BioCybe Read Online Free

looking…”
    Sandon shook his head. “Why the hell would I want some dried-up
old warrior to pilot my ship? They’ll only bring all their own problems and
prejudices with them. No. I need you.”
    “I’m not staying past the first of the month. So, now that we’ve
cleared that up, how about we start the process of looking for my replacement?”
Secombe smiled, but it was brittle, as if the emotional distancing had already
begun.
    Frustration filled Sandon. It was so simple for Secombe to
walk away. He had his family, his farm, and a future already mapped out. Sandon
only had the ship and the crew; his parents had died a long time ago. The Golden
Echo was his home, and those aboard it were his family. Secombe just expected
to leave when he wanted, without thought for anyone else.
    Anger and sadness welled, but Sandon shunted the emotions.
“So, how do you…”
    The door to the mess hall opened. Johnson, the cargo superintendent,
ducked his head around the corner, his face conveying both confusion and
caution. “Secombe? That pilot you invited aboard? Uhhh… The captain…uhh, person
is here.”
    “Excellent.” Secombe turned in Sandon’s direction without a
shadow of embarrassment. “Sandon, this pilot is the best of the best. Take a moment
and see for yourself. Send the captain in, Johnson.” Secombe smiled, as if
pleased to have already found his replacement.
    An itch took up residence in the back of Sandon’s neck.
    Johnson gazed at Secombe owlishly. “Are you sure?”
    Sandon frowned at Johnson’s uncharacteristic actions. Something’s
wrong…
    Secombe’s eyes narrowed. “Send him in.”
    Johnson gulped, the sound loud in the sudden silence.
“O-okay…” His discomfort radiated, and Sandon leaned forward, ready to meet the
man Secombe considered an adequate replacement for himself.
    When the door opened all the way, silence reigned. A woman
stood on the other side of the door, her gaze set. Her body, still and tensed, was
arrayed in the combat browns many of the fighter pilots had adopted. Sandon
could feel the tension rolling off her from the distance between them.
    She has green eyes. He couldn’t control the thought.
As his eyes scanned her body—toned, taut, and curved in all the right places—the
liquid in his mouth dried.
    “Captain Daria? I’m…” She blinked, and he wondered if the
flash of insecurity he thought he’d seen had actually existed.
    Probably not, he told himself. Why would a flyer feel any
level of insecurity?
    “I’m Levia Endrado. Pilot Secombe requested my presence.”
She held out a hand, in friendship or entreaty, he wasn’t really sure.
    Sandon turned in the direction of Secombe. “Well?”
    Secombe opened his mouth then closed it again before
shrugging. She obviously wasn’t what he was expecting either.
    The woman, Levia, stepped into the room and the door closed
silently. For a moment, he caught a hint of anxiety before it disappeared and instead
in front of him stood a confident woman. “You require a pilot. Someone with
long haul experience. I’m a pilot seeking a placement. So far, our objectives
are aligned.”
    “No. I don’t want a woman piloting the Golden Echo .”
His voice was strangled and hoarse, and he watched as she blinked slowly. “I
don’t want issues with the crew.”
    “It’s an all male crew, I understand?”
    He nodded, numb at the thought of this woman, this gorgeous
female, somehow interacting with the other men on his ship. Of her forming an alliance …
    “I’m not interested in a bed partner. Just a home and
employment. That is what the advertisement offered. You had an
opportunity to vet my credentials—” She stopped and her eyes narrowed.
    “What?” The words cleared the fog that had settled in his
mind. “I haven’t seen…” Now, he turned to Secombe, who’d slouched further down,
horror clear on his face.
    “I… Your dossier didn’t say you were…” Secombe’s mouth
dropped open, and his eyes widened