Page 28 of Her Alien Cyborgs (The Drift: Haven Colony #10)

The docking clamps hadn’t even finished attaching when the alert sounded. “Another vessel has entered the system. Identity confirmed as the Falcon .”

Kalan cursed. “Should I target lock them? Or do you think that will annoy everyone?”

“It will definitely piss off a few people, but I’m tempted to say yes anyway,” Hezza said and tapped a finger to her chin. It would be so satisfying, but it wasn’t worth the problems that would result.

“But we don’t need to make things more difficult. Let the prince and the leadership council handle this. It’s their system.”

To her amusement, Kalan actually pouted for a second. “If you say so.”

They stayed in their seats to watch as two with transponder codes that marked them as part of Liberty’s defense force broke orbit and flew on an intercept course, straight for the new arrival.

“She’s not going to be happy about that,” Fyr’enth said.

“Good,” Kalan muttered.

“As much as I’d love to stay and watch, we need to get going,” she reminded them. “The prince was clear he wants us to attend this meeting.”

“Do you think this empress will be there?” Fyr’enth asked.

“I expect so.” It had been a surprise to them all to learn that the empress had taken Hezza’s invitation seriously and come in person.

Her flagship was docked at the orbital platform, looking as sleek and dangerous as any ship she’d ever seen.

Barrios must have lost his mind when the Vardarian battle cruiser had arrived and messed up his attempts to dictate terms to Tyran and the leadership council.

Their conversation with the prince had been brief but friendly. He’d seemed delighted to speak to Kalan and Fyr’enth, and he treated them with honesty and respect.

They hadn’t said much beforehand, but she sensed they’d been concerned that Tyran would treat them as curiosities or some kind of threat. Now she felt like they were prepared to trust him, and that was all she could ask for.

Once they’d learned about the meeting, they’d spent what little time they had during the transit to the orbital platform to shower and change. For this event, they’d need to look their best.

She wore the most formal attire she owned—a pair of black pants with a flowing, forest green top made of keski silk. It was sleeveless with a crossover neckline that flattered her shape and put her new wrist cuff on full display.

Her mates had rejected her suggestion that they wear a Vardarian-style top. Instead, they both wore black pants, their usual boots, and a simple black sash that went over one shoulder, across their chest, and ended at the hip. Their only embellishment was the wrist cuff they each wore.

“You look good. I mean, really good. Maybe I should enroll you both in acting classes and try to get you contracts as holo- vid performers. We could live a life of luxury,” she joked as they made their way to the hatch.

“And give up the Gambit ? Never,” Fyr’enth said.

“The only eyes I want watching me are yours, zana ,” Kalan said.

“Very smooth, Kal. Ten out of ten for content and delivery. Just please don’t try to charm the empress. I don’t want her thinking she can take you away from me.”

“She can’t,” they both stated at the same time.

Stars above and below, she loved them.

The prince waited near the hatchway. With him were his anrik , Braxon, and their human mahaya , Phaedra. For once, the cyber-jockey turned princess looked entirely serious. Even her fuchsia-colored hair was tied back in an elaborate braid.

“Thank you for meeting us. We could have found our way there on our own.” Hezza bowed her head to acknowledge the prince and his consorts.

“And miss the opportunity to meet your mates before everyone else? Not a chance.” Phaedra beamed at Kalan and Fyr’enth.

“Hi. I’m Phaedra. This is Braxon, and you’ve spoken to Tyr already.

This meeting will probably have too many speeches and not enough snacks, but don’t worry too much. Whatever happens, we’ve got your back.”

Kalan blinked down at her in surprise. Hezza didn’t blame him. Phaedra was a breath of fresh air in any situation, but her open demeanor and total lack of formality took some getting used to.

“Hello.” Kalan looked over at Hezza. “You didn’t tell us about her hair.”

“No, I didn’t. It’s part of the Phaedra experience.” She grinned as Phaedra laughed.

“I like that! The Phaedra experience. I’m going to steal that if you don’t mind.”

“Of course.”

After that, things were easier. They chatted about inconsequential matters as they walked through the station. The prince had mentioned his intention to take them on a bit of a tour. Not so much to show the station to her mates but to let the colonists see the new arrivals.

Fyr’enth and Kalan didn’t enjoy all the attention, but she understood the prince’s reasons. The colonists were curious, and it was better for them to see for themselves instead of gossip and conjecture filling in the gaps.

Everywhere they went, beings stopped and stared at Kalan and Fyr’enth. Some waved to Phaedra or bowed to the prince, but most of them couldn’t take their eyes off the new arrivals.

“It’s your wings,” Phaedra said. “They’re beautiful but very different from what everyone is used to seeing.”

“They’ll get used to it,” Braxon said and then frowned slightly. “Apologies. They’ll get used to it if you decide to stay on Haven.”

“You are welcome to stay,” Tyran said. “You could make a home here, but in your case, I imagine you already have another offer.” The prince smiled at Hezza. “With your mahaya .”

Kalan turned to look at Hezza and mouthed a single word. “Smooth.”

She had to fake a cough to hide her laughter.

Over time, the males began to talk among themselves. That gave Hezza an opportunity to talk to Phaedra alone. She fell back a meter or so, not enough to be obvious, and lowered her voice while keeping the tone conversational.

“How bad is this going to be?” she asked.

“Tyran wants to tie the Barrios idiot up in his own red tape and kick him out an airlock, and he’s normally the diplomatic one. The colonel keeps trying to pull rank and make demands as if this was a human colony or somewhere under corporate control.”

“How’s the empress taking it?”

“About as well as you’d think. Neha is proud, stubborn, and can be a bit of a bitch, but that might be my bias talking.

Our first meeting was not a good one, and I am known for holding a grudge.

I think her biggest problem is that she’s spent most of her life surrounded by sycophants and courtiers currying favor.

Tyran likes to say that she rules by committee, and I have to agree with him.

The thing is, the committee she relies on for advice is full of assholes. ”

“How is she dealing with the news that her own citizens have been cloned and experimented on?” Hezza needed to know what they were walking into, and so far, it wasn’t sounding good.

“She’s livid. So is Tyran. At first, we all assumed the DNA came from Haven, but we’ve done biopsies on the cyborgs in cryo, and none of them are a match to the beings here.”

“That means the donors are citizens of the empire?”

Phaedra nodded. “Most likely. Yes. And some of them are shedding their scales about it. It’s pretty easy to tell who is sympathetic to the Liq’za when they keep going on about the risk of tainting the genetic perfection of the Vardarian race.

For some of these beings, it is more upsetting to think that the old bloodlines might have been mixed with inferior families than the idea of someone being cloned and enslaved. ”

Now came the dangerous question. “Is the empress one of those beings?”

To her relief, Phaedra shook her head. “I don’t think so.

But she’s adopted some of the terms. Tyran is beside himself about it.

They’ve never seen eye-to-eye on everything, but this is new.

Their mother used to run interference, but she didn’t accompany Neha this time.

I get the feeling some of her companions convinced her she needed to do this on her own.

Which of course, really meant they could influence her without her mother being around to stop it. ”

“What is she going to do with the cyborgs? The new ones?”

Phaedra flashed a tight smile. “I wish I knew. The one thing I am certain about is that she has no intention of letting the IAF or any corporation have them.”

“That’s a good start.”

“It’s something,” Phaedra agreed. “One more thing before we get inside. Neha wasn’t ready to take the throne when their father died.

She thought she had more time. Decades more.

She wanted Tyran to stay and help her lead their people.

He refused because he knew she needed to stand on her own or she’d never let him leave. ”

Hezza nodded. “I’ve heard the stories. I know she wasn’t thrilled about his relationship with Braxon or that his mate is human.”

“Neha isn’t a terrible being, but she’s struggling to find her way right now, and that’s causing problems. She adores her niece, though, and she’s warming up to me, so there is hope. She’s been fed a lot of poison. I’m just not sure how we help her see that.”

Hezza had several suggestions, but they ran out of time before she could voice them, which was probably for the best. A pointy-toed boot planted in the imperial derriere was not exactly a diplomatic solution.

Two Vardarian guards in body armor emblazoned with a crest she didn’t recognize bowed to the prince and then stepped aside, letting them pass through a pair of double doors and into a medium-sized meeting room.

It was a relatively mundane space with a simple blue patterned carpet, white walls, and the high ceilings typical of Vardarian architecture. Several long tables had been set up in a line across the far end of the room, and a number of beings were already seated.