The Right Connection

By Nicole Murphy

Time after time, the missions to retrieve the stolen children have failed. This time, rules will be broken in a last-ditch attempt.

Taylor Wilson is a respected soldier in the Land Corps with a terrible past that has scarred her. When she’s offered the opportunity to work on the mission to save the children taken by the socolapede, Taylor’s ready to jump at the chance until she finds it means she has to connect with a man.

At first, Roden is everything she feared—brash, overbearing, uncompromising. But as she comes to learn of his honour and strength, Taylor not only loses the fight against connection, she loses her heart too.

Can she form a connection with Roden strong enough to save the children? And if they succeed, do the two of them have a future together?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nicole Murphy/Elizabeth Dunk Publications
• Release date: Apr 30, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476206103

Book preview

The Right Connection.

Nicole Murphy

Published by Nicole Murphy at Smashwords

© 2012

Cover Artwork from sxc.hu

Cover and Internal Design – Nicole Murphy

The Right of Nicole Murphy to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Part IX of the Copyright Act 1968 and generally under section 6bis of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works.

This story is a work of fiction. Names, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any event, incident, location or person (living or dead) is entirely coincidental.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

First published in Australia, 2012

http://nicolermurphy.com

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

To my husband Tim, always so supportive

And

To my beta readers – Jess, Maurya, Wade and Tsana –

thanks for the feedback and making this a better book.

Chapter One

Taylor Wilson loved Grape Falls at this time of the day. The rising sun cast a golden glow on the white-washed buildings and warmed the cool night air. Insects that had spent the night in rest were now buzzing around the extensive gardens, birds trilled in the trees.

Around her, other residents of Grape Falls moved through their day. From the way they walked, Taylor could tell which ones where hurrying to work because they were late; which ones where rushing home to be with their family and which ones were out socially. Every once and while, the thoughts of an inexperienced sentient impacted on her but she screened them out without listening.

A socolapede-drawn carriage rumbled past. Taylor appreciated that few were allowed in the city proper. Not just because the rumbling of the wheels over the hard-packed dirt disturbed the peace; she couldn’t look at the tame socolapedes without thinking of the other socolapedes, the evil they were perpetrating and having cold shudders ran through her body.

Taylor stared at the beast. This one was quite small – the shelled back only came to her hip, the head as high as her own. It stood on long spindly legs with large hoofs at the end. She knew those legs were deceptively frail-looking; the strength within them had delivered more than one fatal wound to a fighter.

Its arms were also spindly but the ends had three large claws, arranged like a bird’s talons so they could grip. Its head looked like a helmet with just a slit for its eyes, although it did have a moving jaw.

Socolapedes came in varying colours. This one was a shimmering green-blue which seemed to ripple in the morning sun. Beautiful, and she knew completely under control. But still…

When she got to work she would telepathically connect with Liesl, her fighter. After a week’s break, Liesl would undoubtedly have a ream of stories of the socolapede army and the devastation that had been wrought on innocent men and women. Homes destroyed. Adults killed. Children stolen.

Taylor was sure she wasn’t the only soldier who didn’t trust that the domesticated socolapedes would remain trusted pack animals.

If only her predecessors hadn’t picked and chosen the socolapedes to tame when the strange creatures had arrived in the lands long abandoned by humanity. If only they’d taken them all, and destroyed the animals that weren’t necessary.

The horrors of today wouldn’t be happening.

Taylor waited until the beast and the carriage it pulled had disappeared around a corner before she continued her journey.

The sun was well into the sky when she reached her office. It was bare, the walls white. The only thing it contained was a headpiece hanging from the ceiling. She fit it over her head, felt it slip into place over her eyes and ears and then the room disappeared.

Her awareness expanded and it seemed she was standing in the middle of a tent city, with fighters moving around. None of them were wearing their bulky protective armour, instead dressed in the clean lines of their day-to-day uniforms—t-shirt, belted trousers, boots. As the view scanned around, Taylor noted tents being dismantled. The fighters were moving to the next offensive.

She was seeing, hearing, smelling what Liesl was. She was connected.

Good morning, Liesl, she said.

The reply sounded like a normal voice, although Taylor knew what she was hearing was a thought. Good morning, Taylor. I hope you enjoyed the break, because I think you’re going to need to be as refreshed as possible today.

Tell me what’s happening. The tents began to move past her vision. Liesl was walking.

There have been some minor skirmishes outside the town of Weirton. We’ve been selected to lead a small investigative party, to ascertain if this is just a rogue group of socolapedes or if it is a sign of a new thrust. The offensive main line has moved five miles south in the past day, so this information is vital.

Taylor frowned. Five miles in one day was a huge gain. Can you show me the map of the region we are going to?

Heading to it as we speak.

Taylor nodded. This was one of the joys of being connected with a fighter for a long time: they came to know you so well they could anticipate your needs.

After looking at the map through Liesl’s eyes, Taylor had Liesl gather the fighters she wanted to be part of the sortie and gave instructions for what they were to take with them. While the fighters got themselves organised, Taylor’s mind went to the region she had been shown.

It slid smoothly away, adjusting easily to being away from the support of the communication gear and moving to a place that she had never physically been yet could now see clearly. Her ability to see beyond herself was one of Taylor’s greatest gifts, and a big reason why she’d moved up the ranks of the Land Corps so quickly.

The damage by the socolapedes was easy to see, burning and destruction everywhere. She found the safest route to the destination and determined what their first acts would be. Returning to Liesl, she found the assembled fighters waiting by a wagon, drawn by two small socolapedes. She gave the directions to Liesl and while the fighters journeyed to the area, Taylor spent the trip talking to the soldiers connected to the other fighters, outlining what she had already seen and what they needed to be aware of. Some of those fighters would be here in Grape Falls, with her. Some in the capital Leetim. Others spread across the Land Corps bases. Such was the strength of the Land Corps – thanks to telepathy, they could put their valuable soldiers anywhere they saw fit.

Once the fighters reached the town of Weirton, they moved on foot. Looking through Liesl’s eyes—which gave Taylor much better vision than her mind-trip had—she saw the signs of the socolapede. Cloven footprints in the dirt; scratches on the building showing where the vicious claws had marked them; the headless remains of the men and women who had tried to fight back; the other men and women cowering in one of the houses. The children were missing, as always.

They spent several hours wandering around the area and it became clear that this had been a one-off attack, their aim solely to take the children. They’d come to the village, killed and then left with their precious cargo. None of the outlying farms had been damaged.

The fighters escorted the survivors to the nearest medical centre then went back to the camp, which was now completely packed up. After praying for the children’s safety and sending a crew to the area to bury the dead, the camp began marching to the main offensive line.

With no need to remain connected, Taylor took off the headset. She stretched the stiffness from her limbs, hating the way her body tensed during connection.

She turned to leave, intending to go to the cafeteria and get something to eat and drink, but saw an orange flag hanging from the doorhandle. A summons to see the colonel.

Taylor went to her commander’s office immediately and the secretary waved her right in. Pushing open the door, Taylor stepped into a room furnished with chairs and a table. Looking around, she saw the colonel staring out the window.

Captain Taylor Wilson reporting, ma’am. Taylor gave the land corps salute.

Sit, Captain. The colonel didn’t turn around until Taylor had taken a seat. The other woman stared at Taylor, so she took the opportunity to look back. The colonel was young, only recently come to the position after the socolapede had killed her predecessor during an attack. She was known as tough and dedicated; a woman who had forsaken husband and family to give her all to the Land Corps. Her body was battle ready, unlike a lot of the soldiers who took advantage of their lack of physical activity to let themselves go. Taylor could just as easily imagine her as a fighter than as a soldier.

Finally, the colonel spoke. I believe you investigated another taking today, Captain.

Yes, ma’am.

Your third this week.

Yes, ma’am.

Another long pause.

Captain, we have lost too many of our children to the socolapede. We have tried again and again to save them and it is time for another assault.

Taylor heard the crack in the colonel’s voice and nodded enthusiastically. She wanted the children back as much as anybody did. Tonight, she was going to have some terrible nightmares, wondering where they were, what was happening to them. It happened ever time she investigated a taking.

The colonel continued. We have decided to give you a new fighter, and you will train with this fighter to infiltrate the socolapede stronghold and free the children.

Taylor let this news settle in her mind before she spoke. Ma’am, I’m more than willing to take on this mission, but do I need a new fighter? Liesl and I work so well together.

To be successful, this mission needs our best soldier and our best fighter.

Taylor accepted the back-handed compliment without comment. Who would you have me connect to, ma’am?

Roden.

Millions of ideas whirled through her mind as she tried to process the information. Roden?

I’m going to assume you’ve heard the tales about him and they are all correct. He is difficult, he does ignore the soldier when it suits him and he has been responsible for good soldiers leaving the Corps. But he is also the finest fighter we have, brave, daring and incredibly skilled. I have no doubt that you can work with him to complete this mission.

Again, her mind overran with shouts and screams as concerns and questions fought, until one settled into prominence. But he’s male.

The colonel stared for so long that Taylor had to fight not to squirm. She must be aware Taylor had never been connected with a male and that it was recommended she never was.

Just when Taylor thought she was going to blurt something else out, her commanding officer spoke. I know that it will be uncomfortable for you, Captain. If you feel unable to take on this mission, simply say so. It will not reflect badly on your career.

They were nice words, but Taylor knew the Land Corps did not work like that. Already, people were commenting that she had never been connected with a male fighter. If she were to refuse this mission it would not be officially recorded, but everyone would know she was avoiding men and it would impact on her career. She had no choice.

When do we commence training? she said.

#

That night, Taylor sat on the lounge with her legs curled up beneath her. Her housemate Samina was out, with a mystery man she had met the day before. Taylor was glad, because she wanted to be alone while she read about this new mission.