WARNING: The excerpt below contains major spoilers for Artificial Absolutes and Synthetic Illusions
Excerpt from Virtual Shadows
From Chapter 1: Into this Raging Storm
This had better work—I don’t feel like dying today. Jane angled her tiny starship toward the Arapaima transport, which hovered against the scintillating expanse of space. Her vehicle jolted, sending a cascade of dark locks tumbling into her face.
She tossed her head, annoyed. Of all the ships in the spaceport, I had to pick the worst. She didn’t even recall what the particular model she’d chosen was called—a Barb or a Minnow or something. But at least the piece of crap wouldn’t be missed. Stealing from Tenebrarum—the order of mercenaries that ran the planet she’d been hiding on for the past five months—had not been the smartest thing to do. Technically, she’d only borrowed the junker, and she hoped to get it back before anyone noticed it was gone. And since she’d obtained it by convincing a spaceport admin—who also happened to be her fiancé—to mess with some docwork and release the ship for a “test run,” the only real infraction was a clerical mix-up.
However, she wasn’t betting on the Tenebrarum seeing things that way. But it was all for the sake of someone who had once been one of them. Mek looked like a harmless old curmudgeon with his white hair and diminishing frame, but he’d spent his prime years carrying out hits for anyone who would pay—as long as the target deserved killing. While many of the Tenebrarum had grown lax about their code, which stated that they must never target the innocent, Jane trusted that Mek had upheld it.
Spotting a docking hatch on the Arapaima, she veered the Barb—or Minnow, or whatever—toward it. The words “White Venom” glowed in blue lights across the transport’s copper hull. If it weren’t for them, the ship would have been a complete shadow, since there was no star nearby to illuminate it. Asylum, the Tenebrarum world, was a rogue planet, barreling through space, unanchored by a sun’s gravitational pull. That meant it was never in the same place twice. Only the Tenebrarum were privy to its location. Members were issued trackers upon initiation and sworn to guard the devices with their lives. Each was keyed to its owner’s life signs, so should that person die, the machine would self-destruct, ensuring the planet’s secrecy.
While Mek had retired years ago, he’d still had his tracker—until some asshole had stolen it, which meant his “negligence” had put the entire order in danger. And the Tenebrarum were not the forgiving sort.
“Surest thing to do is trigger the self-destruct,” Mek had said to Jane earlier that day. Though he’d spoken in his usual carefree manner, she’d seen the fear in his crinkled brown eyes. “It’s up to the Council, but I wouldn’t blame ’em if that’s what they decided.”
“How can you say that?” Jane had asked.
“You know what would happen if that tracker got out? Half the galaxy would descend on this place. That could destroy us. All because I wasn’t paying attention.” Disgust clung to Mek’s words. “Can’t believe he got me with the old crash-and-grab!”
“You know who took it?”
“Yeah, White Venom’s crony—Balkin, I think his name was. Thought it was fishy that he walked into me, but I didn’t realize something was missing until just now. Damn head of mine’s too slow. Maybe it’s time to put me out to pasture.”
Jane hated such fatalistic talk, but despite her protests, Mek had insisted he was too old to go after Balkin. “Fine,” she’d said. “I’ll do it.”
“Oh, no you don’t, girlie.” Mek had given her a dry smile. “Won’t risk all of Asylum for my useless hide either. Gonna tell the Council, and let them take care of it.”
“But they’ll kill you!”
“Eh, not like they’re cutting short my young life or anything.”
Despite his casual words, Jane had seen the sorrow in his expression. He’d told her once that all he wanted was to live out his autumn years in peace before drifting into winter’s eternal sleep. She didn’t see any reason he shouldn’t get to do so. Sure, Mek was no angel. Perhaps the cosmic scales would dictate that he pay for all the lives he’d taken in his youth with an untimely death of his own. But she didn’t care. Justice was an illusion anyway.
To Jane, Mek was the guy who’d taken her under his wing when she’d had nothing, given her a job for which she was shamefully overpaid, and helped her settle into her new life. She considered him a friend, and she wasn’t about to let him give up so easily.
She’d made it clear to him that she was going after Balkin and getting the tracker back, no matter what Mek said. Realizing she was dead serious, he’d made her a deal: she had until the thief left Tenebrarum space. As long as Balkin was on Asylum or in its orbit, he couldn’t do anything with the tracker. But he was scheduled to leave with his Tenebrarum employer that very day, and the moment Gate I—an enormous Sei tunneler that followed Asylum—opened the portal to its counterpart, which wandered the edges of known space, Mek would report the theft. That way, White Venom could stop her traitorous underling before he sold out the entire order.
What kind of narcissist names a ship after herself? Jane adjusted her trajectory. The plan was to latch onto the larger ship, sneak on board, and pickpocket the pickpocket.
“You know the old saying,” she’d said to Riley before heading to the spaceport. “Takes a thief to catch a thief.”
“Duuuude, you’re a full-blown criminal now, aren’t you?” Riley’s black eyes had been round with disbelief. “You realize what a terrible idea this is, right?”
“I excel at terrible ideas. Are you gonna help me?”
“Uh… Duh? Who’d entertain me if you got crunched? Gimme a few hours to hack that Arapaima.”
“Thanks, Riley.” Jane smiled. “As usual, you’re a genius.”
“I’ve graduated from genius. I’m a freakin’ wizard!”
He’d used his particular brand of magic to access the White Venom’s central computer. Thanks to him, she’d been able to approach the Arapaima without being spotted.
Jane grabbed her slate, onto which Riley had uploaded the White Venom’s blueprints. After unfolding it and snapping it flat, she glanced at the timer along the bottom of the glowing screen. Only one hour remained before Gate I opened its tunnel. Plenty of time…
The forced self-reassurance did nothing to loosen the knot in her stomach. The transport was huge, and Balkin could be anywhere. Once she found him, she’d have to wait until he was alone before making her move. While Balkin wasn’t a member of Tenebrarum, he’d trained with them for years, according to Mek. It was bad enough that she’d be going up against an experienced fighter when, under most circumstances, her most effective weapons were her pretty dark eyes and sweet-talking talents. The last thing she needed was for him to have help.
If only I were as good with a gun as I am at playing the damsel. She rested one hand on the grip of the gun strapped to belt. The touch of cool metal was both frightening and reassuring at the same time. The weapon was set to stun, and she hoped she’d never have to change that. One death on her hands was more than enough. Though months had passed since she’d shot Marcus Streger, his lifeless eyes still haunted her memories. She refused to acknowledge any remorse for killing the bastard who’d murdered her father and tortured her fiancé, not to mention holding her hostage to coerce her brother into betraying their homeworld. But a life was still a life.
“Yo, Janie!” Riley’s voice from her slate brought her back to the present.
“Yeah?” Jane glanced at Riley’s pale face on the screen. At twenty-one, he was only two years younger than her, but for some reason, she’d always thought of him as a kid—probably because of his squirrelly mannerisms, small build, and excitable nature.
“I’ve disabled the security on that hatch. Also blinded the cams in the corridor you’ll be entering. You’re good to go.”
“Won’t White Venom’s people be suspicious if their cams aren’t working?”
“Have you forgotten who you’re talking to?” Riley threw her a look of indignation. “I didn’t just switch ’em off! Set them to show empty hallways, duh.”
A message across the viewscreen stated that the White Venom’s hatch was within range of the ship’s docking tunnel. Jane put her slate down and brought her vehicle to a halt. It stopped so abruptly she nearly banged her face into the controls. The slate slid off her lap and landed with a clatter. Ugh, I hate this junker.
“Yo, Janie? Still there?” Riley’s voice floated up from the floor.
She scooped up her slate. “Sorry about that. Just reached the White Venom.”
“Got your earpiece?”
Jane ran her finger behind her ear to make sure the minuscule machine she’d clipped there earlier hadn’t fallen. “Yup.”
“Keep your slate with you. ’S long as I know where you are, I can blind any cams in your area. You’ll have a bubble of invisibility.”
“Thanks.”
“And… uh… please don’t die.” Riley ran a nervous hand through his short black hair. “Devin’ll be mad enough that I helped you instead of stopping you.”
Jane shook her head at the mention of her big brother. Though she hadn’t spoken to him in months—he’d been confined to some top-secret government base since the whole Streger debacle—his overprotective reach still followed her. Riley had always been eager to please Devin, whom he’d hero-worshipped for years. You and me both, pal.
“I’ll be all right.” She ended the transmission then pressed the controls to extend a tunnel from her vehicle to the White Venom.
After she’d folded the slate and stuck it in her pocket, she walked toward the exit, visualizing her target. Mek’s description made Balkin sound easy enough to identify: brown dreadlocks, mean, sharp-boned face, chalky complexion with a long scar down his neck. She reminded herself not to dismiss him as a dumb thug, even though he probably looked like one. He could likely snap her neck before she even raised her gun. Her one advantage was that he hopefully wasn’t expecting her—or anyone, for that matter. Mek’s theory was that Balkin stole from him because an old barkeep seemed like an easy target. The best-case scenario was that he’d leave the tracker unattended so she could swipe it without him knowing she’d been there.
She reached toward the lever to open the door then froze. What the hell was she thinking? She was in way over her head. But if she failed, Mek would die, and she couldn’t let that happen.
Drawing a breath, Jane opened the door and marched through the tunnel. The White Venom’s hatch opened as she approached. She sensed Riley’s presence even though he was light years away. He was in the ship’s computer, its nervous system, its every wall and weapon. He practically was the ship, possessing its every facet. That was why he and other hackers called themselves “demons.”
The corridor was empty. Illuminated by white lights, it stretched in plain, bluish hues before her. She walked forward, recalling the blueprint she’d studied. She’d docked on the lowest level, which housed the engine room and other utility areas. It was also the level where she was least likely to run into anyone. The level above contained the crew quarters, including Balkin’s room. Seems like as good a place to start as any.
Recalling where the elevator was, she turned at the next intersection. Doors stood along the walls, blurring into each other as she whisked by them.
Riley’s urgent voice whispered into her earpiece. “You’ve got company!”
Jane stopped in her tracks. A high-pitched ding rang through the air, followed by the hiss of doors opening. She spun back, heart racing. The approaching footsteps and nearing voices—two women debating engine specs—told her she wouldn’t make it back to her ship before they rounded the corner and saw her.
She pulled out her gun, hoping she could stun them both before they had a chance to return fire.
She tossed her head, annoyed. Of all the ships in the spaceport, I had to pick the worst. She didn’t even recall what the particular model she’d chosen was called—a Barb or a Minnow or something. But at least the piece of crap wouldn’t be missed. Stealing from Tenebrarum—the order of mercenaries that ran the planet she’d been hiding on for the past five months—had not been the smartest thing to do. Technically, she’d only borrowed the junker, and she hoped to get it back before anyone noticed it was gone. And since she’d obtained it by convincing a spaceport admin—who also happened to be her fiancé—to mess with some docwork and release the ship for a “test run,” the only real infraction was a clerical mix-up.
However, she wasn’t betting on the Tenebrarum seeing things that way. But it was all for the sake of someone who had once been one of them. Mek looked like a harmless old curmudgeon with his white hair and diminishing frame, but he’d spent his prime years carrying out hits for anyone who would pay—as long as the target deserved killing. While many of the Tenebrarum had grown lax about their code, which stated that they must never target the innocent, Jane trusted that Mek had upheld it.
Spotting a docking hatch on the Arapaima, she veered the Barb—or Minnow, or whatever—toward it. The words “White Venom” glowed in blue lights across the transport’s copper hull. If it weren’t for them, the ship would have been a complete shadow, since there was no star nearby to illuminate it. Asylum, the Tenebrarum world, was a rogue planet, barreling through space, unanchored by a sun’s gravitational pull. That meant it was never in the same place twice. Only the Tenebrarum were privy to its location. Members were issued trackers upon initiation and sworn to guard the devices with their lives. Each was keyed to its owner’s life signs, so should that person die, the machine would self-destruct, ensuring the planet’s secrecy.
While Mek had retired years ago, he’d still had his tracker—until some asshole had stolen it, which meant his “negligence” had put the entire order in danger. And the Tenebrarum were not the forgiving sort.
“Surest thing to do is trigger the self-destruct,” Mek had said to Jane earlier that day. Though he’d spoken in his usual carefree manner, she’d seen the fear in his crinkled brown eyes. “It’s up to the Council, but I wouldn’t blame ’em if that’s what they decided.”
“How can you say that?” Jane had asked.
“You know what would happen if that tracker got out? Half the galaxy would descend on this place. That could destroy us. All because I wasn’t paying attention.” Disgust clung to Mek’s words. “Can’t believe he got me with the old crash-and-grab!”
“You know who took it?”
“Yeah, White Venom’s crony—Balkin, I think his name was. Thought it was fishy that he walked into me, but I didn’t realize something was missing until just now. Damn head of mine’s too slow. Maybe it’s time to put me out to pasture.”
Jane hated such fatalistic talk, but despite her protests, Mek had insisted he was too old to go after Balkin. “Fine,” she’d said. “I’ll do it.”
“Oh, no you don’t, girlie.” Mek had given her a dry smile. “Won’t risk all of Asylum for my useless hide either. Gonna tell the Council, and let them take care of it.”
“But they’ll kill you!”
“Eh, not like they’re cutting short my young life or anything.”
Despite his casual words, Jane had seen the sorrow in his expression. He’d told her once that all he wanted was to live out his autumn years in peace before drifting into winter’s eternal sleep. She didn’t see any reason he shouldn’t get to do so. Sure, Mek was no angel. Perhaps the cosmic scales would dictate that he pay for all the lives he’d taken in his youth with an untimely death of his own. But she didn’t care. Justice was an illusion anyway.
To Jane, Mek was the guy who’d taken her under his wing when she’d had nothing, given her a job for which she was shamefully overpaid, and helped her settle into her new life. She considered him a friend, and she wasn’t about to let him give up so easily.
She’d made it clear to him that she was going after Balkin and getting the tracker back, no matter what Mek said. Realizing she was dead serious, he’d made her a deal: she had until the thief left Tenebrarum space. As long as Balkin was on Asylum or in its orbit, he couldn’t do anything with the tracker. But he was scheduled to leave with his Tenebrarum employer that very day, and the moment Gate I—an enormous Sei tunneler that followed Asylum—opened the portal to its counterpart, which wandered the edges of known space, Mek would report the theft. That way, White Venom could stop her traitorous underling before he sold out the entire order.
What kind of narcissist names a ship after herself? Jane adjusted her trajectory. The plan was to latch onto the larger ship, sneak on board, and pickpocket the pickpocket.
“You know the old saying,” she’d said to Riley before heading to the spaceport. “Takes a thief to catch a thief.”
“Duuuude, you’re a full-blown criminal now, aren’t you?” Riley’s black eyes had been round with disbelief. “You realize what a terrible idea this is, right?”
“I excel at terrible ideas. Are you gonna help me?”
“Uh… Duh? Who’d entertain me if you got crunched? Gimme a few hours to hack that Arapaima.”
“Thanks, Riley.” Jane smiled. “As usual, you’re a genius.”
“I’ve graduated from genius. I’m a freakin’ wizard!”
He’d used his particular brand of magic to access the White Venom’s central computer. Thanks to him, she’d been able to approach the Arapaima without being spotted.
Jane grabbed her slate, onto which Riley had uploaded the White Venom’s blueprints. After unfolding it and snapping it flat, she glanced at the timer along the bottom of the glowing screen. Only one hour remained before Gate I opened its tunnel. Plenty of time…
The forced self-reassurance did nothing to loosen the knot in her stomach. The transport was huge, and Balkin could be anywhere. Once she found him, she’d have to wait until he was alone before making her move. While Balkin wasn’t a member of Tenebrarum, he’d trained with them for years, according to Mek. It was bad enough that she’d be going up against an experienced fighter when, under most circumstances, her most effective weapons were her pretty dark eyes and sweet-talking talents. The last thing she needed was for him to have help.
If only I were as good with a gun as I am at playing the damsel. She rested one hand on the grip of the gun strapped to belt. The touch of cool metal was both frightening and reassuring at the same time. The weapon was set to stun, and she hoped she’d never have to change that. One death on her hands was more than enough. Though months had passed since she’d shot Marcus Streger, his lifeless eyes still haunted her memories. She refused to acknowledge any remorse for killing the bastard who’d murdered her father and tortured her fiancé, not to mention holding her hostage to coerce her brother into betraying their homeworld. But a life was still a life.
“Yo, Janie!” Riley’s voice from her slate brought her back to the present.
“Yeah?” Jane glanced at Riley’s pale face on the screen. At twenty-one, he was only two years younger than her, but for some reason, she’d always thought of him as a kid—probably because of his squirrelly mannerisms, small build, and excitable nature.
“I’ve disabled the security on that hatch. Also blinded the cams in the corridor you’ll be entering. You’re good to go.”
“Won’t White Venom’s people be suspicious if their cams aren’t working?”
“Have you forgotten who you’re talking to?” Riley threw her a look of indignation. “I didn’t just switch ’em off! Set them to show empty hallways, duh.”
A message across the viewscreen stated that the White Venom’s hatch was within range of the ship’s docking tunnel. Jane put her slate down and brought her vehicle to a halt. It stopped so abruptly she nearly banged her face into the controls. The slate slid off her lap and landed with a clatter. Ugh, I hate this junker.
“Yo, Janie? Still there?” Riley’s voice floated up from the floor.
She scooped up her slate. “Sorry about that. Just reached the White Venom.”
“Got your earpiece?”
Jane ran her finger behind her ear to make sure the minuscule machine she’d clipped there earlier hadn’t fallen. “Yup.”
“Keep your slate with you. ’S long as I know where you are, I can blind any cams in your area. You’ll have a bubble of invisibility.”
“Thanks.”
“And… uh… please don’t die.” Riley ran a nervous hand through his short black hair. “Devin’ll be mad enough that I helped you instead of stopping you.”
Jane shook her head at the mention of her big brother. Though she hadn’t spoken to him in months—he’d been confined to some top-secret government base since the whole Streger debacle—his overprotective reach still followed her. Riley had always been eager to please Devin, whom he’d hero-worshipped for years. You and me both, pal.
“I’ll be all right.” She ended the transmission then pressed the controls to extend a tunnel from her vehicle to the White Venom.
After she’d folded the slate and stuck it in her pocket, she walked toward the exit, visualizing her target. Mek’s description made Balkin sound easy enough to identify: brown dreadlocks, mean, sharp-boned face, chalky complexion with a long scar down his neck. She reminded herself not to dismiss him as a dumb thug, even though he probably looked like one. He could likely snap her neck before she even raised her gun. Her one advantage was that he hopefully wasn’t expecting her—or anyone, for that matter. Mek’s theory was that Balkin stole from him because an old barkeep seemed like an easy target. The best-case scenario was that he’d leave the tracker unattended so she could swipe it without him knowing she’d been there.
She reached toward the lever to open the door then froze. What the hell was she thinking? She was in way over her head. But if she failed, Mek would die, and she couldn’t let that happen.
Drawing a breath, Jane opened the door and marched through the tunnel. The White Venom’s hatch opened as she approached. She sensed Riley’s presence even though he was light years away. He was in the ship’s computer, its nervous system, its every wall and weapon. He practically was the ship, possessing its every facet. That was why he and other hackers called themselves “demons.”
The corridor was empty. Illuminated by white lights, it stretched in plain, bluish hues before her. She walked forward, recalling the blueprint she’d studied. She’d docked on the lowest level, which housed the engine room and other utility areas. It was also the level where she was least likely to run into anyone. The level above contained the crew quarters, including Balkin’s room. Seems like as good a place to start as any.
Recalling where the elevator was, she turned at the next intersection. Doors stood along the walls, blurring into each other as she whisked by them.
Riley’s urgent voice whispered into her earpiece. “You’ve got company!”
Jane stopped in her tracks. A high-pitched ding rang through the air, followed by the hiss of doors opening. She spun back, heart racing. The approaching footsteps and nearing voices—two women debating engine specs—told her she wouldn’t make it back to her ship before they rounded the corner and saw her.
She pulled out her gun, hoping she could stun them both before they had a chance to return fire.