Page 12 of Agrippa's Acceptance

Of all the things he knew again, the biggest knowledge was that after seeing him like this, she will never give him a soul.

Chapter Ten

The day after Amelagar was injured, Agrippa hovered over the regeneration tube. It was hard seeing him like this, but she could not stay away. There was a bond between them she’d felt the first day she saw him on this ship. Did he feel it?

There had been so much blood and so little left of Amelagar. Tears burned in her eyes. She would use every bit of knowledge she had to help him. She couldn’t bear the thought of him having to lie there, regenerating for decades.

The door opened and the general dragged his female, Aurora into the infirmary and over to the regeneration unit. The last time they came in here, the general had been protective of Aurora. Now he was furious with the female.

Agrippa quickly went to her bed and tried to be invisible. That was clone anger that cyborg showed and she wanted no part of it. Guilt consumed her. She should help the female. If the cyborg tried to hurt her, she would try to save her. Though how she was supposed to stop a cyborg she had no idea.

She couldn’t hear everything they said to each other, but she did not like the aggression in the General’s voice. She had the impression that he blamed Aurora for Amelagar’s injuries.

The general drew Aurora away and they left. From the way they walked apart from each other, she didn’t think that they had resolved anything.

The moment was gone she ran to Amelagar. She refused to think of him as half a skull and a spine. He was Amelagar. Her strong stubborn cyborg that wanted her to give him a soul. If there was a way to give him ryhov, she would find it. She’d already started doing research.

Chapter Eleven

His desk communicator beeped and he swore softly. He’d told them not to bother him. “What,” he barked. John’s glare turned to a smile when he saw Anatu staring back at him. “Why are you angry my human?”

“I was angry when I thought some idiot was bothering me, but now that I see it is you, I am your happy human. Why didn’t you use our private line?”

“I did not think of it.” As was her way, she came right to the point. “The general said he is coming to visit you.” She scowled. “I told him you are an important man and he should make an appointment with your assistant, but he said telling me was making an appointment.”

That damn cyborg did that on purpose. He liked to arrive moments after he’d told Anatu he was coming down to earth. “It is fine Anatu. I am ready for him.” He stroked her cheek on the screen. “I will see you tonight.”

She frowned and then touched the screen as well, stroking where she saw his cheek. His cyborg was still learning to show affection, but she was making great strides. They disconnected and John sat back and glared at the cyborg walking out of the flaming triangle. He’d never admit it, but he was jealous of Aurora for being able to step into that triangle. He would love to get his hands on that technology.

“Make yourself at home,” he said, but as usual his sarcasm went right over the cyborg’s head.

“I will.” Balthazar sat down. He came straight to the point. “We need to send a team to go to the clones.”

“Why?” He agreed with Balthazar. They had to take the fight to the clones. He didn’t fool himself that the last stance wouldn’t be on earth. But if they could whittle down some of the enemy ships, maybe they could win this coming war.

“You know that our ships can enslave each other?” At John’s nod Balthazar continued, “we need to test your cloaking technology. The cloak we are developing might allow us to enslave one of their ships. At the very least we could access their databases.” Balthazar said.

John grimaced. “It might, if it showed any signs of working.” They have been working on it for months and no success. They tested it in the lab and it worked. Install it into a ship and nothing.

“We have a natural onboard who might be able to make it work.”

He straightened. “Why haven’t you told me this before? Wait, what is a natural.”

“It is a Tunrian that is not a clone.” Balthazar showed no reaction to John’s displeasure at the information withheld from him.

John waited, but no further explanation was forthcoming. “Why do you think this natural can do what none of my people could manage?”

“The clones do not allow any naturals near their systems. Because she is so intelligent and have an aptitude for all the sciences, they educated her and brought her in to work on the ships.”

John nodded. “I will send some of my people to brief her.” Whenever he had the opportunity, he sent his people to the Rising Sun. If they managed to defeat the clones, who knew what the cyborgs will do?

He sighed. “Why do you want to do this now?”

“The Rising Sun has showed a strong resistance to being enslaved. It threw off every attack from the clones without any assistance from us. If we build a Tunrian and earth hybrid ship with a cloaking device, maybe we have a weapon.”

Not for the first time, John thought that with a little battle experience, Balthazar will become a formidable leader. An unbeatable soldier.

“I agree, that still doesn’t tell me why you want this mission to happen now.”

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