“It gives them hope they won’t be alone forever,” Lathim said.
“Captain, with your permission, I’d like to remain with the ship in hopes that there might be other females out there who would mate with our kind,” Zorlok said. “Permission to ask your female a question.”
“Granted.”
Zorlok focused on her. “Maggie, if you had not been running in fear from the pirates, would you have given Lathim a chance to become your mate? Or would the fact he’s cyborg have made you too afraid?”
Her brow furrowed. “I’ve heard the stories about cyborgs and how deadly and fearsome you are. I think I would have been afraid, but all I would have had to do was look into his eyes to know the rumors weren’t true. I didn’t trust him just as a way to escape the pirates. I saw kindness in his eyes.”
“So, you’re saying if we treat the females we meet kindly, show them we aren’t monsters, then we’ll have just as much of a chance as anyone else to claim them?” Zorlok asked.
“Yes. At least, that’s how I feel. I can’t speak for every woman out there.”
Zorlok hesitated a moment. “Do you think that humans like yourself might be more open to accepting us? I’ve seen reports of your Earth and there are many races living together on your world. Do you think it makes you more tolerant of people who are different?”
Maggie chewed on her lip. “My world is not without its faults. We have prejudices and racism just like other planets. But there are a lot of good people on my world, women who don’t care about the color of someone’s skin or what world they come from. They won’t care you have mechanical parts inside. We have men who come back from war with missing limbs and they’re able to find love, so I don’t see why a cyborg wouldn’t be able to as well.”
“Captain, with your permission, after we’ve offloaded everything and the human females are settled on Xpashta, I’d like permission to use the Mystic7 to find other human females in distress who might be open to mating with us.” Zorlok frowned. “I think they might be more open to it than others, and if they are half as lovely as your Maggie and Rorwick’s Jillian, then we will be truly blessed.”
Maggie felt her cheeks warm at the compliment.
“Permission granted,” Lathim said. “Log the orders into the system so the next captain won’t put up a fight over it.”
Zorlok smiled. “They’ve assigned Milore. He’s been complaining about a lack of mates on our world for a while now. I think he will be open to the new mission.”
“I don’t believe you’ll get complaints from the crew. Rorwick will need to be replaced. Once we know the status of his mate’s health and mental state, we can look at reassigning him to a ship, but for now I think he needs to remain on Xpashta.”
“Agreed,” Zorlok said. “I don’t think he’ll fight you on it. He’s barely left the female’s side since he carried her to his quarters. His duties have been assigned to the others for now. Everyone was eager to help out, and we’re all hoping the female will be all right.”
“Lathim,” Maggie said. “I know you want to show me your world, and I want to see it, but do you think I should spend time with Rorwick and Jillian until she wakes up? She might not be as frightened if she sees another human.”
Lathim’s arms tightened around her. “I don’t know if she’ll try to attack when she awakens. You’re not going anywhere near her until I know it’s safe.”
“Captain, we’re about to fold space. I’ve notified the crew,” Zorlok said.
“Maggie, I want you to take a deep breath, let it out, and close your eyes. Your stomach may flip and you might get lightheaded for a moment,” Lathim said. “No matter how disoriented you get, I won’t let you fall.”
Maggie nodded and did as he said, clutching tight to him as it felt like the ship pitched beneath them. Her stomach flipped and flopped, nausea rose in her throat, and her ears started to ring. She felt like someone had stuck her in a washing machine and put it on spin cycle. The floor rumbled, the vibrations coming through the chair and Lathim to rattle her bones. When it smoothed back out, she gulped in a lungful of air.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” she mumbled, burying her face against Lathim.
He rubbed her back and the nausea settled a little. “It won’t be long now before we’re home, and you won’t have to get back on a ship anytime soon.”
“You’re staying there with me, right?”
“I’ll stay for a while. Eventually, I’ll be asked to captain the Mystic7 again, but for now my priority is you. I will probably be assigned duties on Xpashta for the next few months or so. If the idea of me leaving causes you too much stress, I can request to be assigned to Xpashta permanently.”
She sighed. “You love being on this ship, don’t you?”
“I do, but I like being with you too. If you want me to remain at home, I will.”
Maggie didn’t say anything else and instead turned her attention to the space surrounding the ship. There were planets in the distance, all varying colors. She looked for a pink and purple one, eager to see her new home. The thought of Lathim leaving her at home to captain a ship again scared her, but only because she didn’t know how well she would be received on Xpashta. Zorlok had said the other cyborgs seemed excited that she was mated to Lathim, but she didn’t know how comfortable she would feel on a world full of single males.
They passed several planets, and in the clearing ahead she saw it. Xpashta was stunning with the swirls of pink, purple, and teal. There were a few streaks of white here and there. She leaned a little further away from Lathim to get a better look.
“It’s beautiful,” she said.
“As pretty as your Earth?” he asked.
“Much prettier. How long before we land?”
“About two of your Earth hours,” Zorlok answered. “Captain, your presence is requested in the cargo hold. Maggie may stay here if she wishes. I’ll keep an eye on her.”
Lathim sighed and kissed Maggie’s cheek. “I’ll return shortly. Zorlok is a wealth of information if you have more questions.”
Maggie stood and let Lathim leave the command center. She claimed the seat he’d just vacated and focused on the planet that would be her home from now on. Zorlok turned to look at her.
“I can’t read minds,” he said.
Maggie laughed. “Do you think I’ll be in any danger on your world?”
“From other cyborgs? No. The wildlife on the planet is mostly tame, but there are vicious creatures in the wooded areas. I wouldn’t venture far from the military base unless you have a male with you for protection.”
“How large is the base?” she asked.
“It comfortably houses several hundred cyborgs, and there is still space for more. We have a market where we trade for things we need. Food is free to everyone. You simply select what you’d wish to eat for the week and carry it back to your home. We never take more than we can use so it’s not been an issue.”
“Querrill is a doctor?” she asked.
“Yes, he’s the ship’s medic.”
“Are there others on your world? If I get sick, will there be someone there to heal me?”
Zorlok nodded. “Each ship is assigned a medic, and there are more than a dozen who remain on Xpashta. They take turns being assigned to the ships, but once we start settling down with mates, I’m sure things will change.”
“Some mates might like travelling in space with you. At least until they have children.”
His brow furrowed. “You truly think someone would wish to have children with us? Would you be willing to give Lathim children? It’s something we’ve feared. Even if we found mates, we worried they wouldn’t want offspring from us.”
“I told Lathim I’m open to the idea, but I want time to get to know him first.”
“Then make sure he gets the injection when we reach Xpashta.”
“What injection?” she asked.
“When we were part of the Cy-Con program, they created many ser
ums. One of them inhibits production of sperm for up to three months. Instead of relying on our sexual partners to be on birth control, it was decided that we would be injected to ensure no children were created while we were on active duty. It’s a temporary thing though, and wears off over the course of about three months. There’s no guarantee how long it will work as it varies from cyborg to cyborg. And it’s not like it just evaporates from our systems and suddenly we can have children again. It slowly diminishes and the lower the serum level in our system, the better the chance we can get our partner pregnant.”
“Is it safe?” Maggie asked. “What if it can’t be reversed?”
Zorlok paused. “None of us have had children since entering the Cy-Con program. It’s possible that the injections were not reversible. We’ve continued to get them every few months, for those of us who leave our world. We won’t know for certain until either you or Jillian have a baby if the injections wear off like we were told. We’ve assumed that we’re capable of creating life, but perhaps we aren’t. We could run tests, but I know after everything we’ve been through, going to medical isn’t our favorite pastime. But if the serum works the way we were told, then Lathim should be able to have children with you when the serum wears off.”
“So, there will be pressure put on Lathim and me to have babies?” she asked.
“Perhaps. Our leaders will want to know if it’s possible for the two of you to have children. Jillian was damaged and will be allowed more time before they begin asking questions. With you, they will assume you’re having sex already.”
Maggie’s cheeks burned. “How do you know we aren’t?”
“The captain wouldn’t have come out of his quarters even if the ship were on fire if you were. He’d have holed up in there and kept you sated for days.”
Her cheeks burned brighter. “Sorry I asked.”
Zorlok chuckled. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed over. You have a cyborg mate, and we have lusty appetites. Especially since it’s so seldom we get to be with a living female. The bots have their place, but it isn’t the same thing. They’re essentially synthetic androids.”
“I’ve heard they’re lifelike. The ones on my father’s ship certainly looked real.”
“To an extent. They are programmed to answer questions pertaining to sex, but you can’t really have a conversation with one. They are not sentient beings and cannot learn beyond what they are programmed to do. We could make them more realistic, I suppose, but it still wouldn’t be the same as having a mate.”
“You know, there are cities on Earth where the women outnumber the men. It’s a shame you can’t advertise in those areas that you’re seeking mail order brides.”
He frowned. “Mail order brides?”
“Sending off for a wife, sight unseen, and claiming her as your mate when she arrives to meet you on your world. If only there were shuttles going from my world to yours. I haven’t been on Earth since I was a little girl, but I still hear news from there. Have you heard of Terrans?”
“I am not familiar with a race called Terrans.”
“They’ve set up a bride program on my world. Women apply to be mated to them, and once they’ve been accepted into the program, they’re sent to the alien world to select a mate.”
Zorlok turned to face her fully. “Do you think these Terrans might agree to extend their program to my world? Are there enough human females on Earth who would agree to such a mating?”
“I think it wouldn’t hurt to ask. When you leave Xpashta, see if you can find Earth. Shuttles travel from there to Terran Prime all the time, from what I hear. If your world is too far, maybe one of your ships could meet a shuttle partway and then deliver the women to your world. Just think of how quickly you could find mates then. And I’ve heard the Terrans are purple like you. I had thought maybe you were related.”
“There are many purple races in the galaxies. The closest relation to the Zelranians are Zelthranites. Their ancestors crash landed on Zelran hundreds of years ago and mated with a race of white beings with blue hair who already inhabited the planet. Zelranians today have a lighter color purple flesh than the Zelthranites, and they maintain the blue hair of our ancestors. Those of us in the Cy-Con program have white hair because of all the experimentation. It changed us in many ways.”
“Do you still have contact with the Zelthranites?” she asked.
“No, they live many days from our world, much closer to your Earth. We are allies if war breaks out, but we do not communicate often.”
“It’s a shame. Maybe they know of females who would mate with you.”
“After we deliver Jillian and you to Xpashta, I will seek out this Earth and hope we can enter an agreement with the Terrans. Or perhaps they would at least let us consider the females they didn’t want.”
“You won’t know if you don’t ask,” Maggie said.
Zorlok turned back around and took the controls again. “Brace yourself, Maggie. We’ll be entering Xpashta’s atmosphere in a moment and it might get bumpy. Not much longer and you’ll land on your new home.”
Butterflies rioted in her stomach and she forced herself to relax. She wished Lathim was sitting with her, but her mate didn’t reappear until after the ship landed on Xpashta. Everyone had filed out of the command center except Zorlok, who waited patiently with her. When Lathim appeared, he looked irritated and she hoped it wasn’t bad news.
Chapter Five
The idiocy of his crew astounded him at times. Fighting over sex bots! It wasn’t like they didn’t already have plenty of them on Xpashta. He’d agreed they could keep two on board, but the rest were to have been traded at Alpha9. Apparently, his crew had disobeyed his orders and kept all of them. He entered the transgression into the captain’s log, in hopes Milore would offload the bots somewhere. They didn’t need one per crew member, as if they were mates.
Maggie seemed hesitant to come to him, and Lathim realized he must look fierce after dealing with the males on the ship. He smoothed his expression and held out a hand to her. Her fingers were warm against his, and he clasped her hand tight before leading her to the docking port. He’d made arrangements for their belongings to be delivered to his home, but first he wanted to introduce her to the commanders.
She squinted against the bright double suns, but after a moment, she clung even closer to him as she stared at the cyborgs surrounding them.
“They’re merely curious about you,” Lathim said. “No one will hurt you.”
“What if they’re like the cyborg on your ship who wanted to claim me even after you said no? What if they take me from you?” Maggie asked.
“We’ll ask the commanders to sanction our mating and make it official,” Lathim said. “My people won’t go against anything the commanders say. If they tell them you’re mine, then it will be so.”
“Commanders?”
“There are five commanders who govern our people. They help create the laws that keep us safe. A few of them have come to see you. You have nothing to fear.”
Maggie didn’t look convinced, but followed him through the throng of cyborgs. They entered the military base through a large metal gate, which closed once everyone was inside. The commanders were waiting for them, and Lathim led Maggie straight to them. Pride swelled inside of him as he presented his mate to the rulers of his planet.
“I’d like to present Magnolia Baker, a human female, and my mate. She prefers to be called Maggie.” Lathim tugged her forward a little more, but she tightened her grip on his hand.
“Maggie, it’s an honor to meet you,” Commander Sorus said. “I apologize if so many cyborgs at once frightened you, but our people are most curious about you. No one has ever mated with one of our kind before. My name is Sorus and I’m one of the five commanders who lead the cyborgs.”
“I’m Warver,” another commander said. “We made sure Lathim’s home was stocked with plenty of food and drink for the two of you, and any trinkets we thought you might enjoy were placed wi
thin his quarters as well.”
“My name is Kiril. Is there anything you need to make your stay here more pleasant?” the third commander asked.
Maggie bit her lip and looked up at Lathim, as if asking permission to speak. He wondered if there was something she wanted that she’d been hesitant to request of him. He should have thought to ask her if she had everything she needed or wanted, and he felt like a bad mate for not doing so. He gave her a nod of encouragement and she faced the commanders again.
“I like to read,” she said. “I had a collection of romance books on board my father’s ship, but they didn’t make it on board the Mystic7. If you have any Earth books, I’d love to have them, or at least some of them.”
“Why didn’t you say something?” Lathim asked. “I could have found books for you while we were at Alpha9. I want you to be happy, Maggie.”
“I am happy,” she assured him. “But I know I’ll grow bored during the day if I don’t have some books to read. I’d read the ones in my quarters many times and always begged for new ones. I always thought that one day when I had my own home, I’d have a library.”
“I don’t have room in my home for a room just dedicated to books, but we could add some shelves for a small collection,” Lathim said.
“Are many females from your world big readers like you?” Warver asked.
“The Earth females I’ve met over the years all claimed to enjoy reading, but I don’t know that it’s something all human females necessarily like.” Maggie looked up at him again. “If you don’t have books here, that’s okay. I don’t have to have them.”
Lathim cupped her cheek. “If you want books, you’ll have them, even if I have to put in a request with any ships still out trading.”
Kiril cleared his throat. “We do have a room of books on the base. They are from many different worlds and in different languages, but perhaps there are some you would be able to read. Have Lathim show them to you after you’ve gotten settled into your new home.”
Rescued by the Cyborg Page 4