Page 9 of Her Cyborg Commander (The Drift: Haven Colony #9)

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River’s choice of hiding places was the result of a number of factors, including proximity to Hezza’s usual routes. The system she’d finally selected was only a short jump—less than two days—and was in an area of space without much traffic. The deviation shouldn’t be noticed, and Hezza had a cover story about a malfunctioning nav set to go if anyone asked questions.

“Last chance to change your mind,” Hezza said over the ship’s speakers.

River didn’t bother answering. They both knew this was the way it had to be.

“Okay then. Welcome to your new home in the ass-end of beyond. Which is what I’ve designated this system as, by the way.”

“You’re crap at naming things,” River called out as she rapped her knuckles against a nearby bulkhead. “No one sane would ever call their ship the Desperate Gambit .”

“Never said I was sane,” Hezza replied, her snappy comeback almost covering the concern in her voice. “And if we’re going down that path, I will happily point out that I’m not the one about to ride a dropship from high orbit to the surface of a planet rated so inhospitable to life that even the corporations want no part of it.”

And that was another reason she’d picked this place. No one would come here by accident. Anyone who showed up could safely be considered a threat. She intended to treat them as such.

When what little she’d brought with her was stashed inside the dropship, River took a few minutes to freshen up before meeting Hezza back on the cargo deck.

“I am not thrilled about this plan of yours,” the older female stated.

“Honestly, it’s not my favorite idea, either. It’s just the only one I have. When I set all this up, I thought it would be to keep me from acting against my friends. I always expected I’d be the enemy that had to be dealt with.”

“You got what you need to handle that bastard doctor if he shows his face on Dust Bowl?”

River snorted at the nickname Hezza had given the planet they orbited. “I do. And I’ll have time to make new plans once I get down there. I’m a cyborg. I can handle anything that place can throw at me. If Jens shows up, he’ll have more than a pissed off cyborg trying to kill him. The whole planet will be in on my side.”

“I still don’t like it.” Hezza reached out to touch her arm gently. “You don’t have to do this alone. I could go back and get a few of your friends…”

River raised her hands to stop Hezza from saying anymore. “It’s bad enough I left the colony. If more of the cyborgs leave, there will be repercussions. I don’t know what else they could do to us, and I don’t want to find out.” She took Hezza’s hand and squeezed it. “I’m worried about you. The best thing you can do now is to forget I was ever aboard the Gambit .”

“I’ve spent my whole life avoiding trouble. I’ve become an expert at avoiding blame and side-stepping unpleasant things like prison time. After you’re gone, I’ll send the bots to do a bio-scrub of the interior. There won’t be a scrap of your DNA left for anyone to find.”

“If you’re questioned, how will you explain the cryo-pod?”

“I’ve already got a buyer lined up for it. I kept it in a warehouse on Liberty because I knew no one there would steal it. Can’t say that about many other places on my usual route.” Hezza winked. “I told you. This is what I do. I’ll be fine. And when I hear anything you need to know, I’ll find a way to get the information to you.”

“Thank you. I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me.” She gave the human a quick hug and then danced away before Hezza could protest.

“I fulfilled the requests of a paying client. A very generous client. Nothing more.”

Hezza jerked her chin in the direction of the dropship. “Hang on tight on the way down. It’ll be a bumpy ride.”

“I will.” River climbed into the claustrophobically cramped space inside and strapped herself in. With one last wave, she closed the hatch and prepared for the drop. Something thumped against the hull behind her, and then a deep vibration thrummed through her seat as the dropship was clamped into place and pushed toward the cargo ramp at the back of Hezza’s ship. Red lights flashed on her console, indicating the cargo bay was venting atmosphere.

More lights flashed as the ramp opened, and she briefly wished she had a view-port so she could watch what happened next. The dropship had a basic AI that handled everything from departure to landing. All she could do was hang on and hope. If it all went to plan, in a few hours she’d be setting up camp near the rest of the items she’d paid Hezza to drop here over the last few months.

“It had to be this way,” she whispered as the dropship started its descent. Even as she spoke the words, a tiny part of her refused to agree. She couldn’t listen to that part. Her heart didn’t know what was best for her. If it did, it wouldn’t still be asking why she’d walked away from the one male she’d ever wanted… and could never have. Edge had never seen her that way.

The dropship’s AI managed a near perfect landing. She stepped out of the cramped cockpit to see she was only a few dozen meters from the scattered collection of crates and containers that held everything she needed to survive. Some of it was scavenged from the gear the IAF had donated for the cyborgs’ use when they had first arrived at the colony. They’d sent over enough nutri-bars, dry rations, and surplus military items like cots and camping gear to fill several warehouses. No one had missed the bits and pieces she’d acquired for herself. She wasn’t the only one to do so, either.

The rangers had taken a good portion of the camping gear to outfit themselves for patrols. After all, it had been intended for them to use. Those doing the donating just never envisioned the cyborgs would be welcomed as full members of the colony. They thought River and the others would live their lives on the outskirts of Haven, making do with second-hand gear and the generosity of their alien caretakers.

She snorted. Like she would have agreed to the deal if that was the case.

Dragging everything to her chosen location and setting up her camp felt unexpectedly nostalgic—the feel of canvas beneath her hands, the familiar scents that wafted up from inside each crate as she opened them. Some of the memories made her sad. Others made her smile. Without even being aware, she fell into a rhythm honed over the years she’d been in combat.

Even the landscape felt right, like she’d been here before in that long ago life. The sky overhead was a paler blue than the one she’d known, but her research told her that the frequent dust storms and thicker atmosphere would create breathtaking vistas at sunrise and sunset. Those same dust storms were why she had to set things up as quickly as possible. The weather on this planet was as hostile as everything else, and the winds could reach speeds that could flay the flesh from her bones if she was caught without shelter.

She hadn’t only brought military surplus, though. Some of it was of Vardarian make, purchased from local shop keepers and artisans. Obtaining it and then getting it here had cost her every favor she’d earned and almost all the scrip she’d received as compensation for the pain and suffering she’d endured during both her times as a slave.

The surveys and data she’d used to find this place had come from Sevda. Well, technically, they’d come from the AI of her ship. As a former corporate scout, Sevda had mapped dozens of systems over the years, including the entire area of space around what was now Liberty. Hearing about how she’d met Raze and the way they’d bonded and decided to forge a future together was a tale she’d fought to include in the official record of how the colony had come to be.

Sevda had taught her how to read the charts and extrapolate information from what was little more than raw data.

Thinking about Sevda gave River a pang. She missed her, and even her grumpy husband, Raze. The thought put her at the top of a slippery slope that would only lead to feelings she had no time for. First, she had to get herself sorted and settled. She’d have time to deal with the ramifications of what she’d done later. Long nights alone with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company would give her plenty of time for regrets and remorse.

The surveys Sevda had provided were how she’d found the spot she intended to make her permanent camp. Outcroppings of red and orange rock dominated the area, and some of them formed a natural enclosure with a narrow gap as the only way in or out. The enclosed area was sandy, with a small pool of clear water at one end. Scrubby brush and small, fibrous trees twisted into strange shapes by the wind huddled near the only source of water.

The rocks offered more shade than the trees did, so she placed her shelter next to a massive boulder with enough of an overhang to provide some shade during the hottest parts of the day.

The shelter itself was one of the most expensive items she’d had Hezza deliver. It could be hermetically sealed to keep out the sand, dust, and wind, and while it was almost as cramped as the dropship cockpit, it contained everything she’d need to survive here for the long term. It had a water reclamation system on par with one from a starship, a simple cooktop, and a loft that functioned as both her general living space and sleeping area.

The batteries it used for power were housed in a separate section near the back and could be recharged using solar panels or a wind turbine. Given the amount of dust in the air, cleaning the panels would be a daily chore—one of many she’d have to take on.

The second building she put up was a combo workshop and storage tent. This was a far simpler structure with canvas walls and an internal framework that took her far too long to set up. She’d done this dozens of times in her life but never on her own. She took it as a reminder from the universe that she’d need to remember that going forward. One person could do everything that needed doing, but it would take her longer and require some resourceful thinking to accomplish it all.

“I can do this,” she said aloud, her words carried off by a hot and arid wind.

It was still a few hours before sunset, but something told her she’d need to be inside her new shelter before then. A quick glance at the sky confirmed her suspicions. The sunlight had dimmed slightly as it was filtered through a reddish haze. With no weather satellites or other equipment, she would have to rely on her instincts when it came to predicting storms. This meant she could never stray too far from camp, which was fine. Everything she needed was right here. The rocks gave her shelter, the pool of clear water was maintained by an underground spring, and all her supplies had survived their descent and were ready to use.

She dragged the last of the crates inside her new workshop and storage area and took a few minutes to double-check that the bolts and ropes she’d used to secure the tent were all in good order. It would take days for her to complete the preliminary setup of her camp, but for today, she’d done enough.

The whisper of sand blowing across the rocks blended with the first mournful moans of the wind as it blew into the crack and crevices of her new home. She still had a few minutes, and she wanted to see the coming storm for herself.

She picked out a likely vantage point and made for it, making leaps that no human could have managed. With a little work, she could make the ascent even easier by leveling some of the more obvious landing spots. She grinned as she reached the top of the outcrop. One more task to add to her ever-growing list.

One look around her confirmed that the view was worth the effort. In fact, this would serve as a perfect lookout point. From here, she had a clear view of the entire area. She was above and behind her camp, allowing her to see anyone or anything that approached the only entrance to her newly established home. The sky ahead of her was relatively clear, but when she turned to look behind her, she spotted the storm. A wall of shifting darkness spanned the horizon, boiling across the landscape and consuming everything in its path. “ Veth . That’s a little nastier than I was hoping for my first storm. I guess everything is about to get stress tested in a serious way.”

She scanned the horizon again, using her onboard enhancements to estimate the height and general size of the storm bearing down on her. If it was more or less circular, it would take hours to pass. She had no way to know that and wished yet again that she could have put some micro-satellites in orbit to help her with things like understanding the weather and spotting potential incursions. Anything in orbit would only attract attention, though, and the risk of being discovered outweighed anything else.

Once she’d seen enough, she made her way back down to her shelter and went inside.

She felt like she should say something momentous to mark the occasion, but nothing came to mind. She’d done all she could to safeguard the others and escape Dr. Jens’ ongoing obsession with her.

That would have to be enough.