Empire Reborn (Taran Empire Saga Book 1): A Cadicle Space Opera

than an expectation of birthright. The Sietinens were under enough scrutiny, as it was, for filling influential roles generation after generation.
“What are the next steps?” he asked.
“A conversation with the survivor. Preliminary reports indicate that he suffered some kind of telepathic assault from the… entity.” His father looked at him. “That’s why I asked you here, Jason. I’d like you to perform a telepathic evaluation and see if you can find anything others missed.”
“Sure,” Jason agreed, though he had no idea yet what that might entail.
“Transportation arrangements are already underway,” his mother said. “You can leave as soon as you’re ready.”
He nodded. “Anything in particular you’d like me to ask about?”
“I need to know if this is connected to what happened a few months ago,” his father stated. “If it is, and your vision…” He faded out.
“I understand.” Jason didn’t need further explanation. The attack may be a declaration of war.

CHAPTER 2
As a rule, Raena Sietinen didn’t conduct business before breakfast—a fact her assistant, Jovan, seemed keen to ignore. “Whatever you have to say, I don’t want to hear it until I’ve finished my coffee.”
“But, my lady, it’s—” Jovan insisted, a flush coming through his dark complexion.
“Nope.”
“What’s going on?” Ryan Dainetris, her husband, asked from deeper within their palatial bedroom suite. He approached the door, his black hair still dark from a shower, with a pastry in hand. His gaze landed on the very agitated assistant. “Oh. Good luck getting her to talk now.” He took a bite of the croissant.
“A ship was destroyed,” Jovan blurted out.
That caught Raena’s attention. “Where?” She snatched the tablet from Jovan’s quivering hands.
“Near the Rift.”
“Shit,” she whispered, reverting to the curses from her youth spent on Earth.
Ryan rushed to look over her shoulder, his luminescent gray eyes narrowed with concern. “What happened?”
“This doesn’t say. Only that the incident involved a salvage crew. There was just one survivor.”
“Stars...” He skimmed through the cryptic report. “Attack or accident?”
“I only know what’s in the document,” Jovan replied. “My lady, your father would like to speak with you. This report came directly from him when he couldn’t reach you this morning.”
“I’ll follow up,” Raena acknowledged. “Thank you.”
“I’ll be standing by.” The assistant bowed as Raena closed the door.
Ryan headed toward the viewscreen integrated into the wall. “I’ll start a vidcall.”
“No, I’m sticking to ‘coffee first’,” Raena stated. She flipped her chestnut hair behind her shoulder with one hand and took a sip from her mug. Running an interstellar civilization required dealing with a never-ending series of crises, and she’d learned that taking a few moments for herself and husband helped her keep a level head when it mattered. “Dad can wait fifteen minutes. If it was that urgent, he’d have astral projected to pester me.”
Ryan hesitated. “I always forget how easy that is for you.”
“Him and Jason, maybe. I’m out of practice.”
Ryan shook his head. “If you say so. Shall we?” He motioned toward their breakfast table on the terrace overlooking the sea.
Raena followed him outside, trying to suppress her concerns about the destroyed ship. Since Dainetris Galactic Enterprises, the corporate arm of her husband’s recently revived Dynasty, manufactured the starship involved in the incident—as well as the majority of all new starships in the Empire—it could be a public relations nightmare if the ship’s destruction was somehow determined to be DGE’s fault. However, if her father was tipping her off, that meant the Tararian Selective Service had taken notice, suggesting that something bigger was in play. After all, the TSS High Commander didn’t send cryptic reports on a whim, parental relation or not.
“It’s probably a one-off,” Ryan said, sensing her mood.
“No, everything was going too well. There was bound to be a major issue.”
Ryan eased into his usual seat at the table. “I suppose settling into a normal routine would be too much for us to ask.”
She sat down across from him, smiling slightly. “I did try to warn you about my family.”
“Like we had a genuine choice about any of this.” He reached over the table and took her hand. “Not that I’d change anything—well, not with us, anyway.”
Raena gave his hand a squeeze, then released it so she could cradle her coffee mug in both palms. “I’ve accepted that drama is a way of life for us. That’s why I defend these moments.”
“And I love you for it.”
She leaned back and took a deep breath of the salty sea air rising from the vast ocean between the First and Third Regions of Tararia, the core planet of the Taran Empire. The terrace overlooked the northeastern coastline of the estate, four stories above the manicured grounds. Though picturesque, Raena hadn’t completely shaken her memories of the isle’s dark history when it had served as headquarters for the corrupt Priesthood, only overthrown five years before. Moving there to the newly renamed Morningstar Isle had been an intentional political move, but on days like this when bad news set the tone, she couldn’t help wondering if the place was cursed.
“You’re still thinking about it,” Ryan said telepathically.
“Resorting to mind-reading now, are we?” she jested back. While she could have easily closed off her thoughts, she’d vowed to never keep secrets from her husband. He knew her better than anyone—even her twin brother, Jason.
“If there really is an issue,” Ryan continued aloud, “your parents will handle it.”
She nodded. “They always do.”
“Stars, the last time they took on a big project, they overthrew the Priesthood and got us a castle to live in!”
Raena almost lost a mouthful of sweetened coffee through her nose. Somehow, he always knew just what to say to keep her thoughts from going too dark.
She admired Ryan from across the table—not just his handsome features, but the depth