EMPIRE REBORN TARAN EMPIRE SAGA: BOOK 1 A.K. DuBoff EMPIRE REBORN Copyright © 2021 by A.K. DuBoff’s 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. www.cadicle.com Want to be notified about new Cadicle Universe releases? www.subscribepage.com/cadiclenews Published by Dawnrunner Press Cover by Robert Rajszczak Special thanks to Beta/JIT readers: John Ashmore Doug Burnham Kaj Fleischmann Charles Obert SJ Schauer Steve DeBacker Troy Mullens Gil Forbes Jim Dean Jeanette Bedard Louise Bishop Liz Singleton David Frydrych Heather Lewis Leo Roars Andrea Fornero Kurt Schulenburg Eric Haneberg Kevin McLaughlin Lisa Richman Brian Busby Diane L. Smith Angel LaVey First eBook Edition: March 19, 2021 Kindle Edition TABLE OF CONTENTS ABOUT THE TARAN EMPIRE SAGA FOREWORD – THE CADICLE UNIVERSE MAP OF THE TARAN EMPIRE 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 NOTE GLOSSARY Timeline of Key Events Key Terms ABOUT THE AUTHOR About the Taran Empire Saga Break the treaty, be destroyed. We forgot. Now we pay the price. Jason Sietinen lives in the shadow of greatness. He’s worked hard to become a TSS officer in his own right, but having war heroes for parents is hard to top. When Jason is assigned to investigate a mysterious attack, he finds evidence of powerful transdimensional beings never before seen. Or so he thought. Jason soon learns that critical information was lost through the millennia: Tarans had an ancient treaty with the aliens. Unfortunately, rogue actions by a shadow faction within the Empire just broke the peace. With the future of the Empire hanging in the balance, Jason must find a way to unite the Taran worlds, including the lost colony of Earth, against the mounting threat. There’s just one problem: how do you fight an enemy you can’t see or touch? Foreword – The Cadicle Universe The events in the Taran Empire Saga 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 genetic offshoot. Most of the Taran sphere falls within the purview of the Taran Empire, governed from the planet Tararia by a council of High Dynasty families. 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 at a base inside Earth’s moon, and its iconic Agents are known in Earth lore as the mysterious ‘men in black’. Chronologically, the Taran Empire Saga takes place after the events in the original Cadicle series, Mindspace series, and Verity Chronicles. However, prior knowledge of that broader story universe is not required in order to read and enjoy these books. Map of the Taran Empire The following map shows key locations referenced in this book, within the Taran Empire in the Milky Way galaxy. For a more detailed map, visit: www.amyduboff.com/taran-empire-map. CHAPTER 1 Jason Sietinen sped through the training course in his fighter with practiced precision, using the neural link to operate the spacecraft as an extension of himself. He couldn’t help grinning; the idea to volunteer as a space combat instructor had been a stroke of genius to get him flying again without shirking his leadership responsibilities. Stars, I’ve missed this! As he finished his demonstration run, he was about to address his students when a presence at the edge of his consciousness broke his euphoria. Jason’s sight narrowed and the jovial chatter on the comms faded to the background. Intense fear gripped him, despite his training. He’d experience the same foreboding sensation once before, though he’d never been sure if it was real—a prophesy or a waking nightmare. No, we beat them. They’re gone. This can’t be right. The darkness pressed against his mind, closing in around him. Such immense power, sinister and all-consuming. Memories of the past vision rushed back and merged with his present perception. His surroundings melted away, leaving only his heartbeat pounding in his ears. He was alone in the void, trapped by the crushing force. Something was coming… And then it vanished. Jason drew a deep breath of the crisp, oxygen-rich air to steady himself. What was that? His students were still joking with each other on the comms, oblivious to what he’d felt. He wanted to tell himself it was just a bizarre manifestation of stress, but he’d learned to trust his instincts more than that. “CACI,” he addressed the onboard AI, “are you picking up any unusual readings?” “Nominal,” the synthetic female voice replied. Sensor data scrolled across the head-up display on the windshield, casting a soft red and blue glow inside the cockpit. He reviewed the information on the HUD, seeing nothing of note. “What about any recently filed incident reports?” “Specify parameters.” Truthfully, Jason didn’t know what he was asking. He glanced at the young pilots waiting to take their first run in real fighters. If there wasn’t immediate danger in the vicinity, then anything
