North Bound – Second Scene Of The First Chapter
North Bound, the fifth standalone story in the Cyborg Space Exploration series, is releasing on April 21st.
Last week, I shared the first scene from the first chapter.
You can read that scene here:
This week I’m sharing the second scene of that first chapter.
***
There wasn’t much of a choice. Doc preferred to stay on the ship, performing unauthorized tests on the crew. Chuckles had a damaged knee. That would slow the completion of the mission. “I choose Dissent.”
That male nodded. His expression was blank.
Dissent’s female was less reserved in her response. She grinned and linked her fingers with her warrior’s, appearing happy on Dissent’s behalf.
North’s gaze moved to the third member of the team. “And I choose Truth.”
“Yes.” The D Model grinned and pumped the air. “My kill rate will increase.”
“There will be no killing…unless those beings attempt to kill you.” Captain frowned at the frivolous warrior.
All of them had been designed for two things –to breed and to end lifespans. Many cyborgs would never find their females, would never experience breeding. But they all relished killing. North was no exception to that reality. His kill rate was extremely high.
Killing beings wasn’t their current mission. They were to catalog the planet for Power and the cyborg council.
North had his projections about why that action was required. The cyborg Homeland was crowded. There was a 74.0973 probability the council would choose one of the planets to claim as their own.
Evaluating prospective sites was an important task. His chin lifted. He wouldn’t fail his brethren.
Dissent’s female nudged her warrior with one of her elbows.
“My female wishes to join the team, Captain.” Dissent forwarded that absurd request. “She can be outfitted with sensors on her fingertips.” He looked at Doc.
The medic nodded. “The sensors are functional with humans.”
North’s lips flattened. A human female on his team would also slow the completion of the mission. In the past, cyborgs would have died due to that delay, and he couldn’t process with 100.0000 accuracy the dangers they would now face.
“Three warriors are sufficient.” Minimizing the size of the team held less risk.
All of the females, with the exception of Captain’s, glared at him.
His jaw jutted. It wasn’t the first time he had dealt with the disapproval of others, as the right decisions weren’t always the most popular decisions. Their responses wouldn’t sway him.
“Four beings would complete the mission faster.” Dissent’s female gazed at Captain, not at him.
Four cyborgs would complete the mission faster. The addition of a human female to the team would delay them. Dissent would move at his human female’s slower pace. All of them would allocate part of their processors to protecting her.
That was unacceptable.
“Dissent, can you confirm that statement?” North transferred that task to the J Model.
Truth, that foolish warrior, laughed.
Dissent levelled a hard glance at North.
Cyborgs couldn’t lie. That was a specification of their programming. The male couldn’t confirm the statement.
“There is a 68.9846 probability there are female humanoids on the planet.” The J Model’s calculation was correct. Most humanoids…and cyborgs…required females to reproduce naturally. “Female humanoids might feel more comfortable if we have a female on our team.”
The females on the bridge, with the exception of Captain’s female, nodded, approving of that non-answer. Dissent’s female patted her warrior’s arm.
They then turned their heads and gazed at North.
All of them were aligned against him. Captain didn’t voice his opinion, remaining neutral. Captain’s female was also silent.
North was alone. There was no one supporting his stance.
But he processed it was the right decision and he wouldn’t deviate from it. “The comfort of the local population isn’t a parameter of this mission.” That output wasn’t important to him. “Our primary objective is to explore the planet, document it, employ force only when force is utilized against us.”
“That’s no fun.” Truth expressed his unhappiness about that last restriction.
“I can help you achieve your primary objective.” Dissent’s female wasn’t deviating from her position.
“My secondary objective is to ensure all our team members return to the Reckless alive.” That was North’s responsibility as the leader of the team.
“That should be your primary objective.” Captain frowned at him.
If it was his primary objective, the team wouldn’t leave the safety of the ship.
North said nothing.
“Dissent is part of your team.” Dissent’s female, in contrast, didn’t remain silent. “I would never put him or any other cyborg in danger.”
Merely by fighting his orders, she could put them in danger. A moment’s delay in battle caused deaths. “You would be part of that team.”
Being a human, she was slower and weaker and more fragile than a cyborg. She would have been the first being the Humanoid Alliance decommissioned if his team hadn’t achieved their objective.
A failure could cost them a precious female.
North inwardly shuddered. He wouldn’t be responsible for such a huge loss to his kind.
***
Read the next scene (available April 6th) here:
***
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
North Bound
A mission-focused cyborg battles a captivating and dramatic distraction.
***
North, the second-in-command of a cyborg crew, has two priorities—he has to explore and collect data on Balazoid Minor, a small planet in their sector, and he must bring his three-being team back to the ship alive and fully functional.
When he encounters his brash, bravado-wielding female, the one being genetically designed for him, he recognizes her for what she is—a distraction that might get him and his brethren killed. He WILL claim her, but only on his terms, when his mission is complete and everyone he is responsible for protecting is safe.
Myrina the Magnificent is the best warrior on her planet and possibly the universe. She has captured an unparalleled fourteen males for her all-female tribe. Once she has secured the fifteenth male, she will be a legend. Her name will live forever. She’ll earn the undying adoration of her sisters. Glory will be hers.
The male in her sights—and in her snare—is a huge, gray-skinned, blue-eyed cyborg with a skill for war and lips designed for kissing. One emotionally charged battle is all it takes for Myrina to realize she wants North for herself. She won’t share his caresses with anyone.
Their forbidden love might be destined to be, but it won’t be easy to maintain. Myrina will have to fight her sisters, an all-powerful male-eating plant, and her cyborg’s unbending will to make North hers and hers alone.
***
North Bound is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It is the fifth of six core stories in the Cyborg Space Exploration Series.
Book 1: Choosing Chuckles
Book 2: Doc’s Orders
Book 3: Dominance And Dissent
Book 4: Passion Surge
Book 5: North Bound
Book 6: Testing Truth
Pre-order Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0853DFY1B
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0853DFY1B
Amazon Australia:
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B0853DFY1B
Apple/iTunes:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/north-bound/id1500291657
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/north-bound-cynthia-sax/1136528667
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/north-bound
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1006230
Topics: Coming Soon | Comments Off on North Bound – Second Scene Of The First Chapter
North Bound – First Scene Of The First Chapter
North Bound, the fifth standalone story in the Cyborg Space Exploration series, is releasing on April 21st.
As we wait for North Bound to release, I thought I’d share the first chapter. This week I’m sharing the first scene of that first chapter.
***
Chapter One
North was 100.0000 percent focused on his role.
He proudly stood to the left of Captain on the bridge of the Reckless, having earned that honored place on the cyborg warship. His simulated spine was rigidly straight. There wasn’t a speck of dust on his black body armor. His boots were polished until they shone.
His conduct was as exemplary as his appearance. As the warship’s second-in-command, he was acutely aware he set an example for the other warriors. He was known for his loyalty, his dedication to duty, his discretion.
His reputation had come at a cost.
That was emphasized by the exploits and the silence on the bridge. With no verbal prompting, Truth, a never-serious fellow D Model, suddenly grinned at Dissent.
The J Model met his gaze. His eyes glimmered with humor. Dissent’s human female rested her cheek on her warrior’s shoulder. The lights reflected off the sunstones hanging around her neck, that glow cast on her face.
Chuckles, the ship’s communications officer, shook his head and grunted. His human female sat on his lap fabricating a neck decoration for a miljoonasuut, a creature Dissent had taken under his protection. It would be presented to Nibbler the next time they visited Khambalia 5.
Doc, the ship’s medic, looked at Truth and then returned to perusing something on his embedded viewscreen. His humanoid female, a medic-in-training, was as engrossed as he was with that unidentified image.
Those cyborgs must be engaged in a conversation via a private transmission line he hadn’t been extended an invitation to follow. North pushed away the emotional damage that inflicted on him.
The pain wasn’t justified. They weren’t excluding him due to his character. They were excluding the being holding the role of second-in-command. That being was an extension of Captain, who wouldn’t have been included in their chatter either.
His gaze flicked to the warrior. He had served Captain since escaping the Humanoid Alliance, their harsh manufacturers. The male’s human female pointed to something on the private viewscreen. Captain nodded.
Communications with his superior had decreased by 23.5969 percent since Captain had found his female, the one being genetically fabricated for him. North told himself that was for the best. His processors were better allocated to other issues.
Like the small planet appearing on their main viewscreen.
“Truth, slow our speed as we orbit Balazoid Minor.” Captain assigned that task to the D Model. “North, perform lifeform scans and other readings.”
He didn’t have to specify which readings to complete. Balazoid Minor wasn’t the first planet they’d explored. Power, the self-appointed head of the cyborg council, had given them the mission to document the details of every planet in the cyborg-controlled sector.
North performed the scans and readings. “Oxygen levels are within acceptable range. Early scans indicate the surface is stable. There is one large land mass. The rest of the planet is covered in water.”
“I’m relaying all the information I could find on Balazoid Minor.” Dissent sent those files to all of them. “There isn’t much. It was a Balazoid outpost. Those humanoids were known for being secretive. When the main planet blew up, their databases ceased to exist also.”
“The population of the planet is low, and it is stable.” North had performed two lifeform scans to verify that fact. “Two thousand, two hundred and thirty-five humanoids were detected, and they are all cloistered around these coordinates.”
He circled the area on the main viewscreen. A three-warrior team could log their details in a single planet rotation. The tension in his shoulders eased. They could complete their assigned task quickly.
The Humanoid Alliance would reprimand cyborgs if they failed to complete their missions within the duration allotted to them. 77.8907 percent of the time, that reprimand was the decommissioning of one or more members of the unsuccessful team.
The sound of those warriors’ screams often replayed in North’s processors. Decommissioning was the most painful death projected. The males were sliced apart while they were alive, their functioning mechanics salvaged for parts.
“The genetic data for those two thousand, two hundred and thirty-five humanoids has to be gathered.” Captain relayed information they already processed. “And information on the planet has to be collected.”
“I volunteer to lead the mission, Captain.” North, as second-in-command, considered that to be his duty.
Captain’s head dipped. “A team of three should be sufficient. Choose your two warriors.”
***
Read the next scene (available March 30th) here:
***
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
North Bound
A mission-focused cyborg battles a captivating and dramatic distraction.
***
North, the second-in-command of a cyborg crew, has two priorities—he has to explore and collect data on Balazoid Minor, a small planet in their sector, and he must bring his three-being team back to the ship alive and fully functional.
When he encounters his brash, bravado-wielding female, the one being genetically designed for him, he recognizes her for what she is—a distraction that might get him and his brethren killed. He WILL claim her, but only on his terms, when his mission is complete and everyone he is responsible for protecting is safe.
Myrina the Magnificent is the best warrior on her planet and possibly the universe. She has captured an unparalleled fourteen males for her all-female tribe. Once she has secured the fifteenth male, she will be a legend. Her name will live forever. She’ll earn the undying adoration of her sisters. Glory will be hers.
The male in her sights—and in her snare—is a huge, gray-skinned, blue-eyed cyborg with a skill for war and lips designed for kissing. One emotionally charged battle is all it takes for Myrina to realize she wants North for herself. She won’t share his caresses with anyone.
Their forbidden love might be destined to be, but it won’t be easy to maintain. Myrina will have to fight her sisters, an all-powerful male-eating plant, and her cyborg’s unbending will to make North hers and hers alone.
***
North Bound is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It is the fifth of six core stories in the Cyborg Space Exploration Series.
Book 1: Choosing Chuckles
Book 2: Doc’s Orders
Book 3: Dominance And Dissent
Book 4: Passion Surge
Book 5: North Bound
Book 6: Testing Truth
Pre-order Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0853DFY1B
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0853DFY1B
Amazon Australia:
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B0853DFY1B
Apple/iTunes:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/north-bound/id1500291657
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/north-bound-cynthia-sax/1136528667
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/north-bound
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1006230
Topics: Coming Soon | Comments Off on North Bound – First Scene Of The First Chapter
