Rescued by the Cyborg

by Jessica Coulter Smith

  “Open it,” Lathim commanded.

  Pendrik pried open the life pod and Rorwick let out a roar that nearly rattled the ship. The small female inside was pale, almost too pale, and her red hair hung limp. Lathim stared in horror, a cry of his own trapped in his throat, as he looked in anguish at the small lifeless bundle in the female’s arms. The pod had sustained the mother’s life, but had not calculated correctly to save the child.

  Pendrik reached into the pod and removed the lifeless baby, cradling it close to his chest. Life was precious to them, especially that of children, and it was heartbreaking they hadn’t reached the pod in time to save them both. Rorwick reached inside and lifted the woman into his arms. There was a look of tenderness on his face that Lathim had never seen before, and he knew the cyborg had decided to claim her as his mate.

  “Are there any other life pods in the area?” Lathim asked.

  “No, Captain. This was the only one. It came from a cruise liner called Splendora, but there is no sign of the ship, nor any debris that suggests it was destroyed.” Sanz hesitated. “We could search the area if you think there might be others. This pod was activated a week ago, so it’s possible any others have been picked up by now.”

  “No. Head to Alpha9. Querrill, go with Rorwick and make sure the female will be all right. Please notify me of any changes. I’m going back to my quarters.”

  Lathim gave the baby one last look and went in search of Maggie. The child couldn’t have been more than a year old, and would have been welcome on their world. Children were a gift to be cherished, regardless of their race. They’d all been assured that their cybernetic status wouldn’t keep them from having children of their own someday, and as such, they had always been careful when visiting the brothels. Most required their workers to be sterilized, but some of the smaller ones didn’t always follow the rules. Would Maggie welcome a child they created together? Or would it be too much to ask of her?

  When he entered his quarters, she was rubbing her eyes and seemed to have just woken. He left the doors to slide shut behind him before he fell to his knees at her feet and buried his face against her belly, his arms going around her. She tensed a moment, then relaxed and ran her fingers through his hair.

  “What’s wrong, Lathim?” she asked.

  He took a shuddering breath to get himself under control before looking up at her. “We found the life pod. It was a mother and child, but the baby didn’t make it.”

  She looked stricken by the news. “Is the mother okay?”

  “I asked our healer to look her over, but she’s unconscious. I don’t know if she’s aware of her child’s passing or not. Rorwick has taken her to his quarters. I think he means to claim her, but I worry she may be too broken. Losing her child… it could have damaged her mind.”

  “That’s heartbreaking. I can’t imagine losing a child.”

  “Do you want children?” Lathim asked.

  Maggie’s eyebrows lifted. “You can have children?”

  “Yes. At least, we were told we still could. None of us have tried. When we were part of the Cy-Con program, it was too dangerous to take a mate because of the missions we were sent on. Then when we were freed, no female would look at us without being filled with terror.”

  Maggie reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. “Then they’re missing out, because there’s nothing terrifying about you. I’ve never met a kinder man than you, Lathim. And to answer your question, yes, I’d like to have children someday. Maybe not right away because I think we need time to get to know one another better, but one day I’d love to have a baby with you.”

  His heart raced. “Does this mean you accept my mate claim?”

  She hesitated a moment before nodding. “As long as you’re willing to take things slowly. I’ve never been with a man before and I’ve never dated. I don’t want to just rush right into having sex.”

  He sat back on his heels. “But you’re up for experimenting a little and doing everything up to that point?”

  “Yes.” Her cheeks turned pink. “I liked the kissing earlier, and I loved it when you touched me. I’m just scared of moving too fast and regretting it later. I want our first time together to be perfect. Or is that asking too much?”

  “Not at all. I want you, Maggie, more than I’ve ever wanted anyone, but I’m willing to wait as long as you don’t keep me at arm’s length. I want to explore your body and bring you pleasure.”

  The door chime sounded. “Captain, I hate to interrupt, but I have news on the female we found.”

  Lathim stood and opened the doors. Querrill stood outside, casting a glance at Maggie before focusing on Lathim.

  “Will she live?” Lathim asked.

  “She was almost dead, captain. There wasn’t much I could do for her, but…”

  “But what?” Lathim asked.

  “I injected her with the serum that was used on us. I’ve been perfecting it in the event we ever found mates. I also gave her some vitamins and a solution that would strengthen her heart. I think she’ll pull through. Physically anyway. I have no idea what her mental state will be when she wakes.” Querrill hesitated. “Rorwick has laid claim to her and said he would kill any male who tried to take her away.”

  “I expected as much. Leave her under his care, but check on her frequently. If she’s too damaged by the loss of her child, we’ll have to reassess and determine what’s to be done with her.”

  He felt Maggie’s hands slide around his waist and she pressed her cheek against his back. It was comforting and he placed his hand over hers. Envy crossed Querrill’s features for a moment and then it was gone. He knew the entire crew wanted mates, and he couldn’t blame them. It’s what he had wanted the past ten years, and now he had Maggie, and it seemed Rorwick had his mystery female.

  “Was anyone able to pull more data from the pod and figure out who the female is?” Lathim asked.

  “Her name is Jillian Cross. She was a passenger on the Splendora, but that’s as much as we know right now. Her body was weakened, almost as if it had been ravaged by a virus, but I can’t find anything in her system. If she was sick, it’s run its course.”

  “And the child?” Lathim asked.

  “The baby has been dead for more than several days. I believe it was either dead or dying when she took it into the life pod with her. I did not do a thorough scan of it, but if you’d like for me to check for signs of a virus I will.”

  Maggie came around to his side. “Maybe if she knew her child was dying, she will be able to handle the news well. Are you certain there wasn’t another pod, maybe one with her husband? If she has a baby, the child obviously had a father.”

  Lathim frowned. If there was a male out there with a claim already on Jillian, Rorwick wasn’t going to take it well. What Maggie said made sense, though.

  “See if you can locate another life pod, and failing that, see if you can get a passenger list for the Splendora and find out if Jillian was sharing a room with anyone. The Splendora is a Star Crossed Lines ship, so hack their systems if you have to.” Lathim sighed. “Let’s hope there isn’t a mate out there looking for her. I’m not sure what Rorwick would do if he found out there’s competition for Jillian. As for the baby, there’s nothing we can do for it now. Wrap the body and preserve it to be buried on our world.”

  Querrill nodded. “Enjoy the rest of your night, Captain. I’ll ask the crew to leave you alone until your shift tomorrow, unless an emergency pops up.”

  “Thank you, Querrill.”

  The doors slid shut and Maggie moved to stand in front of him. “Why don’t you take a shower, and then lie down? You look tired.”

  Exhaustion settled across him like a blanket weighing him down and he nodded his agreement. Moving into the bathroom, he undressed and stepped into the cleansing unit. Lathim leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes a moment. His cock was hard as steel just from being near Maggie, no matter how exhausted he was. He doubted there would be any mating
tonight, so he slicked his hand with soap and stroked his length.

  With his eyes closed, he pictured Maggie spread across his bed, her legs open in invitation. His hand moved faster as he thought about entering her, the way her pussy would grip him tight. His hips flexed as he thought about pounding into her and then he bit back a cry as cum erupted over his hand. He rinsed off and stayed in the unit until the water shut off, then he dried and hesitated only a moment before walking back into the room where Maggie waited. If she’d never been with a male before, it stood to reason she probably hadn’t seen a naked one.

  She was curled on her side in the bed, her eyes wide as he approached. Lathim lifted the covers and slid into bed, drawing the blanket across both of them. Maggie slowly reached for him, her hand sliding across his chest, and then her body pressed against his side. He wrapped an arm around her to hold her close. Feeling her heart beat against him was enough to make his body relax. Lathim dimmed the lights in the room until they were plunged into darkness and then he closed his eyes.

  “Lathim?” she said softly.

  “Hmm?”

  “Will we always live on this ship?”

  He smiled in the darkness. “No, after we stop at Alpha9, we’ll head home. My crew will want to remain on board, except perhaps Rorwick, but another captain will be assigned for now.”

  “What’s your world like?” she asked.

  “Vibrant plant life, two suns, and three moons. Xpashta is beautiful and the weather stays nice year-round. There’s never snow or ice, and it never gets too hot to enjoy time outside.” His arm tightened around her. “The water on my world is crystal blue and safe for swimming. Our home is an old military base. Most of my fellow cyborgs live in small quarters I believe you would call apartments, but I have a small house there.”

  “What’s it look like from space?” she asked.

  “Pink, purple, and teal swirls. It’s breathtaking.”

  “Will it take us long to get there?”

  “No. We’ll fold space once we’re safely away from Alpha9 and it won’t take long at all to reach my world. Expect lots of staring when we arrive. Jillian and you will be the only living females there.”

  “Living females?” she asked.

  He felt his cheeks warm and was grateful it was dark. “We have some sex bots that we keep on our world. It’s not easy for the males to get to a nearby brothel when they have needs, so it made sense to keep some around. Once more of my people are settled with mates and families, I would imagine the sex bots will be sold.”

  “Lathim?”

  “Yes, Maggie?”

  “Thank you for finding me.”

  He brushed a kiss against her forehead. “I’m the one who is thankful. By agreeing to be my mate, you’ve given me the one thing I’ve wanted for a long time. I only hope that I don’t disappoint you. I may be part machine, but I’m not perfect.”

  “You seem pretty perfect to me,” she said softly, snuggling closer.

  He smiled and held her tight as he finally allowed sleep to claim him. He may not have bedded her, claimed her fully, but she was his and that was enough for now. As long as he had Maggie, he had everything he needed. He only hoped that one day all his fellow cyborgs would know the joy he felt when she was in his arms.

  Chapter Four

  Maggie looked around nervously and moved a little closer to Lathim. They’d reached Alpha9 an hour ago and were now exploring the trading post. The crew had offloaded some goods and were bartering for items their world needed, while Lathim led Maggie around to the different vendors. They were selling everything from clothing to food to living beings. Seeing the slaves saddened Maggie, and she knew that could have easily been her fate if Lathim hadn’t found her before the pirates had. She had no doubt the pirates would have passed her around until they were bored and then would have sold her to the highest bidder.

  “Something pretty for your lady?” one of the vendors called out, holding up a handful of jewelry.

  Lathim paused and looked over the items available. He lifted a golden armband encrusted with jewels. Maggie’s jaw dropped a little as he began to haggle with the merchant over the price. He didn’t really intend to purchase something so extravagant for her, did he? When Lathim shook hands with the man, Maggie knew the deal had been made. She stared up at him, wide-eyed, as he reached for her arm and fastened the band around her biceps.

  “Lathim, it’s too much,” she protested.

  “I want everyone to know you belong to someone. Perhaps I’ll start something new. All of our mates will wear armbands, in the event my world ever gets so many females we need to differentiate between mated females and single ones.”

  She snorted. “You could just purchase a bunch of slaves and take them to your world.”

  He paused and looked down at her. “Slaves?”

  “It never occurred to you to purchase females? Plenty of males buy sex slaves.”

  He growled softly. “We would never do that to a female.”

  “And yet you purchase their services from brothels. Don’t you realize those women were sold to those places? They didn’t ask for that kind of life. Visiting a brothel is no different from buying your own personal slave. Except you’d get to have sex regularly.” Maggie crossed her arms. “Did you seriously think a woman would sign up to have many sexual partners every day for the rest of her life, until she contracted some sexually transmitted disease and died from it?”

  He paled and cursed under his breath, gripping her hand tight. He began tugging her back toward the ship and his crew. She didn’t know if she’d overstepped, or if he was anxious to impart her words of wisdom. Had they seriously never considered those women didn’t want that type of life? Of course they hadn’t. They were men and all men thought about was sex. If they were happy to have it countless times a day with nameless women, then they just assumed the women felt the same way. Idiots.

  He stopped where his crew was loading their new items onto the ship.

  “No more brothels,” he said.

  The men stopped and stared at him.

  “What do you mean by that?” Tenz asked.

  “The living females there aren’t there under their own free will. They were sold to those places and don’t want that kind of life,” Lathim said. “It would be wrong to force them to be with us.”

  Querrill frowned. “So what do you suggest? That we use sex bots indefinitely?”

  “Or find mates,” Lathim said. “I know there are hundreds of us on our world, and no females, but maybe we should start purchasing female slaves and freeing them on our world. Surely they would pair off with someone.”

  Maggie tugged on his sleeve. “Are you guys wealthy?”

  “We steal from pirates, that includes any currency they might have,” Lathim said. “We just prefer to trade when we’re able.”

  “You could purchase brides,” Maggie said.

  “Purchase?” Tenz asked. “Wouldn’t that be the same as buying a sex slave? Or using the brothels?”

  Maggie shook her head. “There’s a new program called Galactic Mates, where you can browse a catalog of available females. The women selected are an 80% match to most races for sexual compatibility and come from many different worlds. They have to sign an agreement, and in exchange a large percentage of the money used to purchase them goes to their families. They aren’t forced into the program.”

  Lathim scratched his jaw. “How much do these mates sell for?”

  “It depends on race, education, age… lots of different factors. My father once asked if I wanted to join the program since he knew it was doubtful I’d ever find a suitable mate while living on his ship. I think he was also concerned that he’d be raided and I’d be stolen.”

  “I’ll look into it,” Querrill said. “We couldn’t populate our entire planet that way, but we could perhaps purchase a few brides for those who are more… enhanced than others.”

  “What does that mean?” Maggie asked.

&nbs
p; “When you look at me, can you tell I’m a cyborg? Or my crew members?” Lathim asked.

  “There are rumors of cyborgs, with vivid descriptions. From your appearance, I’d assumed that’s what you were, but if I hadn’t heard those stories, I’d never have known any part of you was mechanical if you hadn’t told me.”

  He nodded. “Some of our cyborg brothers are not so fortunate. Some of their mechanical parts can be seen on the outside, and the only female companionship they can find are with sex bots. No living female will touch them.”

  “Captain, everything is loaded. Are we leaving or are we purchasing slaves?” Tenz asked. He looked unsettled by the idea.

  “No slaves for now,” Lathim said. “We already have two females on board that we need to get home. I think it would be best if we were on Xpashta before Jillian wakes up. I don’t know how she’ll react, but she could cause problems on the ship if she’s unstable.”

  “I’ll set a course for Xpashta,” Zorlok said. “We’ll be home by the evening meal.”

  Lathim led Maggie back onto the ship and went to the command center. When he sat, he pulled her onto his lap and looped an arm around her waist. She leaned against him and felt excitement thrum through her. She was going to a new world, her new home. While she was elated that she’d get to see her new home, there was also a bit of trepidation over being on a world with hundreds of males and no females other than herself and Jillian. She hoped it wouldn’t cause problems for Lathim.

  “Captain, we’ve messaged ahead to let everyone know about the two females arriving with us, and that they’ve already been claimed. There may be curiosity, but no one will try to take them from you or Rorwick,” Zorlok said. “If anything, they seem excited that females were willing to mate with us.”