Ghost of a Machine

by Cynthia Sax

  If the cyborgs had claimed Earth Minor, they could claim Mercury Minor also. Her heart leapt. The planet would be safe. Eventually, after she saved a few beings, repaid her debts, she could go home.

  That appealed to her. More than she had ever imagined it would.

  “Are the cyborgs looking for new planets to claim?”

  Ghost grunted.

  “Oh.” Her shoulders slumped. That was a ‘no.’

  It had been a foolish fantasy anyway. Mercury Minor would never be the same planet. The culture, the history was gone. She could never repair the damage the Humanoid Alliance had wrought, could never give her parents that gift.

  “We’ll set course for Earth Minor.”

  Until they received other directions, it was as good a destination as any other. They’d battle the Humanoid Alliance ships they encountered en route, avoid the enemy ships sent after them, and answer distress signals, saving beings as they progressed across the universe.

  Ghost plotted the route. She rotated the warship.

  The main viewscreen displayed distant stars on the black backdrop of open space. That pleased Lethe. She liked having area to maneuver.

  That had been one of her issues with Mercury Minor. The planet had been too crowded. She couldn’t breathe in the settlements. There were too many beings, too much noise. Every opportunity she was given, she’d escape to a nearby hillside.

  She’d been sitting there when the Humanoid Alliance invaded.

  Lethe moved her warship forward, gradually accelerating.

  Ghost continued to focus on his control panel.

  “What is it?” She looked at her own control panel, didn’t see anything unusual.

  “Upgrade.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “I authorize any system upgrades.”

  “Authorize.”

  A list of changes appeared on her screen. The automatic reporting to the Humanoid Alliance had been stopped. Perimeter monitoring had been increased. Secondary approval protocols for key functions were disabled, no longer necessary with a crew of two. The duration between the cleaning cycles had been lengthened.

  She lifted her eyebrows. “You adjusted the ship’s cleaning schedule?”

  He didn’t look at her. “Resources.”

  “It does use resources.” But she didn’t believe that was his main concern. “Why do you dislike the cleaning bots?” She authorized the changes, not expecting an answer. “What have they ever done to you?”

  Ghost’s lips moved. There was no sound.

  “Ghost?” Did he want to share something with her?

  He sighed, then tapped his fingertips against his control panel. An image appeared on the main viewscreen, sourced from the warship’s security system.

  A body lay face down on the floor. It was covered with blood. Two males in Humanoid Alliance uniforms took turns slicing into the corpse’s flesh with daggers while other beings watched.

  Cleaning bots rolled over the body, treating it like any other object to be cleaned. That made the spectators laugh and jeer.

  The image faded.

  “Was that a friend of yours?” She murmured it, feeling guilty about teasing him.

  “Me.” His expression was grim.

  The body on the floor had been him. They’d tortured him with blades and with the cleaning bots. “The bots must have felt like insects crawling over you.” She shuddered.

  He grunted.

  “After an invasion, there are insects everywhere. They are displaced by the bombing and attracted to the dead bodies.” She would fall asleep and wake up to find them on her face, in her hair. “It’s horrible. You can’t avoid them.”

  He looked at her, sympathy in his energy-infused eyes. “Safe.”

  “Yes, we’re both safe.” There were no insects on the warship and the cleaning cycle wouldn’t occur for a couple of planet rotations. “I’ll ensure we stay that way.”

  She was the captain. She’d take care of him.

  Chapter Five

  Ghost gazed at the golden hair billowing over the console. Her female’s curls were loose, the strands capturing the light shining down on them, glowing like one of the distant stars displayed on the main viewscreen.

  Her beautiful face was turned toward him. Her mouth was clamped shut. Her eyes were closed, her blonde eyelashes fanned over her skin.

  Not even a planet rotation had passed and she already slept, her senses offline, her form vulnerable to attack. Ghost watched over his female, fascinated and frightened.

  Cyborgs didn’t require rest. He’d inserted circuits into his wrists. That energy input should fuel him for planet rotations. He still wasn’t operating at optimal levels. He was too badly damaged to be restored to his original settings. But he was functional.

  His female was not.

  She gripped a dagger in her right hand, her tiny fingers curled around the hilt. Ghost shook his head. Any warrior with skill could disarm her.

  She needed his protection. He wouldn’t fail her as he’d failed some of the other females.

  Ghost pushed those painful memories aside, concentrated on monitoring their surroundings, on contemplating the mystery that was his female.

  She had been on Mercury Minor when the Humanoid Alliance had first invaded. That had occurred many solar cycles ago. She would have been merely an offspring and she had been alone. Others had betrayed her, used her, forgotten her. That now caused her to doubt everyone.

  He had taken part in first assaults. Some humans, when threatened, became wild beasts, acting on instinct, all sense of honor, of humanity, gone.

  He had been that way when she first saw him. Ghost winced. It would take time to correct that initial impression, to show her he would die before harming her, to communicate that he would always return for her.

  To earn the right to breed with her again.

  He wanted her, his cock hard, his balls aching. And she wanted him also. Even in her sleep, the scent of her arousal coiled around him, taunting him, torturing him.

  Being inside her, holding her in his arms had been one of the best moments of his life. Another moment had been when she cleaned him, her fingers light on his skin, gentle, caring.

  He now had multiple good memories in his processors after a lifespan of pain, of violence, of death. That astounded him.

  It also allowed him to deal with the darkness, the guilt. Ghost layered the footage over the faces of the females he’d failed. That made those images bearable.

  Additional good memories would fade them even more. Maybe when his female awoke, she might deem him worthy of touching her. He could add more wonderful moments to his hoard.

  A sensor was triggered and Ghost’s hopes of a breeding session vanished. Their warship was within monitoring range of another vessel. He removed the circuits from his wrists, raised the ship’s shields and slowed their speed, delaying the confrontation.

  “Mine,” he rumbled. His female would want to be notified.

  Her head jerked upward. “What?” She lifted the dagger in front of her face as though she strived to defend herself from an attacker, her knuckles whitening, her breath held.

  “Yours.” Ghost reminded her. He would never damage her.

  “Oh.” His female exhaled, her expression sheepish. “I thought I was back on… Never mind where I thought I was.” She set the weapon on the console. “Why have we stopped?”

  She’d thought she was back on Mercury Minor, solitary and defenseless. His female didn’t have to say the words. He understood. “Ship.”

  Ghost put the image on the main viewscreen. It appeared to be a merchant ship in disrepair, its panels dented and dull. It was unlikely to be a threat but he wasn’t taking any risks with his female.

  He’d failed the others. He wouldn’t fail her.

  “That’s not a Humanoid Alliance ship.” His female tapped her index finger against her lips. “It’s too old.” Her eyes narrowed at the main viewscreen. “Is it operational?”

  “
Moves.” The merchant ship was moving very slowly. He enlarged the image. Light shone from one of its portals.

  Her nose wrinkled. “Is there a distress call?”

  “No.” He reduced the image and charted their path on the main viewscreen. They could continue on their course and avoid the merchant ship.

  “Then—”

  Another sensor was triggered. A second ship was moving quickly toward the first one. He expanded that image.

  His female gasped. “That’s a Humanoid Alliance warship and it’s headed toward the merchant ship. What is the status of the warship’s shields?”

  “Up.” The enemy warship was preparing for a confrontation.

  “And the merchant’s ships shields?”

  “Down.” They might be non-functional.

  “The merchant ship will be blown to pieces.” His female placed her hands on the control panel. “We’re intercepting the warship.” She adjusted their course and increased their speed. The floor tiles rattled under their feet.

  “Not safe.” Ghost frowned at her. The two warships were evenly matched. His female could die in the firefight.

  “I’m doing this, Ghost. With or without you.” She stuck out her chin, determination written all over her beautiful face. “If you truly want to protect me, you’ll help me.”

  He hesitated. Being a cyborg, he was as one with the systems. He could commandeer the warship, physically restrain his female, stop her from battling the enemy warship, keep her safe from harm.

  But that would damage her emotionally. The little trust she gave him would be gone.

  Ghost performed a lifeform scan on the Humanoid Alliance vessel. All of the beings on board were human. This wouldn’t be a fight against any of his cyborg brethren.

  They should be able to defeat the enemy warship.

  He pushed away his doubts and helped his female stabilize their ship.

  “I can’t fly and man our weapons at the same time.” Her gaze remained fixed on their target. “Which task do you want?”

  Ghost was a cyborg. He could complete both tasks at once.

  But that wasn’t necessary. His female’s flying skills appeared to be adequate.

  “Guns.” He would kill the beings who threatened his female, blast them out of space. That thought gave him a savage satisfaction.

  The communications system beeped. They were being hailed by the enemy warship.

  “That’s the Humanoid Alliance hailing frequencies. Don’t answer it,” his female instructed. “They think we’re one of them.”

  If they answered the hail, the enemy would know from the visual that they weren’t one of them. The Humanoid Alliance considered cyborgs to be unthinking machines, unable to operate on their own, and, in his many human lifespans of living, Ghost had never seen a female officer in their ranks.

  “They’ll soon be surprised when they find out we’re not.” His female’s grin held no humor.

  They didn’t slow as they approached the enemy’s ship. She had courage, his little female. Ghost’s chest expanded with pride.

  “As soon as we get into range, start shooting.” She guided their warship toward their target. “Try to direct as many missiles as possible at the same spot on their shields. That will bring those shields down faster.”

  “No try. Will.” Even a damaged cyborg could do as she requested.

  She strapped herself to the chair. “Within range in… three, two, one.”

  He hammered the enemy warship with missiles. Their ship shuddered with each volley.

  There was a delay, a sweet spot of no response. That happened when cyborgs fought humans. Humans didn’t have as fast of a reaction time.

  Ghost gave the enemy vessel everything they had.

  The enemy returned fire. He stepped closer to his female as the first missile hit them, positioning himself to protect her if that was necessary. Their ship rocked. The shields held.

  She veered their ship upward and sharply to the left. Ghost rotated the guns, readjusted the aim and continued to fire.

  “Blast it all. You’re good.” His female’s voice was warm with admiration.

  He stood taller. “Cyborg.”

  “Hold on.”

  He braced himself, holding onto the edge of the console with one hand.

  She spun their ship, avoiding the missiles. Any item not secured was tossed around the bridge. His female’s dagger whizzed toward her face.

  He lunged, catching it with his free hand before it could strike her. The blade cut into his palm, slicing his skin, the pain sharp and fleeting.

  When the ship righted, he dropped the weapon. It clattered against the floor tiles. He pinned it in place with his foot and returned his focus to the battle before them.

  “I’m increasing our speed.” His female leaned forward as they circled the enemy warship. “Can you handle it?”

  “Yes.” Ghost questioned if she could. He had cyborg reflexes. She didn’t.

  He directed missiles at the same point on the bow of the ship. The enemy’s shields held. They were going so fast; their own shields weren’t tested. The enemy couldn’t lock on them.

  His female’s flying skills were more than adequate. They were superb.

  “On Mercury Minor, I was trapped,” his female shared. “But no one can touch me in the sky.”

  “Free.” No longer enslaved by the Humanoid Alliance, he was free also, free to protect his female, to kill for her.

  “Yes, I’m free.” She laughed as they dodged more missiles.

  They circled the enemy warship again and again. The Humanoid Alliance tried to move with them, seeking to lock onto them, yet couldn’t. His female steered their ship in erratic patterns, varying each rotation.

  “Good.” He expressed his admiration.

  Her cheeks turned an intriguing shade of pink. “The Humanoid Alliance prides itself on being rational. They study their opponents, determine how the average being will react, and base their strategy on that. The solution is not to be average, not to be predictable.”

  Ghost grunted his agreement. The cyborgs had learned that tactic also.

  “I discovered that after the invasion.” His female’s lips flattened. “The Humanoid Alliance operated on three shifts a planet rotation. Every shift the routine would be the same—bombing, ground raids, no activity, bombing, ground raids, no activity. It was like they had a quota, a designated number of beings to kill.” Her voice was bitter. “Once they reached it they stopped.”

  The Humanoid Alliance did have a quota. He, as a cyborg, had been given one too. A set number of beings to kill or a square of terrain to clear.

  “My quota for this planet rotation is one Humanoid Alliance warship.” His female tossed her hair over her shoulders, the riot of blonde curls glistening under the lights.

  “Ours,” he corrected. They were a team, bound together until the end of time.

  “Our quota.” She didn’t deny their connection.

  That pleased him. The ship rocked and his female cursed. The shields held. There was no damage to his little human, to their vessel.

  The enemy warship, in contrast, suffered severe damage to their defenses. “Shields down soon.” Ghost was punching a hole through them, directing missile after missile at the bow.

  “Don’t get cocky.” His female gave him unnecessary advice.

  Ghost would never be overconfident, especially when it came to her safety. He had seen too much, failed too many times.

  “This battle isn’t over until one of our ships is in pieces.” She jutted her jaw, flying their warship over the enemy once more.

  He grunted. The ship in pieces wouldn’t be theirs.

  His female increased the distance between the two ships, lessening the risk that, once the shields went down, the exploding enemy warship would damage their own vessel. “Are there any signs of a second warship?”

  “No signs.” He constantly monitored the space around them. There was no second warship, which meant the enemy
was operating solo. The Humanoid Alliance officers in the first warship would have called for reinforcements if there had been another vessel in the sector.

  “Is the merchant ship out of range?” His female guided their ship around the enemy’s warship for another pass at the bow.

  “Safe.” Whoever was in the merchant ship, friend or foe, would be unaffected.

  Their safe status was due to his female leading the enemy away from them, not due to actions by the beings in the merchant ship. That vessel hadn’t ventured far from its original location.

  Either it was damaged or the crew wasn’t concerned about the Humanoid Alliance warship.

  “We’re finishing this battle.” His female accelerated, flying toward the other warship. “Now.”

  Ghost pounded them with a barrage of missiles. The enemy ship retreated. His fearless female pushed their ship forward. The communications system beeped.

  “No mercy.” His female ignored the hail. “They wouldn’t show us any.”

  She was correct. The Humanoid Alliance wouldn’t show them any mercy. They also had no honor. If she relented, they would wait until her defenses were lowered and strike, disregarding any vows of peace.

  Ghost had seen that with his own vision system. He had been one of the weapons the Humanoid Alliance had wielded against the more trusting.

  He was thankful his female saw through those tricks. She fought like a warrior, no lenience for the enemy.

  The Humanoid Alliance shields fell. “Down.”

  “End them.” She steered their ship away from the enemy’s vessel.

  Ghost spread the missiles over the entire warship. Bursts of orange and yellow lit the darkness, traveling from bow to stern, growing in brightness. There was a flare and debris blasted outward.

  He wrapped his arms around his seated female, protecting her with his body. She yelled against his chest, her words muffled by his skin, and beat his shoulders with her tiny fists.

  Their ship rocked, creaking and groaning, then became still.

  He straightened.

  “You can’t block my view.” She glared up at him. “I’m flying the blasted ship.”

  “Clear.” There was nothing in their path to hit. The merchant ship was located to their left.