Wraithkin: Kin Wars Saga, #1

By Jason Cordova

How far would a man go to protect those he loved? For Gabriel Espinoza, the answer was simple: to the ends of the universe.

 

When a failed genetic test ruins his life, Gabriel and his fiancée prepare to run to a world where the laws aren't as strict. There they could remain, in peace, for the remainder of their days, their love unspoiled by the strict regime which controls the Dominion of Man.

 

But Fate is a cruel, fickle mistress.

 

Torn from the only woman he had ever loved, Gabriel is prepared to burn the galaxy to get her back.

 

How far would a man go to protect the empire he was sworn to uphold? For Andrew Espinoza, the answer was a bit more complicated.

 

Torn between family loyalty and his duty to his country, Andrew must infiltrate a rich and powerful clan to determine if they are plotting against the Dominion of Man, but while undercover he discovers something far darker and more dangerous is lurking in the shadows, and he is the only man who can stop it.

 

But Fate is a cruel, fickle mistress.

 

How far will Andrew go to ensure the success of his mission?

 

One brother must save himself; the other must save the universe. But can either survive long enough to achieve their goal?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Theogony Books
• Release date: Jun 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781942936305

Book preview

Prologue

The lifeless body of his fellow agent on the bed confirmed the undercover operation was thoroughly busted.

Crap, Agent Andrew Espinoza, Dominion Intelligence Bureau, said as he stepped fully into the dimly lit room and carefully made his way to the filthy bed in which his fellow agent lay. He turned away from the ruined body of his friend and scanned the room for any sign of danger. Seeing none, he quickly walked back out of the room to where the slaves he had rescued earlier were waiting.

Okay, let’s keep quiet now, he reminded them. I’ll go first, and you follow me. I don’t think there are any more slavers in the warehouse. Understand?

They all nodded. He offered them a smile of confidence, though he had lied. He knew there was one more slaver in the warehouse, hiding near the side exit they were about to use. He had a plan to deal with that person, however. First he had to get the slaves to safety.

He led the way, his pistol up and ready as he guided the women through the dank and musty halls of the old, rundown building. It had been abandoned years before, and the slaver ring had managed to get it for a song. In fact, they had even qualified for a tax-exempt purchase due to the condition of the neighborhood around it. The local constable had wanted the property sold, and the slaver ring had stepped in and offered him a cut if he gave it to them. The constable had readily agreed, and the slavers had turned the warehouse into the processing plant for the sex slaves they sold throughout the Dominion. Andrew knew all this because he had been the one to help set up the purchase in the first place.

Now, though, he wished he had chosen another locale.

He stopped the following slaves as he came to the opening which led into one of the warehouse’s spacious storage areas. Beyond that lay their final destination, and he was dreading the confrontation with the last slaver. He checked his gun and grunted in surprise as he saw he had two fewer rounds left than he had thought. He shook his head and charged the pistol.

Stay here and wait for my signal, he told the rescued slaves. They nodded in unison.

He took a deep, calming breath. No matter what happened, he had to get the slaves to safety. He owed them that much. His sworn duty was to protect the Dominion from people like the slavers, and someone along the way had failed these poor women. He exhaled slowly, crossed himself and prayed to God, the Emperor and any other person who might have been paying attention.

He charged into the room, his footsteps loud on the concrete flooring. He had his gun up as he ducked behind a small, empty crate. He peeked over the top and snarled; he had been hoping against hope the slaver was facing the other direction.

Apparently Murphy is still a stronger presence in my life than God, he thought as he locked eyes with the last slaver. The woman’s eyes widened in recognition and shock, and he knew he would only have one chance before she killed them all.

He dove to the right of the crate and rolled, letting his momentum drag him out of the slaver’s immediate line of fire. He struggled to his feet as her gun swung up and began to track him, but he was already moving, sprinting back to the left while closing in on her. She fired twice, both shots ricocheting off the floor and embedding themselves in the wall behind him.

Andrew skid to a stop and took careful aim. It was a race, the slaver bringing her gun around as his own came to bear upon her. The muzzles of both guns flashed simultaneously, and Andrew grunted as pain flared in his shoulder.

A second shot punched him in the gut and he fell, shocked the woman had managed to get him. He lifted his head and saw that while he had hit her, her wound wasn’t nearly as bad as his. He had merely clipped her collarbone and, while it would smart, it was in no way fatal. She took aim on him and smiled coldly.

Andrew swiftly brought his gun up with his working arm and fired one final time. The round struck true, burrowing itself right between the slaver’s eyes. She fell backwards and lay still, dead. He groaned and dropped the gun, pain blossoming in his stomach. He rolled onto his back and stared at the old warehouse’s ceiling.

That sucked, he groused. He closed his eyes and let out a long, painful breath.

Terminate simulation, a cold voice barked, and suddenly the warehouse, slaver and all the slaves disappeared. The pain in Andrew’s arm and stomach vanished, leaving him with only a trace amount of phantom pain from where he had been shot. The dull, throbbing pain in his knee from when he had dove earlier did not, though. He groaned slightly as he remembered he was not about to die and opened his eyes.

The harsh, sharp face of Anji Kürze, the local section chief of the Dominion Intelligence Bureau, was looking down at him, her graying hair pulled back tightly. Her eyes were cold, though he knew from long experience the look was not meant for him. She wore no garish makeup or jewelry, and her suit was perfectly pressed. It was her natural look, one she had taken great pride in cultivating over the years.

Andrew knew that she was a kind woman at heart, but didn’t dare say anything lest he ruin the image she had so carefully cultivated. He shifted his gaze slightly. Next to her stood the man who wanted to end Andrew’s career so very badly.

She killed you that time, agent, Chief Kürze pointed out. Needlessly, in Andrew’s opinion.

It doesn’t matter how many times we run through it, Andrew said, a hint of exasperation creeping into his voice as he picked himself off the ground. He shot the man next to his chief a calculated look. That was the twelfth run. I actually made it into the main warehouse this time before I got gunned down, and that was with us cheating on the sim and knowing where everyone was when the raid started!

I’m inclined to agree with the agent, the station chief said with a pinched look about her. She rubbed her eyes tiredly. The question whether Agent Buckley could have been saved without compromising the undercover identity of Agent Espinoza has been answered definitively. I find no fault in Espinoza’s actions, and recommend no marks go into his permanent duty record at this time.

Ma’am! Senior Agent Vijay Tendulkar protested loudly and threw his hands into the air. "He could have gone back at the midway point, before he engaged the two guards outside the slave pen. The evidence is there. We can see it!"

You are seeing ghosts, Agent Tendulkar, the chief growled in a low, dangerous voice. Agent Buckley was a damn fine agent, but there was no way we could have achieved what we did if Agent Espinoza had grabbed him first or even midway through the raid. Forty-six hostages and an interstellar sex slave ring brought down in exchange for the unknown whereabouts of one agent? As callous as I may sound, Vijay, that’s a price I’m willing to pay. It’s unfortunate Agent Buckley died, and I hate losing any agents at all, but it was in no way any fault of Agent Espinoza’s. The Bureau will agree with me on this one, and that’s the last I want to hear about it. Is that understood, agent?

Yes ma’am, Vijay sighed. The chief nodded.

It’s been six months, Vijay, she said in a soothing tone. Let it go. Agent Espinoza, I believe you have some accrued time off coming up. I suggest you take all of it, because I fear your next assignment is going to take away any free time you might have thought you had for the next few years or so.

Understood, ma’am, Andrew nodded and hid his smile. He hadn’t seen his family in a long time, and he was eagerly looking forward to spending the holidays with them on his home planet. If not for the senior agent, he would have been gone weeks ago.

Such is the life of a Deeb, he thought as he walked out of the simulator and into the locker room.

* * * * *

Chapter One

The weathered farmhouse sat atop the small hill, overlooking Soldier’s Retreat like a sentry protecting the innocents in his charge. The air was chilly, the late fall weather rapidly changing into winter as Belleza Sutil’s orbital tilt moved the valley away from its sun. Clouds rolled overhead, shielding the valley from the dwindling sunlight; what little light remained cast long shadows throughout the valley. A rising, misting fog began to partially obscure the valley the farmhouse stood over, offering some semblance of privacy in the quiet and secluded dale.

Lights were on inside the large home, decorative lights, as the valley and planet as a whole prepared for the seasonal festivities. Smoke rose lazily from the top of the home’s weathered stone chimney, drifting off to the east as gusts of wind passed through the valley. Firebugs danced throughout the valley, most of the miniscule insects gathered in the small grove behind the farmhouse, their incandescent lighting flashing a brief yet brilliant call for mates. Bats, imported more than a millennium before, swooped through the darkening sky to hunt the firebugs. Throughout the valley, the circle of life continued unabated as it had since time immemorial.

Inside the house, a large family gathered to celebrate All Gallow’s Eve, the Founding holiday of the Dominion of Man. In the midst of this joyous family sat a solitary young man. His hands were sweaty, and his gaze was nervously flitting across the room, seeking each time the face of his love. She would catch his gaze, offer a tentative smile and continue talking to his mother.

Each smile caused his heart to leap, every small look was worth more to him than a pile of diamonds. He loved her with all his heart and always would. He knew this with every single ounce of his being.

So what was stopping him from asking her the most important question of all?

A child tottered into the room, precariously balanced as he moved around the furniture, looking for someone he knew. The child spotted a familiar face and squealed happily, stumbling forward. The young man smiled and reached for his nephew.

How’s my little guy doing? Gabriel asked as he picked up the squirming child. The boy giggled as Gabriel turned him upside down for a moment before righting him. Oops. Forgot which end is up. Don’t tell your father, but I like you more than him.

I heard that, Gabriel’s oldest brother called out. Gabriel smiled as Kevin, the eldest Espinoza sibling, stuck his head through the doorway.

You were supposed to.

So did you ask her yet?

No, Gabriel admitted, his voice sheepish. Kevin snorted.

Coward.

No, I’m going to... Gabriel’s voice trailed off with a shrug of his large shoulders. Soon.

Right.

I am!

Right.

What? Andrew asked as he slid past his brother and into the room. Gabriel rolled his eyes. You guys arguing about who is smarter again?

We were debating what it’s like being the least loved, Kevin answered. Then we figured you’d show up and tell us.

Ooh, that hurt, Andrew said as he dramatically grabbed his chest. Being the middle child is horrible, and it doth pain this heart of mine to hear the sheer arrogance of the lesser siblings attempting to taunt the indomitable me.

Wait...what? Gabriel asked. He passed his nephew off to Kevin, who poked his nose into his son’s cheek. The boy giggled and tried to squirm out of his grasp.

See? Kevin smiled. You may be mom’s baby, but you’re still the stupid one.

Have you asked her yet? Andrew queried, nodding to where Gabriel’s longtime girlfriend was talking to their mother.

I’m going to!

If you don’t, I will, Andrew teased. She’s gorgeous, and since you’re my younger brother, I figure I’ve got a five percent chance at her saying yes, genetically speaking. Since, you know, I’m the older, more experienced one who happens to not have kids or a wife yet.

And the worlds of man rejoiced, Kevin said with a straight face. Gabriel laughed.

Okay, I’m going to do it, he announced and stood up.

What, right now? Kevin asked, shock and surprise in his voice.

Yeah, why not? Gabriel looked at him.

"She’s talking to Mom! Andrew stated. You’ll never get a moment of peace if you do it in front of her."

You won’t even get to ask, Kevin amended. "Mom’ll ask you about your plans, then hers, next thing you know it’s time for her to leave and you still haven’t asked her yet."

Crap.

Right. If I were you, I’d get her out on the patio, Andrew suggested. Kevin hides in the bushes, then pops out and scares the hell out of her when you get down on one knee.

Dack! Gabriel coughed, trying and failing not to laugh. Can’t Kevin just record it or something so we can capture stills from it later?

You are not my brother, Andrew sniffed and walked from the room. A moment later Gabriel heard him begin talking to their mother. So tell me about Delores’ new dog, Mom.

What a champ, taking one for the team like that, Kevin said, a mournful look on his face. He pulled a small device from his pocket and showed it to his youngest brother. There goes a brave man. I’ve got the digi. Now go ask her. I’ll try to stay inconspicuous.

Thanks, Gabriel said with heartfelt gratitude. He wandered into the other room where he spotted Sophie smiling in amusement. Her blue eyes twinkled in the bright lights. He motioned for her to follow him, and she did, drink in hand.

The air had cooled down considerably and Gabriel began to wonder if his plan was such a smart one. Despite the lights from the house, the nighttime sky above was filled with stars. The planet’s two moons drifted off to the northeast, both waning and reflecting little light onto the valley. The timing couldn’t be better.

Then what was stopping him?

Hey sexy man, Sophie said as she came out onto the porch. Gabriel looked back over his shoulder and smiled.

Still not sure what you see in me, he joked. She grinned.

If you’re going to drag a girl out into the cold, I wonder sometimes too.

Sophie... he stopped and looked down at his feet. What is wrong with me? he wondered. He tried again. You know you’re my best friend, right?

Well, I hope so, she said, her expression confused.

And I love you... he continued, flustered.

Are you breaking up with me? she asked, horrified. Gabriel began to frantically shake his head.

What? No! God no! No way!

Okay, sorry, that just...phew. Okay, so what did you want to say?

Well... he rubbed his face. This was supposed to be easy. He dropped to one knee. I suck at romanticism.

Oh my God...

Sophie Cardenas, will you be with me now, and forever? Will you honor me by–

Oh my God, oh my God...

Sophie? Are you going to let me finish?

Sorry, go...oh my God!

–by becoming my wife?

Oh oh oh oh wow. Oh wow. Wow.

Is that a yes?

Huh? Oh, oh yes! Yes! she pulled him to his feet and hugged him fiercely. In the house, loud cheering exploded suddenly as the entire family celebrated. Gabriel smiled and tried to reach into his pocket to retrieve the ring.

Do you want your ring? he asked her. She let go of him, and he managed to open the small box.

Oh...oh jeez. I think I’m going to cry, she whispered as he slipped the ring onto her finger.

It’s okay, he said, unsure what to do next. He glanced back to the windows and saw Kevin standing there, digicam in hand, recording everything. The rest of the family was gathered as well, watching, smiling, waiting. I didn’t think you’d say yes.

What? Really? she laughed and threw her head back. Never! I’ve been waiting for this since we were kids.

He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her close.

I love you, he whispered into her ear as he leaned close. Nothing in this universe can stop that.

At that moment, for Gabriel Espinoza, life was perfect in every way.

* * *

The first thing Gabriel noticed about the office was it was stiflingly hot, almost unbearable despite the relative warmth outside the building. The heat made his head swim and sucked all vestiges of energy from his being. It felt as though a vampire had taken his soul out through the pores in his skin. He mentally complained as he checked in with the receptionist at the front counter.

Espinoza, Gabriel, he told the receptionist as he placed his elbows upon the countertop. The heavyset woman ignored him as she continued to type away on her datapad. Gabriel waited patiently for two long minutes before she looked up from the datapad, a strange mixture of exhaustion and disgust on her face.

Gene test? she asked in the bored tone of someone who had asked the simple question too many times. Gabriel nodded quickly, a flush of embarrassment coming over him as he thought back to his earlier complaints. The woman’s eyes flicked to the digital screen positioned high on the wall to Gabriel’s right and frowned. Take a chit and wait your turn.

Uh, thanks, Gabriel replied, but the woman had already focused her attention back to the book-sized datapad, rudely dismissing him. Raised to be polite, Gabriel did not comment upon the second-class citizen’s response. Gene tests were very common, dull and required by everyone who wanted to get married or have children in society. She probably gets thousands of people in here a week, he rationalized as he took a small blank chit from the dispenser and walked over to a chair opposite the wall-mounted screen. The chit began to flash in his hand before the number four appeared. He glanced back at the receptionist, who had turned away from the counter. Meager wages and carrying around the stigma of being what she was would make anybody grouchy, he rationalized. He decided not to mention her attitude to the doctors once his own testing was done. He sat down gingerly and looked around at the other occupants.

The room was mostly empty, which came as a surprise to the young man as he crossed his legs. A few men roughly his own age were holding chits with flashing red numbers in their hands, identical to the one he nervously clutched in his fingers. Each bore the same look of all Perfects on the planet of Belleza Sutil just before a gene test: aloof, jaded and a subtle fear hidden beneath their exterior. Gabriel knew the feeling all too well, though. He was hiding his own fear of failing the test, a test one could neither prepare nor study for. Passing would mean fulfillment and happiness, a chance at a real life.

Failing...he shuddered. He did not want to consider the possibilities that came with a failed genetic test. It was a life no Perfect wanted to contemplate.

Nobody wanted to find out after their initial birth test that their genetics were mutated and impure, Gabriel thought as he looked down at the chit in his hand. The flashing number was nowhere near the number displayed on the digital screen on the wall, so he settled back into the uncomfortable chair and resumed looking at the other men who were awaiting their own tests. As usual, his mind began to wander as he discretely investigated each man seated in the room.

Each was dressed as conservatively as possible, their pressed and orderly clothing decorated in varying shades of dark blue and grey. Their shoes were nicely polished and each sported a recent haircut, as though their appearance would help the outcome from their gene test. The majority, Gabriel included, were freshly shaven. He smiled inwardly at the idea the gene test was susceptible to the appearance of the individual.

It was an absurd idea, and yet Gabriel had cleaned himself up specifically for the test. He had purchased a new shirt and slacks with money saved up from odd jobs working on his family’s farm the previous three summers in a nervous anticipation leading up to the gene test. It had taken him over an hour, that very morning, to shower, shave and prepare himself for the test.

It should all be a formality anyway, he thought as a new number appeared on the screen. Every head in the room bowed down slightly to look at the number held in hand, and sheepish grins followed as men who had just looked at their chits glanced back up for the umpteenth time. Gabriel shook his head in embarrassment. He knew there was no way the number that appeared had been for him, and yet nerves drove him to look anyway.

One of the other men stood up suddenly and flashed Gabriel a nervous grin before walking to a small door leading further into the building. Gabriel watched the man’s back for a moment before he leaned forward and began to think back to statistics his father had recited to him that morning before he had left.

There had not been anyone born into his family with the incorrect genetic markers in over ten generations, dating back to the Time of Colonization, he recalled as he fingered the edge of the plastic chit he held in his hand. His family was filled with Perfects, those whose genetic makeup signified they were not susceptible to almost any inherent disease known to mankind. Cancer, cystic fibrosis and a recently mutated version of neurofibromatosis only belonged to those whose genetic markers were impure. Neither his parents nor his two older brothers had tested positive for genetic mutation, and Gabriel intended for it to stay that way. Even if the haircut and fresh shave did not help in the least.

Another number flashed onto the screen, and a thin man who looked the same age as Gabriel stood up. With a wary glance to the others waiting in the room, he walked to the door the previous man had entered moments before. The door opened and a woman in a nurse’s uniform led the thin man away into another part of the building. The door closed behind them with an ominous sounding click! Gabriel empathized for the man, yet found himself hoping his own number would never be called. Let them call someone else, he silently prayed.

Absurd, Gabriel muttered to himself as he looked back down at the chit in his hand. He was allowing his fears to get to him, something he didn’t do too often. The last time I was this afraid, he thought as he looked down to find his hands shaking slightly, I was convinced that monsters lived under my bed. He mentally chided himself and willed his hands still as a new number appeared on the digital screen. He glanced down at the chit held tightly in his fingers and was surprised; his number matched the one on the screen. He looked back up at the screen, where the numbers seemed to float off the display and swim before his eyes. He rechecked the number on the chit and shook his head. They still matched.

He looked around at the other men in the room, his expression dumbfounded as he stood slowly. For a terrifying instant he felt the urge to run, to bolt through the front door and out into the city. Nobody would know if he passed or failed. Nobody would have to know. He had passed the basic test as a three-year-old child, surely nothing had changed in the past twenty years.

The number on his chit continued to blink insistently as he stared at it numbly. Slowly, he walked to where the far door awaited, dread heightening with each ensuing footstep. He rubbed his nose with the plastic chit, scratching the skin painfully. He cast a glance at the others waiting for their numbers to appear.

Guess it pays to make an appointment, he tried joking as one of the doors opened. Though he had intended to put a good deal of humor into his tone, it came out flat, wrong. One of the other men offered him a weak smile in return, but that was all. No laughter, no broad smiles. The atmosphere in a funeral home is livelier than this, he thought as he reached the open door. Gabriel shifted his focus to the nurse standing in the doorway, her pretty face turned up in a small, humorless smile.

Mr. Espinoza? the nurse asked. Seeing Gabriel’s nod, she continued. Right this way, sir. The test should only take fifteen minutes, and then you can go back to work if you want.

I called in for the day, Gabriel replied as he followed the nurse through the doorway and down a sterile hallway. His footsteps echoed quietly in the tile-covered hall, and for the first time Gabriel felt a stabbing panic in his heart. He looked at the small, petite nurse in front of him and tried to allay his own fears. Get many people nervous for the test?

The nurse looked over her shoulder and smiled comfortingly at him.

All the time, she stated and turned left down another matching hallway. Gabriel had no idea how she kept track of which hallway she was traversing. It’s a typical reaction to fear the unknown. I bet you’re also wondering what if the test results are faulty. Nothing to worry about or be ashamed to ask. We run three different versions, so we can spot and weed out the false-positives. With your indicated family history– making a motion to the datapad in her hand, which Gabriel had not noticed before, –we will triple-check the results, just in case. Don’t worry, Mr. Espinoza. Your history alone indicates you’ll be Perfect.

Gabriel nodded, his heart hammering against the walls of his chest as they entered a small room. A plain, unadorned examination chair was situated in the middle of the room, surrounded by various medical devices he could only assume were for the testing process. The nurse motioned for him to sit in the chair as she set her datapad on one of the countertops lining the walls.

Please have a seat, she said as she tapped into her datapad. I’ll take your vitals in a minute, then we can begin.

Gabriel nodded, sat down heavily in the examination chair, and rested his hands on the armrests. His head relaxed against the soft padding behind him. He felt the chair beneath him mold and contort to better fit his frame. The tension began to ooze out of him slowly, though not completely. He half-closed his eyes and allowed the chair to help him calm down.

Is the chair designed to help put a patient at ease? he asked as his legs were raised ever-so-slightly to a more comfortable angle. He wiggled and felt the contours in the chair shift to match his gyrations. He smiled in spite of the situation. Sophie would love this thing, he thought, looking back towards the nurse. Then he chuckled silently, recalling that Sophie had already done her second test. She already had a chance to enjoy the chair.

Very astute observation, the nurse said pleasantly as she finished typing on the pad. She walked over to him and patted his shoulder as she pulled off a pressure cuff that was hanging from the chair. Depending on how nervous they are, people usually just assume it’s their body adjusting to the situation. A logical, but incorrect, assumption. Arm out, please. Gabriel obeyed and the nurse slapped the pressure cuff onto his muscular arm. After a few seconds the device beeped and the nurse glanced over at her datapad.

Bad? Gabriel asked, his nerves skyrocketing as the nurse frowned. She looked at him and shook her head.

No, sorry, she apologized. Gabriel let out a huge breath of relief. I was thinking about what to make for dinner and couldn’t remember if I had put out the vegetables. Your blood pressure is perfect, Mr. Espinoza. Just as expected.

Gabriel sat still as the nurse continued her routine checkup. Tonsils, temperature and his eyesight were all checked and verified, the nurse making quiet little noises as she saved each and every result onto her datapad. From there, Gabriel remembered as the examination began to wrap up, the pad would transfer all the data to a central location where it could be sorted and categorized.

Now for the final test, she said as she reached down to a drawer cleverly hidden beneath the exam chair and pulled it open. She withdrew a small, syringe-like device that Gabriel had never seen before. Lacking a needle at the tip and featuring a small claw instead, he began to wonder what exactly they were planning to extract from him. She recognized his wary look from years of experience and offered him a warm smile. This is just for portable results.

Huh? Gabriel asked, thoroughly confused as he eyed the strange device. The claw looked back at him menacingly, promising him a silent and painful few minutes. Portable what?

After I get a skin sample, she began as she opened the miniature claw on the end of the device with a push of a button, "I’ll plug this into