as indicated in Josh’s mind. A disruption so significant that it would throw the whole plan off.

There are weapons in the storage tunnel. The major problem was that each was carefully cataloged and inventoried. Granted, she had done those logs herself and could doctor them, but that would take time and add another layer of risk. There was a much more straightforward solution, though risky in a different way: she could take out the control room with telekinesis.

It had been years since she’d done anything significant with her abilities, and her training had been spotty, at best. Trying to do anything on the fly might fail. But it was the most sensible option, given the alternatives.

If I can even find the bomaxed control room. That was Step One.

Lexi closed out from her writing on the workstation and thought about the best way to get down to the tunnel without anyone asking questions. To hedge her bets, she put a note on her workstation that she was going out to field test some messaging before writing a final draft; weak cover, but again, better than nothing. That was rapidly becoming her motto.

She knew that the tunnel entrance was potentially unlocked with people on the move for the big operation, so getting down there might not be too difficult; she could reset the bolts with telekinesis if it came down to it. That left the significant problem of locating the control room.

It would need to be easily accessible to people in this office. And it would use a lot of power.

She shook her head and let out a long breath. There was too much riding on her set of cobbled-together assumptions. Still, her gut told her this was the right thing to do.

A power-consumption-heavy location would give off a distinct energy signature. In the underground tunnels made of stone with minimal other wiring, there was a good chance she would be able to trace the electromagnetic signature all of the way to the control room. Such a feat would be easy for a trained TSS Agent, but an out-of-practice street rat like her…

Bad people are going to take over this planet if you sit on your hands and leave the problem-solving to other people. You got yourself into this mess, so you need to do something about it. She gripped the edge of the desk. Do it for Melisa.

Her mind made up, Lexi placed her handheld offline so her location couldn’t be geo-tracked, in case anyone got too curious about her whereabouts. With the note on her workstation about leaving the office, she instead headed downstairs.

As a precaution, she generated a low-level electrical field around herself to disrupt the footage of any security camera that might be watching her movements within the office. While it would draw suspicion if anyone reviewed it, at least it would be an extra layer of protection to keep the events from tracing back to her.

On the lower administrative level, the office doors, including Oren’s, were thankfully closed, so she had a clear shot to the tunnel entrance; everyone was already in their designated places.

She tried the door handle. Locked. Bomax.

Well, at least it would be a good opportunity to refresh her telekinesis skills. She opened her senses again, assessing the lock with her mind. She identified the location and position of the physical bolts holding it in place. Carefully, she tugged at the mechanism. It clanged to the side—much harder than she’d anticipated.

Shite. The entire mechanism was busted, but at least it was now broken in the open position. She was immensely thankful for her foresight to disrupt the camera feed.

She slipped through the doorway and closed it as best as she could behind her with the broken lock. The dim stairwell leading down to the tunnel now seemed even darker and more ominous than normal.

Toward the bottom of the stairs, she slowed her pace and listened for any sign of voices or movement. Not hearing or feeling anything, she continued forward.

A careful visual inspection confirmed that the tunnel was clear.

How can everyone disappear like this? Nothing about the Alliance’s operations made any sense.

She walked to the center of the tunnel and closed her eyes, focusing her extrasensory perception on the energy fields in the corridor. The first thing to jump out at her was the wiring running in the ceiling to the lights. She noted how it felt and then let it fade into the background, trying to sense something more powerful in the distance.

There was nothing. Just quiet and cold.

Come on! Where could it be? It was possible she was too far away to detect the control room. Logic, then. Which direction makes the most sense?

She studied the physical features of the tunnel, looking for indications of movement. After a minute of searching, she spotted a recent disturbance in the dust on the floor. It indicated people walking to the right, which was the same direction Magdalena had gone when she left after her speech. The logic