A Dryden Collection, page 28
The doctor waved a hand. "Semantics, as well you know. His memories, thoughts, mannerisms — all will be just as they were."
"No guts? A black skeleton?"
He smiled, nodding as if that was a great thing. "Yes. Super strong carbon fiber."
Tian was shaking her head, her lips pulled down.
"Give me a moment with Tian, please?"
Ul-Saidan glanced between them then rose. "Of course. But we'll need an answer soon. Whatever you decide, there is much to be done." The door closed behind him.
Tian looked stricken. "They're using you. They want you to be like me so you can be an agent, too. It all looks rosy, but you won't age."
Forever young. Wonderful. "Nothing wrong with that."
She frowned, exasperated. "People say that without thinking. Well, do it now. Think about what it actually means. You can't really have friends. After a while they'll look at you and wonder why you don't look a day over thirty. You won't be able to see your sisters. They'll notice the difference, and you'll put them in danger. You won't be able to have kids."
No kids. He stared at her. "But you can have sex."
"Yes. But I haven't got anywhere to grow a baby."
A horrible thought blossomed in his brain. "I could have sex?"
She rolled her eyes. "Just what you'd expect from a man. As far as I know, yes. You'll be a fully functional Human. On the outside. But you should check with the doctor."
She sighed. "Brent, it sounds lovely. But it's actually very, very lonely. You can't tell anyone. Not even your family. Your sisters will be told you died. You'll never speak to them again."
"All this happened to you?"
Tian nodded. "Ten years ago. I've been alone and isolated for all those years. Think about that. And it'll go on for decades. Maybe centuries. Never growing old. No grandchildren. Nobody to share your life with."
Ten years. She didn't look older than late twenties. "Who else knows about you?"
"Ul-Mellor, the doctor who performed the procedure. That's it."
"Someone else does. Someone in Imperial Security."
"Yes. Admiral Ul-Mellor has had the matter investigated, but nothing so far. There's not much I can do, since my cover is blown as far as that person is concerned."
Brent nodded. "And now I know."
She was silent for a moment, thoughtful. "They can fix your body, your real body. At the same time they'll fix your mind. You won't remember any of this, you won't remember me."
"Not at all?" His dream was like that, a terrible sense of loss, then she was gone. Surely there was another way.
"Not at all. It's better for everyone that way." She turned away, blinking.
Oh crap. Two choices, if he rejected the third, which was to die. He could go back to his old life, maybe slightly battered. He'd see his sisters, watch their kids grow up. Maybe get married, have kids of his own. But he'd lose Tian. She would evaporate as though she'd never existed. Maybe he'd kind of known. In his dream her true nature was exposed by fire, then she faded away, while he called her name. I love you.
Or he could choose to become like her. Forever young, roaming the galaxy. But no friends, no kids, nobody close. Except her.
"Tian, tell me what you would do, knowing what you know now, if you were me."
"Oh, that's hard, Brent. I had nothing to lose. Nothing at all. My parents and my husband all died in the same terrible crash that injured me. I was quite happy to die. But the admiral said I could help to destroy the people who destroyed my family. So I made my choice."
"And did you?"
Her eyebrows rose. "What?"
"Destroy the people who killed your family."
She nodded, a half smile curving her lips. "Yes. And yes, it felt good. But it didn't bring them back."
"I need some time to think about this."
She tried a smile. "Of course you do." She kissed his forehead, then his lips. "Think hard. It's not an easy life being mostly machine. Think very hard about what you'll have to give up, and what you'll have to face for maybe hundreds of years. I'm leaving now. The admiral has a job for me."
Epilogue
TIAN STOOD AT PARADE rest in front of the Gar Rylat, High Priestess of the Mother. The green scales had faded, but the old Yrmak's eyes were bright yellow. At present she bent over the Damocles year book, delicately turning the pages with the tip of a claw. Once or twice her eye ridges darkened.
Tian gazed around at deep green walls decorated with gold symbols of the Mother. A mosaic of the goddess filled one wall, and stylized eyes decorated door frames and even the High Priestess's curved desk. Guards stood on either side of the door, both carrying the ritual spear, but both also had Yrmak disruptors hanging from their belts. One shifted his stance a little and his armor creaked.
Finally, the Gar Rylat closed the book.
"I have seen your evidence." One claw tapped the leather-bound cover. "I thank your admiral. We will take any steps we find necessary."
Tian pressed her fingers to her forehead and bowed. "I thank you, Your Eminence."
"Was it you who found this book?" Another tap of a claw.
"Yes."
The Yrmak angled her head, her eyes narrowed. Curious. "There are more of these?"
"Perhaps. The building was close to collapse because of the volcanic activity. By now it might have been utterly destroyed."
"Might. But then, it may still be there, buried."
"Yes."
"You may go." The Gar Rylat raised a hand and the guards who had escorted Tian inside the temple escorted her out again, straight into a closed skimmer which whisked her back to the space port, and from there back to her ship, waiting in orbit. So much for a look at Pok Yaavan.
But at least from here she could see the Mother. The constellation stood out against a cloud of interstellar dust, the eye a bright haze. The star had exploded thousands of years ago, but only now was its brilliant ruin visible. Hard to imagine a deep space object could lead to so much death. But then, it wasn't really the star, was it. It was the belief system, and those are difficult to change.
Back on the ship's bridge Tian selected a planet outside Yrmak space where she could interrogate a satellite for Starburst's location. Where she would find out what Brent had decided to do. She tried hard not to think about him, but with her perfect memory it was impossible. She'd toyed with the idea of erasing him, but he was too entangled with other matters that she had to remember. She could erase the sex scenes, but she didn't want to. Not yet.
The long range fighter she'd been assigned slipped into shift space. Nothing to do now but think. Or perhaps make virtual love with Brent one more time to stave off the loneliness. Since she'd left him at the hospital the sense of loss was like a shroud hanging over her head. Time heals everything, they say. She hoped they were right. It had been all she could do to carry out the task Admiral Ul-Mellor had assigned to her. If anything it was an indication of his lack of trust in Imperial Security that he would send her and not a senior diplomat. Her logical mind hoped Brent had chosen to be Human, to live his life as Humans were meant to live. But the emotional part of her sobbed. Selfish. Her loss, not his.
Once her fighter had landed in Starburst's hangar bay Tian went straight to Admiral Ul-Mellor's office. He smiled in greeting. "Sit. Still no word on the Semla Rylat. But I have little doubt she will not live for too many more sunsets."
He steepled his hands in front of his face. "And now it is time you learned the fate of your partner."
If she had a heart it would have thudded.
The door opened behind her and Brent walked in, that lovely, familiar, silly grin on his face. "Hello Tian."
"You idiot. You fool." Blinking through the tears, she flung herself into his arms.
SOME TIME LATER
Tian snuggled into the hollow of Brent's shoulder. "I won't pretend it isn't wonderful to have you back."
"But you still want to know why I did it? It's too late for regrets. They told me that." He hugged her against him. "I didn't decide lightly."
"Tell me."
"Well, I made sure I'd still be able to have sex."
She giggled. "Yes, I noticed that."
"Effectively losing my sisters bothered me. But I at least ensured their future. They've been told I died, but they both received large sums from an 'insurance policy'. So Giselle will get her engineering degree."
Tian put her hand on his chest where his heart used to be. "Doesn't it hurt?"
"A bit. But let's face it, I didn't see them that often. I can still keep an eye on them. From a distance."
"How do you feel in your new body?"
"Great. Nothing hurts. Everything works. And I've got you for the next hundred years or so. And meanwhile, we might see if we can find out who put you in that brothel."
He turned to face her. "Is the Chezahn cult finished?"
"What do you think?"
Brent chewed his lip for a moment, then said, "Is the Rylat on Semla dead?"
She shook her head. "She's disappeared. The Yrmaks assure us it's all over but I'm not so sure. She'd escaped from Damocles. Why not escape from Semla? Especially if it was she who sent warriors to stop us. It's not that easy to erase a belief. If there are Yrmaks who think a supernova that happened thousands of years ago means the Mother is angry, then Chezahn will be around."
"Is that going to be our first assignment?"
Tian chuckled. "You're assuming we'll be allowed to work together. They're much more likely to send us off separately. You know, like a married couple working to pay the mortgage."
Brent shook his head. "That's in the contract. For at least half a year, every year, we work together. Besides, I'm going to need expert instruction in how to handle my brand new powers."
Tian laughed. "Sounds good to me. I knew that trader experience you had would stand you in good stead."
"
The End
Don't miss out!
Click the button below and you can sign up to receive emails whenever Greta van der Rol publishes a new book. There's no charge and no obligation.
https://books2read.com/r/B-P-VPC-GTCK
https://books2read.com/r/B-P-VPC-GTCK
Connecting independent readers to independent writers.
Did you love A Dryden Collection? Then you should read For the Greater Good by Greta van der Rol!
A Human settlement is destroyed and all signs point to an Yrmak raid as Imperial agents Tian Axmar and Brent Walker scour the site for clues. One thing they never expected to find was a survivor, a rare alien feline with unusual talents.
As tensions between Humans and Yrmaks ratchet to the point of no return, Tian and Brent must bring all their cyborg skills to bear as they follow a dangerous trail of deception and misdirection.
The feline, now dubbed Puss and strongly bonded to Tian, holds the key to many of the questions driving the investigation. Unfortunately, that bond drives a wedge between Brent and Tian's working relationship, leaving Brent with second thoughts about his decision to become a cyborg.
As the evidence unfolds, it becomes clear that a devious plot to incite an interspecies war will strike at the very heart of the Empire. With lives at risk, there's no time to waste. Racing against the clock, Brent, Tian, and Puss must stop the planned carnage, and this time for Brent and Tian… it's personal.
Also by Greta van der Rol
Black Tiger
Black Tiger
White Tiger
Black Tiger / White Tiger
Dryden Universe
Eye of the Mother
A Dryden Collection
Ella and the Admiral
A Matter of Trust
The Demon's Eye
For the Greater Good
Retribution
The Search for the Crimson Lady
The Thunder Egg
Imperial Agent Collection
Drarkghon's Hoard
Morgan Selwood
Supertech
Morgan's Choice
Morgan's Return
Kuralon Rescue
Rescuing Romila
Escape from Shar Burk
A Victory Celebration
Ink
Morgan's Misfits
Ptorix Empire
The Iron Admiral: Conspiracy
The Iron Admiral: Deception
Starheart
Crisis at Validor
The Stuff of Legend
The Admiral and the Rebel
The Complete Iron Admiral
The President's Daughter
Standalone
To Die a Dry Death
Shorts
About the Author
Greta Van der Rol crafts intricate space opera worlds with epic quests that captivate readers from the first page to the last. Her books will keep you reading in one sitting!
Greta van der Rol, A Dryden Collection
