The countdown to Intrepid Encounter’s release day has started! Woot!
I will be sharing the first chapter while we wait.
Today, I’m sharing the very first scene.
***
Chapter One
Danger was near.
Intrepid couldn’t yet process the source of the threat.
As he patrolled the Dauntless’s hallways, he scanned his surroundings. Every being, every object, and every system appeared to be operating within spec on his battle station.
But the voice deep inside his soul, the early-warning signal that bypassed his machine side, continued to scream that his lifespan, and a high probability of the lifespans of his crew also, could soon end.
The feeling of dread had started 3.2545 planet rotations ago, and it had gradually intensified until it consumed the processes of his organic brain.
He had to find the origin. His pace quickened.
His trepidation had no basis in logic. But it was always right.
Always.
It had warned him, during his first solar cycle of existence, that a humanoid opponent had secreted a gun into the training ring.
He turned as the male was drawing the weapon. A projectile whizzed across his right cheek. His nanocybotics repaired that damage.
And he dispatched his foe with a dagger to the center eye socket.
The doom deep in his core had also once told him to step to the right on the battlefield.
A missile then landed where he had previously stood. The detonation blasted his arms and legs off, but he survived the impact.
Rage, his friend, stopped and reattached his limbs, sparing him a possible decommissioning by the Humanoid Alliance, their cruel manufacturers.
Solar cycles later, his gut had pushed him to support Rage’s plan to escape those humans.
If he hadn’t fought for his liberation, there was a 100.0000 percent probability he would’ve been decommissioned. The Humanoid Alliance would have sliced and diced his form, his mind, all of him into tiny pieces until he begged for the death that would’ve eventually followed.
He trusted the feeling now ravaging his soul.
Danger was approaching. That was a certainty.
He exchanged not-so-casual chatter with crew members as he passed them in the hallways.
They had nothing out of the ordinary to report.
There were minor variances.
A panel had been replaced in a training chamber after a warrior tested a new type of projectile on it. The top speed of a shuttle craft had been increased. The cleaning bots in the docking bay had their tracks replaced.
All those issues were resolved without incident.
Intrepid turned a corner.
That hallway was also occupied.
“Yum.” He addressed the male walking in his direction.
Yum snapped to attention. “Captain.”
“Are there sufficient supplies of nourishment bars on board?” Intrepid tracked that information through the systems, but he preferred to hear Yum’s report.
“Yes, sir.” The male’s chin lifted to a proud angle. “There are sufficient rations on board for 1.2363 solar cycles, based on our current crew count.”
“Good.” They shouldn’t run out of nourishment before the next opportunity to restock the vessel. “And we’re continuing to test a sample of them before distribution?”
It was unlikely anyone would tamper with the nourishment, but Intrepid wasn’t ruling out any source of peril.
Yum’s lips flattened. “We randomly test one in every 100 nourishment bars distributed, Captain.” His tone was curt. “As per set procedures.”
Intrepid had damaged the male’s self-esteem with his question. “I projected you were following procedures.” He met Yum’s gaze. “But a good captain shouldn’t assume anything. Especially when it involves an important task like nourishment-bar distribution. The full functionality of the entire crew…and myself…relies upon your role.”
Yum stood straighter. “We won’t let you or the rest of the crew down, sir.” His eyes shone with pride.
“I’m counting on that, Yum.” Intrepid headed toward the bridge.
The reports coming from his officers had greatly reduced over the past shift. That could be the source of his unease. There could be a bad reason for that variance.
The doors to the bridge opened as he approached them. Laughter blasted his auditory system.
As he stepped into the space, the mirth dissipated. The image on the main viewscreen reverted to that of open space.
But he had seen the footage his crew had displayed there. “Why is our new engineer crawling along a ventilation shaft?” Intrepid claimed the captain’s chair.
That new engineer, Choice, was the freeborn offspring of Rage and Rage’s human female. He was a C Model like his father and barely fit in the shaft.
It was his first post-training assignment. Intrepid’s trepidation increased. The kid was inexperienced. He would be less capable of dealing with any dangerous situation.
His officers wouldn’t laugh at a crew member in peril. But they also might not recognize if the kid faced danger. Unlike Choice, they had all endured the Humanoid Alliance’s harsh training. They might project he could handle the situation he currently faced.
No one on the bridge answered Intrepid’s question. But they all looked at Grid, their navigator and the primary chaos-creating being in the group.
The male grinned like his processors were malfunctioning.
“Grid.” Intrepid deleted his frustration from his voice.
None of his officers projected they were in danger. He hadn’t shared that hard-to-explain intel with anyone else. They had no reason to be on high alert as he was.
He displayed the live footage of Choice’s ventilation shaft adventures on the main viewscreen. The kid appeared to be fully functional. He moved slowly but without signs of damage.
“Why is our new engineer crawling along a ventilation shaft?” He leveled a hard gaze on Grid.
“I can’t project Choice’s processing with 100.0000 percent accuracy, Captain.” The male’s eyes glittered with humor.
“Project it with less accuracy.” Intrepid didn’t allow him to evade giving an answer.
Grid tilted his head to the side. “If I had to project wildly, I would say he’s ensuring the battle station’s ventilation systems are operating at maximum efficiency, Captain.”
There were many systems on the Dauntless. All were constantly monitored, and all were operating at max efficiency.
***
Read the next scene (available November 6th) here:
https://tasteofcyn.com/?p=11293
***
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Intrepid Encounter
Cyborg vs. Valkyrie
Blood will be spilled and hearts will be captured.
Intrepid and his crew on the Dauntless guard the border to the cyborg sector. The D Model cyborg captain has dedicated his lifespan to protecting their homeland. He’ll do anything to secure the space and keep his brethren safe.
That includes confronting a Valkyrie intent on vengeance.
The female warrior is beautiful, brave, strong…and Intrepid’s genetic match. She’s the one being he is fated to claim. Her voice causes his circuits to hum. Her touch produces a passion he struggles to control.
But if he has to stop her…permanently…to protect his kind, he will make that sacrifice.
Olrun has been tracking the whereabouts of a one-of-a-kind object. The stolen item is critical to the safety of her Valkyrie sisters, and she’ll do anything to retrieve it.
That includes waging war on a tall, broad-shouldered cyborg warrior sporting brilliant-blue eyes and grimly set lips.
The male might…just might…have battle skills matching her own. And that excites the immortal fighter. She craves his rough handling, his punishing embrace, his stern words.
But Olrun’s desire for the cyborg won’t distract her from achieving her goal. She will shield her fellow Valkyries from danger, even if that means ending Intrepid’s lifespan in the process.
Intrepid Encounter is an enemies-to-lovers Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features a protective cyborg, a vengeful Valkyrie, and a destiny neither of them can predict.
Pre-order Today:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Intrepid-Encounter-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0C8BN96D1
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Intrepid-Encounter-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0C8BN96D1
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Intrepid-Encounter-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0C8BN96D1
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/intrepid-encounter/id6450374920
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/intrepid-encounter-cynthia-sax/1143664740
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/intrepid-encounter
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/1409350
