Intrepid Encounter, the fifth core story in the Cyborg Unity series, releases next week! Woot!
Today, I’m sharing the third and final scene from the very first chapter.
You can read the first scene here:
https://tasteofcyn.com/?p=11291
***
Three planet rotations passed, and Intrepid hadn’t located the threat. He stared, via the main viewscreen, in the direction of the cyborg-sector border. There was no activity there.
“We could place two sensors in front of the ship and fly between them.” Grid shared his strategy to test their navigation systems. “They’ll relay our position, and I’ll compare that to the readings. That will—”
Lights flashed on the console.
“We’re receiving incoming communications from the Cyborg Council, Captain.” Argot, the Dauntless’s communications officer, relayed that information.
Intrepid swallowed a groan. He didn’t want any distractions at the moment. And an interaction with the Cyborg Council was always a big distraction.
But he couldn’t ignore the request. “Open communication lines.”
“Opening communication lines, Captain.” Argot confirmed that order.
An image of Power, the self-appointed leader of the Cyborg Council, and Eirene Ours, his genetic match and the leader of the now-incorporated Rebel Cyborgs, appeared in a corner of the main viewscreen.
“This information can be relayed with your officers.” Power bit off each word.
“It’s being relayed.” Intrepid hadn’t waited for permission to broadcast the communication to the bridge. Power would’ve informed him if the information was meant for his consideration alone.
“There’s a possible threat to the safety of all cyborgs, genetic matches—” Power’s gaze flicked toward Eirene Ours. “—and offspring located within the sector.”
Intrepid straightened in his captain’s chair.
Power’s threat could be the one he was sensing.
None of the beings on board the Dauntless had the good fortune to locate their genetic matches yet. And that included Intrepid.
They might never find those beings, and they might never manufacture offspring.
But they’d dedicated their lifespans to protecting the other warriors’ genetic matches and offspring. Intrepid took their safety very seriously.
“We have intel that a Valkyrie might seek to enter our space.” Power delivered that information with a blank countenance.
“A Valkyrie.” Drift, the Dauntless’s pilot, expressed their shared astonishment. “The chatter was correct.”
The rumors on the transmission lines were that a cyborg and his genetic match had returned to their sector with artifacts taken from a Humanoid Alliance facility. One of those artifacts was a dagger stolen from a Valkyrie by their much-reviled enemy.
The chatter speculated that the warrior was now searching for her weapon.
And that weapon was currently located on Praecipua Minor, a planet within the sector that was heavily guarded by cyborg warships.
Intrepid questioned that those defenses would be sufficient to ward off a Valkyrie attack.
The female warriors matched cyborgs for skill in battle. They lived to fight and believed they’d been created by their deities solely for that purpose.
They were also ancient. Valkyries had a natural lifespan of forever, as Intrepid’s kind did. They were fraggin’ hard to kill and were as difficult to stop.
Intrepid had spotted one across a war zone once. The humanoid female had been dressed in gold armor, and she had glowed as she jabbed a spear through her opponent’s tough skull. The victory cry she’d given after that kill had pierced the noise of the fighting all around them.
Fraggin’ hole. He blew out his breath.
His organics had been warning him of an imminent danger.
A Valkyrie was danger encapsulated.
“Why would she seek to enter our space?” Intrepid wanted to hear the truth from Power’s own lips.
Speculations were often fraught with errors and miscommunications, deficiencies that could kill a captain and his crew. The Cyborg Council leader would’ve verified any intel he relayed.
“She’s searching for an… object in our possession.” Power was frustratingly vague. “You are to down her ship and ensure there is nothing left to recover.”
Valkyries were reportedly only interested in war. The object must be a weapon.
The rumors about the dagger were true.
“Another being would give that object to her.” The cyborgs didn’t need another dagger. They could defend their sector with the weapons they currently had. “The odds of intercepting the Valkyrie are low. And the odds of blowing up her ship are lower.”
“The Dauntless has defied low odds in the past.” Power wasn’t moving on his stance.
He was correct. They had defied low odds in the past.
When they’d saved Power’s lifespan six hundred and thirty-seven planet rotations ago.
Intrepid’s lips twisted. The Cyborg Council leader was an ungrateful ass.
“You’re asking me to risk my crew to stop the Valkyrie.” He wanted to ensure the male processed the risks he was ordering them to take. “Is this…object worth their lifespans?”
“Yes.” Power held his gaze.
The E model didn’t relay why he was willing to place Intrepid and his crew in peril. But his tone communicated he was 100.0000 percent certain that danger was warranted.
Intrepid swallowed his misgivings. Power might be an ass, but he wouldn’t sacrifice warriors unnecessarily. “Then we will stop the Valkyrie.” He deleted all emotion from his voice and countenance. “If we detect her ship’s approach.”
“You’ll detect her ship’s approach.” Power lifted his chin. “The border sensors are fully functional.” His dark eyes flashed. “Ending transmission.”
The image on the main viewscreen reverted to footage of the border Intrepid and the crew of the Dauntless were charged to protect.
The area was too vast for Intrepid’s comfort. And he didn’t share Power’s confidence in the border sensors’ ability to detect the Valkyrie.
The warrior females were ancient. They had existed long before the first cyborg was manufactured. They hadn’t lived that long because they lacked the ability to evade capture.
Detecting and then stopping their target would require all the resources on board the Dauntless.
“Grid, the testing of all onboard systems will be paused as of this moment.” Intrepid informed the male. They had a higher-priority task to complete.
“Pausing all onboard systems testing, Captain.” Humor lilted his navigator’s voice.
Only that chaos-embracing male would find their current situation amusing.
“Activate the emergency monitoring systems.” Duplicating systems would expend energy and leave them with no backups. But the threat warranted it.
“Activating emergency monitoring systems, Captain.” Strike’s expression was grave. He processed the danger they were facing.
There was a 97.5665 percent chance they’d only have one opportunity to blow up the Valkyrie’s ship. The female warrior would be skilled. Once she detected them, she would be fraggin’ impossible to kill.
A tinge of misgiving shimmered through Intrepid. To end the lifespan of such a legendary being seemed…wrong. The Valkyrie he’d viewed had been magnificent. They were gifted fighters.
They were also rare. There were millions of cyborgs and, according to their databases, only thirty-seven of them had ever spotted a Valkyrie.
He and his crew would have to kill one.
And for what crime? If the rumors were true, she was attempting to retrieve her dagger, a weapon that belonged to her.
Sympathy for the Valkyrie mixed with Intrepid’s misgiving. He had weapons he valued also.
But his private feelings about the warrior female wouldn’t prevent him from following Power’s orders.
If the Cyborg Council leader projected the Valkyrie had to be killed, Intrepid would ensure the Valkyrie was killed. Without hesitation.
His jaw jutted.
“Increase our speed.” They would patrol their allocated stretch of border faster, covering more space in a short duration of time.
“Increasing our speed, Captain.” Drift, the Dauntless’s pilot, acted on his order.
Intrepid’s resolve firmed.
His duty to his kind came first.
He would sacrifice everything and everyone else in the universe, including his own crew, to keep his cyborg brethren free and safe.
The Valkyrie would die.
***
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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
