Enforcer: Battle Born, #11

By Cyndi Friberg

Alyssa, a reluctant spy and hacker, comes to Lunar Nine hoping to disrupt their computerized systems and slow down the mysterious transformation program. She's brilliant when it comes to coding, but helpless against the overwhelming attraction she feels for Dakar Lux, one of her potential mates.

As senior enforcer, Dakar is responsible for the safety of every person on Lunar Nine. He senses danger and deception in his lovely potential mate, yet he can't stop thinking about her. He has always believed in keeping his enemies close, so he courts her, seduces her, determined to learn her secrets while he slowly stakes his claim.

Note to Readers: This book contains detailed descriptions of sizzling passion only suitable for mature readers.

From Cyndi: Battle Born is a fully integrated sci-fi series. Each romance is resolved within the given book, but many plot elements continue on from story to story. For this reason, it's best to read the books in order. Enjoy!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anything-but-Ordinary Books
• Release date: Mar 28, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386233596

Cyndi Friberg

Passionate Sci-Fi with a touch of danger and a whole lot of sass. Cyndi has written about rock stars, vampires, and cat shifters, but she’s currently focused on outer space. Her stories are fun, fast-paced, and seriously hot. Her books have made the USA Today Top 100, and frequently land on Amazon Best Seller lists. She is currently working on the Shadowborn Rebellion, a spin-off series set in the Outcasts universe.   She loves to hear from readers: [e-mail] https://facebook.com/fribergc https://twitter.com/Cyndi_Friberg

Book preview

Prologue

Shifting her sunglasses to a more comfortable position on her nose, Alyssa Wallace waited for her father to explain the purpose for his visit. They sat at a sidewalk table outside a popular bistro in Boulder, Colorado. With tree-lined streets and the picturesque backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, the city was vibrant and energetic. It was the middle of the afternoon, so they had the sidewalk area to themselves, which was doubtlessly the way Martin wanted it. A semi-secluded public place was his favorite location for secretive conversations. And Martin’s entire life had been secretive.

How’s Julia? Alyssa knew her stepmother was fine. They’d spoken the day before, but Alyssa hoped the question would prompt her father to move things along.

I need your help, Martin admitted, his voice low and grumbly. He sat arrow-straight in his chair, piercing ice-blue eyes focused on some point beyond her right shoulder.

I presumed as much. He only called when he needed something. What can I do for you? It was a question that had shaped so much of her life that the words tasted bitter.

My usual hacker couldn’t overcome the Rodyte security measures. They’re not like anything we’ve seen before. His tone dropped even lower and his gaze shifted to her face. You’ve backward engineered more alien tech than anyone else on my team and no one is a better hacker. I need you to take a stab at this.

Unimpressed by the insincere praise, she picked up her ice tea and took a sip. Saying anyone else on his team inferred that she was on his team in the first place and that was only true when his male team members failed. Martin Wallace was career military, a retired four-star general with the U. S. Marine Corp. He’d known no other culture, lived no other life, so it shouldn’t surprise her that he was a world-class male chauvinist. He wasn’t cruel or intentionally disrespectful. He just saw females as fragile, slightly simple creatures in need of protection and guidance. It didn’t help that Julia, his second wife, was the personification of that stereotype.

Dismissing the frustrating thoughts, Alyssa asked, What are you trying to accomplish?

He stared at her for a long moment, clearly displeased by the question. Haven’t you been following the current threat?

Of course I have. She’d known there was a Rodyte outpost on the dark side of the moon for years. She also knew their superior technology would have allowed them to conquer Earth decades ago, if that had been their intention. Which was why it had been so surprising when they suddenly broke their silence and revealed their existence to all of Earth’s inhabitants. Well everyone with internet access anyway. Still, all their messages stressed that they were not hostile and participation in the mysterious transformation program would be strictly voluntary. Alyssa was as suspicious as her father about the Rodytes’ true motivation. Still, she needed a better picture of what her father intended to do about the possible threat. You didn’t answer my question. What specifically was your hacker trying to do?

Martin pressed back into his chair, eyes narrowed and intense. The Rodytes have a sophisticated database program that matches human females with Rodyte males interested in unlocking their magic. Destroying the program will cripple their efforts, or at least slow them down considerably. At present, we’re still focused on deterrents rather than aggressive acts. The public is war-weary. They won’t tolerate a bloodbath regardless of our justifications.

If someone hacked a vital system at the Pentagon, she knew damn well they’d consider it an aggressive act, but she didn’t feel like arguing with her father right now. Are you still using the same hacker you used for the past three projects? His impatient look was answer enough. She only knew the hacker by reputation, but he was rumored to be one of the best. But then, that only applied to human coding. No one on Earth had more experience with Rodyte technology than she did. You mentioned unusual security measures. Can you be more specific?

Her father sighed and shifted position, revealing much with his agitated silence. Martin was not a man to mince words or avoid confrontation, yet he clearly dreaded whatever came next. They’ve shielded every remote access point. The safeguard immediately detects any unauthorized user and retaliates with a nasty virus. I wouldn’t involve you unless there was no other way.

On the surface the statement seemed like a declaration of caring, a protective father determined to keep his daughter safe. Alyssa knew better. Martin had always considered her expendable and unworthy of respect.

The only way to circumvent their security is by having physical access to their crystal array, he admitted.

Alyssa was fascinated by the Rodytes’ crystal tech. Astronomical processing speeds and self-programing IAs allowed the Rodytes to instantaneously evaluate concepts that would take human computers months to analyze. She didn’t fully understand how it all worked, but she was closer to comprehension than any other human.

Trying to minimize her interest, she shrugged. So send your hacker to Lunar Nine. Five years ago, the suggestion would have been impossible. But Rodytes weren’t the only aliens to visit Earth. Thanks to the Evonti, the Solar Warden program was now a reality. Humans could leave Earth, even explore their solar system at will. Intergalactic travel was still an aspiration, but humans were in a far better position to defend Earth than they’d been before their alliance with the Evonti.

Still the suggestion earned her another impatient glare from her father. All of my hackers are human and there’s only one reason the Rodytes will allow a human to enter Lunar Nine.

Trepidation dropped down her spine and landed heavily in the pit of her stomach. The transformation program. Her emotions swung from anger to hurt, then back to anger as she muttered the words. He wasn’t here because she was the best hacker for the job. He needed a freaking female! I will not bond with a Rodyte warrior just so you can—

That’s not what I’m suggesting. He took a deep breath, looking through her again. This is an undercover assignment like any other.

She cringed. Undercover in more ways than one. To release the magic locked inside each battle born warrior, he needed to create a mating bond with a human female. Human DNA tolerated transcription better than any other species the Rodytes had encountered. So the needed changes were created in the female and transferred to the male during the mating process. Alyssa didn’t understand the specifics, but she didn’t want anything to do with an assignment that involved mating with an alien.

Without giving her the opportunity to reply, her father continued. "You need to pretend to be a potential mate well enough to pass their ridiculous induction process. Nothing physical will be expected of you until you reach Lunar Nine. I’ve confirmed that fact myself."

How comforting. He was rattling off parameters as if it was a forgone conclusion that she would agree to the mission. Even if I were insane enough to agree to this, it’s still a shot in the dark. None of the volunteers go to Lunar Nine unless they’re a genetic match with one or more of the battle born. I might not make it out of orientation.

One corner of his mouth quirked and he took a drink of beer, a sure sign she wasn’t going to like what he said next. You’re genetically compatible with three of the battle born, two are high-ranking officers.

How could you possibly know that? She had yet to catch her father in an outright lie, but this sounded like bullshit.

One of my operatives managed to smuggle out an early version of the matching program. That’s why we were able to write a program to disable it.

If you already have someone on the inside, why do you need me?

Because he joined the Outcasts, if you must know. He was starting to sound as impatient as she felt. He’s no longer on the inside.

He’d said one of my operatives, which meant he still had men on the inside. Perhaps they knew nothing about computers. I won’t go in alone. It’s suicide.

The most aggressive member of Solar Warden happens to be female. He paused for another drink of beer. Her name is Kelsey Lindon and she’s impressive. We tried to teach her what it would take to install the program, but there are too many variables. So we modified the strategy.

Finding out she hadn’t even been his first choice didn’t motivate her to put herself in this sort of danger. What’s the new plan? Already her gut was tied in knots and he’d barely begun his explanation.

We’ll send Kelsey in as your backup. You will plant the malware. She’ll ensure your safety.

Nothing was ever that simple, and she still saw a couple of glaring holes. And once we get to Lunar Nine?

You’ll need to work fast. His stern tone communicated a silent or else.

Even if I managed to locate their crystal array and destroy the matching program, they’re sure to have it backed up for easy restoration. They’re fanatical about backups.

He shrugged. We have something more far-reaching in mind.

Meaning?

As you said, Rodytes are overly fond of redundancies. All their systems continually overwrite changes, keeping each backup accurate. We have a program that targets the propagation, thereby spreading the destruction throughout their entire system in a matter of minutes.

Exploiting existing weaknesses was a tried-and-true strategy of hackers everywhere. She’d used it herself on many occasions. How destructive? If you destabilize their ‘entire system’ they’ll be left without life support.

Impatience narrowed his eyes. I don’t want them dead, just humbled.

She wasn’t sure she believed him. I won’t be a party to mass murder.

I’m insulted that this is an issue. There are merchants on that outpost, some with families. I have no intention of killing anyone, but I won’t stand idly by while they kidnap our females.

He sounded more convincing now, so she let the topic drop. She’d do an in-depth audit of his program before she set it loose on the battle born. And how will this Kelsey and I escape the outpost after launching something that malicious?

My team built a three-hour delay into the program, he explained. You’ll both be well on your way back to Earth before the destruction begins.

A delay doesn’t explain how we’ll get out. A lifetime of obligation and a nearly obsessive desire to please her father pushed her toward agreement even as her logical mind screamed warnings. He clearly didn’t give a shit about her wellbeing, so why couldn’t she overcome the need to earn his respect, his approval? She’d struggled against the impulse for most of her life. He didn’t deserve her devotion, yet every time he crooked his finger, she came running. Like an obedient pet. It was irrational and she knew it. So why couldn’t she stop? How do we get off the outpost without Rodyte cooperation? There’s no way they’ll allow one of your ships near Lunar Nine.

No one outside Solar Warden is aware of this, so I’m depending on your discretion.

Bringing discretion to her attention was insulting. She had never betrayed his trust, never so much as hinted at anything he’d told her in confidence. As always, she muttered.

I’ve negotiated an alliance with a group of Rodytes known as the Outcasts. We’re still greatly outnumbered, but this will help close the technology gap. We will finally be able to fight Rodyte technology with Rodyte technology.

She felt her eyes widen and immediately suppressed the reaction. She needed to appear calm and in control. Her father had reasons enough to think she was weak. Why have these Outcasts turned on their own?

He shrugged, then met her gaze. Their motivations don’t interest me. Kage Razel, the Outcasts’ leader, approached Royce and offered him assistance in exchange for— He cut himself off and looked beyond her again. The details aren’t important. Suffice it to say, Kage can bio-stream you off the outpost once it’s done or if things go sideways.

Royce Marsden was the man her father had chosen to command Solar Warden. However, this was the first she’d heard of Kage Razel or his Outcasts. Having Rodyte technology would be a welcome change, but it was foolish to trust a traitor. If the Outcasts were willing to betray other Rodytes, how could her father be sure they wouldn’t switch sides again?

Forcing away a barrage of unanswered questions, she focused on the proposed mission. "According to the battle born website, orientation and the selection process takes three to five weeks. Even if everything goes according to plan, it will be a month or more before we set foot on Lunar Nine."

I’m aware, and the delay is unavoidable. You’re welcome to double check my team’s work, but physical proximity to the crystal array is our only hope of making this happen.

Frustrated with herself for even considering the clearly dangerous assignment, she paused for a moment of brutal honesty. The possibility of pleasing her father wasn’t what made this mission tempting. She’d been fascinated with the Rodytes from the start. Exposure to their technology had made her curious about the beings that created it. This would give her the opportunity to learn more about them, actually interact with them. She’d see their mighty ships and visit the mysterious outpost so many were talking about. Could she really pass up such an opportunity? It wasn’t like she would actually bond with one of the battle born soldiers. She’d be playing a role. She’d earn their trust...so she could ultimately betray them. The realization was much more troubling than it should have been.

I need your answer now, her father prompted. I told everyone you would do this for me. If you won’t, I’ll have to find someone who will.

Guilt panged through her being with predictable ease. He always knew just what to say to bend her to his will. Even knowing it was overt manipulation didn’t protect her from his sway. What’s the next step?

You fill out an application and we hope for the best. We already know you and Kelsey have genetic matches, so all you have to do is convince them you want a Rodyte mate.

You said two of my matches are officers. What are their names?

He started to tell her then shook his head. Your reactions will be more natural if you don’t know.

He was probably right, but it was going to drive her crazy until she found out. She’d never been good with surprises. Until she found out? Did that mean she’d decided to go?

Who do I apply as? she asked, heart starting to pound. I presume you’ve built an alter ego for me.

He shook his head. I thought about it, but there’s nothing connecting you with Solar Warden or any of my other projects. Besides, being my daughter might help you get approved. The rebels are too stubborn to admit it right now, but they need the support of the U.S. Military. We’ve taken some creative liberties with your backstory, of course. I’ll give you a rundown of the changes.

She felt her jaw start to drop and snapped it shut. The changes are already made? But I haven’t agreed to the mission yet.

He shrugged. If you refuse, I’ll have the changes undone. He paused for a beat, then asked, So, will you do it?

She took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. She had nothing of significance holding her back, she really wanted to see Lunar Nine, and she wouldn’t be facing the challenge alone. More importantly, an alien race couldn’t be allowed to do whatever they pleased. What did she have to lose?

Your life! her inner voice shouted.

Ignoring the unwanted warning, she said, I will.

Chapter One

Three weeks later...

Dakar Lux raised his glass of Bilarrian blood wine and smiled at each of his brothers in turn. They sat at a square table in a relatively quiet corner of Polaris, the newest addition to the restaurant district on Lunar Nine. Kaden, Dakar’s middle brother sat on his left, while Sedrik, who was second to the oldest sat on Dakar’s right. Governor Raylon Lasenger sat across from Dakar, looking grim and overly serious, as always.

"To General Sedrik Lux, Dakar began, may you know success in all your endeavors. We’re all proud of you."

Congratulations, Kaden and Raylon chorused, then they all drained their glasses as Rodyte custom dictated.

A server quickly refilled their glasses then moved a short distance away. The Polaris was extremely busy tonight, but the manager had still ordered the server to focus entirely on their table. Because of Sedrik’s recent promotion, he had become a sort of celebrity and the manager was determined to provide for his every need. Dakar would have basked in the attention, but Sedrik seemed annoyed by it. Still, he was the first battle born officer in the history of Rodymia to earn the rank of general. People were bound to make a fuss.

"Have you settled into the Triumphant?" Raylon wanted to know.

It had only been three weeks since Sedrik was given command of the massive ship, but he’d been interim commander of the Undaunted, and they were sister ships. Garin’s right, Sedrik responded, there are differences between the two.

So which do you prefer? Kaden asked.

There’s no comparison. Sedrik smiled. "The Triumphant is mine."

Dakar took a bite of fire-roasted cyatta and groaned in pleasure as the rich, layered flavor spread across his tongue. Oh gods this is good. No wonder this place has a waiting list every night.

Kaden chuckled. They could serve barbequed cardboard and they’d have a waiting list. We’re all so sick of synthesized food that we’ll eat anything as long as it’s grown in the ground. There are still at least a thousand soldiers vying for each chair in every restaurant.

Kaden had a point. It didn’t seem to matter how many restaurants, clubs and bars opened on the commerce tiers of Lunar Nine, they were instantly overwhelmed with enthusiastic customers. The bustling atmosphere of Polaris was the perfect example. Every table was full, and so many people waited for seating that the crowd spilled out into the walkway of tier three.

That’s not likely to change in the near future, Raylon told them. "I’ve put all merchant and entertainment applications on hold until we learn more about Solar Warden. I