Page 40 of Her Cyborg Commander
“This is for you.”
She took it from him, her expression soft with wonder. “It’s a heart. But what’s it made of?”
“Sand. When I took your clothes that first day, I shook out all the sand from them, and from my clothes, too. I had the fabricator turn it into this.” He touched the pendant, making it spin at the end of the chain.
“It’s a reminder of all we went through and where we were when I finally accepted the truth—that I was in love with you.”
Her smile was brighter than a hundred suns. “That is the sweetest thing you’ve ever said. Thank you. Will you… put it on?”
“Yes.” He lifted the chain in both hands and lowered it over her head. “You’re mine now, minx.”
She touched the pendant with one hand, her eyes alight with love. “I always was. I just didn’t know it yet.”
Eddi’s voice shattered the moment. “We will drop into normal space in ten seconds.”
“Fraxx! Eddi, what happened to the two-minute warning?” River asked.
“I didn’t want to interrupt. I do not understand much about biological beings’ mating rituals, but Sevda has told me several times not to interrupt when one occurs.”
Edge spluttered. “That wasn’t a mating ritual.”
“It certainly looked like one to me,” Eddi retorted. “And we have now returned to normal space. I am scanning for the relay buoy.”
A small pause was followed by an ear-shattering alarm and Eddi’s voice calling out, “Proximity alert! A ship has decloaked in close proximity. Alert! Alert!”
“Eddi, mute that alarm and tell me what’s happening!” River demanded.
The ship fell silent instantly.
“Eddi?” River asked. “What the hell is happening?”
“We are being hailed.”
“By who?” Edge demanded.
Eddi spoke again. “System override initiated. Incoming message.”
He stood behind River, determined to stare down whatever this new threat might be.
“Is this thing working?” a new voice demanded.
River relaxed and then burst out laughing. “It’s alright, Edge. I think the cavalry has finally arrived. Eddi, put them on screen and open the channel so I can respond.”
The main screen flickered to life. It showed a human female with silver hair and an annoyed expression. “I can’t tell if this is sending or not.”
River raised a hand in greeting. “Hello, Phylomenia. It’s been a long time.”
The older woman smiled, and it was as if ten years melted off her age. “River! Good to see you, girl. You’ve been busy. Haven’t you?”
“You could say that. I hope you’re here to help us out and not to arrest us,” River replied.
Edge still wasn’t sure what was going on, but River seemed to know the female, so he stayed quiet.
A human male appeared on the monitor. He looked familiar, but Edge couldn’t recall his name. “We should arrest both of you, considering what you’ve been up to. I clearly recall a time you promised that none of the cyborgs from Reamus would be running around the galaxy unsupervised, yet here you are.”
River tensed. “Colonel Archer, I can explain.”
That was it. Archer. The man who had helped orchestrate the deal that allowed the Vardarians to claim Liberty as long as they took in Edge and the others. If he tried to arrest them… His hand curled into a fist. Not happening.
