by Cynthia Sax
It should. Lethe had trained on the small ships but they hadn’t been allowed to take them off planet. She wasn’t one hundred percent certain it was doable.
“We’re leaving the planet?” Zielony raised her eyebrows. “The Humanoid Alliance will shoot us out of the sky.”
“This is one of their ships.” Lethe patted a panel.
That didn’t mean the Humanoid Alliance wouldn’t shoot at it. They had plenty of other ships. It was unlikely that any Humanoid Alliance warrior would exit the planet in a skimmer.
“One gun.” Ghost bumped against her. The skimmer’s sole gun was positioned on the top of the vessel.
“It is fortunate we will have a cyborg operating it.” She leaned against him, savoring his warmth, his strength. “Your quick reflexes will compensate for the one gun.”
“No shields.” He mentioned an issue she found more worrisome.
“Then we’ll have to avoid all missiles.” Lethe tried to look confident. Confidence was the key to good leadership. “I’m a great captain.” That wasn’t a boast. That was a fact. She ranked at the top of her Rebel training program. “I’ll outfly them.”
Ghost grunted, transferring the weapons pack into the small ship.
Lethe smiled. He didn’t doubt she could do it. “Let’s roll this ship out.”
They entered the skimmer. It was a tight fit, the three of them crowded into the small space. There were only two chairs.
“What do I do?” Zielony looked at her, at the console and then back at her.
“Strap yourself in.” Lethe waved her hands at one of the chairs. “And watch for red circles on the control panel.” Those would be the proximity alarms. “Tell me when and where one appears.”
The female complied. Lethe did the same. Ghost stood beside her.
“Ready?” She glanced up at him.
He grunted an affirmative.
She started the engines. The floor tiles vibrated under her booted feet.
“There are red dots all around us.” Zielony informed her.
“That’s the structure.” The skimmer’s systems were simple. They didn’t have the capability to distinguish between forms.
Lethe rolled the ship through the doors. It passed cleanly. Her back straightened with pride. She had remembered the little quirks of operating a skimmer.
Humanoid Alliance warriors ran toward them, guns in their hands.
Ghost had a bigger gun. He mowed them down, the projectiles cutting their bodies in two. Lethe accelerated, coaxing the little ship higher.
“Red dot to our right,” Zielony yelled.
“Missile,” Ghost added.
“Hold on.” Lethe veered the skimmer to the left, spinning the small ship. The straps dug into her shoulders. Everything not strapped down, excluding her cyborg, tumbled around the interior of the vessel.
The missile whistled past them. There was a loud boom and flames lit the ground below the ship.
“Up.” Ghost grunted.
Lethe knew their current elevation was dangerous. It was within the range of the ground missiles. “This ship isn’t designed for space travel. We need speed to offset the planet’s gravitational pull.”
Ghost peppered the ground with projectiles. More missiles arced. Zielony warned Lethe. Lethe flew the little ship as she’d never flown another vessel.
It was exhilarating yet unmaintainable. She’d make a mistake eventually and they’d all die. “I love you, Ghost.”
“Mine?” His voice was choked.
“I love you.” She had to say it. She might not have another opportunity. “I wanted you to know that.”
“Mine.”
“Red dot to the right.” Zielony’s voice was frantic. “And to the left. And there’s another one to the right.”
Lethe would have liked to have more acceleration but they’d run out of time. “We’re doing this.”
She guided the ship upward. Gravity pushed her against her chair. The entire vessel shuddered. Metal whined.
Stars. She gritted her teeth, not raising her hands from the embedded control panel. The ship might not make it. One loose panel could doom them.
Ghost must have thought the same thing. He moved closer to her.
It was a futile action. Even he couldn’t save her if the ship imploded.
There was pressure, pressure, pressure, and then they were free, breaking into the blackness of space. Lethe looked at the main viewscreen and her jaw dropped.
They faced the Humanoid Alliance’s huge battle stations.
“Red dots. Big red dots in front of us.” Zielony’s announcement was unnecessary. “Some smaller ones. All of them are larger than us.”
All of the enemy’s ships had shields and better guns also.
The communications system beeped. They were being hailed.
“Don’t answer that,” Lethe instructed.
That hail meant one of the enemy ships had spotted them. If the Humanoid Alliance didn’t receive confirmation the skimmer was operated by their warriors, they’d start shooting.
Lethe couldn’t give them that confirmation. She and Zielony were female and Ghost was a cyborg. The Humanoid Alliance would never allow any of them to fly their ships.
“Shit.” She stared at the scene. Sweat dripped down her spine, slid between her ass cheeks.
They were dead.
Chapter Seventeen
His female was a skilled captain. Ghost’s chest expanded with pride. She flew ships like they were an extension of herself.
But not even she could outrun warships and battle stations in a skimmer.
And he couldn’t inflict much damage on the enemy vessels with the lone gun he had at his disposal. The skimmer wasn’t designed for battle.
He unfastened the straps confining his female, lifted her, and slid into her chair, seating her across his bare legs. She sighed with contentment.
That didn’t ease his guilt.
“Failed you.” He’d failed to safeguard her as he’d failed the other females.
She bracketed his face with her hands. “No male could have protected me”—her gaze moved to the Deneb female—“us.”—she amended—“better. I’m proud to call you my male.”
“If I hadn’t met you, I would have died of thirst.” Zielony shrugged. “The dryness is gone and I’m no longer alone.”
“We’re together.” His female smiled at him, her bravery, her beauty breaking his heart. “None of us will die alone.”
“Mine.” He held her close, burrowing his face into her hair, breathing in her distinct scent.
She petted his shoulders, his arms for three heartbeats. Ghost reveled in every stroke, every touch. Before her, he’d known such solitude, such pain. She brought him peace.
Love.
When she had said those words to him, he’d inwardly howled. This courageous, intelligent, giving human female loved him, a damaged warrior who struggled merely to form a sentence, who had failed to safeguard the beings in his care again and again.
He couldn’t fail her. He couldn’t.
Help, he transmitted over the cyborg lines, shamelessly pleading for assistance.
It was doubtful any warrior would be positioned near Deneb 9. The cyborgs stationed on the planet had already revolted.
And all of the males listening would know he hadn’t protected his female. If no assistance arrived, that would be his legacy, the one thing for which he was remembered. He’d be the cyborg who couldn’t safeguard the being meant for him, the being he loved.
But Ghost would accept that fate, sacrifice his pride to try to save her.
We’re coming, C Model. Force, the J model from the Humanoid Alliance armada, surprised him by responding. Transmit the frequency that the cyborg council sent us and stay alive. We’ll locate you.
Ghost accessed the control panel, complying with Force’s orders, doubting the J Model could help with the situation. How?
How long would they be waiting for a rescue? How long would
they have to stay alive?
The J Models would be positioned in a different sector, far from Deneb 9. The planet wasn’t on the armada’s route to the cyborg Homeland.
Ghost need assistance now, not two planet rotations in the future.
When we freed ourselves, we turned around and followed you. Force’s tone was dry. We’re J models. It wasn’t very difficult.
They were close to Deneb 9. Ghost’s shoulders lowered slightly. But how close?
The communications system continued to beep, the Humanoid Alliance trying to hail them.
Fast. They hadn’t much time.
We’re sending out warships. We’ll be there soon. Force assured him. This is twice we’ve saved your female. You owe us your left nut for this.
Ghost grunted. He didn’t know why the J model wanted one of his testicles but he would pay that price to protect his female.
“Cyborgs coming.” He told her.
“They are?” Her eyebrows lifted in disbelief.
He nodded.
“When?”
“Soon.” Ghost paused. “Stay alive.” That was their mission.
“Yes, that would be a good plan.” His female laughed, relief in her mirth, a relief he shared. “We won’t do that if we stay here.” She swung her legs forward. “Once that Humanoid Alliance ship realizes we’re not responding to their hail, they’ll shoot us.” She tapped on the control panel. “If they can find us.”
Another captain might have moved her ship slowly, allowed it to drift around the battle stations, until the cyborgs arrived. His female zipped the skimmer through the crowded space, joined a formation of warships.
“Mine.” He growled, sensing the proximity of the J models.
“They won’t shoot at their own ships.” She grinned.
The warship to their right exploded.
“Or maybe they would.” His female veered the skimmer to the left, flying it under a battle station. The top of their ship glided along the larger vessel’s shield.
“Red dots all around us.” The Deneb female shook with fear. She hadn’t his female’s courage.
Ghost couldn’t shoot at the enemy. If he did that, the Humanoid Alliance officers would realize they weren’t one of them. He helped stabilize the skimmer.
Two warships flew beside them, one to their right, one to their left.
His female increased the skimmer’s speed. Components rattled.
The warships accelerated also. A third vessel trailed them.
“We’re boxed in.” Her face screwed up in determination. “I can’t shake them.”
You can fly, C Model. Force laughed.
Fraggin’ hole. Female, Ghost grumbled.
A human flies like that? The J model sounded impressed.
The other warriors whistled and made gibes.
“Cyborg,” Ghost told his female.
“Those are cyborgs?”
He grunted.
“Thank the stars.” His female’s shoulders slumped. “We would have been dead if they hadn’t been ours.”
Ours. Ghost’s lips curled upward. His female considered them to be her brethren also.
Follow us in, Force instructed.
He relayed that information. The warship on their right slipped in front of them. More warships joined their formation, escorting them into deeper space, blasting any ship that got in their way.
They approached a battle station.
“Ghost?” His female glanced at him, her pitch raised with her concern.
“Safe.” He understood her trepidation. It was formerly a Humanoid Alliance vessel. But it now transmitted the cyborg frequency and some of the chatter on the cyborg lines originated from the battle station.
“Are you certain?” the Deneb female asked.
“If Ghost says it is safe, it’s safe.” His female answered for him, her faith buoying his battered confidence. “I trust his judgment.”
“Cyborg,” he explained.
“There were cyborgs on Deneb 9.” The Deneb female crossed her arms in front of her. “They didn’t look like you. They resembled humans and they fought for the Humanoid Alliance, killing everybody they saw.”
“The cyborgs had to fight for them.” His female guided the skimmer into the battle station’s docking bay, following Force’s warship. “The Humanoid Alliance had them enslaved. But the cyborgs rebelled. They’re now free to be the honorable males they truly are.”
Ghost grunted. Only his female would consider him to be an honorable male, forgiving his past actions, his past failures.
“That was why the cyborgs suddenly left.” The Deneb female’s face brightened. “I wondered about that.”
“Yes, they escaped.” His female blinked. “With quite a few ships. Look at them all.” She gazed at the ships in the docking bay with wonder. “They’re beautiful.”
Ghost made a note in his processors to source a replacement warship for his female.
They found an open berth for the skimmer and cut the engines. The noise around him lessened. The voices in his head grew even louder.
Ghost stood, cradling his female in his arms. They were his brethren. His female was safe amongst them. Yet their proximity agitated him. They were too close.
“It’s okay.” His female stroked his chest as he carried her through the ship. “We’re safe.”
“Are we?” the Deneb female muttered, trailing them.
They exited the skimmer. Every cyborg in the docking bay turned and stared at them.
Ghost growled softly, shielding his female from their view.
“We saved your female yet again, C model.” Force strode toward them, a wide smile on his permanently tanned face, his humanlike brown eyes twinkling. He was wearing body armor and boots, was carrying an arsenal on his smaller form. “You owe us—”
He stopped walking, his nostrils flaring.
“Threat?” Ghost hunched over his female, protecting her with his body, and he turned, scanning the area, looking for the source of the danger.
He saw nothing that alarmed him.
“There’s no threat.” Force verified, breathing deeply. His smile turned goofy. “What is that delectable smell?”
“Mine.” Ghost’s grip on his female tightened. He wouldn’t allow the other male to touch her.
“It isn’t your female.” Force dismissed Ghost’s claim, wrinkling his nose. “She smells like you. That other scent.” He looked past Ghost. “Is that coming from you?” He gaped at the Deneb female.
She stepped closer to Ghost and his female.
“Ours,” Ghost said.
The J Model didn’t want his female. He wanted the Deneb female.
Ghost didn’t relax with that revelation. There remained too many males in the docking bay. The cyborgs gathered around them, their gazes curious. None of them had females of their own.
They wouldn’t touch his.
He curled his top lip, rumbling a warning.
“They are looking at us, cyborg.” His female petted his bare skin. “That’s all they’re doing. There’s no need to kill anyone.”
He huffed.
“And only you call our new friend Ours.” She smiled back at the Deneb female. “Her name is Zielony.”
“Zielony.” Force stared at the Deneb female. “You’re beautiful, little warrior.”
Ghost looked at the female. She wasn’t his, held no appeal to him.
“I’m alive.” The Deneb female locked gazes with the J Model. “That’s more important than being beautiful. If it weren’t for Ghost”—she inclined her green head toward him—“and Lethe, I’d be dead. They saved me.”
“You’d be dead,” Force repeated, his body stiffening. “You saved her.” His gaze swung to Ghost. “You saved my female.”
Ghost grunted. They saved a female. He hadn’t known the female belonged to the J Model.
“Delete my earlier comment.” Force’s gaze returned to the Deneb female. “You don’t owe us anything, C Model. I owe you. Anyth
ing I have is yours. All you have to do is ask.”
“Chamber.” Ghost immediately took him up on his offer. He needed a space where he could safeguard his female. There were too many beings around them.
“Take the commander’s chamber. It’s the largest.”
Ghost was moving before the J model stopped talking. The Deneb female squawked, as did his own. He ignored them. His female’s safety was his sole priority.
“Are there more females on the planet?” One of the cyborgs expressed what many of his brethren were thinking.
Ghost didn’t answer. None of the females he’d sensed had belonged to his brethren but that didn’t mean there weren’t any remaining on the planet.
“There are many more females on Deneb 9.” His female interpreted the question more literally. “And they all need rescuing. The Humanoid Alliance is trying to kill them.”
“Fraggin’ hole.” Cyborgs rushed for their ships, the transmission lines humming with excitement, every male hoping to find his female, to have someone, to no longer be alone.
“The cyborgs will save the Denebs and end the killing.” His female said with smug satisfaction. “That wouldn’t have happened without us, without me. By surviving, by taking that last seat on the last ship off Mercury Minor, I have helped save the lifespans of thousands of innocent beings.”
“Good deal.” He nodded. His female’s debt had been paid also.
“Yes, it was a good deal.” She laughed, the light bubbly sound filling the corridor.
Cyborgs stared at his female as they hurried past him. Ghost covered as much of her as possible, not wanting them to touch her, to look at her, to even listen to her.
One J Model ventured too close.
Ghost glared at him. Mine.
He shared footage of what he’d done to the Humanoid Alliance warriors on the warship. That was mild compared to what he’d do to a male daring to touch his female.
The cyborg lowered his gaze and stepped to the side. The other males gave Ghost a wider berth.
That was wise.
He was one wrong move away from killing them all.
“Easy, cyborg.” His female, reading his dark mood, brushed her fingertips up and down his neck. “We’re safe.”
