BioCybe (10 page)

“Yes, sir.”

Her eyes were at half-mast as she accessed the memories and
waited for the video feed to kick in. Slowly, she began to talk, describing
what had happened.

* * * *

“Captain Daria. Thank you for co-operating with our people.”
The tall, sandy-haired man seated at the table rose and extended a hand. Sandon
got an impression of a politician or at least a senior public servant with soft
hands, carefully preserved features, and a well-tended body. For a second, he
seriously considered ignoring the handshake, but there was too much on the
line.

Sandon stretched out his hand and made a brief contact, then
the man sat down. Sandon remained standing on the other side of the desk. The
man offered no seat or his name, leaving Sandon at a distinct disadvantage.

“Sir? I’m not quite sure why I’m here. When Pilot Endrado
was separated from me on Omega V—”

“Yes, that was quite an unfortunate situation. But to be
honest, it is a class four weapon-free planet.” The man’s hands spread in an
expansive manner, and Sandon had to restrain himself as a surge of anger
overcame him.

“Something I was not made aware of.”

The man glanced at him, his gaze seeming to say
how could
you not know
? Sandon returned the look cautiously. Belligerence in this
situation could get Levia killed, he reminded himself.

“You were aware then, that Cadet Seven-One-Four was a Cybe?”

“Her name is Levia Endrado.” He avoided answering, but the
man merely smiled.

“Come, semantics though it is, Cadet Seven-One-Four had made
full disclosure of her designation?”

His stomach cramped. This question was too direct. There was
no choice but to answer truthfully. “Yes.”

“Ahh…” This time the man looked down, tapping something on
the screen of his mini-comp. “Can you describe for me the scene when you
arrived on Omega V?” The man looked back at him and Sandon wondered what the
game they were playing was actually about.

Sandon tensed and let his mind wander back to their arrival.
“When we landed, we were required to present our credentials, which we both
did. When we reached the offices, Levia was challenged. General Vodsevors
interceded, but the admiral ruled she was to be placed in custody. I was told
she’d be safe, but when she was returned to me, she was physically damaged.” He
produced the report his medic had made of her injuries.

“Did she in any way refuse to be taken into custody?” The
man leaned forward, his blue eyes wide.

“No.”

“At any time did she contact you to claim mistreatments?”

“No.”

The man tapped something more into the computer. “Hmm. That
doesn’t line up with their claims.”

“Whose claims?”

“I’m not at liberty…” He shook his head and glanced away.
“You have to understand, the relations between the Jurans and Dendarans remain
strained. We must be seen to follow up on any complaint or we run the risk of
being labeled obstructionist.”

Unable to keep a tight rein on his anger, Sandon surged
upward. “Fuck that! This is nothing more than a witch hunt! You know that.”

The man’s lips tightened. “Yes, I expect that’s how it looks
to you, but you must understand, Captain, that we have to be seen to investigate
any and all situations that could threaten the peace.”

“So you’re prepared to hang an innocent person for crimes
they haven’t committed, in the name of peace?”

A cough at the door caught the attention of the two of them,
and Sandon whipped around as a young female tech entered the room. “Sir, I have
the information you requested.”

A tiny data-chip was placed in the man’s hands, and Sandon
wondered if that was all that remained of Levia. His body reacted violently to
the thought, the contents of his stomach rising up, blocking his airway. Surely
not!

With a silent nod, he watched as the man took the chip and
inserted it into the mini-comp.

The man grunted.

Sandon leaned forward, waiting for some explanation. “So?”

“She concurs with your take on events. Strange. I expected…”

Sandon bared his teeth and snarled. “Who made the
complaint?”

The man’s head snapped up. “What?”

“Who laid the complaint against Levia?”

The man blinked. “It was one of their agents. Michelin
Andres. But on here, the bio-signature received from Cadet Seven-One-Four
reads—”

Fury welled and he gripped the edge of the table. “Levia.
Her name is Levia Endrado.”

The man stopped, gasped, and nodded. “Uh, of course. Pilot
Endrado took an unconscious bio-sig report which reads as A-L-01, Ordan
Mayerber.” This time, when he looked at Sandon there was something deep and
fearful on his face. “Ordan Mayerber would have an axe to grind with…with your
pilot.”

He rose with a jerk and indicated that Sandon should follow
him. Sandon did, and then he was unceremoniously dumped back into the waiting
room.

People came and went, some casting him interested glances,
but no one updated him on Levia’s status. As the time ticked slowly by, his
frustration levels rose. The third comm buzz in an hour rang imperiously, and
he looked at the tiny communicator, reading the information. The Orbital
Authority needed an urgent update on their status, and as they’d been unable to
reach the pilot, could he please advise how long they would require their
position? Sandon didn’t have an answer right now, so he made a split-second
decision to wait until he could respond with something concrete.

He jiggled his leg up and down. The sound of footsteps once
more cut through the silence, and as his head snapped up, he noted that Levia,
surrounded by an armed contingent and accompanied by his interrogator, was
advancing toward him. He rose, the muscles of his legs complaining after
sitting still for so long.

Her hair was disheveled and her uniform suit not as
immaculate, but she walked tall and proud toward him.

“Captain, if you and your pilot would indulge me?” A
multi-awarded general gestured to the tiny interview room, and Sandon
hesitated.

“We’d be glad to, General.” Levia’s soft tone soothed the
ragged emotions that battled within him.

He followed them into the room and quirked an eyebrow as the
door slid shut behind them.

“I’ll come straight to the point. If the bio-sig report that
Sev—uhh, Pilot Endrado has made available to us is correct, then you both face
immense danger right now. Captain, your pilot has information that she will
disseminate to you once you are away from here, but suffice to say, if it is
correct, and the bio-sig of the person she met on Omega V is also correct,
then…”

Sandon waited, knowing the value of silence as a draw card.

“It was our understanding that Ordan Mayerber didn’t die in
the action on Omega V, where you were sent to neutralize him, and that poses a
very big threat to the Juran Commonwealth. He is also a threat to you as you
are, or were, our strongest operative. That makes him a credible threat to our
security. We believe his original mission was to not only infiltrate our
security systems, but also to assassinate a number of high-ranking officials.”
The general shook his head, but the salt and pepper hair didn’t move.
“Subsequently, our intelligence included that he was likely in deep-cover. If
that is correct, we can assume he will once again attempt to carry out his
mission.”

Sandon ground his teeth, realizing that the threat to Levia
was being considered in the threat to the defenses category, rather than the
personal danger she faced. “And?” he prompted, hoping for the rest of the
information.

“We also believe he was involved in the original sortie that
escalated us to war footing. According to our intelligence, he is connected to
those who stood to benefit from the previous situation and would again.” The
general shook his head. “I’m sorry, Captain, but as a result, I’m invoking the Juran
Commonwealth Preservation Decree. Until such time as Ordan Mayerber is
apprehended or dealt with…” At this point, the general winced. “...the ship,
the
Golden Echo
, is duly commandeered into service by the Juran
Commonwealth.”

“No! You can’t press my ship into—”

“I can and will, Captain. Cadet Seven-One-Four, you are hereby
returned to active service immediately. Your rights and commissions are
reinstated. Your mission is to find Ordan Mayerber and neutralize him. It is
necessary to remain undercover, but you know what to do, Cadet. Captain, in
order to keep the mission a secret, you will continue on as normal. Accept the
next possible cargo, and we’ll be in touch.”

The general rose and nodded at them. Sandon gaped at Levia,
horrified by what had just happened.

“Yes, sir.” Levia saluted as Sandon headed in her direction.
By the time she’d finished speaking, Sandon noticed the general had left the
room.

Levia couldn’t believe the circumstances she’d found herself
in. The fact that they weren’t going to de-activate her was great, but that
Sandon’s ship was going to be pressed into service for the Juran Commonwealth…

“It’s not right.” Checking the last item off the list, she
flicked the lid down on her mini-comp and stashed it in her pocket. “How he
must hate me for causing him so many issues.” She slammed the door on the
shuttle after the last box was removed.

“Hate you for what?” The sound of his voice behind her
caught her by surprise.

She jumped as her nerves skittered. “Uh, I’ve brought you so
much trouble.”

Not wanting to turn around and look at him, she focused on a
rivet in the metal. There weren’t enough words for her to explain just how
deeply she felt the imposition on him and his crew. His business would have to
take a secondary position, and she didn’t know whether his finances could
withstand the pressure.

When he laid his hands on her shoulders, she could barely contain
the shiver, one made up of a mixture of sensual pleasure and deep concern. It
felt like the twin sides of her personality. The first wanting something deep
and hot with him while the other mourned the situation. It felt as if they
would cleave her in two.

“Levia?”

The rumble of his breath rippled, sending sensations
whispering through her veins, and against her will, her body reacted. Blinking,
she tried to clear the fog that descended over her mind.
Why now?
When
his hand moved, she would swear every nerve and muscle in her shoulder reacted
to the lightning that zinged.

“Levia?” As if he could read the frazzled mass of
sensations, he repeated her name, and she gulped.

“I… Uhhh…”
Why here and why this man?
Emotions welled
and how she wanted to ignore them.

The beep of the personal communicator blared and sliced
through the fraught tension.

“I need to get that.” She stumbled away, knowing that her
unsteady movements betrayed her inner turmoil. “Endrado here.”

“Levia, I need your update. We’ve received two requests for
updates in the last few hours, and I need to give them a straight answer. When
will you be heading back?” Vestang. She released the bubble of oxygen she’d
hung onto.

“I need to check. Just a moment.” She turned long enough to
see the shadow of concern settle on Sandon’s face. “When will you be ready?”

“I’m good to go.” She heard the double entendre, her glance
capturing the challenge in his eyes.

“We’re just finishing off the pre-flight checks. So long as
they’re clear, we can be in the air in around ten minutes,” she told Vestang. “I
expect we should be clear to leave orbit in around five hours?” She glanced
back at Sandon and watched as he gave a curt nod.

“Excellent.” Vestang spoke excitedly. “I’ll go ahead and let
them know.” The communications item silenced.

Sandon gazed at Levia, and she squirmed while considering
Vesting’s words.

“So… Where to now?” She waited for Sandon’s answer, all the
while her mind trying to work out what he’d decide.

“I guess back to the ship and await a new contract. That’s
what we were told.”

Perhaps they would end up on the opposite side of the galaxy
to Mayerber. But of course, the chances of that, given her position on the
galactic shit list, was likely to be laughable.

“When we reach the
Golden Echo
, we can see what runs
are up and if we have any offers. Then we can go from there, at least until
we’re contacted.”

The words didn’t really allay her fears, but right now,
there wasn’t a lot more to do, so she stepped away.

“Levia?” The tone of his voice changed, deepened, and her
nerves jittered.

“What?”

“We will talk later, about this…” He waved a hand around,
and for a second, she seriously considered playing dumb, but that would demean
them both.

“I don’t think it’s a great idea.”

“Maybe not, but I have to tell you, it intrigues me.”

Before he could utter another word, she scurried off,
checking all the closures, finalizing her checks and trying valiantly to ignore
the memory of his words and the glint in his eyes when he’d delivered them.

Even as she strapped into the shuttle, they were there,
rolling around in her mind, challenging her on every possible level. She was
glad to have her hands and mind occupied during their takeoff. Once they
punched through the atmosphere and the glint of silver and gold stars shone
against the velvet black backdrop of space, the memory tugged at her.

Levia decided that silence was the best policy, and he no
doubt had considered that too, because he didn’t speak until they touched down
in the shuttle bay.

The clips clacked and fell away, and just as she rose to
move, his hand shot out, gently encircling her wrists.

“Levia, I mean what I say. We will talk.” Then with a swift
move he was up and out of the cockpit while she remained still, her thoughts
swept away.

* * * *

Their next run took them to Excelsior, a tiny planet far
away from Omega V and Juranaa. Their task was to collect a drilling rig that
was due for repair and overhaul. The run should have been simple, but passing
through Dendaran Federation space was problematic.

Sandon had been on the bridge for an hour, sifting
through Levia’s report on their fuel usage.

“Captain? Levia? There’s a large Enforcer Class ship
closing on us. It’s scanned our ID and…” Vestang turned, his face glowing with
excitement.

Sandon half-rose and rested a hand firmly on Levia’s
shoulder, hoping to lend reassurance. He felt the sudden tension when the hail
sounded. “
Golden Echo
, this is the Enforcement Vessel
You’tang
Sunrise
. You are required to come to a full stop and submit to a search.”

“Dendaran vessel, we are traveling under a warrant from
the Juran Commonwealth on trade,” Levia replied. Sandon’s fingers curled as she
answered their hail.

“You must submit, or be prepared to be boarded and
brought under tow.”

Gritting his teeth, he let his mind run through the
scenarios. This could be spite, or maybe they’d gotten wind of their mission, or…
He didn’t even want to consider that it was because of Levia.

Sandon watched as her fingers hovered over the keyboard.
“Sandon, we have nothing to be worried about, but this feels…off.”

He felt the same and knew she was watching, seeking even
the merest hint that he regretted bringing her back to the ship.

“We stop, let them search, then resume our journey.”

Her gaze searched his face, but he kept his own neutral.

“
You’tang Sunrise
, stand by while we come about
and make ready.”

They boarded and demanded scans of their cargo and
manifests. Sandon kept his feelings of violation and fury under control until
they were off his ship.

“Bastards! What did they think they’d find?”

A chance look in Levia’s direction stopped him in his
tracks. “Levia?”

Her eyes shone bright with tears. “It’s because of me.
I’m the one causing the issues. If you just…” She waved a jerky hand in the
air. “Let me leave the
Echo
and you’ll be freed from
this…inconvenience.” The emotions that welled were harsh. Scalding in
intensity.

Thrusting out one hand, he grabbed her fleshy upper arm
and dragged her away from the helm. Her feet moved, squeaking on the floor,
until he hauled her around the corner of the bridge, out of sight.

Leaning close, he willed her to understand the roaring
that filled him. “You. Are. Not. Leaving.”

The way her eyes widened told him she’d never expected
this. She opened her mouth, flicking the tip of her pink tongue around the
edges.

He groaned as pressure surged at his groin. “You’re not
leaving me, Levia.”

This time, when he kissed her, it was with great
deliberation. His mouth slanted over hers, massaging the firm fleshiness of her
lips. When she moaned and the steeliness of her body leached away, he slid his
arms around her.

She tugged back from him. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Why not?”

Her chest moved against his in a most delightful manner,
and he smiled, waiting for her to return the favor. Instead, she frowned. “I’m
not looking for…”

“Neither was I. But it’s there, between us. Don’t fight
it, Levia.” He carefully traced her face with an unsteady hand while she
remained quiescent in his embrace.

“I don’t know how to…” The unsteady breath spoke volumes.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Sandon, but I don’t know anything about
relationships.”

“I’ll teach you.”

Coming back to the present was difficult. He frowned at the
screen in front of him. Another hail, another inspection. The fourth in this
sector alone.

Rat-tat-tat.
The door opened and he waited as Levia
entered his office. The fact that she still hesitated annoyed him, but he
reminded himself to be thankful for the small steps. She was still there and
hadn’t left the
Echo
.

* * * *

I might not be adept at reading people, but I know what Sandon
wants.
Hell, if Levia were honest with herself, she’d admit she wanted it
too. Fear drove her to attempt to ignore the primal urges that pushed her to
claim him for herself. The funny jiggle that always seemed to begin in her
belly started the slow dance she’d come to associate with Sandon.

“So, that’s the fourth inspection. I’m hopeful that as we
are exiting this section of Dendaran space, we should be clear for now. Only, I
did manage to get some information this time.” Levia bit her lip. Sandon’s
beautiful eyes were shadowed and the day-old stubble on his chin made her think
of impossible dreams.

“What did you find out?”

“Down in the cargo bay, there was a young midshipman. First
tour, you know how they are, so eager. Anyway, before he realized I was the Cybe,
he let slip that the search and seize orders came from the military arm. He was
hushed as soon as the others on inspection duty heard him, but...” Stopping and
shrugging was all she could do right now.

Being the target was nothing new to her, but involving
others? That was an unpleasant state of affairs.

“So you think that we are being targeted by their military
and subject to search and seize, why?”

“Do I really need to spell it out for you, Sandon? Because
of me. Because I’m a Cybe, and one they’ve tried many times to neutralize.”

The instant the words were out of her mouth, she regretted
them. Saying too much had never before been an issue, but something about
Sandon caused her to feel much more than she ever had before. He caused her to
regret where she was in life and how she’d reached this point.

“Explain what you mean, Levia.”

Breathing deeply, she filled her lungs with much-needed
oxygen. “I was sent on a mission to Omega V to capture Ordan Mayerber. He’d
committed countless atrocities, including the slaughter of fifty-seven Muesterlin
nuns on Serrano because the Dendarans thought they were trafficking information
during the war. They were, of course, neutral, until that point. Then the
hierarchy of the Muesterlin faith swung in behind the Jurans.”

He looked surprised, but that wasn’t everything she needed
to tell him. She prepared herself mentally, sure that when he heard the rest,
he’d banish her from the
Golden Echo
.

“The thing is… I was one of the Juran’s best assassins. I
had over two hundred certified kills and was sent in to....” His face leached
of color at her words, but she forged on. “I was given the mission of tracking
him down and neutralizing the threat he posed to the Juran forces on Omega V.
That was when they launched the new Dendaran destroyers, the ones fitted with sonic
weaponry. I nearly had him when it rose.”

In her mind, the vision of it ascending over the horizon
loomed and she swallowed.

“The boom… It came so quickly, and there was no time to
escape. They found me on the field. The enhancements had saved me, but the
injuries…” The memory of excruciating pain swelled, and she had to swallow the
bile that rose in her throat, choking her.

“Levia, I didn’t know.”

She knew what he was about to say. He hadn’t known why she’d
refused to go to Omega V and wouldn’t have pushed her if he’d known. She
dismissed his self-recriminations, because it had been her choice not to share
her fears. “I didn’t intend to tell you. That’s why I didn’t want to go to Omega
V. But even after that, once they realized who I was... Well…” Levia spread her
hands, feeling useless and cowardly. She had to turn away, to find a measure of
privacy in the midst of her pain.

“What did they do?” His strangled words impinged on the
cloud of remembered fear.

“They had pursued their interest in knowing how the
cybernetic enhancements were integrated. Then they decided that while I was
there, they should run tests on pain thresholds, strength assessments…” She
shook her head, wanting to block out the recollections of months spent in the
white room, observed and assessed like a specimen.

“How long?”

She turned back and his face was a stark white, his eyes
wide, and she knew she’d told him too much. Hearing it all had hurt something
inside him, and she hated the responsibility that came with her actions. “Long
enough. But after the truce, I was returned to the Jurans and my—”

When he rose, it was with an angry jerk and a twitching
muscle at the side of his jaw. “I didn’t ask about what happened next, I said
how long?” The menace in his tone was new.