him tight to her with legs and
arms, and he slid deeper into her. “Maybe I’ll tame him,” she whispered,
pulling his mouth down to hers.
Chapter Six
Sabralia awoke alone in bed one night a weeks
later. Only a few hours of their sleep cycle had passed, so she was a little
surprised she was alone. They had reverted to the way they had slept together
as mistress and cyborg, spooned naked together.
All the lights were powered down. She entered the
main room. Kaistril was at the com.
“Couldn’t you sleep?”
His lips curved in welcome, but he shrugged. “The
encryption is finally removed. I opened my case file.”
“Oh.” He seemed so…somber. “Is there something
wrong?”
He reached for her and pulled her onto his lap.
Sabralia stared at him, alarmed. Normally such a move was a prelude to sex, but
he wasn’t hard.
“What?”
He looked away. “There’s a failsafe.”
She was silent for a moment. “On the ship?”
“No. In me.” He tapped his temple where the
appliance once sat.
Understanding dawned, followed by clutching
horror.
“Will it kill you?” Nausea welled up her throat.
“I don’t think so. I got the temple device off
pretty early on. In the event of missing maintenance procedures, the temple
device sends in nanos that are supposed to shut the cyborg down, but not damage
it.”
“Shut you down? Like kill you?”
“I don’t believe so. They don’t like to destroy
something they’ve put so much research and resources into. I was an experiment.
All the cyborgs in the harem were experiments. Sooner or later Sirn would have
moved me to military duties. They just want to shut the cyborg down until they
can collect it and recondition it, if it begins to remember.”
“Is someone coming to collect you?” she asked,
horrified.
“None of our sensors indicate anyone is following
us. But eventually someone will notice this ship is gone. A ship like this is
worth the gross national product of some planets.”
“When do you think the failsafe will start?”
“I think it already has. I am tired, but I can’t
sleep. Puregens recover quickly, so I am rarely tired. None of my activities
should tire me.”
“What about the weight bearing exercises? Are you
doing many of those?”
“Just the normal sequence. Nothing that would make
me tired.”
“What can I do?”
“We’re going to dock at Katherine Hub in just a
few days. I don’t know how responsive I will be by then, but we can get a
prerecorded message zipped to New Prague. It’ll cost, but it is a common
service on the hubs.” He tapped the com and showed her.
“I have it all set. My brothers will come for
you.”
“Us.”
He nodded and gave her a crooked smile. Her heart
raced in fear. This was serious.
“You’ll need to find secure housing and a
reputable buyer for the jewels to pay for lodging. The ship is worth a great
deal, but it will be recognized if we try to sell it. We need to just abandon
it so we can’t be traced to it at the Hub. Hopefully my brothers can retrieve
it when they get us.”
“I think will have more physical maladies than
mental ones. The purpose of the nanos is to shut me down so I can be retrieved.
I think they will make me unconscious but keep me alive.”
Sabralia pulled his face close to hers. “I’ll get
you to New Prague. We’ll get you help.”
“It should be all right, after awhile. The nanos
will not have a power supply. I’m removing my other appliances.”
She uncurled from his lap in shock. “I thought
they were fitted too deep and removing could knick your arteries. Isn’t that
very dangerous?”
“We’re not going to do it unless it is absolutely
necessary. Once we get to Katherine Hub, we’ll hire a medic. But we should go
over the procedure tomorrow, after you’ve slept. Just in case. If there is
trouble, there are medics on the Hub.”
Kaistril insisted she go back to bed.
“I can’t possibly sleep now, Kaistril.”
He captured
arms, and he slid deeper into her. “Maybe I’ll tame him,” she whispered,
pulling his mouth down to hers.
Chapter Six
Sabralia awoke alone in bed one night a weeks
later. Only a few hours of their sleep cycle had passed, so she was a little
surprised she was alone. They had reverted to the way they had slept together
as mistress and cyborg, spooned naked together.
All the lights were powered down. She entered the
main room. Kaistril was at the com.
“Couldn’t you sleep?”
His lips curved in welcome, but he shrugged. “The
encryption is finally removed. I opened my case file.”
“Oh.” He seemed so…somber. “Is there something
wrong?”
He reached for her and pulled her onto his lap.
Sabralia stared at him, alarmed. Normally such a move was a prelude to sex, but
he wasn’t hard.
“What?”
He looked away. “There’s a failsafe.”
She was silent for a moment. “On the ship?”
“No. In me.” He tapped his temple where the
appliance once sat.
Understanding dawned, followed by clutching
horror.
“Will it kill you?” Nausea welled up her throat.
“I don’t think so. I got the temple device off
pretty early on. In the event of missing maintenance procedures, the temple
device sends in nanos that are supposed to shut the cyborg down, but not damage
it.”
“Shut you down? Like kill you?”
“I don’t believe so. They don’t like to destroy
something they’ve put so much research and resources into. I was an experiment.
All the cyborgs in the harem were experiments. Sooner or later Sirn would have
moved me to military duties. They just want to shut the cyborg down until they
can collect it and recondition it, if it begins to remember.”
“Is someone coming to collect you?” she asked,
horrified.
“None of our sensors indicate anyone is following
us. But eventually someone will notice this ship is gone. A ship like this is
worth the gross national product of some planets.”
“When do you think the failsafe will start?”
“I think it already has. I am tired, but I can’t
sleep. Puregens recover quickly, so I am rarely tired. None of my activities
should tire me.”
“What about the weight bearing exercises? Are you
doing many of those?”
“Just the normal sequence. Nothing that would make
me tired.”
“What can I do?”
“We’re going to dock at Katherine Hub in just a
few days. I don’t know how responsive I will be by then, but we can get a
prerecorded message zipped to New Prague. It’ll cost, but it is a common
service on the hubs.” He tapped the com and showed her.
“I have it all set. My brothers will come for
you.”
“Us.”
He nodded and gave her a crooked smile. Her heart
raced in fear. This was serious.
“You’ll need to find secure housing and a
reputable buyer for the jewels to pay for lodging. The ship is worth a great
deal, but it will be recognized if we try to sell it. We need to just abandon
it so we can’t be traced to it at the Hub. Hopefully my brothers can retrieve
it when they get us.”
“I think will have more physical maladies than
mental ones. The purpose of the nanos is to shut me down so I can be retrieved.
I think they will make me unconscious but keep me alive.”
Sabralia pulled his face close to hers. “I’ll get
you to New Prague. We’ll get you help.”
“It should be all right, after awhile. The nanos
will not have a power supply. I’m removing my other appliances.”
She uncurled from his lap in shock. “I thought
they were fitted too deep and removing could knick your arteries. Isn’t that
very dangerous?”
“We’re not going to do it unless it is absolutely
necessary. Once we get to Katherine Hub, we’ll hire a medic. But we should go
over the procedure tomorrow, after you’ve slept. Just in case. If there is
trouble, there are medics on the Hub.”
Kaistril insisted she go back to bed.
“I can’t possibly sleep now, Kaistril.”
He captured
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