Page 15 of Her Cyborg Commander
Edge despised feeling helpless,and he liked waiting for something to happen even less. Currently, he was experiencing both of these feelings, and it was making him more than a little crazy.
He paced the deck of the little ship he’d managed to obtain for this mission. It had almost no firepower and was smaller than he’d like, but it wasfast—faster than any of the shuttles he would have been forced to steal if Sevda hadn’t agreed to lend him her ship. Once he’d told her what River had done with the scans and reports she’d given her, it was an easy ask. Sevda hadn’t known what River was planning, and she was horrified that she’d inadvertently helped the stubborn little minx.
“Eddi, anything new to report?” he asked the ship’s AI.
“I would like to report that I have a very demanding passenger who persists in stomping on my deck and asking questions he already knows the answers to.” Eddi’s voice was clear and soothing, with a slight inflection that made it sound female.
Edge grinned a little at the AI’s sass. “Do you talk to Sevda that way?”
“Of course. I have an adaptive learning algorithm and Pilot Sevda was with me for many years. Aspects of my personality are a reflection of hers.”
“So, she infected you with sarcasm and sass?” The former corporate scout was a force of nature, which made her a good match for Raze, not to mention one of the few humans he trusted completely. She’d been the driving force behind getting Liberty declared a colony just so Raze could continue living there, and later she’d made every cyborg feel welcome.
“To quote my former pilot, if you spend enough time flying solo in the void, even an argument with an AI with attitude issues is better than another hour of silence.”
“Sarcasm aside, how long until we finish this last jump? I’m going stir crazy.”
“Thirty-one hours and eighteen minutes. Then we’ll need to transit the remaining distance to the planet using normal engines. Unfortunately, this means you have another thirty-seven hours before you can leave this vessel. Apologies.”
“It’s not your fault. You’ve made this run faster than any other ship I know.”
The AI chirped softly. “I was not apologizing to you. I was offering my condolences to my deck plates.”
He had to fight the urge to flip off the AI. If his temper was so ragged he was ready to hurl insults at a machine intelligence, there was only one thing to do—hit the tiny fitness area and try to burn off some of his frustration on the treadmill. It was that or take a spacewalk, and that was not a smart thing to do while the jump engines were bending space-time.
It was a walk of about five paces to reach the ladder that led to the lower deck and the tiny recreation area. How thefraxxhad Sevda stayed sane all those years? She’d managed to survive out in the black with no one but her ship to talk to and less space than most prisoners were entitled to.
“Going below to run for a bit. Let me know if anything changes.”
“Of course.”
He got two-thirds of the way to the lower deck when Eddi spoke again. “Passenger Edge. You have an incoming message. Make that two messages. Would you like to view them?”
He really didn’t. He already knew what the gist of each message would be. What did he think he was doing? Where was he going? And who thefraxxdid he think he was, taking off without telling anyone.
He climbed the ladder and made his way to the cockpit before replying. He didn’t want to hear the messages, but if he didn’t, they’d keep trying until he gave in and answered.
“Play whichever one is marked with the highest priority first,” he instructed Eddi.
“They are both marked at the highest priority setting. However, one of them is tagged with the heading, ‘View me first.’ I assume you’d like me to play that one?”
“Yeah.” He could already guess who had sent that one. Sure enough, Denz’s face appeared on the viewscreen, a scowl etched deeply into the big male’s features.
“I’d ask where the hell you think you’re going, but I don’t imagine you’re going to give me that information. I was going to demand you turn around and get back to Liberty before the IAF discovers we’re now missing twofraxxingcyborgs, but that ship left orbit about ten minutes ago. The Interstellar Armed Forces knows you’re gone. So wherever you are, don’t let them find you before you finish whatever you think you can accomplish out there on your own. I’m starting to wonder if you and River don’t share some of the same programming. Both of you are determined to do things solo.”
Denz sighed. “But there’s nothing any of us can do about that now. You made your choice, and asfraxxingpissed off as I amabout it, I also understand why you did it. Maybe better than you do, since you seem to be clueless about certain things the rest of us see clearly.”
The big male raised a hand. “Lecture over. Now to the important stuff. The military is looking for you. Nova Force has been brought in—Team Three, to be exact—which means they’re less likely to shoot on sight since they’ve been to Haven and know we’re not the enemy. Not even you.”
“You should be aware that Hezza is on their shit list, too, so if you’re in contact with her, tell her to stay away from Haven. Anya mentioned her mother is allergic to authority, prison food, and handcuffs, so she won’t enjoy the reception she gets if she shows up here any time soon. I’m assuming she was the one who got River off the planet, which means she’s got a lot to answer for once this galactic shitstorm blows over.”
Denz leaned closer to the screen, his gaze intensifying. “Find River. Fast. We’re working on contingencies to get both of you somewhere safe, though none of us are sure what that looks like right now. Once she’s with you, let us know but don’t use standard comms. I’ve been informed that Eddi will know how to get a message to us. Not that the AI should be obeying you, since you apparentlystoleSevda’s ship.”
Denz’s all-black eyes glittered with amusement. “Because of course that’s what happened. At least, that’s what the Interstellar Armed Forces was told, so they have designated you as a dangerous fugitive in possession of stolen property.”
Edge winced.Fraxx. Could this situation get any more complicated?
“Take care of yourself. Find our runaway and get back here. We’re okay for now, but I don’t expect the Shadows or Torex to miss an opportunity to make our lives more difficult. Denz. Out.”
