Cyborg Celebration (Interstellar Brides: The Colony #11)

Chapter 2

2

C aptain Marz, The Colony, Base 3

The storm outside raged with a fury I had never seen before. It slammed against the biodome’s thick walls, a chaotic blend of whirling red dust and electric-blue lightning flashing through the haze. The reinforced shield struggled to hold it back, the protective barrier flickering as the atmosphere grew volatile. Inside Base 3, static crackled in the air. Reports poured in from all sectors—life support fluctuated, structures vibrated, and pressure increased on the shield generators.

I stood in the command center, staring at the storm with a clenched jaw and crossed arms. For the first time in history, The Colony’s survival hung on a razor’s edge. The thin air, suffused with toxins and a complete lack of edible vegetation, forced us to rely on the S-Gen machines for everything. Food. Clothing. Weapons. If we could not control the energy flow on the planet, we could not survive here, could not mine the rare mineral the Coalition’s transport system needed to operate.

If we couldn’t run our transport systems or our S-Gen machines, we were as good as dead. The Colony was not a forgiving environment under normal circumstances. But recently?

I stared at the monitors, tried to imagine what lay beyond the endless red rock and sandstorms. A brilliant purple and silver lightning bolt split the sky, far too large to be considered normal. The entire horizon lit up in a chaotic web of destructive energy.

We’d been studying the phenomenon for weeks, but whatever had caused the storms to begin was gaining in strength. Each storm was more powerful, more dangerous, and did more damage to the domed structures that made it possible for the Coalition Fleet’s integrated fighters to survive.

The storms threatened to tear the base apart if we didn’t find an answer soon. We would be forced to evacuate.

“Captain Marz,” Kristin’s voice cut through my thoughts. She was a human female, mated to two excellent Prillon warriors, and a trusted member of my security team. “We have a situation in the transport room.”

My head snapped toward the excited tone of her voice. She’d worked for something on Earth called the F-B-I. Human law enforcement. Rarely did anything rattle her.

“A situation?” My nanobots flared in response to my spike of adrenaline, their familiar hum surging through my veins, lending me extra strength and speed, should I need it. Two things I reluctantly acknowledged as benefits of my capture and torture by the Hive. “Explain.”

Her gaze wavered, a slight blush coloring her cheeks as she glanced at her datapad. “Your bride is arriving, Captain.”

“My what?”

“Your bride. You’ve been matched.” Her smile convinced me as nothing else could that she was speaking the truth. “We’ve locked in her transport signature—she’s on her way.”

I stiffened. My bride? Now? After all these years? I had completely given up the idea, the very possibility of a mate. When my chosen second, Perro, died, when he betrayed us all, I knew I did not deserve such a gift. He’d been closer than a brother to me for years. We had fought side-by-side. Been captured. Tortured. His strength had kept me going through long, dark weeks of torment with no hope of survival. I’d trusted him with my life, with my future mate’s life.

I’d been wrong. So wrong. I was not worthy of an Interstellar Bride. Had completely dismissed the idea. I had no right to claim a female. Despite this, Lieutenant Vance offered to be my second after Perro’s death. I accepted. No male of worth would consider claiming a mate without a second to help care for and protect her. In truth, I never believed I would be matched.

I should have died when Perro did. I had failed to see that he suffered a relentless torment. He had suffered and I had been oblivious, or too self-absorbed to notice his struggle. I did not know the Hive’s voices still buzzed in his head. Those voices had tortured him, driven him mad, been the reason for so much death, the reason he had betrayed not only everyone on The Colony, but me.

I was an investigator. Head of security. I’d worked with the Intelligence Core, been trained to observe and assess threats. With Perro, I’d failed, blinded by loyalty and the habit of trust.

Perro was not the only male on The Colony to battle headaches and other effects from the Hive technology implanted in our bodies. I’d been reading reports that since the storms began, for many, the noise, the headaches, had grown worse.

In my years as a security officer, handling potential catastrophes, I’d never faced a disaster like this.

A bride. My perfect match. My mate.

What the fuck was I going to do with a bride? Claim her? I could not ask any female to tie herself to me. I would never so dishonor a female. There were others who were far more worthy.

I had an Interstellar bride. A perfect match?

No. This could not be allowed. I did not have a mate. I could not.

A fierce flash of silver lightning made me blink. “Are the transporters working in this storm? Re-route her to one of the battleships. It’s too dangerous for her to come here.” Already my pulse pounded in terror at the thought that my mate was traveling through the unpredictable energy fields surrounding the base. If she transported to a Coalition battleship, I could release my claim on her and request she be assigned to another male, a male worthy of her. A male who would not fail to recognize pure evil disguised as friendship.

“The stabilizers the Atlans installed appear to be working. Her signal is strong, Marz. She’ll be okay.” Kristin’s gaze softened and I worked to bury my concern. I did not need a human female looking at me with distress. “Her name is Rowan. Don’t worry. Earth girls are tough. She’ll be fine. Trust me.”

“She’s human? From Earth?” My cock hardened at the thought. So far, the few females brave enough to be matched to the condemned fighters on The Colony had all been human. Every. Single. One. Like Kristin, they were all beautiful.

What did my mate look like? Did she have dark hair? Black? Golden? Red? Would her skin be the same pale hue as Kristin’s? Or a soft, warm brown like Rachel’s?

Gods help me, I didn’t deserve a bride, but I fucking wanted her already.

“How long until transport completes?” I asked, my voice a shade too tight. No doubt matching the hardness of my eager cock.

“Less than five minutes, sir.”

Five minutes to process the fact that my life was about to change irrevocably. Five minutes to prepare to meet the female who was my match. My mate. My bride. A female I knew I could not properly protect or care for.

I wasn’t ready. Fuck. I needed my second. Vance would need to be stronger than I. Better. Smarter. A warrior who would not hesitate to end my life if I became a threat to our mate. Someone who would recognize danger when I did not. Someone with no loyalty to anyone other than our mate.

I turned toward the exit, my mind racing, searching my memories, ensuring Vance would be both willing and able to serve as my mate’s second. Base 3 housed many fighters, warriors and warlords. Males of worth, males I respected. Some I even considered friends. But there was only one warrior I could choose. Despite the chaos of my thoughts, instincts took over. If I could not re-route the female, she needed to be greeted by both of us.

I headed to the shuttle bay, where I knew Vance, one of our best pilots, would be working on his shuttle, repairing damage caused by the most recent storm. He was a fellow Prillon warrior and had served on the same battlefronts Perro and I had during the war. We shared the experience of being prisoners of war, though our wounds differed. Most of mine hid beneath the surface—nanobots infused in my bloodstream, forever reminding me of the horrors I had endured. My left eye flashed silver and I had a ring of silver around it, as if the Hive had punched me and left a mark. The silver-colored flesh wrapped around my temple and down the back of my neck to spread out like a river system across my back and shoulders. Vance’s wounds were more visible, with an augmented arm and burn scars that trailed up the left side of his face like bolts of silver lightning traveled through his dark flesh.

The doctor had asked him if he wanted a surgical repair. They could remove the scar tissue and place him inside a ReGen pod to heal. His face would bear no mark, no more scar.

He’d refused. Said he wanted to remember exactly what those fuckers had done to him so he would never grow complacent. Never stop watching, never stop looking for danger. He would not make the same mistake I had.

“Vance,” I called out, my voice echoing across the bay.

He looked up from the generator he was repairing, faint surprise in the lift of his crows. “Captain,” he replied, setting down his tools. “What brings you here in the middle of this storm? Is everything all right?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “My mate arrives in five minutes, she will need her second.”

He blinked slowly, allowed my words to sink in with no visible reaction. Yes. He was not one to panic nor react without thinking. He was the correct choice.

“Congratulations. Why are you here, talking to me? You could have sent me a message over comms. Should you not be in transport, ready to greet your bride?”

“I need you with me.” I stared at the male I considered a friend and spoke truth for the first time since I’d come to this miserable fucking planet. “I do not trust myself. I did not see the signs of Perro’s betrayal. I’m responsible for every death he caused. I should have known, and I did not. I need your word that you will eliminate anyone you suspect is a threat to our mate, even if I consider them a friend. I need a second set of eyes and ears, as I do not trust my own. Alone, I cannot properly protect my female. I need your vow to care for her, to do what must be done, if I cannot.”

“Fuck, Marz. Perro wasn’t your fault.”

“It was. I should have known. There were signs.” I crouched down so our gazes were level. “I trust no one else. Years ago, you offered to be my second. Does that offer still stand?”

The request hung in the air. I hated the mix of desperation and uncertainty in my tone. This was not the kind of request that came naturally to me. I wasn’t a male who easily leaned on others. But in this moment, there was no one else I trusted to care for my mate. I needed his word, his promise. My mate’s safety took priority over all other concerns, including my fucking useless pride. I could not deny that I had blood on my hands, that I should have died with Perro. Should have stopped him. Should have known.

Vance’s eyebrows lifted in a rare display of amusement. “Took you long enough. You’re sure?” He stood, so I did as well. “She may not like the look of me.” He lifted one hand and pointed at his face. “I am not a pretty male, Marz.”

“I don’t need pretty. I need a second strong enough to eliminate even me, should I become a danger to my mate.” I ran a hand through my golden hair. “I wasn’t prepared for her arrival. I never thought…”

He eyed me for a moment, his frown severe. “None of us expect to be matched. Every bride is a fucking miracle.”

I gritted my teeth. “She’s coming here, to a life on this desolate rock, matched to a male who…. I don’t trust myself. I don’t deserve her.”

“But you aren’t stupid enough to give her up.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement of truth.

“No. I tried to divert her transport to a Battlegroup. Ask her to be reassigned to a better male. But she is coming, and I know, once I see her, I will not be able to give her up. She’s mine. She’s fucking mine.” The storm thundered in agreement outside, shaking the walls. I didn’t deserve her, but I was going to claim her anyway. Bury my cock deep in her pussy. Give her my seed. Make her scream with pleasure. I would bathe her with my own hands, rub her skin with scented oils and hold her as she slept. Make sure she never suffered or felt alone.

Vance took a step closer and clapped his augmented hand on my shoulder. “Let us go greet our mate.”