Depths of Blue: On Deception's Edge Book One
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For Torrin Ivanov, life is a bargaining table. Every planet is a new business opportunity. Legality is optional and supplying one side in a local civil war always adds up to profit.
Jak Stowell is at war within a war. A woman hidden in the heart of a male-only army, her brother’s murder has left her desperate for vengeance. Her skill as a sniper gives her both the disguise she needs and paves the way ever closer to her real goal. She kills efficiently, without remorse. Putting down an off-world smuggler will be no different.
A moment’s hesitation. A flicker of doubt. Two women on a collision course set off a chain reaction of intergalactic intrigue—and awaken a dangerous passion that could cost them their lives.
Lise MacTague
Lise MacTague is a hockey player, a librarian, and an author. Her parents had their priorities straight and introduced her to sci-fi at the age of three through reruns of Star Trek. Lise has been an overworked art student, a freelance artist, a Rennie, a slave to retail, a grad student, and a slinger of beer. She lives in Milwaukee with two very demanding cats, one who is curled up in her lap even now.
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Depths of Blue - Lise MacTague
Chapter One
Jak came awake all at once, sitting up in her narrow bed and pulling the pistol from beneath her pillow in one smooth, practiced movement. She’d been dreaming and the sudden noise confused her. It took a moment before she recalled where she was and the usual despair flooded back to her. She glanced over at the narrow bed on the other side of the room and averted her eyes just as quickly. The pounding on the door continued unabated.
What the hell do you want?
Jak lowered her voice’s pitch and roughened her tone without even thinking about it. Too little sleep after too long a day added further grit to her tone.
The pounding ceased. New orders for you, Sarge,
came the voice through the door. It sounded like Collins, the new private in the unit. Who had he pissed off to get stuck with being the one to wake her? Captain McCullock says to check your messages.
Fine, tell Intel I got the message. Now fuck off.
She lowered the pistol and ran a hand over the stubble on her scalp. New orders on less than four hours of sleep. Perfect. But if it got her out of the camp, she’d take it.
All right, Sarge.
He sounded affronted, and as his footsteps receded, Jak could hear him mutter asshole.
She got up and tested the doorknob. To her relief, it was locked. She’d been so out of it after a twenty-seven hour-shift, a full day on the escarpment, that she hadn’t remembered if she’d locked the door or not. At least she’d worn her breastbinder to bed, so even if she’d forgotten to lock the door, her secret would still have been safe.
Her eyes tracked again to the empty bed in the room, and she allowed herself to contemplate it. Her heart constricted, as it always did. She’d looked at it every day for two years, and every day she still expected to see her brother’s form sprawled there. Jak had been unable to even bring herself to make his bed. Her side of the room was as tidy as always and his was still the pigsty it had been when he’d been killed. Sorrow tightened her throat, and she breathed hard through the pain for a few moments. She missed him. Johvah, she still missed him.
Bron had run interference for her when he’d been alive. His presence had filled whatever room he was in, and she’d been content to fade into the shadows and watch for threats. Without him, she had to take on everyone face to face.
Since her brother had been killed by a sniper’s bullet while they’d been out on assignment, she’d been alone, all alone, with her deception. She was by herself in the middle of a compound full of men who, if they discovered her secret, would—at best—imprison her. At worst, they would rape her and put her on trial for masquerading as a man, something which would likely end with her execution for treason. It hadn’t been her choice to join the army, but after their father died it had seemed like the only way for them to survive. When Bron was still alive, she’d been able to be herself with at least one person. She hadn’t felt like her own self since he was killed. The strain was getting to her. Some days she felt that snapping at her squad mates was all that kept her sane. It also served to keep them as far away from her as they could get. The more isolated she was, the safer she was with her secret.
She reached behind her and grabbed the cable coming out of the wall above the desk that was shoved against the head of her bed. She pulled enough of it toward her that she could plug it into the jack in the base of her left palm. A slight sensation of vertigo accompanied her immersion into the local net. Some people didn’t have to close their eyes to access the data that flowed through their local network, but Jak had always found it easier if she blocked out external stimuli. She accessed her in-box. As usual it was empty except for material related to her missions. There was no one who would reach out to her for any other reason.
Stowell, you’re going deep into Orthodoxan territory, Sector 27 to be exact.
Captain McCullock’s voice grated on her, bringing his sneering, ginger-mustached face to mind. Word’s come down that Colonel Hutchinson has an offworld visitor you need to take out.
She thought she detected a note of glee in his voice as he continued. You’re going in under radio silence and on your own since you refuse to take a partner.
Why should I? They can’t keep up with me. The insertion team will meet you at 1100 hours.
He paused; the usual contempt she heard from him was gone when he continued. This one’s important, Stowell. More important than pretty much any other assignment you’ve ever been given. Don’t fuck it up.
They were all important. What makes this one so much different? She didn’t think about it too much. As a sniper, she was a weapon that Command wielded. They pointed her at the target and she pulled the trigger. She accessed the attached files and downloaded the charts and maps for Orthodoxan territory between the fence and Sector 27. Images flooded her consciousness as materials were deposited to her brain.
The long-range weather report caught her attention. There was rain in the forecast. That in itself wasn’t unusual; it rained frequently. The strength of the forecast weather systems were what held her attention. They were in for some torrential downpours, which looked like they’d be hitting about the time she would be arriving at Hutchinson’s compound. That could complicate her getaway.
The pants and coat of her combat fatigues were folded and draped over the end of her bed. She donned them quickly, then pulled on her boots, stood up and stomped her feet to settle them. She removed the service cap from the small desk at the head of the bed and placed it upon her head. After settling it over the dark blond stubble that covered her scalp, she picked up her rifle, automatically verifying that the safety was on. No one went about without a weapon, even in camp. Raids occurred too frequently to be without one for any period of time. When they happened, every available person was expected to be on hand to repel enemy combatants. She picked her smallest scope up from the table and slid it into one of the many pockets on her fatigue jacket’s front. She took a deep breath, settled the habitual scowl over her features, then left her room.
There wasn’t much time to get herself kitted up before she had to meet with the insertion team. She nodded to the sentry outside the barracks’ front door and made her way quickly down the street. The quartermasters’ offices were only one street over. Tall swirls of blue dust blew down the center of the unpaved road. Men in uniforms or fatigues hurried to and fro on various errands. Camp Abbott was always busy, especially during the day. Even though they were grinding their way through their third decade of this civil war, the military never slumbered. It didn’t even nap.
The hulking building of the Quartermaster Corps sat on the outskirts of the camp against the three-meter-high wall that made up the perimeter. The wall was tall enough that most people couldn’t get over it easily. Someone would have to be plenty tall to be able to leap up, grab the top of the wall and pull himself over. In the time it took to do that the sentries would take him out. That was the idea, anyhow. In reality, the wall slowed down their enemies, but it didn’t stop them.
A large enclosure filled with vehicles of all types and sizes lay directly beyond the offices. No one stood guard here. The men inside were not only more than qualified to take care of themselves, they also had immediate access to all sorts of nasty weapons. Jak took the front stairs two at a time and rapped sharply on the main door before she let herself in.
I hear you’re heading out again, Stowell.
A grizzled man greeted her from behind the desk. What do you need this time?
Lambert.
She nodded in greeting. With Bron gone, she had done her best to stay on even footing with the quartermaster sergeant. It made for less hassle when she had to requisition supplies and a better chance of acquiring rarer and less conventional items.
Some of her compatriots treated the quartermasters with thinly veiled hostility, making their opinion of the noncombatant soldiers well known. Most of them didn’t realize that many of the so-called noncombatants had completed their ten years of required service and chosen to stay on to continue their service to their country. Well, if the others treated the quartermasters like crap, it only made her clumsy attempts at affability more effective. The fact that she would occasionally leave them gifts of her fresh kills from hunting didn’t hurt either.
You heard right, as usual. I need supplies for a week.
I heard you were going after Hutchinson. Good, the man’s an animal and he’s killed more good men than anyone since Stinson.
Lambert spat into the cuspidor next to his desk. Chewing tobacco wasn’t frowned on in the service, but dirtying the army’s floor with dip definitely was. You get him good. He commanded the opposing sectors when I was on active duty. Had a habit of sending our boys’ bodies back to us booby-trapped with explosives. Killed a lot of good men before we got wise. One of those traps finished me for active duty.
He leaned forward and gave his prosthetic calf a dull thunk.
Jak kept her face an impassive mask. It never ceased to amaze her how much Lambert knew about the supposedly classified workings of their intelligence operations. The man had a talent for pulling together small pieces of information into a surprisingly accurate whole. He was a little off on this one, but close enough not to make much of a difference. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just heading out that way to do some recon.
Recon my ass.
Lambert snorted. McCullock had me put together your data dump. Sector 27’s three days past their lines. You’ll need more than a few supplies. I’m sending you out with a full pack of stims, since I doubt you’ll be sleeping when you’re in enemy territory. I’m upgrading your jacket. You’re about due for a new one anyway. This one has increased insulation and ventilation. It’ll keep you warmer or cooler no matter what the weather is. I’m sure you’ll need the cooling since you insist on dragging that ridiculous ghillie suit with you. I don’t know how you don’t get it hung up on every bush you walk past. Those strips of cloth have to make it impossible to move quickly and silently. You know—I could requisition a cloaking unit for you.
I’ve told you before,
Jak replied wearily. They’d had this argument more times than she could count. I don’t need the cloak. I’m used to moving in it. The suit works better for camouflage and doesn’t give me away with that shimmer at the edges of the field. Sure, it’s heavier and hotter, but it won’t get me killed.
Bron had always preferred the cloak to the ghillie suit and had teased her mercilessly for her preference. But she was here and he wasn’t.
Do what you will, you always do,
grumbled Lambert. What else do you need?
Do you have any of those infrared scopes?
Lambert grunted. You know those are really hard to come by,
he hedged.
If they weren’t hard to come by, I wouldn’t be asking you,
Jak pointed out.
He smirked, then shrugged. You have a point. I do have one. You can borrow it for the mission, but it needs to come back. Try really hard not to lose or destroy it.
Got it. I promise to treat it with the utmost respect.
She waited impatiently as he heaved himself up from his desk and walked with a slight limp into the back room. While he was gathering the supplies she’d requisitioned, she stared out the front window. She found herself slipping into a state of meditative watchfulness. She let it flow over her. There was no way she could practice that particular skill too much.
Jak dropped back into real time when Lambert returned to the room with a pack and small carrying case. He dropped the pack at her feet.
A week’s worth of food and water, plus the necessary stims. Also, I replenished your first aid kit. Try not to get shot more than a day away from base,
he admonished somberly, then spoiled it with a wide grin. If you find water, there are purification tablets in the first aid kit. It will take care of most of the bacteria and other critters in the water supply. Enough that what’s left won’t kill you. Probably not, anyway.
He handed her the jacket draped over his forearm. That’s your new jacket. Don’t get any holes in it your first day out. And here’s the scope. Remember, it’s your ass if something happens to it. If it weren’t for the fresh meat you ‘accidentally’ leave here, you wouldn’t be getting it at all.
Thanks, Lambert,
Jak said gratefully. I’ll try not to break any of your goodies.
Try to come back in one piece, that’s all I ask. I’ll miss the extra meat rations if you catch yourself a bullet.
* * *
The slow-turning blue orb drifted lazily past her window, its brilliant azure in sharp contrast to the deep black of space. This corner of the galaxy was beautiful, she thought. A sizable nebula in brilliant shades of lavender and pink floated in the far reaches of the small solar system. Even though she’d been exploring the edges of the outer systems for years now, she still came across sights that took her breath away. She watched the nebula for a moment longer before turning her eyes back to the planet that was her destination.
Her thoughts strayed, as they often did when she came to a new world, to the first settlers who would have arrived here. Most of the Fringe worlds had been settled in the same way. Passels of settlers had been put into cryogenic sleep and crammed into transport vessels along with plants and livestock from Earth. Typically armed with little more than a basic survey report and the hopes of their people, hundreds of settlement ships had spread out from Earth. In their departure, they’d cut their last ties with the governments there. Those ships had been the first to leave the planet, only able to do so because of newly developed cryogenic technology. They’d ended up on far-flung planets at the edges of the known galaxy. They had to make do with what little they could bring with them and their adopted world’s flora and fauna.
Better them than me, Torrin thought. Her role in the galaxy might not be quite as influential, but she was happy with it. She could come and go as she pleased instead of getting stuck on one planet like those poor saps had been.
A few hundred years later, humanity had spread out from Earth again, this time working their way from one star system to the next, spreading steadily outward. Thus the League of Solaran Planets was born.
A strident, high-pitched chirp emanated from the console in front of her. Frowning, she scanned the console’s screens. The sensors had picked up another vessel on the far side of the planet. She danced her fingers across sensitive touchscreens as she uttered a low curse. She set a course that would bring her into the planet’s orbit but would keep her out of sensor range of the ship. Eyes glued to the display, she scanned for any hints that the other vessel had detected her presence. When her ship slipped into orbit, she sighed with relief. Quickly, she powered down all systems except life support and one console display, then double-checked that her transponder beacon was disabled. According to intergalactic law, it was highly illegal to disable a ship’s transponder, but given that the people who’d made that law were the ones she was currently trying to avoid, she wasn’t too worried about the ethics involved.
So…what was a League of Solaran Planets warship doing out in this backwater? She was there to pick up a lucrative smuggling contract, but the League didn’t engage in smuggling, at least not officially. Judging by its position, the ship looked like it was on picket, but her informant hadn’t mentioned a League blockade. The League vessel slipped further out of sensor range, the bulk of the planet effectively shielding her from its instruments. She powered on the AI.
Tien, any communication from the surface?
Negative, Torrin.
The AI’s slightly alien tones echoed around her on the bridge. A small hologram of a diminutive woman in ancient Chinese regalia sprang to life at her elbow. I do not detect any transmissions.
Try scanning radio frequencies. It’s primitive, but I didn’t notice any satellites in orbit. Without those, radio may be the only way they can contact us.
If that were the case, she wondered, how had the Orthodoxans managed to get their request out in the first place? They had to have a contact on the League ship, she decided. It was what she would have done in the same situation. Even the high-and-mighty League had its elements who were willing to put aside the finer points of legality and make an easy credit or two.
Affirmative, Torrin, scanning now.
The hologram furrowed her brows in concentration. I have scanned all twenty-three radio channels that are currently within range. All but one register with static, and that one is repeating a string of numbers. The numbers match Cartesian coordinates on the planet’s surface.
The main viewscreen flickered to life in front of her. The outline of Haefen’s landmasses appeared. The planet seemed to be mainly ocean, but with two main continents, connected by a narrow isthmus that ran east to west. When Tien overlaid the radioed coordinates on the screen, a pulsating point marked the coordinates on the southwestern hemisphere of the larger of the continents. It was some distance from the isthmus that connected the two continents.
Bring us in quietly but not right to their coordinates. Pick a spot about forty kilometers away where we can set down.
Torrin didn’t intend to provide the Orthodoxans with the temptation of seizing her vessel. Even though she was there to negotiate a contract to smuggle materials to them, she had no illusions about what a backwater society with no space assets might resort to if they thought they could procure the items on their own. She’d spent too many credits retrofitting and customizing the Calamity Jane to consider placing her pride and joy in needless danger.
She waited as the vessel shuddered its way through the atmosphere and broke through the thin layer of clouds. Everything on this planet seemed to be a shade of blue. Even the clouds were a powder puff blue.
Tien, is there anything I need to know about the inhabitants?
The AI was silent for a few moments. Its little avatar massaged its chin as if in contemplation. Haefonian society is fairly backward by our standards. Their preferred method of transportation is by Earth horse. They scrabble out a living in the arid planet’s wastelands. The few resources are a source of constant conflict for the planet’s inhabitants, who are broken into dozens of warring tribes.
Torrin had to make allowances for Tien’s standards. The AI was rather League-centric, which made sense since she’d been liberated from a League vessel. From the description, Haefen sounded much like other planets on the Fringes.
It’s arid? It didn’t look that way from orbit. The planet’s blue, for crying out loud. Frozen hells, Tien! The screen shows it’s mostly water.
All I can tell you is what my databanks tell me, Torrin.
Didn’t we just get those updated?
It was unlike Tien to be off in the information she provided. Even though the League data on Fringe planets was a little sketchy, her people spent lots of time in the Fringes and had built up their own database. She’d had the latest updates added during the ship’s last retrofit.
The residents are short-tempered and prone to squabbles and feuds that can last generations,
Tien said instead of answering. You will want to watch what you say to avoid insulting the locals.
Torrin snorted. This isn’t my first rodeo. Is there anything else you’d like to tell me about how to do my job?
I merely thought you ought to be prepared, Torrin,
Tien replied equably. You do not want to become the cause of a blood feud.
I’ve been doing this a while,
Torrin said. I think I can be trusted not to insult an entire society by accident.
I only worry that it will not be by accident, Torrin.
Tien kept talking over Torrin’s irritated exhalation. We have landed. Perhaps you should attend to your preparations for the trip.
Snotty machine,
Torrin grumbled under her breath.
She unstrapped herself from the pilot’s chair and strode out of the bridge and down the narrow corridor to her sleeping quarters. She hauled clothing out of the drawers in her cabinet, looking for an all-weather jumpsuit. The red jumpsuit with black flashing accentuated her hips and breasts, making it perfect to wear during the upcoming negotiations. Torrin grinned. She had some great assets, and she was damn well going to flaunt them if it gave her an advantage. After some thought, she pulled her dark red hair back into a simple ponytail that ended halfway down her back.
Torrin looked at herself critically in the mirror. Satisfied with her ensemble, she belted on a plasma pistol and a lethal-looking military-grade combat knife. She wanted to look feminine but not vulnerable. The pistol and knife should dispel any particular ideas of defenselessness in her hosts’ minds. Also, the pistol was a great sample of the type of weaponry she could provide to a feuding backwater princeling to satisfy whatever grudge he had against his neighbors. It was a lucrative opportunity and one she didn’t intend to pass up. It was also one with a time limit. Her informant—Neal—had mentioned that there were others interested in the opportunity. Because of their long history with one another, not to mention a hefty bonus, he’d agreed to keep the information under his hat for a little bit. Knowing Neal, that wouldn’t last long. The profit in information brokering came from selling the same bit as often as possible, and Neal was a master at maximizing his own profit. She couldn’t complain too much; she’d made a lot of money running down his leads.
The door hissed open as she walked toward it. She followed the passage left until it ended at a ladder down to the lower deck. Torrin braced her feet on the outside of the ladder and slid down its length in one smooth movement. The lights came on in the cargo bay as she made her way to the front of the ship. The storage space was small for most vessels this size. She’d sacrificed a lot of room to cram upgraded engines into the ship. The compromise made in storage was more than an even trade for the extra speed the engines provided. In her profession, the ability to outrun and evade the authorities was much more important than how much she could carry. Besides, once she’d struck her lucrative deal, she had access to many other ships to provide delivery of the goods.
Since she was on a fishing expedition, the cargo bay was mostly empty. If the trip panned out, she would be coordinating many more runs and each would be lucrative enough to make her a hefty profit.
What do you think, Tien?
she queried the empty air. Do I go with the bike or the antigrav sled?
The antigrav sled will not leave any tracks that will lead back to us, but from the power signatures I read while we were in orbit, I doubt the natives have the technological capability for you to recharge it. I recommend the bike, Torrin. If you blur the tracks, this afternoon’s storm will destroy any sign of your passage and we should be safe enough from native predations.
Tien’s voice blared out from a number of speakers and bounced around the empty cargo bay in an unnerving echo.
Excellent point, as always.
Torrin strode over to the two vehicles strapped into place against the far wall.
The AI didn’t answer, but Torrin hadn’t really expected a response. She disengaged the restraining clamps and lowered the bike from the wall. The sleek, wicked-looking two-wheeler gleamed in the dim lighting. It was low-slung and had enough room on the back to carry a passenger. She’d upgraded the bike herself, adding storage canisters to the rear to increase its speed output and a gyroscopic stabilizer. Short of her taking it over a cliff, the bike wasn’t about to tip over. The trip from their landing spot to the coordinates they’d picked up wasn’t going to take long. They were far enough removed that no one was likely to stumble across the ship, but close enough that Torrin wouldn’t be traveling all day. There was no need to bring an additional fuel cell.
Tien, the door, please.
The cargo bay door lowered and daylight quickly intruded at the top of the cargo bay and along the back wall. Torrin wheeled the bike over to the top of the ramp and stopped dead.
The planet was so…blue. The view from orbit had suggested as much, but from the ground the intensity of the color was overwhelming. The sky was a vibrant azure she’d never seen before. None of the dozens of skies she’d seen on other Fringe worlds could match it… The clouds were blue, but a lighter shade than the sky. Even the trees were blue. Not as blue as the sky, but the leaves were definitely blue and the bark was a darker, more muted blue that verged on navy.
It definitely wasn’t arid, though. There was no way trees could grow that tall unless there was plenty of water. Something was definitely off with Tien’s databanks. Torrin hoped she’d come to the right place. If she hadn’t, she’d find out soon enough. After that she’d head back to Tyndall, track down Neal and reclaim the bonus with interest. If he’d already spent it, she’d enjoy taking it out of his hide.
She dragged her gaze from the vista before her and wheeled the bike down the ramp. She gave a quick glance around the area, and her gaze settled on a sapling. It was quick work to remove its branches with her knife and carry them over to the vehicle and lash them behind the back wheel. The ground was extremely soft, and groundcover between the trees looked scarce. That would leave a clear trail back to the ship unless she took precautions. After a few miles, she’d be able to remove the branches. Tien’s promised rainstorm should obliterate the wheel tracks completely after that.
Torrin adjusted her ponytail and threw one leg over the bike. She opened the throttle as wide as it would go, eliciting the deep roar that never failed to bring a grin to her face, and took off into the forest.
Chapter Two
Torrin sped through the trees; she was absolutely amazed at their size. They towered over her, hundreds of meters above, their canopies so dense that very little light filtered through the leaves. Little to no undergrowth existed to get in her way except the occasional mushroom. It wasn’t what she was used to seeing at all. Her home planet had very little in the way of forests. It was very open or at least the habitable parts were. But then, three-quarters of Nadierzda’s surface was covered with shifting seas of silt and sand.
The heads-up display in her helmet pierced the gloom under the canopy far better than her naked eyes, and she was grateful for the extra help it gave her as she raced between the trees at speeds in excess of two hundred kilometers an hour. She kept an eye on the map inset in the upper left corner of the HUD. The blinking light indicated that she was almost at her destination. The coordinates had included a time. She was a little late, but it had been terrific luck that she’d arrived with enough time to make the day’s meeting window. Her contacts wouldn’t have known exactly when she was to be expected. Neal had said something about sending word to expect her, but he wouldn’t have been able to give the princeling’s people more than an arrival window of a few weeks.
A break in the trees was coming up fast, and she throttled back slightly on the accelerator. She grinned with anticipation; it was almost time for her entrance. The HUD showed a structure and a man-shaped heat signature a short way beyond the break in the trees. As she hit the break in the trees, Torrin cut the throttle and leaned hard to her left, putting the bike into a long skid that ended right in front of the man standing in front of a squat guard tower. The bike’s rear wheel threw a long spray of dirt that barely missed the man. As the bike came to a stop, she hopped off it and swept the helmet from her head with a flourish, her hair bursting free from the confinement of the helmet.
Torrin was unprepared for the look of virulent disgust on the man’s face. She’d expected surprise or admiration, but nothing had prepared her for the look of total disdain that verged on outright hatred. The man looked at her as if his boot-scrapings had suddenly started talking. He stood there, in his pretty black uniform with its red piping and stared at her in disbelieving revulsion. The twitching little mustache that graced his upper lip looked more menacing than she would have expected for such a ridiculous affectation. He was shorter than she was. She supposed that might account for some of his issues.
The uniform was an incredibly overdone piece of conceit. Apparently the little man’s boss had decided to signify his importance to everyone via ridiculous amounts of ribbons and decoration. By the amount of eye-wrenching gaudiness going on, the princeling would be able to afford her fee. That at least was worth dealing with a little rudeness.
Torrin Ivanov?
The man spoke, incredulous. "You are Torrin Ivanov?"
In the flesh.
Torrin grinned to hide her misgivings. She ran her fingers through her hair, displaying her feminine attributes to their best advantage. Once again, his reaction mystified her. Most men couldn’t keep their eyes off her unless they, like Torrin, happened to prefer their own gender. She knew most men considered her attractive and had long ago honed that attraction into a weapon. Clearly, this little man couldn’t believe his eyes but not in a good way. He wasn’t wondering how he’d gotten so lucky to deal with her. He was wondering what in the universe this thing was in front of him.
We’ve been expecting…
He paused, struggling with his words. Someone. No one told me you would be—
Tall?
she said, flashing him a professional smile. "Red-headed, charming,