Chapter One #2
As I’m sure you are aware of the potential damage this could cause, I sincerely hope this is nothing more than a mistake.
One that can be fixed. Quickly. If anyone on our world is stupid enough to be shortchanging other worlds, our contracts and association to the Empire would be in jeopardy.
That, cannot happen. Zee will update you as soon as. ”
His reply almost instant. I want you there.
She ignored it. She’d told him multiple times that she didn’t do M&Gs or political protocol meetings of any kind. Robbins had agreed to that because she was good at her job. Frost wasn’t getting it.
Kept pushing.
She’d already had to deflect interest she didn’t want.
And connected a vid call to the Commander for the Empire on world. He opened it. Way too good-looking as they all were and locked her features and emotions down. She knew he could read her and kept it professional. “Prosecutor Jane.” He said on it going live inclining his head to her.
She inclined hers back. They’d spoken plenty of times.
Both doing different parts of the same job.
“Good afternoon Commander. I have received the request to allow another group of Cyborgs outside of the normal rotation, to attend to the mystery of our trade being light. I confirm we had no knowledge of this occurring before the report submitted. Councillor Frost has been notified. Captain Zee will be dealing with it on our behalf and is already investigating. I assume you have already done your initial investigation?” He gave a nod.
“I would appreciate your findings. And as you have not reported it to me, I again assume, there is nothing concrete as yet?”
“Other than confirmation that the goods are light in every delivery. It is why I have called in an additional force, they are not known on this world and will be able to pass unnoticed.”
She snorted automatically. An emotion. There was no missing Empire. “I see.” She told him and gave a nod. Seeing the amusement in his eyes. A rare emotion. “I’ll have Zee contact you.” And went to shut it down.
“Before you go Prosecutor.” She stopped mid-act. “Commander Kito who is coming, has requested to meet with you.”
She didn’t know that name. “Why?”
“In the same way I did when I arrived.”
“I will not be working directly with him, Zee is.”
“Even so, it is you who decides. You who is in charge.” He told her flatly.
She sighed. They’d be no getting out of that if it was an official request. The one meeting she always took. “Agreed. Have him contact when he arrives.”
“Thank you.” With a nod, she cut the call.
Two weeks later, the notification of severe weather creating a crashed ship incident crossed her desk.
That wasn’t new. Her world's weather continued to cause transportation issues on and off world.
She thinned her lips. They needed to expand that net to beyond the world itself.
But that was a decision for the Council.
Checking all protocols were covered. Emergency intervention.
Treatment offered. Repairs etc. Nothing amiss she filed it.
Another two weeks and she was reviewing a prelim report from Zee on his investigator's findings.
It was telling. There had indeed been a catalogue of errors.
That no one had picked up. The question was, why not?
They had systems in place. Zee would be updating her in another couple of days, he was waiting on some last pieces.
Doing her own research on each of the shipping companies, finding not all of them were based on her world.
Not all of them originated from her world either.
Or stopped at the same worlds in transit.
Trying to find common ground was proving difficult.
Nothing matched up.
But if it was a systemic failure, they had to link somewhere. Or to someone.
The lack of connectivity was a little strange. Suppliers different. Buyers different. She was getting nowhere fast deciding she’d wait on Zee. Working other cases, supporting her staff, another couple of days flying by. So busy she hardly noticed as was her way. Work was work.
A knock at her door, she looked up.
“Yes Caron?”
“You have a visitor.” Looking at her, Caron looked flushed. And she narrowed her eyes at her.
“Are you ok? You look flushed.”
Caron clearing her throat. “Your visitor.” She thumbed over her shoulder. Raising both eyebrows in a knowing kind of way with a little nod behind her. Caron looked excited. A little breathless.
“I don’t have visitors.” And went back to her notes.
“You agreed to my contact.”
A voice, dark, warming, like chocolate flowed over her. She looked up again.
Standing there was the largest man she’d ever seen. And she’d seen a lot during her life. Not a man. A Cyborg. And sat back in her chair. Shutting down all emotion in her face. Looking at Caron who was gazing up at the male. All dreamy eyed.
Caron hadn’t seen many Cyborgs. She nearly rolled her eyes and refrained.
Just.
They were beautiful men. All of them. Made that way.
Made to entice, to enthral. Stacked and packed.
Broad and tall. Deadly if needed. A woman or man’s if inclined, wet dream.
But she knew, to all gay men everywhere, Cyborg inclination for sex was only female and only a very special singular kind of female.
Hearts were breaking all over the universe.
“Thank you Caron.” Caron didn’t move other than unconsciously gazing at the vision now standing in her office.
“Caron!” She barked more sharply. Caron jumping a little dragging her eyes off the man standing there.
She stared at her hard. Raising an eyebrow.
Blinking Caron realised she was still there and still staring.
Surprise hit her and Caron blushed looking back at her with shock on her face.
Caron’s face flushed in embarrassment.
She sighed. This was why she didn’t encourage the Empire coming to her office. “Thank you Caron.” She said quieter. “You can go.” Caron slowly backing away before turning still looking over her shoulder at him.
It wasn’t a sexual interest. She got that. It was curiosity.
Resigning herself to what was going to come from that. Then looked at her guest. “You coming here disturbs my staff. When I said I agreed to the contact, that was meant in the normal way over a vid link.” She bit off.
“The female likes what they made us. That is not who we are.” He said it plainly, just data.
“I’m aware. So is she. She’s young. Impressionable.
Seat?” She didn’t offer her hand, they’d be no point.
No introduction either, they both knew who they were.
He looked young, early 30s to her late 30s.
Not that how he looked meant anything. She knew he was a minimum of 360 years old.
Not ageing. Always in peak condition. His nanos doing their job. He was beautiful. Like they all were.
Slamming her shields down hard. He wouldn’t take her hand being Cyborg anyway. They didn’t touch humans other than the personal Mate they found, their children or had been able to bridge the gap of abuses and their history in slavery to touch others.
It was a fucking big gap. Decades wide.
“Thank you.” He took the chair opposite.
Picking up the data pad she turned it to show him.
“Since we were informed, we have started our own investigation. These concerns were not brought to our attention before that. Captain Zee can update you personally. He is leading on this. We have a 5-man team still working all the angles answering to him. However, on the findings so far, you are correct. The materials do not match the manifests. And are not the quantities that were delivered by the suppliers or received at their destination. I am unable to find a linking factor. Not a business or person. I am thinking the loss might be mid transit.”
He laid his hand on the data pad. His eyes glazing over. With the computers in their brains, they could upload and infiltrate any system just by touching it. Able to communicate with their people over their shared neuro net connection.
“Your men are reliable?” He asked his eyes clearing. She knew he wasn’t being insulting just wanting facts. Logic. Data. It ruled them.
“As reliable as yours.”
He gave a sharp nod, his eyes clearing staring at her. “You are not affected by us.” And tilted his head looking at her. “No heat flush, no surprise, no real interest showing, your emotions locked down. You know us. Intimately. Did you have an Empire Mate?”
She did know them. And that question was personal. They didn’t do personal. “If there was a professional question in there, I missed it.”
“No, you did not Jane. I hope I may call you that?” She gave a nod. “I am Commander Kito. A family historic name, much like yours.”
That wasn’t true. She had no family history.
It was a name she’d taken from the book that had comforted her as a child.
But that was personal too and Cyborgs didn’t do conversation.
“Well Commander Kito, we’re both busy people and I believe, you have a meeting to attend with Counsellor Frost. I’ll have Zee escort you.
” It was a dismissal they both knew, and she wasn’t hiding it.
He’d unsettled her with the personal comments.
Knowing instinctively that was a mistake, but he’d pushed and she was all out of polite.
“I’d prefer it was you.” He said calmly.
“And I’d prefer this didn’t exist at all, but we all have to deal with what we’ve got.” Kito smiled. That was kinda devastating and tapped down any reaction she had under dead eyes. He stood stepping closer to her desk and held out his hand to her.
She looked at it raising an eyebrow, then up at his face. Not lifting her hand to take it. Instead, just spoke. “Thank you for coming.”
And picked up her data pad pulling up her next piece of work. “You will not take my hand Jane?” He asked strangely. Quietly. Almost sounding disappointed. She shelved that for later.
“No. Cyborgs do not touch humans.”
“We do if we choose to.”