Taste of Cyn

North Bound – First Scene Of The First Chapter

By Cynthia Sax on March 23, 2020

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.

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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:

http://tasteofcyn.com/?p=7091

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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