Page 19 of Her Cyborg Commander (The Drift: Haven Colony #9)
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Sneaking up on the shuttle turned out to be the easiest part of this mission. The pilot wasn’t even on board when they arrived. He was twenty meters from the open hatchway, sitting on a small cluster of rocks and taking pictures of the sunset with an imager. Edge had dropped him with a single shot from his pulse rifle.
They’d cleared the vessel quickly, the two of them working together as if they’d always been a team. It was one more reason to kick himself in the ass for fighting his attraction to River for as long as he had. Everything was easier when they were together.
Once they had the ship, Edge went to work closing the hatch and ensuring it was properly sealed.
“Confession time,” he said. “I never got even a basic flight instruction package. My corporate overlords assumed I’d just order someone else to fly me and my team wherever they needed us to go. That’s why I needed a ship with a high-level AI.” He winked at River. “So this is me, ordering you to fly us the hell out of here.”
She grinned. “Yes, Commander.”
Damn, he loved it when she said that.
It was also good to see her smile. His worry for her hadn’t ended when she’d come back from taking care of Jens. He hadn’t liked the distant look in her eye, almost as if she’d left part of herself out in the sand.
That look wasn’t there now. This was the River he’d finally gotten to know, and he loved everything about her.
“I’ll get us in the air, but the second we take off, that corvette is going to expect an update. Unless you can do a decent impression of Dr. Jens, that is not a good idea.”
Edge raised his voice to an unmanly squeak and quavered. “Do you think they’ll believe this is him?”
“Not a chance.” River snorted with laughter. “So we’re going with the tried and true ‘fly like we stole it’ approach and hope Eddi can pick us up?”
“We did steal it,” Edge pointed out. “And I’ll contact Eddi right now.”
“You should strap in first. Remember, this is my first time flying solo.”
He couldn’t tell if she was kidding, but he dropped into the nearest seat and buckled himself in. Just in case.
Despite her warning, the shuttle lifted off smoothly. Once he was certain she had things handled, he contacted Eddi and then asked River to route the link through the shuttle’s comms so she could be involved in the conversation.
Arranging for the scout ship to meet them as quickly as possible was straightforward. Figuring out a way to get aboard was a bigger challenge given they didn’t have vac-suits, but Eddi had a solution.
“I am equipped with an emergency umbilical tube intended for this type of situation. Once activated, it will unfold and seal against the hull of your shuttle. The adhesive process for this is not designed for long-term use, but it should hold long enough for both of you to cross over.”
“You’re certain it will hold? Why can’t we dock this ship alongside you and match the airlock doors?”
“I’m a scout ship. I am not designed for that kind of connection.”
Edge bit back a laugh. The AI sounded slightly horrified at the idea of hooking onto another ship.
“Okay. Okay. It was an honest question. No need to get your circuits in a bunch.”
“You are not making sense, Passenger Edge. Should I prepare the med system to check you for head injuries once you are on board?”
“No med systems,” he snapped. “I’m fine, but even if I wasn’t, my medi-bots would deal with it.” The last thing he wanted was to have the AI taking scans and offering medical advice.
River piped up from the cockpit. “Actually, I might need the med-system. I tore up my feet badly and I suspect there’s a lot of sand and other debris in the cuts. My medi-bots can clean it all up eventually, but I’ll heal faster if it’s done soon.”
“Of course, Pilot River. I will prepare for your treatment once you arrive.”
“Wait a second. Why am I just Passenger Edge, but River gets to be called Pilot?”
The damned AI sounded absolutely smug as it replied, “Because my records indicate River has preliminary flight qualifications. You do not.”
River’s laughter filled the air. “We’ll rendezvous with you in fourteen minutes, Eddi. The other ship has stopped trying to hail us and is on an intercept course, but they won’t get here in time. Please begin calculating jump coordinates for a random destination at least five light-years away. That will give us time to work out where we’re really going.”
“Calculations beginning now. Will there be anything else?”
“No. Please get to the meeting point as fast as you can. The sooner we’re safe, the sooner we can get you back to Sevda.”
The AI made a pleased humming sound. “That would be my preferred outcome.”
“Ours too,” Edge chimed in.
With the preliminary issues out of the way for the moment, he moved on to his next concern. “How bad are you hurt, minx?”
“I’ll live. But if I don’t deactivate the nerve-block soon, the system will do it for me. I’d rather finish my treatment before the pain comes back.”
He was out of the harness and on his feet in seconds. “Why didn’t you say anything?” he demanded as he barged into the cockpit.
“I did. I told you I carried you back to camp barefoot because you hid my fraxxing boots.”
He growled and ran a hand through his hair, leaving it in spikes that reflected his current mood. “We need to work on our communication.”
She flicked an amused glance over her shoulder at him. “What happened to the man who complained if we stopped arguing we’d stop having make-up sex?”
“He’s gained some perspective since then.” He placed a hand on her shoulder, the simple touch grounding him.
“We did have a busy day,” she agreed. Without another word, she turned her head to kiss his fingers.
“Yeah, we did. And it’s not over yet.”
“Not even close.” River nodded to the copilot’s seat. “Since you’re here, we should talk about what comes next.”
“We don’t have a lot of options.” He sat down without bothering to strap in this time. “As much as I hate to say it, we can’t do this alone. We’re going to need help.”
“I agree. As it happens, Hezza left me a good-bye present—a comm relay buoy in orbit around the planet. She set it up so I had way to reach her if needed. I think that time has come.”
“Agreed. It might take a while for her to get the message, though. I’m not sure where she is, but it will be a long way from here…or anywhere that Nova Force might find her.”
“I know. But it’s a start. Now we need to figure out what to tell her. Starting with where we’re headed.”
“Where do you think we should go?”
He expected her to suggest Vardarian space or maybe another isolated planet. Instead, River shot him a mischievous smile.
“I think we need to talk to the one person who might be able to see a way for us to get out of this mess.”
He tried to figure out who she meant but drew a total blank. “Who?”
“I’ll give you a hint. She’s the only other cyborg to ever leave Haven.”
Fraxx . Why didn’t he think of that? “Chance!”
“Exactly. Which means we need to get to The Drift. Eddi, can you chart a course that will get us to Defiance Station? You can make the jump as soon as we’re on board. Oh, and send an encrypted message to our friends back on Haven to let them know our destination. But only if you’re sure these assholes can’t intercept it.”
“Of course, Pilot River. I will begin immediately.”
Edge broke in as another idea took root. “Don’t take us directly there, Eddi. Plot a roundabout route that lets us drop out of jump space several times. It will take longer, but it will keep the assholes on our tail from working out where we’re going quickly. The more time we keep them guessing, the less time they’ll have to send someone to intercept us.”
River nodded. “Good plan. Eddi, can you map a route that also takes us close to a couple of repeater stations? That way we can check for messages and send some of our own.
It wasn’t the best plan he’d ever come up with, but it would have to be good enough.
Edge looked at River and grinned to himself. It was going to be another long trip to get to their destination, but this time, he had a long list of ways he intended to pass the time.
All of them involved River, nudity, and orgasms.