Dare, page 9
part #15 of Galactic Cyborg Heat Series
Boarding them wasn’t logical. “They are trying to board us? Knowing we are Cyborg?” he asked.
So it would seem, Bann answered over his neuro net.
“Ship’s wide communications; We are being boarded. Welcome party to engineering. Secure at all costs. Close communications.” He connected to his neuro net and linked with Teal. Get her out of there NOW.
“Affirmative.”
Concern for the female flooded through him. Dare sent the neuro ping to his men guarding Nicky. No not allow her to be injured. Remove her bodily if you have to. He received the ‘affirmative’ and closed the link, bringing his attention back to the ship firing on them and the visual of the other one trying to breach. “Contact the Admiral, inform him the pirates are joining forces and we are taking fire.” He turned his emotions off and instantly felt clearer than he had in days. Dare cricked his neck, left then right, then focused on the enemy. “Take out their guns and engine, then get us in close. I want a chance to say hello.”
Nicky ran along the corridor. Where she needed to be was two sections over. She knew this ship well. There were no signs of the breaching. No smoke, no noise, no decompression. She wondered for a moment if they’d got it wrong, then dismissed that. They were Cyborg, they were never got anything wrong. “Our troops are coming.” Teal told her.
She nodded just as a panel exploded up ahead. It threw her sideways in between the two sections where she’d been standing. Decomp shut off quickly. The ship sealing itself. Smoke and debris suddenly everywhere, her ears ringing and her Cyborgs nowhere to be seen. For a second, she feared they’d been blown out and realised they’d not been time. She was lighter than them, so it made sense she’d been thrown further. Sounds filtered to her, fighting in the direction of the explosion. Someone had engaged who was attacking them. She could guess who.
Looking for riffle she found it lying a few feet from her. Crawling over she grabbed it scrambling to her feet. Relieved to see it didn’t appear to be damaged.
She guessed they were made to take more of an impact than that. A quick check around her, told her she was still on her own and needed to get to engineering. The sounds of fighting became louder. Moving quickly back to the section gap she’d just been thrown down, she peered around the corner. Her three Cyborgs were holding the breach fighting the pirates back. She could see that the explosion had ripped through the hull. Ships systems had engaged the emergency barrier and the pirates had put a seal in, but it was rubbish, you could see it was leaking air. Not good. She realised it could go at any time and take most of their section with it.
“Hull breach not secured,” she shouted out as she watched her men come under attack again. This time severely outnumbered, but putting up one hell of a fight. Two tried to out flank them, Nicky lifted the riffle and fired taking them both down.
And that set the pattern for her. Exposed hull or not, she wasn’t leaving her guard. Every time one tried to move passed her boys, she shot him. Using the wall as cover, she kept a vigil on their backs and kept firing. The longer it went on the more desperate the pirates got. Suddenly they started to rush them. Nicky realised she couldn’t protect them from behind the wall any longer. Taking up position in the centre of the corridor, she fired at anything that wasn’t with her.
They became desperate. More reckless. She saw one of her boys go down on one knee. His foot shot off from under him. Shocked she watched him go down still fighting his assailant. Nicky went crazy and saw the gap he’d left wide open. Screaming her anger, she let loose with everything she had and kept moving forward. Until the air moved around her and “Female, in-coming,” was called out. Their troops had arrived. A hand was placed on her gun and held her steady, as they moved in around her and took over the fight.
Nicky took a calming breath, sweat running down her face. Wiping at it she tried to swallow, her mouth suddenly very dry. She looked up at a face from the Bridge. “I’m ok. Go kill um.”
They’d blown out both engines on the firing ship stopping it cold and were about to blow the hatch when he got the information that the attempted breach had been dealt with. Nicky was safe and unharmed. His entire being focused on the ship he was about to be take for the Empire. “Ship wide communications; This is the Captain, the breach on our ship failed. The other ship is now dead in the water. We will now board that vessel and send a message. We are Cyborg. This is our territory. Our World. Do not fuck with us!” End message.” His men roared their agreement and stood ready with him. He gave the nod and the doorway to that vessel exploded as it was meant to. Even before the dust was clear, he gave the order. Take it. They ran into the ship looking for the enemy.
Nicky looked on as Cyborg warriors secured the breaching ship. Several patches were put in place to secure it. It had taken time to clear the bodies from the breach after that, clear up the mess and secure the hull and the other ship. Xing, meaning thriving, successful in Old Earth Chinese, was her guard who’d lost his foot and ankle in the battle but somehow, he’d been able to shut off the blood supply to it and that had saved his life. No one seemed in any urgency to get him to medical and it started to annoy her. It seemed like hours that he’d laid there propped up by the wall, while they worked around him. It felt all wrong. Unable to look at him any longer, Nicky stood making her way over and held her arm out. “Medical, now.”
He looked up confused at her. “I am Cyborg and stable,” he told her.
“I’m female but I’m not always right either. Up.”
He blinked at her a few times and hauled himself up, standing on one leg. Nicky couldn’t look at it. Had this been her fault? “I am too heavy for you to aid. You cannot support me.”
Nicky nodded suddenly remembering just how heavy these guys were. She saw two Cyborgs sorting out the dead and wounded. “You and you, carry him between you to medical. Make sure the medic is there. How are the other two?” she asked him looking over at them.
“Injured but they will live.” Teal gave her thumbs up, the other a nod.
“I want them in medical too.” Giving her a sharp nod, they placed one of his arms over each of their shoulders and carried Xing off. Nicky walked over to the other two. She could see them holding injuries. “Why did you not say before?” she ranted. Upset that this too was on her.
“Our nano’s have stabilised us.” Teal told her. “Thank you for supporting us. It made the difference here.”
She nodded and started to shake. Her anger strong enough to taste. Pointing down the corridor she told them. “Get to medical now.”
She followed them. Angry with them, angrier with herself. Had she put them in danger and caused this? Were they injured because of her? The medical doors were open. Several Cyborgs were being treated. She didn’t recognise them. They had to be with Dare. Fear flooded her as she checked that none of them were him, then sat at the back and watched the medic work. He voiced his diagnoses, she guessed for her. They all had neuro net so didn’t need to speak aloud. Nicky felt weary. Sickened when the medic spoke about having to ‘replace’ the foot and ankle on Xing. How did you replace a foot and ankle? Someone passed her some water and Nicky gratefully drank.
She wasn’t sure how long she’d sat there. A medic came over and scanned her. Gave her a nod and went back to work. Was that Dare’s doing? Regular updates were given to her on the taking of the other ship. More wounded came in. Someone had inspected her Air Drive, they told her it was working fine but her concentration was elsewhere. Where was he? The ships computer continued to monitor everything going on and displayed it over the vid com. She knew that to be for her benefit. It had after all been the strongest of tests. Her Air Drive could function in a war zone.
The air stirred, and Dare walked in right passed her with several of his men. The air full of his anger. Nicky could see it. He was fit to combust. He approached her guards. They all moved silently covered in blood and for a moment, Nicky’s heart stopped, she feared he was badly injured. That something terrible had happened. Then registered he was walking just fine. It didn’t seem to be his blood and her sense of relief hit her. She’d thought he was here for treatment, feared that she might lose him. That she’d left it too late. Even the anger rolling off him she was glad to see. Every bit of his being echoed it. He was alive and that was all that mattered. He had to be ok to do that right? her mind asked.
All the Cyborgs in the room stood to attention. Tension in the room rose as did the sight of Dare. Was he getting bigger? “I gave specific instructions that she was not to be in harms way. And if needed,” his voice grew harder, louder. “To bodily remove her if you had to. And what did you do? You took her straight to the enemy!” he roared.
Nicky had heard enough. Worried for him or not, he didn’t need to shout at her men. They’d done their job and saved the ship and the price had been too high. “Stop shouting,” she told him quietly too tired for politeness. “I’ve heard enough for one day. They told me your message and I ignored them. My choice, my right and when it came to it,” she looked over at the man lying down and in the other two in medical chairs, “they took on an entire army to stop that breach and protect me.” She turned to Dare who hadn’t moved other than to look at her. She could see he was struggling. “Turn your emotions off.”
“They are off female,” he ranted.
Nicky raised an eyebrow. “Not…. enough.”
You could see the wind dissipate from his sails almost immediately. His men looked on, some with clear confusion on their faces. Nicky understood it. The Commander had taken an order from a female who wasn’t Cyborg and reacted accordingly. It wouldn’t have been logical. She smiled, giving him a moment and saw him struggle again and waited. “I am well.” She told him. Eventually he gave her a nod. “Do not be upset with them, that was on me. I was determined to save the Air Drive and we were closest to engineering. Couldn’t let them take either out.”
He was out of control, he knew it. His rage soared through him. His need to have vengeance for his female being in danger had driven him during the taking of the pirate vessel. He blamed himself as much as his men. He’d gone looking for trouble and found it and placed her in danger. She’d rightly reprimanded him and told him to get his shit together. Dare walked slowly over and crouched in front of her chair. She looked squarely up at him. No fear. “I’m sorry, I did this.” Reaching out he took the hand without the water in it. “I would prefer,” he told her slowly, more controlled, “that you do not do that again.”
Nicky laughed, she couldn’t help it. It sounded so neat and tidy in a world of mess and horror. “It’s a deal. I’d prefer not to too.”
His need to touch her overwhelmed him, Dare reached out and grasped her around the neck pulling her to him. The fear that he’d put her in danger had driven him crazy. He brushed his nose along her neckline and held the flesh there for a moment between his teeth, then let go and kissed it. He needed to spend time with her, reassuring himself that nothing had harmed her. Running his lips along to her ear, he kissed it. “I am sorry to have placed you in danger female,” he whispered knowing all his men would be able to hear it and not caring. “I should have been more careful, it was not my intent. I feared I might lose you, even with my emotions turned off, my control is not good. I have need of you female. You, no one else,” he told her gently, then moved his lips along her cheek to her own lips. His brushed lightly along them. Nicky held her breath. Her body lighting up like Christmas. A light stroke of his lips again on hers and he stood up turning back to his men.
“I want reports by the end of day. The pirate ships are ours. Salvage and bonus will be paid and survivors in the brig to answer for their crimes.”
Dare held his hand out to Nicky. He needed her now but he would give her the choice. For him the waiting was over. He’d been pushed to his limits and it was time this was over. The moment she placed her hand in his, she was his for the taking. He walked her from the room. It was time.
He needed her. Ran over and over in her mind. He’d had weeks to find someone else and he hadn’t. He didn’t lie. Her heart raced. Was this real? Her nerves were playing havoc with her system. Her mind wouldn’t shut off. And suddenly she was in a room that wasn’t hers and Dare was staring at her. She looked around. How did she get here? Dare made a step towards her and she instinctively stepped back. He stopped and looked at her curiously. Then turned, going into the bathroom and started stripping off his clothes and for the life of her, she couldn’t look away.
The shirt came off first, his torso showing the many scars of battle over his life time and she hated seeing it. Each one a reminder of the pain he’d suffered, the battles he’d been in. There were so many. He might look in his late 20s but here, his body showed his true age. It was one that had been in war for far longer than that. Sadness swept through her as various new nics and cuts from taking the recent ship mended before her eyes. Fascinated she moved closer.
His combats came next. Without a second thought he chucked them off with his boots and stood naked before her. Nicky’s brain froze. Had she ever beheld such a male? Apart from the obvious, there were no comparisons to the human men she’d been with. Was that a 10 pack? She blinked to wipe away the idiocy of the thought and tried not to stare at the sight of his cock standing proud. Holy shit, that was never gonna fit… Her mouth watered as Dare held out his hand to her and waited. Nicky hesitated for a moment, then walked in to meet him. The dye was caste. They would be no going back from this.
He reached for her face and kissed her gently. He didn’t want to scare her, not now. Finally, she was within his grasp. “I wish to turn on my emotions but, I do not know how I will respond. My need of you is great. Do I have your permission to do so?”
Without hesitation she gave him a nod. Dare held still for a moment feeling everything fully since he’d turned them off. It was a revelation to him. So much, so strong. All for her. He smiled down at her. “Thank you for this gift,” he whispered. She smiled up at him and started to undo her clothing, but he held her hands to stop her. “Allow me that honour,” he asked. Her hands gave way and he took over. Slowly undoing each of the buttons on her shirt. She stood before him, a glimpse of tantalising flesh between the opening of two halves. Dare slowly ran his hands inside the lapels of her shirt, relishing the feel of her silk skin under his hands at last, pushing back the fabric free of her shoulders letting it fall down her back. He gazed on the female that was for him and only him.
A ferial need to take, rose from nowhere. Grasping her head, he pulled her face to look up at him as he gripped the shirt in the other hand and ripped it free of her body. Stepping into her, he nuzzled her neck. Her desire, scenting the air. Dare growled. “The need to take you is strong female. I will try to hold it back but the need to possess you, dominate your body is driving me.” He felt her hands on his body and pure lust flooded him. He bit hard tasting her blood on his tongue and in the air. Her small cry at the pain, ignited something deep within him. Releasing her flesh, he lapped at it quickly knowing his nano’s would heal her and grasped the fabric of her trousers, ripping them free of her hips and pulling the fabric free of her body. Picking her up in walked into the large open shower made big enough for two of his kind. Quickly disposing of her underwear, he turned her under the water he went to soap her body and saw the two grazes on her skin.
A lump formed in his throat. “You are injured, and you said nothing.” His anger rising once more.
Nicky tried to focus but her brain wasn’t working. Her sexual need was in over drive. All she could think about was Dare’s need to touch her. The passion and desire he’d just shown her, no man had ever risen to such heights. She felt him touch her skin reverently and looked down. His words penetrating her own desire. She was cut. Something had grazed her stomach. Two somethings. She couldn’t remember what. Adrenalin, she guessed. Dare stood up and slashed at his wrist, holding it to her mouth. “Drink,” he demanded. “It will heal you.” Nicky felt the blood run from his wrist against her mouth. She wasn’t sure. “Drink,” he ordered more dominantly holding her neck steady. “Take it female, please, don’t deny me this time.” Nicky opened her lips and sucked on the wrist he offered. “Yes,” he crooned leaning forward trapping her in. “Take what I offer you.”
How glorious it was that she took from him! She’d drank until his nano’s had stopped the bleeding and he’d slashed at them again, wanting her to have everything he could give her to heal. He stroked at her hair and breast as she drank. Played with her nipples, teasing them, then bending to suckle. He was incensed that she’d not told him, that in all the blood he was covered in, he’d not scented hers. It was another reminder that he could not read her and it pained him. He pulled his mouth from her breast as he removed his wrist from her mouth. Seeing his blood on her lips spiked his own desires. He grasped her head pulling it to one side breathing her in. Her scent now mixed with his own. Such a primal need as never before overwhelmed him. Quickly washing himself, he turned his attention to his female, languishing his time, exploring and feeling every part of her as he cleaned the scents of battle from her.
His cock so hard it could break ice. He fondled and caressed her body, learning its beauty, savouring the feel in his hands. Looking for her responses. Making her ready for him. He noticed immediately, that some area’s responded as they should, others gave no response. Both injuries were in area’s that no longer worked. The female was right. Parts of her body no longer responded to touch or felt pain as it should. He mourned her loss and vowed she would never feel their loss, not in his hands. He concentrated on those areas that did respond. Reading what he could, taking her responses into him, feeling the heat of her body enjoying his touch. And slowly he mapped her body in his mind for future reference. They’d be plenty of time later for exploration, now he needed her ready.
