by Bianca D’Arc
Most of the men—the cyborgs—didn’t really know how to deal with the female passengers. They were, perhaps, a big chauvinist in their beliefs, though most had worked with female military personnel during the first part of their lives. However, once they had been altered, they were kept away from females. In fact, only a few female cyborgs had ever been created, their smaller frames not as well suited to the heavy gear and electronics required to make a cyborg soldier.
As a result, cyborgs were really only used to working with each other, or male military personnel. Their interaction with females aboard the station had been extremely limited, except in the case of Chiron and Roxy. The close proximity of her quarters to Chiron’s had made encounters between them inevitable. Perhaps that was why Chiron felt more comfortable around the females than most of his brothers.
Regardless, Roxy had just become the first female officer on the Toby. Medeus’s public acknowledgment of her rank as chief engineer had made the crystal clear to everyone. Chiron felt a jolt of pride on Roxy’s behalf. Maybe she didn’t realize exactly how big a step that was for Medeus and the rest of the guys, but Chiron knew, and said as much over their private comm channel.
Medeus’s reply to Chiron was that it was about time they accepted their fate and got used to dealing with the females on a more equal basis.
Roxy felt a little surge of satisfaction when she heard the captain call her by her rightful title of chief. She knew for a fact that she wouldn’t have the same kind of trouble with this captain and crew as she’d had in her last position. In fact, compared to Jeffers, Medeus was… Well… To be honest, there really was no comparison. Medeus was military. He’d been a very high-ranking officer in charge of a fleet of warships. He hadn’t climbed to those heights by acting anything like Jeffers.
Roxy hit the control that should close the bay doors, but they protested a bit. She tried a little jiggle maneuver, sending the signal to open and close in rapid succession a few times. It was an old trick, but thankfully, it worked. The doors slid shut without further protest.
“I’m surprised those things closed,” Chiron admitted over their suit comms.
“Cargo bay doors are built to take a beating. You wouldn’t believe the kind of abuse civilian haulers inflict on the cargo areas of a ship,” she replied. “Still, you’re right. Whipping the cables around like that was more than the normal sort of abuse. I’m glad the doors closed, but I’ll have to take a much closer look at them later. In fact, I should probably inspect everything in this hold considering today’s events.” Roxy looked around at the massive space used to store cargo during normal ship operations. “Another thing to add to the to do list.”
“The team is ready to enter to start working on the ice,” Chiron told her. “Do you want to stay in the hold or head back to engineering?”
“I’d like to stay for a few minutes, at least,” she told him. “I still need to see if the grapple retracts all the way, once they detach it from the ice.”
“All right,” he agreed. “Then, we’ll need to exit the personnel lock and let them cycle through.”
“Oh, sorry.” Roxy felt a little stupid for having stayed in the lock once the doors were shut, but Chiron was nonchalant about it, merely walking with her out of the small doorway and hitting the pad to close it.
Roxy watched as cyborgs cycled through the lock in groups of three. That was all that could fit in the small lock, considering their bulky space armor. Each threesome came in and went right to work. The first team began detaching the grapples from the ice, placing them in the clear on the cargo bay deck, one at a time. Roxy went over to the main grapple controller and began reeling them in as they came free.
Only two of the cables got stuck during the recoil process, and she was able to fix both problems with relative ease. She had to send Chiron over to the toolbox that was still lodged between two pallets on the other side of the hold, but he didn’t seem to mind, and was even able to help her disentangle the kink in the mechanism once she showed him how.
There were over a dozen cyborgs in the hold by the time she was finished reeling in the remainder of the grapples. They were swarming all over the ice, breaking it up into manageable chunks. They had deployed the chute made especially for this purpose, but probably seldom used, that would feed the smaller chunks directly to the deck below where the water purification equipment was housed.
“I think our next stop had better be the deck below us,” Roxy said to Chiron, thinking that all of the equipment on this ship was old and might not be fully functional—including the emergency water purification systems.
Chiron seemed to understand, nodding. “Let’s go,” was all he said, gesturing for her to lead the way back toward the personnel lock.
They cycled through with no issues and were able to take off their helmets. Roxy looked up at Chiron as they stood, alone for the moment, in the hallway.
“Thanks for the save in there,” she said gently.
“You scared the hell out of me, Rox,” he admitted. He reached out and put one arm around her waist, drawing her close, even though the bulk of their suits was between them.
She rested her head against his armored chest. “I know. Scared myself, too,” she admitted. “But I knew…even if I’d ended up outside the ship…you would’ve come to get me.”
“You trust me that much?” He sounded humbled by the thought.
She moved back to look up into his eyes. “I trust you with my life, Chi. Heck, I trust you with my heart. Now, that’s not something I do every day.” She tried to make light of her words, but she meant every single one of them. He seemed to understand.
“I’ll never abuse your trust, Rox. Never.” He sounded so solemn, she knew he was making a vow of sorts, and it touched her deeply.
She put her hand over his armor-covered heart. “I know.”
CHAPTER TEN
The detour through the water reclamation area was blessedly brief. Much to Chiron’s relief, all systems were performing as planned, and the impurities in the ice were beginning to fractionate off into usable components. While the ice had been mostly water, there were other things in there that could be very useful on their voyage.
For one thing, there was a chemical mix that could be reacted into fuel for the battle armor every cyborg had brought aboard. While the life support and other major functions of the armor ran off a rechargeable cell pack, the thrusters needed reaction mass to work, which meant tiny engines on feet and shoulders that needed to be fueled directly. It was this fuel the military leaders back on Eagle Nest Station had refused to issue to their cyborg soldiers.
From preliminary analysis of the impurities in the ice, that wouldn’t matter much longer. They’d have enough component gasses to create something that could be used to power up all the armor on board and still have a nice reserve. Medeus was particularly pleased when Chiron sent that report through. No soldier liked to go into danger with short rations or low ammo. Not fueling their armor was akin to that, but the ladies and the cyborgs—working together—had potentially solved that problem, as well. Things were looking up for this refugee voyage.
Chiron was relieved when they finally headed back to engineering, but he wasn’t about to let Roxy get away. His heart had been racing since their near-death experience, and he needed to get her alone. Carefully closing his connection to the other cyborgs, he steered her toward their shared quarters. She didn’t object, so he knew she was still feeling a bit shaky too, no matter how well she hid it.
When the hatch closed behind them in their quarters, she sank down into a chair, suit and all. Her face was pale, and her hands were trembling.
“I don’t ever want to get that close to the tail of a comet, again,” she declared, offering him an unsteady smile as he quickly got out of his armor. He was too bulky to help her until he was free of the constraining suit.
The moment he was in only his soft ship suit, he came to her, kneeling at her side. Gently, he helped her unlatch
the gauntlets and then the boots. He helped her out of the heavy suit and put it in the corner with his armor. He’d deal with them both later. Right now, he had to see to his woman and make sure she was truly all right.
Chiron invoked the special lenses in his cyborg eyes that would allow him to see if she had any broken bones. He looked her over carefully from head to toe then repeated the process, using a finer scale, so he could note any bruising, both external and, to some extent, internal. He swore as each bruise was revealed to his sight. She’d gotten pretty well banged up, but thankfully, it all looked superficial.
“What are you doing?” she asked, looking at him curiously.
“Just checking you over,” he replied. “You’re going to have a nice collection of bruises, I’m sorry to say.”
“You can see that?” She squawked, then calmed. “How?”
“Rox, you know I’m a cyborg. I’ve got all kinds of tricks up my sleeve,” he told her gently. “Or in this case, in my eyes.”
She peered into his eyes as he switched to normal vision, again. He saw her jump a little when the lenses changed.
“I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never seen that sort of enhancement up close. Must be pretty cool,” was her observation.
“Really?” He sat back and blinked. “It doesn’t repulse you?”
Roxy smiled and practically launched herself at him, even though he was squatting on his haunches in front of her chair. He caught her regardless and stood, taking her into his arms. She was warm against him, now that they were both in nothing but their soft ship suits.
“Chi, nothing about you repulses me. You know, some of those enhancements you have aren’t just for cyborgs. A lot of rich folk who work in specialized fields get eye jobs all the time. If I could’ve afforded it, I might’ve considered getting some magnification myself. It would come in handy with all the small parts I work with. As it is, you’ve seen the lenses I use when I’m working with the small stuff.”
He hugged her closer. “You’re a treasure, Roxy,” he told her, kissing her face with all the tenderness that was in him. “You’re my treasure.” He kissed her lips, lingering for a long moment. “I was so afraid of losing you today. Don’t ever do that to me again.”
“I’ll try my best,” she promised him. She placed kisses along his jaw then drew back to meet his gaze. “I’m really sorry I scared you. I didn’t think big bad cyborgs could be frightened,” she teased, probably trying to cajole him into a lighter mood, but he couldn’t let it go that easily.
“You terrify me sometimes, Roxy,” he admitted.
She stopped short, looking deep into his eyes.
“Why?” It was a simple word that demanded a truthful answer.
Chiron bared his heart. “Because…I…love you, Roxy. I don’t ever want to lose you.”
Tears formed behind her eyes. He didn’t have to be a cyborg to see the glistening wetness. His heart sank. Was she going to reject him?
“I love you too, Chi.” She threw her arms around him and pulled him into a kiss he would never forget. A kiss of love. Of homecoming. Of acceptance.
She was trembling in his arms—whether from the emotion of the moment or some leftover reaction from almost being blown out into the roiling tail of a comet, he wasn’t sure, but he knew how to soothe her. He began with caresses. Long, slow sweeps of his hands over her shoulders and down her body, molding her into him, assuring her that he was solid in this world of chaos. He would take care of her. He wouldn’t let her fall.
Roxy was floating. Her cyborg warrior loved her! His arms were fast around her, and she felt as if nothing could ever harm her again. Not with Chiron around. Not with his love surrounding her like a force field.
She loved him just as fiercely. Truth be told, he’d captured her heart a long time ago. When they’d met in the darkened halls of Eagle Nest Station, she’d been apprehensive at first, but as she’d gotten used to his large presence, she’d become enchanted with the man who saw so much, yet said so little.
Her happiest moments were when he’d opened up to her. The revelations he’d made had been precious, but none more so than his declaration of love. She would cherish that for as long as she lived. As she would cherish him.
That floating feeling returned, and she realized he’d lifted her off her feet, still kissing her deeply, seducing her with his mouth. He didn’t aim for the bed all the way across the room. Instead, he simply took a few steps to push her up against the nearest wall. It was chilly against her back at first, but she didn’t mind. Chiron’s warmth was enough to keep her happy, and his touch was enough to keep her senses enflamed.
She pushed at his shoulders, the soft fabric of the ship suit in her way. But she could solve that problem easily enough. Roxy moved her hands to the fastening of his suit, releasing it and shoving it back with her hands. There. That’s what she wanted. Taut skin over bulging muscles. His shoulders were a work of art. As was the rest of him.
He helped her as she pushed the fabric away, shrugging his massive shoulders so the sleeves fell to his wrists. From there, it was a simple maneuver to simply shove them off so they dangled at his sides.
While she was busy, so was he, and her suit went the same way. He had to let her lean forward so there was room for the suit to slide away. She gasped a little when the bare skin of her back made contact with the metallic wall, but it only added to her excitement. Fire and ice pulsed in her veins, cold behind, hot in front. She was caught in the maelstrom and didn’t want to be anywhere else in the universe.
Chiron was a bit more thorough in undressing her, though. Her bare butt felt the cold of the wall, and he even stripped the suit off so she was entirely naked but for the little socks that kept her feet reasonably protected. He pushed his own suit down past his hips, allowing his hard cock to spring free.
When he moved back into position, he lifted her completely off the floor, one big hand under each of her thighs, making room for himself between. She felt the hardness of him probing at her entrance, and she didn’t want to wait a second more.
“Is it okay?” he asked, breathing hard as he held himself back to check on her. The sweet, sweet man.
“Perfect,” she assured him. “Don’t make me wait, Chi.”
He smiled as he came into her, pushing fast, this time, into the place that welcomed him. The feeling was different standing up, and she reveled in the strength of him, the power and the grace. He was amazing.
And he proved it even more as he began to move. Short thrusts up into her eager core as they strained together in a quick, hard session that brought her new heights of pleasure. She came, and came again, the sound of his soft grunts as he struggled to maintain control the music of their passion. Nothing had ever sounded sexier, but she didn’t want him to hold back from her.
No. She wanted him wild. Needy, then fulfilled. She wanted to give everything she had to him. To take everything he would give.
She cried out his name as he took her to ecstasy again, and this time, he joined her. He shouted his release as his arms clamped around her. It wasn’t painful, but it allowed her to feel his incredible strength. She trusted that he would never hurt her, and here was the proof. He was as far gone as she’d ever seen a man, and he was still protecting her from his bruising cybernetic strength.
“I love you, Chi,” she whispered, rubbing her lips along his jaw.
“You are my heart, Roxy,” he whispered back.
The moment was perfect. Raw. Powerful. Perfect.
*
Much later, everyone met again in the mess hall, in a group discussion session that was becoming a regular occurrence. Medeus had decided it was good for morale on both sides of the ship’s complement. The cyborgs seemed to enjoy controlled interaction with the civilians, and the ladies liked having some input into the decision-making process.
“We’ve solved the water problem for now,” Roxy told the assembly. She and Chiron had been asked to give everyone a summary of the ice-harvesting
operation.
Chiron picked up the narrative. “We’ve also begun refining some of the impurities that were part of the ice chunk that will solve the fuel problem for our space armor.” Cyborgs all around nodded in satisfaction. He went into some detail about the elements they had refined and the compounds that could be made from them.
“That was some excellent work.” Medeus was quick to praise both of them. “I know you faced a great deal of danger to make this happen, and if we were still in the military, I’d recommend you both for commendations. As it is, you have my thanks and, I’m sure, the thanks of all aboard.”
The captain paused while the civilians started a round of applause and the cyborgs joined in. Roxy was blushing, and Chiron just shook his head at his brother cyborgs’ antics. He told them to sit down and shut up via their private comm, but in his heart, he was enjoying the moment. This was the most human some of them had ever acted since their awakening, and though they probably didn’t realize it, this might very well be a turning point for some of them.
Chiron had already had his own turning point. He would never go back to being the soulless machine he’d been after cyborganization. Not as long as he had Roxy by his side and in his heart. She’d brought him all the way back…with her love.
“The next problem for which we need to find a solution is where to go,” Medeus carried on with the meeting, unaware of the profound realizations Chiron was experiencing.
“I’ve been studying the charts,” Billie piped up from her place, sitting halfway between the rest of the females and the cyborgs she worked with on the bridge. “There is a human colony a few systems over. We could go there and at least get news about what’s going on in the wider galaxy. Maybe do some resupply, too.”
