by Cynthia Sax
“We’re a team now.” The kid whispered that statement.
There was a tinge of hope in her voice, hidden amongst the surliness.
He projected Jasny would be easier to win over than his female. Their offspring had less solar cycles, and there was a high probability she had correspondingly fewer bad experiences with beings.
And she craved connection. She’d formed a connection with their Taelyn.
“Stay in the freighter.” He drew his guns, opened the ship’s doors, stepped onto the ramp.
Rancor stood at the bottom of it. “Are we mock fighting?” His friend grinned. “Because I have time for that diversion.”
“Do you have time for that diversion?” Grudge grinned back at him as he strode down the ramp. “Shouldn’t you be flying to Mercury Minor to pick up another ship full of pilots?” He holstered his guns and slapped the D Model’s arm, happy to see him. “Cadet is eager to empty that docking bay.”
“Cadet gave me the mission to plot our routes.” Rancor shrugged, acting not-at-all concerned about their leader’s reaction to the proposed delay. “My route took me past this planet.”
That was no coincidence. His friend was curious.
“You arrived a mere planet rotation after I did.” Grudge projected that was by design also.
“I didn’t fly at top speed or I would have arrived before you did.” Rancor’s gaze shifted from his.
That wasn’t a boast. It was the truth. The D Model’s flying was unmatched.
“I talked B into flying the modified freighter. I took a warship.” Rancor craned his neck, seeking to look around Grudge. “Where’s your female?” His gaze returned to him. “All your limbs remain attached. She must not be as fierce as you projected.”
Grudge’s lifeform scans detected the movements of one enhanced human and one enhanced humanoid lifeform. The beings crouched behind him, situating themselves inside the freighter by its doors.
“My female is tiny and mostly organic.” He deliberately mocked her. “She can’t defeat me.”
“This tiny mostly organic female stunned your fff…fraggin’ ass, cyborg.” She responded to his provocation, yelling that response at him.
Grudge couldn’t process why she was attempting to modify her speech patterns, seeking to eliminate the word fuck, a common human profanity, but he found her efforts extremely entertaining.
“Your female stunned you?” Rancor laughed. “And I missed that? Fraggin’ hole.”
“Fraggin’ hole.” Jasny repeated that phrase.
Grudge developed a theory as to why his highly responsible female was altering her communications. “That was a lucky shot. I projected she wouldn’t tap the triggers.”
“You projected wrong.” His female emerged from her hiding place, strode down the ramp. “And I could repeat the stunning if your friend is sad he missed it.”
“I would appreciate that.” Rancor, that foolish bag of bolts, smiled.
“I would not appreciate that.” Grudge overruled that answer. Being stunned hurt. “My female, meet Rancor, one of the best pilots in the universe.”
Rancor stood taller.
“Rancor, meet my female, the most beautiful warrior in the universe.” Grudge had never seen another being as gorgeous as she was.
Red flamed under his female’s dark cheeks. “I hope you’ve come to take this irritating pain in the ass away.”
“She adores me.” Grudge beamed. “Jasny, you can come out now.” He yelled at their offspring. “Rancor isn’t hostile.”
“Fuck you.” The kid used one of her idol’s favorite phrases.
His female cringed, her response confirming Grudge’s theory. She was deleting fuck from her speech due to their offspring’s presence.
“I’m not afraid of him or you.” Jasny glowered at them as she joined them. “Especially not him. At least, you were manufactured with a mechanical arm. He doesn’t even have that advantage.”
Rancor’s eyebrows lifted. He opened his mouth.
There was a 93.2584 percent probability his friend was preparing to contest his battle skills. That would damage both females’ view of him…and it might damage their view of themselves as they had mechanical arms also.
Grudge would reduce the probability to 0.0000 percent.
He slammed his fist into his friend’s stomach.
The D Model wheezed and doubled over, gripping his midriff.
Grudge whacked Rancor’s back as he replayed Jasny’s words. He studied their offspring, shifted his gaze to his female. There was no insincerity in their expressions.
Which meant… “You projected I was manufactured with my purely mechanical arm?” They believed it was a choice, not the result of a malfunction.
“Of course, you were fff…fraggin’ manufactured with it.” His female rolled her eyes. “Mechanical arms are superior to organic arms.” She bent her left arm. “Everyone fff..fraggin’ knows that.”
Jasny mimicked his female’s motion.
The two of them didn’t view him as being damaged. Grudge’s processors spun. They assumed he’d been optimized.
The ground shifted under his booted feet.
In their gazes, he was superior to a fully functional warrior like Rancor.
“I would protect you with my lifespan.” Those words burst out of his mouth. “Both of you.”
He would trade his future for theirs without hesitation, would kill, would die for them.
“Aargh.” His female made an exasperated sound. “I’m never getting rid of you, am I?”
“You’re never getting rid of me.” Grudge confirmed that truth.
He would guard them closely, would increase their security, not allow anyone to damage them.
Humans and humanoids walked by them, within his monitoring range. They could be threats.
He moved nearer his newly obtained family, clasped his female’s hand, relishing that connection with her. “We’ll train.” They’d relay more skills to their offspring. That would increase her safety. “The three of us will battle Rancor.”
He paused. That match would be skewed too much in their favor.
“I’ll only fight with my mechanical arm.” He decided on that limitation. That was the arm they believed he had been manufactured with.
“You go. Train.” His female tried to pull her hand away from his.
He held on to her leather-covered fingers, wouldn’t release her.
Her gaze lifted to his and her voice lowered. “I have to meet with my contact.”
“We have to meet with your contact.” He would join her.
They were a team and he wouldn’t leave her side.
“What is the source of that wonderful scent?” Rancor tilted his head back and sniffed the air.
“My contact is only expecting me.” Grudge’s female ignored the D Model’s irrelevant observation. “I won’t fff…fraggin’ ambush her with your presence. She—”
“She’s familiar with cyborgs.” A Silan female swaggered toward them. The green on her primarily black head and body ridges denoted her as a warrior. As did the blades and guns strapped to her leather garments. “There’s one aligned with the retrievers. If he’s an example of their kind, they are pains in the asses when they want something.”
Rancor’s eyes widened. “I want something.” He straightened, sucking in his gut. “What is your name, beautiful?”
The Silan female bared her pointed teeth at him.
The D Model grinned back at her.
She shook her head and shifted her gaze to Grudge’s female. “You said you had something to discuss with me, something more than the usual. Does this have to do with the two Humanoid Alliance Class A Warships parked nearby?”
“I’m flying one of those warships.” Rancor moved closer to the Silan female. “I could take you wherever you want to go.”
Grudge frowned. Cadet, if she was here, would quash that offer. Their leader was expecting Rancor to arrive at Mercury Minor as quickly as possi
ble.
“I have my own ship, cyborg.” The Silan female was unimpressed.
Rancor was undeterred. “What are you flying, gorgeous?”
“My name is Kutta, not gorgeous.” The female warrior’s tone was curt. “And I’m flying a vintage 9XTL5 Silan Stealth Fighter. It is perfectly restored and under the palms of a skilled pilot such as myself, it could down your shiny new warship and emerge from that battle without a scratch.”
Rancor’s mouth dropped open. “I’m in love.”
The Silan female rolled her green-and-black eyes.
“We’ll fly to Mercury Minor in your ship, my gorgeous Kutta.” That was the D Model’s next suggestion. “There’s a nice stretch of open space en route. We can test how fast your restored 9XTL5 Silan Stealth Fighter can go.”
Grudge stared at his friend. If Rancor flew with the Silan female, he would have to leave his warship on Antares II.
Cadet really wouldn’t like that plan.
The D Model was risking his place on the cyborg retrieval team, seeking to impress Kutta.
“I already know how fast my ship can go.” The Silan female drifted her ridged fingertips over the handles of her blades. “I could test its missiles…on your warship.”
“We could do many things, beautiful.” Rancor smiled at her. “Not all of them have to involve ships.”
The Silan female’s fingers closed around one of the handles.
“If your friend doesn’t stop flirting”—Grudge’s female murmured that aside to him—“Kutta will silence him forever with that big battle ax of hers.”
“My friend is smitten.” Grudge hooked one of his arms around his little enhanced human and drew her to his form. “There’s a 98.1475 percent probability he’ll take that risk.”
In the many solar cycles he’d known Rancor, Grudge had never observed the D Model acting as recklessly and as illogically as he was behaving at the moment.
There was only one reason he could project for his friend’s conduct—the Silan was his female, was the being he was genetically manufactured to claim.
Grudge was happy for him. Rancor deserved caring and companionship.
“The other matter I wanted to speak to you about, Kutta, has been resolved.” His female glanced at Jasny.
His Taelyn and Rancor’s Kutta were both female warriors. The offspring was a young female, seeking guidance.
His female, being honorable, projecting she would die, must have made plans to transfer guardianship of Jasny to the Silan warrior. Guilt stabbed into Grudge. He was reminded once more that his deception had caused both his female and their offspring great emotional damage.
The error wouldn’t be made again. His fingers splayed over his female’s hip. They would never doubt in the future they were his priority. He’d ensure they processed that.
“All I hope to obtain is the usual.” His female relayed that easily deciphered cryptic message to Kutta.
She was requesting the coordinates of more Humanoid Alliance space stations.
Kutta reached into a holster. “I got three for you this time.” She tossed his female a memory chip. “The Humanoid Alliance engineer I caught gave up that information easily…after I removed all his fingers.” The warrior’s eyes gleamed.
“You are the best of females.” Rancor gazed at the Silan warrior as though she was the most advanced ship he had ever seen.
His friend was malfunctioning. Grudge grunted. His Taelyn was the best of females.
He said nothing as that truth needed no communication. It was indisputable.
“There are three.” His female rotated the memory chip in her fingers. “Hhhmmm…” She looked up at him through lowered eyelashes. “Vow to destroy the battle robots, cyborg, and I’ll give you the coordinates for one of them. I’ll blow up the other two.”
She was making another deal, trying to part from him.
He wouldn’t allow that. “We’re destroying all three of them together.
His female glowered at him.
“You’re adorable.” That fact had to be relayed. Immediately.
A cute little growl escaped her lips.
He wanted to lick her all over, but now was not the duration for that. They weren’t alone. Others, including their offspring, were watching them.
“We’ll train now.” He would participate in that other activity he enjoyed—fighting.
“Yes, we’ll train.” Rancor loved mock battle as much as he did.
“You don’t need me.” Jasny’s shoulders hunched. “You’ll want to fight two on two. I’ll only get in the way.” She shuffled backward. The offspring’s bottom lip trembled. “I’ll go.”
“You’ll stay.” Grudge grabbed one of her wrists before she could escape. “You’re part of our team. The three of us will battle the two of them.”
“I’m fighting the warship pilot one-on-one.” Kutta declared that preference.
Grudge looked at the Silan female.
His Taelyn’s mouth fell open. “She fraggin’ likes him also.”
“I’m kicking his ridge-free rounded ass.” Kutta glared at her. “Lejno.” She looked at Rancor. “I’ll make it easy for you. There will be no blades, no guns, no weapons of any kind.”
“That’s now my favorite type of mock battle.” The D Model vibrated with excitement.
Before meeting the Silan female, the male had preferred combat with daggers. Grudge’s lips twitched. His friend was enchanted. And, he projected, Rancor would soon be soundly thrashed in the training ring. Kutta didn’t appear to be the type of warrior to show mercy to an opponent.
“You’ll want to fight your mate too.” Jasny wiggled, trying to escape Grudge’s grip on her. “You don’t want me there. Not truly. Let me go.”
He didn’t want her there, their offspring had said. Grudge gazed down at her. That was a very different statement than he didn’t need her there.
“Get two things through your thick skull, kid.” Grudge’s female frowned at Jasny. “One.” She held up her leather-covered right index finger. “The cyborg is not my mate. He’s a pain in my ass.”
“I’m a pain in your ridge-free rounded ass.” He couldn’t resist amending her statement.
His female glowered at him. “Two.” She extended a second finger. “It will be the two of us battling the damn cyborg. We’ll show him what an enhanced human and an enhanced humanoid can do.”
Their offspring stopped fighting his hold on her.
She gaped at their Taelyn. “We’re battling him together?”
The wonder, the yearning, the hope in her voice impacted Grudge’s emotional system.
His female was as affected as he was by the kid’s response. She looked away from them for a moment, swallowed hard once, twice.
He sought to reinforce her defenses. “You won’t defeat me.” He issued that challenge. “I process what an enhanced human and an enhanced humanoid can do, and it isn’t enough to defeat a cyborg with a purely mechanical arm.” He bent that limb.
His antics had the desired response. His female squared her shoulders and glared at him. “It is more than enough to defeat you.” Her gaze shifted to their offspring. “And yes, we’re fighting the big fool together. We’ll make it easy for him also. There will be no blades, no guns, no weapons of any kind.” She set the same terms for the battle as Kutta had done.
That would make it too easy for him. He released Jasny’s wrist.
“I’ll defend against your advances only. I won’t counterattack.” Grudge modified the terms.
The true purpose of the training was to relay skills to the least-experienced member of their team, and there was a 100.0000 probability their offspring had never faced an opponent like him. He wouldn’t emotionally damage the young female by defeating her too soundly.
“Your goal is to detach the wrist armor on my left arm.” He removed the other protective pieces from that mechanical limb. “If you do that, you win the bout.”
“We’ll require a fighting ring
.” His female looked pointedly at Jasny.
“I’ll craft one.” Their offspring picked up a stick.
Her expression was animated, almost happy, as she dragged her makeshift tool over the ground, fabricating a huge lopsided circle in the soil by the freighter.
Grudge’s female relaxed next to him. “Thank you.” She leaned against his bigger form, that small act of trust warming his chest. “This training will be fff..fraggin’ nothing for you. You likely won’t break a sweat. But it means the universe to her.”
There was a 100.0000 percent probability he wouldn’t break a sweat. A cyborg’s systems didn’t require perspiration to function.
“Jasny is important to you.” He kissed the top of his delicate little enhanced human’s head. “That means she’s important to me.”
“The universe is filled with danger and death.” His female blew out her breath. “She shouldn’t be important to me.”
The future wasn’t certain. His long lifespan had relayed that. And their offspring was a fragile enhanced humanoid. “We’ll protect her as best as we can.”
He projected his female would protest his use of the word we.
She merely dipped her head, silently agreeing with him.
Grudge smiled. His commitment-wary little warrior was beginning to accept their bond.
He added that win to his tally.
Chapter Twelve
It had taken twenty-three attempts plus Taelyn distracting Grudge by licking the back of his neck, but the kid had finally snatched the piece of body armor from his wrist. She now wore it on high on her organic arm, a visible prize the girl touched every so often as though she couldn’t believe it was real.
The session had given the kid confidence and more skills. Training her was easier with the help of her cyborg…not that Taelyn would ever tell him that.
Insults hadn’t driven him away. Compliments would likely fasten him to her side for all eternity.
And that would be a disaster. She was already too attached to him. Her body craved his touch. She bubbled with his nanocybotics. His deep voice and shit-eating grin thrilled her to her bones.
She should part ways with him…and with the kid. Beings died. That was the cycle of life. Losing her entire family, all her friends, everyone she knew, had almost decimated her.