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CHAPTER ONE

The Hotshot

LAUNCH TERMINAL DIACRIA, MARS PRIMUS

If everything had gone to plan, Lieutenant Astra Eliassen would never have joined the Legion. She never would’ve been a dropship pilot, never been saddled with the callsign “Blue,” never had to catch a transport shuttle and return to active duty after her leave was cut short. No, if everything had gone to plan, she would’ve passed the Survey Corps’ rigorous entrance exam and been accepted into the Explorer ranks like her grandmother, the legendary Shava Turnien.

A wry smile tugged at Blue’s lips as she hitched her heavy duffel bag higher on her shoulder and wove her way through the crowded terminal. She absolutely would still be living in fear of her mother showing up at her gate with some hapless eligible bachelor in tow, though.

Diacria was the oldest spaceport on Mars Primus. Built by the founding families after they’d fled the Sol System and the destruction of Mars, they’d used it to establish a new homeworld. Mars Primus was a paradise compared to that dusty red planet, but the survivors—now known as the Five Hundred—had never forgotten their lost home, and they’d paid tribute to it here. Expansive murals adorned the walls, sweeping panoramas of red deserts and vast canyons and intricate habitat domes, and arched ceilings boasted a breathtaking view of the old Martian skies. The view shifted throughout the course of the day until darkness fell and travelers could look up and see the old stars that had once graced their ancestors’ night sky.

It was busy today, the terminal echoing with countless conversations as people rushed down the gently curving corridors like a river of humanity. The air purifiers were top-of-the-line though, only the faintest traces of food and body odor lingering beneath the clean desert-orchid scent perfuming the expansive facility. It took longer than Blue wanted to get to her gate, and when she’d finally battled her way through the crowd, she found someone had beaten her there.

Relief punched her in the chest, because it wasn’t her mother waiting for her—it was her friend Sylvie Gallagher. The taller woman stood near the gate, arms crossed and all but tapping her foot. She wasn’t dressed in the traditional gray uniform of the Survey Corps, opting instead for loose civilian clothes by necessity.

Unlike Blue, Sylvie had passed the entrance exam. While Blue had been going through the Legion’s basic training and flight school, Sylvie had gone through her own training and had been a full member of the Survey Corps for over a year now. Blue might desperately want to be accepted into their ranks, but she’d never once held it against her oldest friend for succeeding where she’d failed.

At least everything had gone to plan for one of them. Her gaze dropped to the other woman’s rounded belly. Mostly.

Blue bit back a smile. “What are you doing here, Syl?”

Sylvie grinned. “Did you think I was letting you sneak out without a proper farewell?”

“You know it wasn’t you I was sneaking away from,” Blue muttered, but her own smile finally broke free. “I’m glad you tracked me down.”

They moved out of the flow of traffic and stood against the wall, a mural of a sleek black atmospheric shuttle sweeping across a staggeringly deep red canyon behind them and a hazy butterscotch sky above them. For the most part, her black Legion duty uniform was enough for people to give them space, but one family was too distracted by their boisterous children to notice them, and Blue had to drop her bag and move quickly to shelter her friend from getting jostled. Sylvie arched a manicured brow, the other woman just as athletic, curvy, and gorgeous as ever despite being heavily pregnant.

“My hero,” she said dryly, ice blue eyes twinkling in amusement. “I’m pregnant, not breakable.”

“Hey, that toddler looked dangerous,” Blue said, only partially joking as she gently kicked her bag against the wall. “I’ve seen legionnaires charge forward with less determination than that kid!”

Time flew past as they caught up on all the things and made plans for her return, Blue delaying the inevitable as much as saying her goodbyes. Then the ping of her wrist comm cut through their conversation, a pitiless reminder that final boarding was fast approaching. She was out of time.

“Aw, don’t look so blue,” Sylvie teased, tucking a raven-dark strand of hair behind her ear. “Just a few more years in the Legion and you can join me in the Survey Corps. Then you’ll get to see what’s really out there.”

Her friend smiled, but something dark flashed in her ice blue eyes. Blue wondered just what Sylvie had seen before she was sidelined back to Mars Primus with her unexpected pregnancy. A pregnancy she refused to elaborate on, and an absent father she refused to discuss. Blue couldn’t help but tease her back, if only to banish the shadows in her gaze.

“It’s hot men, isn’t it?”

“Of course. It’s literally the unofficial motto: Join the Survey Corps, explore new worlds, see the galaxy’s hottest men.” Sylvie flashed a look over Blue’s shoulder, nothing but appreciation in her eyes now. “Though I don’t think you’ll be lacking for those on this deployment.”

Blue twisted around to see who had caught her attention but only managed a glimpse of a Navy uniform before the man boarded the transport shuttle. Her wrist comm pinged again, and she had to resist the urge to rip it off and fling it across the spaceport.

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• Snippet 6
• Snippet 5
• Snippet 4
• Snippet 3
• Snippet 2
• Snippet 1