Empire Reborn (Taran Empire Saga Book 1): A Cadicle Space Opera by A.K. DuBoff (jenna bush book club TXT) 📕

It didn’t make them complicit to the perpetuation of power structure. And it certainly didn’t mean they should get hurt or die.

Even those who were willingly playing a part in the system didn’t deserve to be bombed. That kind of violence wasn’t ever the answer.

But it was a spectacle. And Lexi was coming to the dark realization that Oren and whoever he reported to wanted as much attention as they could orchestrate. Big, splashy events got media coverage, and media coverage provided a platform for spreading their message. As soon as people could see, you could make them listen. And once they listened, they could be turned into allies. Grow the movement. Fight for freedom. Then, with that freedom, seize power.

I helped make this happen. She hadn’t known where it would lead. There were probably signs of this very act that she’d chosen to ignore, but she hadn’t made a conscious choice to be a part of it. It had been like sitting in a pot slowly being brought to a boil. Only now that she was already burning did she realize the heat was on.

There was still a chance to prevent loss of life. To undo her part in what was about to transpire. Her lungs and legs burned from the sprint, but she couldn’t delay for even a moment. If she got to the port quickly enough, she could pass on the message that—

Fok! What can I say? Admitting there was a bomb would implicate her.

With a further sinking feeling, Lexi realized that she had no way to get in touch with Niko. She just showed up at the back door at the pre-arranged time; Oren handled the details. And even if she could talk to him, she didn’t know if he’d help her. Maybe he was in on it. Or…

There were too many possibilities. Debating with herself wouldn’t get her anywhere. She needed to try.

She briefly considered whether it was better to go in through the front door or if she should go to the back door and hope for the best. In the end, she decided that tried and true was the safer bet.

Lexi dashed through the dank alley and began pounding on the door where she usually retrieved her pickups. Come on, Niko! Please be here.

An agonizing minute passed with no reply. “Niko!” she finally shouted, unsure if her voice would penetrate the thick metal door. “It’s urgent, please.”

Still no reply.

She was about to abandon the tactic and try barging in through the front door, instead, when there was the sound of the internal lock clanging open.

The door swung outward and Niko peeked out. He rolled his eyes when he saw her. “Shite, Lexi! We try to keep a low profile around—”

“Listen,” she interrupted, “there’s a package that was—”

An alarm suddenly blared, and a red light sprang to life.

Lexi’s chest constricted. No…

Niko swore. He looked back through the door as workers inside stopped what they were doing.

Her heart pounded in her ears. “What’s that?” The words were spoken at a whisper. She already knew the answer.

“Lockdown order.” He checked a readout on his handheld. “Shite! There was an explosion at the port.”

I’m too late. Lexi dropped her hands to her sides and stepped back.

Niko looked her over. “Why did you say you were here?”

“Nothing. Never mind.” She started to walk away.

“Lexi, wait! Do you know something?”

She fought back tears that threatened to sting her eyes. “No. I don’t know anything at all.”

—     —     —

Raena checked the time on her desktop, surprised to see it was still morning. She’d gone into the zone and had addressed most of her inbox to-do items already. Hey, today might not be so bad!

Recently, the little things had been piling up to one massive headache, but perhaps they were through the worst of it. Even so, news reports had continued to circulate in the Outer Colonies about organized rallies calling into question the validity of the High Council’s rule and the worth of their corporations. While she considered the views shortsighted, people were entitled to their opinions. Her job was to turn those perceptions around.

Her most immediate concerns were SiNavTech and DGE.

She could see an argument in the case of DGE that starships could be manufactured by any number of companies. Having baseline safety standards would be important, but the construction beyond that wasn’t critical to have centralized. What the general public didn’t seem to realize is that DGE was that regulatory authority first and foremost. Yes, they had their own shipyards, but the corporation’s biggest function was quality control oversight for ship manufacturing and maintenance; they were in the business of keeping people safe and preventing vendors from excessive price-gouging. The same thing went for VComm with telecommunication regulations and Makaris with food quality standards. Did anyone truly believe things would be better without them?

The case of SiNavTech’s value was even clearer. Commerce and travel would be impossible without the SiNavTech navigation beacon network. Sure, a handful of people were in possession of ships with independent jump drives, but eliminating SiNavTech would mean concentrating the power in that small number of hands. It would be a disaster. Moreover, all of SiNavTech’s recent initiatives had been to reduce costs for everyday citizens and put the onus of infrastructure maintenance costs on wealthy businesses and dynasties. They’d worked hard to make it as equitable as possible.

Until a week ago, she hadn’t heard about anyone being dissatisfied with the system. If anything, approval ratings had been climbing over the past five years. It didn’t add up.

Unless those behind this movement want that small handful of people to have control… because they are in on it. That was a terrifying thought. Are they trying to take down the High Council to install their own regime that will control who has