Page 1 of Her Alien Cyborgs
PROLOGUE
Beyond the edgeof civilized space is a newly colonized planet. It’s a haven for the homeless, the hopeful, and those dreaming of freedom.
The beings who live here might be different species from vastly different worlds - but they all have one thing in common. Whoever they are, and wherever they came from, Haven is now their home.
The land is uncharted. The dangers are unknown. It’s a world full of possibilities – for those willing to risk everything.
Welcome to Haven Colony.
CHAPTER 1
Hezza leanedback in her chair and let her eyes close most of the way.
To really sell the idea that she was relaxed and indifferent to what was happening, she made a conscious effort to slouch down in her chair as far as the restraints allowed.
The pair of overzealous dock security dipsticks had cuffed her hands and feet to the chair. Not only that, but they’d placed her in a room with bare plasteel walls, a floor liberally covered in mysterious stains, and three shabby, dented metal furnishings. One was the chair she sat on. The other two were a table with a matching chair on the far side. As far as she could tell, all of it was bolted to the deck to prevent the inhabitants from what? Throwing it at the walls? Using the chair as a weapon? Probably both.
This was the kind of place where you housed a dangerous fugitive, and there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in a supernova she fit that description. It was strangely flattering but hardly an accurate assessment. She was a smuggler, not a killer. The only things she was capable of murdering were fried foods and ice cream.
The thought made her smile, which she had no doubt the cameras would catch and display to whoever was watching her. Someonewouldbe watching. They always did. Anything she said or did now would be tossed back in her face once the questions started. She knew how the game was played. This was the waiting period, when she was left on her own to marinate in her fear. No one would show up until she was tenderized and compliant. At least, that’s what they taught the rent-a-cops in places like this.
Carnax was like every other back-system station she’d visited. They barely broke even on refueling contracts and providing replacement parts to any ship unlucky enough to break down this far from civilized space.
She wasn’t here for fuel or repairs, though. She’d been here for a job. It was supposed to be a simple in-and-out cargo pickup—easy work, no fuss, no muss, and no questions asked.
Looking back now, she probably should have asked somefraxxingquestions, starting with who had made the request in the first place. When she got out of here, she’d have a long, colorful chat with Sasha. Either he was getting sloppy, or he’d been paid to set her up. Either way, she’d make sure his reputation as a broker tanked after this.
Ifshe got out of whatever-the-void trouble this turned out to be. For the moment, all she knew was what security had told her. She was being detained for acts in violation of the Unified Galactic Agreement. Which was normally corporate speak for, “We’ll let you know what the charges are once we’ve determined how many credits worth of fines you can pay.”
This time, though, things felt different. Like maybe she was in serious trouble.
Hezza had to remind herself to stay relaxed as she pondered what this could be about. She’d always preferred to bend laws instead of breaking them completely. Sure, her current cargoincluded a few items she hoped port-sec didn’t inspect too closely. The embryos in the cargo pods were marked as domestic chickens destined for a colony world. However, odds were good they were something far more exotic, expensive, and only available on the black market.
Moving illegal cargo didn’t bother her, so long as it didn’t break one of her rules. She didn’t transport slaves, drugs, or weapons. Every broker she used knew this. Of course, most of the brokers she knew were already retired and enjoying a life of leisure, likely funded through years of skimming profits and pocketing bribes.
Now that she thought about it, most of her friends were retired too—some by choice, yet others because they’d be incarcerated for the rest of their lives. As far as she was concerned, there wasn’t much difference. Both meant staying in one place and doing the same thing day after day. No thank you.
The problem was, she couldn’t keep flying cargo forever. She wasn’t slow, but theDesperate Gambitcouldn’t keep up with the newest ships out there. Both she and her ship were losing business to younger, hungrier pilots.
She slumped deeper into her chair.Getting old sucked.
Three minutes later, Hezza told herself to quit wallowing. She had more immediate problems to deal with. She went over the list of probable reasons she was in custody. The most likely cause was also the easiest to understand. No good deed went unpunished.
River was a decent being who’d had more than her share of suffering. The cyborg had come to her with money in hand and a contingency plan in case things went sideways.
Turned out, things hadn’t just gone sideways. They’d gone full nova. River’s contingency plan had kicked in, and Hezza made sure the cyborg made it to her chosen destination. Had shebroken a few laws to do it? Yes. Would she do it again?Abso-fraxxing-lutely.
That didn’t mean she had no regrets. Things had gotten messy. Edge, the grumpy, self-appointed leader of the cyborgs, had demanded Hezza reveal where River had gone. Then the damned fool had gone after her. One cyborg leaving the colony was a problem. Two? That set off all kinds of panic. Various factions had learned of her involvement, and she’d had to lay low.
Apparently, she hadn’t laid low enough. A message from River had caught up with her a few days ago. The good news was that she and Edge were fine and had handled the asshole hunting River. The bad news? The fallout from their actions was still ongoing. Nova Force was still looking for Hezza, and it would be best if she stayed out of sight for the time being.
If she’d been smart, she would have taken the warning more seriously. She should have gone dark and drifted somewhere in the big black. Instead, she’d gotten cocky and assumed no one could find her.
Hezza uttered a sigh. Given her current situation, it was apparent someonehadfound her. That left her with two questions. Who had set this trap, and what did they want?
Odds were good she wasn’t going to like the answers.
She had no way to check the time, but it had to have been more than an hour since someone had made an appearance.
