Kaiden Read online

  Once she decrypted the message, she scanned its contents with increased interest.

  From the queen’s personal terminal? Often, missions appointed by their nation’s monarch were assigned down a chain of command from a superior.

  It all became crystal clear after she read the body of the message.

  The queen suspected a member of the Admiralty Board of operating as a double agent. Three dozen operatives had each received orders to deploy into the field, and once there, she alone was charged with working alongside Kaiden Lockhart.

  Nisrine’s only authorized point of contact would be with the queen’s lead agent. She scowled at the name taunting her from the screen: Joaquin Estrada, an ex she’d dumped years ago.

  This is business, she reminded herself. You can work with this.

  Seeing his name again made her blood boil just the same, until she reminded herself that Joaquin wasn’t worth a second of negative energy. And while he’d always been dishonest in his personal affairs, his professionalism never faltered. Otherwise, Queen Catherine wouldn’t have promoted him.

  According to Nisrine’s orders, she was to acquire a new identity before leaving the Jemison, then pick up equipment and travel instructions from the Intelligence office on Albion. From there she would head out to the Eloran system to make contact with Kaiden, who would reach the watery planet before her.

  Of course. If he and I left together, everyone would know.

  “Jem,” she spoke aloud.

  “Yes, Lieutenant?”

  “Would you kindly assist me with burning a new identity chip?” She tapped in a command code, authorizing the request.

  After completing her work at the terminal, Nisrine made her way to the medical bay and checked in for a walk-in visit with Xander.

  “You can go ahead to exam room three, Lieutenant. Doctor Vargas will see you there,” O’Reilly said to her.

  “Thank you.”

  Xander stepped in less than five minutes later. The handsome cyberneticist offered a friendly smile. “What can I help you with, Nisrine? I don’t see you often.”

  “I’ve been called out for intelligence exercises,” she replied, passing him the small chip Jem had fabricated for her.

  “Ah.”

  He didn’t ask questions, instead leading her over for a seat at his desk. Removing the subdermal chip from her arm took less than a minute.

  “Excited about going into the field?” he asked while injecting the replacement. As per protocol, he didn’t scan it first or verify the new identity. Policy forbade him to know.

  Nisrine flinched but made no other signs of discomfort. “I suppose excitement is mixed in there. I haven’t done a field mission like this in almost five years.”

  “You’ll be fine. I’ve seen your course scores, remember? You still hold the speed record.”

  “Hahaha, very funny, Xander. There’s a little more involved in my line of work than dodging bullets and shooting.”

  “Right. Hacking into databases and stealing intelligence while dodging bullets.”

  She grinned. “You’ve got it.”

  Xander packed the tool into a small case then slid it across the desk. “Just in case you find yourself in need of another identity on the go. Think you can repeat what I just did?”

  “Positive I can.”

  “Good.”

  Packing took considerably more time. Nisrine sorted through her closet with an eye for blending in, as well as utility, and by the time she stepped off the ship she had everything she needed for the daunting task ahead.

  Or so she hoped.

  Chapter Seven

  Kaiden felt nothing when Xander inserted the new chip. He glanced down at his synthetic arm, the painless moment bittersweet. “I wish you didn’t deactivate the sensors whenever you do work.”

  “Really?” The startled doctor blinked at him. “I won’t next time.”

  “The lack of sensation reminds me I’m different. I want to feel the same pinch as everyone else.”

  “My apologies, mate. It’s habit these days.” Xander flashed him a smile without missing a beat. “We’re all done now.”

  “You must be accustomed to dampening Thandie's arm.”

  “Oh yeah. She’s a complete wuss about it and doesn’t want to know what I’m doing.” Xander chuckled. “All right. Give me a second to perform a spot check on your systems before you go. How do you feel about this?”

  “Good. This is what I used to do. What I’m trained to do.”

  “This came at a great time, since your brother only completed installation of the new quantum radio a month ago. With Jem’s new software, you’ll be able to chat with me from anywhere in the universe as if we’re in the same solar system—ah, shit. You know that. Sorry. I’m used to dumbing this down for everyone.”

  “No, it’s fine.”

  “By the way, Kaiden, you’re not any different from the rest of my patients. I’d like to remind you that humans without cybernetic modification are in the minority.”

  “You don’t have any parts, Doc.”

  “I’m just unlucky that way. I can’t perform surgery on myself, can I?”

  Kaiden left the medical bay in high spirits. An hour later, he had his belongings packed, a shell account with a large amount of money, and authorization to leave the Jemison. As far as anyone else aboard knew, he was off on personal leave.

  Gareth and Ethan awaited him at the shuttle bay with a military transport. He’d arrive in a day or so to his next stop and then continue by commercial flight to his final destination on Elora.

  “All right, mate. Everything is in order, so take care.” Ethan gave his hand a firm shake.

  “Aye aye, sir.”

  Gareth hugged him tight. “Take it easy, big brother. You remembered to mail Mum, right?”

  “I did. She’s fretting as always, but she knows not to expect regular messages from me. Run a few pranks in my stead, and I’ll be back before you know it.”

  The pilot of his shuttle didn’t recognize him. Despite his awards and recognition, United Command had never publicized his rescue and he’d been granted privacy. Kaiden preferred it. The lack of attention helped him to adjust to life in the world again and lent a sense of normalcy he had desperately craved.

  “I’m Lieutenant Jensen and I’ll be your pilot to Paradiso,” the dark-haired, lanky man called from the cockpit. He was chalk white, a sign of being a naval pilot with next to no time on the ground.

  “Nice to meet you, sir.”

  “So, I hope you’re a laserball sort of guy, ’cause I’m about to blast tonight’s game on the holo.”

  Kaiden grinned. “I love laserball.”

  They flew for most of the night to reach the spaceport, but not before watching Tallulah compete against Albion in the playoffs. Laserball, the bastard child of extreme dodgeball and football, was the galaxy’s favorite competitive sport. Two teams of ten played on a green field, racing up and down the pitch to score goals and annihilate opponents with a ball that emitted a laser pulse at randomized intervals.

  “My home world scorched yours, mate,” Kaiden boasted as he stepped off the shuttle.

  “Bah. Tallulah will make a comeback next year.”

  Kaiden applied his disguise in subtle increments between departing the shuttle and reaching his next destination. Color-changing nanites flooded his hair follicles, becoming the popular auburn favored on the southern hemisphere of Xiao, his mother’s home world. His eyes became brown.

  The bustling spaceport received flights from all over the galaxy. People of different cultures hurried to and from their connecting shuttles as Kaiden ambled toward the gate. A stout man in a blue and white spaceport uniform scanned his chip then hurried him along when the ID checked out.

  Beep-beep.

  “Excuse me, sir. We’ll need you to go through the large machine.”

  Kaiden sighed. With a thought, he scrambled the waves on the machine until they revealed a readout typical of the
average cyberjunkie. One arm and the reinforced bones in his legs and hips. Nothing special. Typical for athletes and sports enthusiasts.

  “Wow, got some rigging on you.” The security guard whistled.

  “Gave myself a great birthday gift,” Kaiden lied.

  “Must be awesome for playing laserball.”

  “Yes, it certainly is,” he replied in a voice deepened by technology. He’d discarded his usual accent, swapping Albion native for a Japanese citizen of Xiao.

  He flew coach on a commercial carrier with two thousand tightly packed personal sleeping pods. An extensive entertainment deck made the two-and-a-half-week voyage bearable. When he wasn’t winning at the tables, he committed the specifics of his cover to memory and perfected minor details. He created a paper trail and made his identity alive by hacking into numerous virtual retailers and making purchase histories to match his bank account. Joint bank account.

  Wife, no kids, traveling salesman. I hope she isn’t a strict hard-ass out to make my life hell for this next month or two. The identification photo of his partner revealed fair skin and pale eyes set in a familiar face. Numerous points of identification conflicted with his facial recognition and turned up the same phony alias. After puzzling over it, he shrugged and closed the photo.

  Kaiden arrived on Elora before his contact. A room awaited him, a lavish suite covered by United Command’s dime. He enjoyed two nights of rest in a comfortable bed and a few delicious seafood meals, awakening on the third day to a message from Jem.

  The A.I was his connection back to the Jemison, thanks to the virtual link he established via the quantum radio before he left. He welcomed Jem’s background presence in his mind.

  Kaiden, wake up. Your partner has arrived and your purchase from StarShip Madness is ready for pick-up.

  After a quick shower, he hurried to the pickup point and checked in at the market. With surface terrain scarce, the majority of the sprawling city had been constructed underwater. Above the surface, three glittering spires had been built, connected at their peaks in a large shuttle platform. A second connecting floor beneath held the bustling market sector, allowing quick access between the trio of structures for arriving and departing guests.

  StarShip Madness was little more than a long counter in a brightly lit shop space with multiple terminals available for browsing. Customer service agents flew purchased and rented vehicles from the orbiting space station, which saved space on a planet where the native population abhorred destruction of their natural ecosystem. Kaiden’s ship had been a special order en route on a shipping vessel from Breteyne, resulting in a two-day wait.

  A smiling clerk walked him through the final paperwork. “Here’s the activation sensor to your new ship, Mr. Kobayashi. Enjoy.”

  “Thanks.”

  It’s not as advanced as me, Jem observed, but she will meet your basic needs.

  Nothing could be as great as you, Jem.

  Of course. I am the perfect model.

  Kaiden chuckled. Obviously modesty isn’t part of your programming.

  “Oh, no thank you. I see my husband now. Jian! Sweetheart, I’m right here.”

  According to the ID chip implanted in his arm, Kaiden’s name was Jian Kobayashi. He raised his brows and turned toward the voice, while his recognition software ran a diagnostic. The results didn’t match up with the woman headed toward him. Her broad, cinnamon-painted smile, kohl-lined eyes, and ink black hair gave her an exotic appearance that skirted familiarity again. He squinted.

  The identification program made a match with the shape of her eyes and lifted away the layer of color created by her contacts until only the natural brown remained. Point by point, he deconstructed the disguise to reveal her true appearance.

  Kaiden gaped. Lieutenant Shahid?

  “There you are,” Nisrine said as she reached him. She slipped her hands into his then leaned up and pressed a kiss against his jaw. A disgruntled tourist with two colorful drinks in his hands stood a couple yards behind her. Kaiden guessed the man had been trying to pick her up and hadn’t accepted her no for an answer.

  “My apologies for arriving late, Parisa,” Kaiden replied. He offered his arm. “Ready to head out?”

  “I can’t wait to go on holiday in our new ship,” she gushed.

  “I didn’t mean to leave you waiting.”

  “Oh, it’s fine. Were you at the tables again?”

  Kaiden shook his head and took her luggage. Her bag was heavier than it appeared, and the ease in which she’d slung it around impressed him. “I actually planned to spend the day at the tables if you didn’t arrive as scheduled.”

  Not a lie. Atlantica Gulf was known for its gambling, wild parties, and tourist attractions. The cold-water variant of the native aquatic alien race resembled manatees blended with human. They moved upright while out of the water, their plump bodies covered in a fine layer of fur.

  They took a lift up to the landing pad and stepped out into the balmy morning air. Their new ship was a standard recreational model, equipped for long-distance hauls despite its relatively small size. There were hundreds like it in the galaxy. Hundreds of thousands.

  Kaiden stole another look at Nisrine once they settled inside. She’d been an attractive woman before, but he barely recognized her while in costume.

  Careful applications of makeup and cloned skin prosthetics had whitewashed the obvious attributes he linked to her Persian ancestry, giving the illusion of a longer nose and fuller cheeks. Her mouth appeared wider, and she wore green contacts. With her hair wild and free against her shoulders, unconcealed by the usual scarf she donned even while on the ship, she seemed like another woman.

  “You’ll have to excuse my tardiness. My transport experienced a delay due to a meteor shower. Is there something wrong?” She took her carry-on from him.

  “No,” Kaiden replied. “Um. But you’re not wearing your scarf.” The words felt dumb the moment they left his mouth, but there was no taking them back.

  “It’s too distinctive when out in the field. I choose to wear a wig instead.”

  “Oh. So can you dress like a normal person now, too?”

  The unimpressed lieutenant stared at him.

  Shit. What the hell is wrong with me?

  I could tell you, but I do not think you would like the answer, Jem replied.

  Sod off.

  “Not that the way you’ve chosen to dress isn’t normal. I meant, are you able to dress as you please?”

  “I’ve always dressed as I want to,” Nisrine told him in a cool voice. “This is my choice. No one forces me to wear anything. While I am in the field, I clothe myself to maintain cover, but I’ve always preferred the way I dress aboard the ship. It’s cultural, not religious. I don’t even really follow a religion anymore. Most of the time.”

  Throughout her miniature tirade, her voice never rose, but her tone dripped with fury and the ferocity told him she’d experienced greater insults that had gone without an apology in the past.

  So much for getting off on a good start with her. Kaiden sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you. I’ll admit to being an idiot, but that came out stupider than I’m accustomed to speaking. Honest.”

  Her lips pressed tightly together. “Now that religion has fallen out of favor, I’m used to idiots asking me when I’m going to wise up and stop following stupid superstitions.” She sighed. “Even if I did strictly follow Islam, it’s none of their business.”

  “You’re right,” he agreed in a rush, hoping she’d punched whoever judged her in the face. “The change in appearance caught me by surprise. It’s no one’s business what religion you follow, or how closely you want to follow it, so you’ll get no judgment from me. Technically, my family’s Catholic, but I can’t tell you the last time I stepped in a church.”

  Her chilly expression thawed a few moments later, but she didn’t smile again on her way to the master bedroom. “I’ll be using this area as my command center.”

&nb
sp; “That’s fine. I don’t sleep much anyway, so the extra bunk in the living room is all I need.” That and it was his only option, unless she meant to share the master bed with him, which he was pretty certain wasn’t ever going to happen.

  Not that he had much of a chance with Lieutenant Nisrine Shahid. The woman was one in a million, and they had more important things to focus on than accidental slights and misunderstandings. Her beauty. Those full lips. And the svelte body he imagined beneath her modest clothing.

  It was going to be one long flight to Azura.

  Within moments of landing, the oppressive and humid environment of the planet took its toll on the two agents. Nisrine mopped her brow with a handkerchief and picked her way across the vine- and moss- covered landing pad. Promptly after takeoff from Elora, she’d discarded her disguise, envious of how easily Kaiden changed his appearance at the speed of a thought. If only she could do the same.

  But she didn’t envy the process he’d endured to acquire his new skills. Hours after their rendezvous, she’d felt like an ass for her snippy behavior. To her surprise, he conversed readily—almost eager to chat—and their rough start was forgotten.

  It helped that he was easy on the eyes, though she suspected he’d be even more handsome if he smiled sometimes.

  “The jungle grows quickly around here,” she said.

  In the two years since the Jemison rescued Kaiden, the planetary flora had reclaimed the abandoned facility and sent out runners of plant life over the concrete that eventually spread in a green carpet.

  “The last thing I recall about this place was shooting Xander about two hundred yards from where we stand. I was half out of my mind then.” With his eyes on the boundary line of jungle flora, Kaiden frowned.

  “You didn’t do any lasting harm, Kaiden.”

  “It’s what I could have done that troubles me.”

  Nisrine touched his arm to convey a sense of encouragement to her companion. Part of her wondered why the queen had assigned him to investigate his own abduction in a place filled with traumatic memories.

  But she understood why he’d accepted the assignment. Because if she’d been taken captive, she’d want her kidnappers to face justice for their crimes, too. She’d want to be a part of it. Knowledge of her own personal preferences made empathizing with him easier. Natural.