Depths of Blue Read online

  She would have to run some diagnostics; some of the sensors weren’t reporting back as they ought to. The ionized dust they’d flown through had probably made its way into some openings in the ship’s hull and dampened the reception. It was a little annoying but no big surprise.

  “Tien, move us to a clear jump point,” Torrin instructed, releasing herself from the chair’s safety harness. “I’m going to put myself on ice.”

  “Affirmative, Torrin,” the AI responded, but Torrin only paid her half a mind as she headed back to the cryo-chamber.

  The pod closest to the door was the one she always used. It was custom-built to fit her and had a much-scaled down command console on the inside, complete with a monitor that showed the view from the main bridge screen. In it, she was able to monitor as many of the ship’s systems as possible and direct the ship until the last moment before she slipped into cryosleep. She would also be able to assume control of the ship as soon as she came out of stasis.

  She gave the pod a cursory examination before turning to tending to her leg. It was the work of a few moments to clean the graze on the back of her calf. Torrin hissed through her teeth when she sterilized the shallow wound. The faint smell of burning skin made her stomach flop. After a long examination, she didn’t see any oozing blood. Tien would need to remove all the blood from her body when she was prepped for cryosleep. The frigid temperatures of cryostasis would crystallize any blood left in her body and could lacerate the inside of her leg. The wound wasn’t that bad, and any laceration would do little more than give her a truly impressive bruise, but there was no point in risking complications.

  Leg taken care of, Torrin checked the adjoining pod to view Jak one last time. She hadn’t moved, of course, but Torrin felt better for having seen her again. She disrobed where she stood next to Jak’s pod. When completely undressed, she gave the other woman one last, long look before she stepped into her own pod.

  Tubes snaked toward her as she lay very still, waiting for the large bore needles to pierce her arms and legs. Tien maneuvered the needles expertly, if somewhat dispassionately and Torrin grimaced as the needles plunged into her veins all at once. She’d made literally hundreds of FTL jumps into the periphery, but she never got used to this part. Trying not to think about what Tien was doing, Torrin allowed her mind to wander. She needed some answers. Her presence on the planet hadn’t been an accident, of that she was reasonably certain. Neal had a lot to explain and she intended to wring the answers from him, no matter what it took.

  “Are you ready, Torrin?” The AI’s cool tones pulled Torrin away from her thoughts.

  “I’ve already laid in the course,” Torrin instructed before Tien could start pushing the sedative that would precede the cryo chemicals. “Take us to Nadi using the third preset. The access code is zero zero five tango.” The code would let Tien communicate with the probes set up in her home planet’s system. Some of those probes were set merely to detect intruders; others were set to engage them. Using the wrong codes would cause an armed buoy to go on the offensive.

  “Yes, Torrin,” Tien said. “Pushing sedatives now. You will start to feel sleepy soon.”

  “I know that,” Torrin shot back irritably. “This isn’t my first…” She yawned hugely, jaws cracking. “…jump.”

  Just like that, it was too much effort to bicker with the AI. Her limbs were getting heavier and her eyelids slid inexorably over her corneas. She blinked and bright trails tracked the lights in smeared streaks.

  Before she slipped under completely, Torrin felt a powerful surge of homesickness. They would be home before she knew it. She’d never brought anyone home with her before, not like this. Jak would love it there, she was certain of it. Things would be different, away from Haefen. They could get to know each other, make a life together. Things were about to look up.

  Epilogue

  Carefully, he made his way toward the burned-out clearing. Smoke still rose from the incinerated trees in and around the area. Here and there embers shone eerily in the darkness. At the clearing’s edge, behind a charred bush, he knelt. Someone had lain prone here. He could see a large scuffed area where her torso had been, smaller areas where she’d braced her knees and elbows.

  He crouched down next to where she’d laid, picking off his comrades one by one, and brushed his hand gently through the compacted dirt and ash. He brought his hand up to his nose and inhaled, imagining he could smell her once again. This was the closest he’d been to her in years, over a decade now. He’d been watching her, yes, but it was a poor substitute for being able to touch her. He imagined he could still feel the warmth of her body even though an hour had passed since she’d been there.

  He stood and made his way into the middle of the clearing, slinging a sniper rifle over one shoulder, fingering the bright red cartridges in his bandolier. He gazed up into the night, toward the stars. She’d left that way not an hour before. Still, she would be back. He’d made sure of that two years ago. He would watch and wait, as he’d always done. When the time was right, she would come to him.

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