Warning: I am marking this series as 17+, because I do plan sexual explicit scenes. I don't mean like in my other novels either. This should be considered a romantic/erotica sci-fi action/adventure. That's what I plan anyway.

       Standing shoulder to shoulder with their hands folded behind then, Vincent Wolfe and Paxton Hayes looked at the small dark haired woman in front of them. She was checking to ensure that their cybernetic parts were operational. They were surprised to hear that their commanding officer’s sister was the droid engineer aboard the Outrider, it would make their job a whole lot easier. Cyborgs weren’t illegal, but most people and military operations looked down upon them. In the past, some had shown erratic behavior and had become aggressive towards their own platoons. Though many years of research had put a stop to that for the most part, none of that eased the public’s mind.
      They were not allowed on ships carrying anyone other then military personnel and only with the captain’s written permission. They were feared by all life forms, even though most had been in accidents that put them in such positions. Vince and Pax would have fought to the death to keep a cyborg off the ships they worked on, and yet here they were ones themselves. Of course, aboard the Outrider they hadn’t gotten the written permission, and were suppose to act like security droid and personal guards for the ambassador and the assistant ambassador.
      No one but their commander’s sister knew that they were Cyborgs and not droids, not even the people that they had been sent to guard. The reason was simple enough, as droids couldn’t report back information that they had collected without consent from those that they were guarding. There had been several attacks on ambassadors and their assistants, the attacks had been so precise that it was determined that it had to be someone within the council. Their job aboard was two fold, protect the ambassador and the assistant, and report back on any suspicious behavior. Though, really the part about not getting caught for impersonating a droid was a duty that went unspoken.
      Tony Corwin, he had to be at least seventy years old by now, and Vince wondered what the hell he was doing still on the council. He, of course, had lost the coin toss with Pax and had to protect the old man. Pax, the lucky bastard, got what they heard to be the ambassador’s pretty assistant.
      “Ambassador Corwin should be here soon.” Corporal Leann Reyburn told them. “Now, remember to watch your speech patterns, and try not to follow them with your eyes too much.”
      Vince wanted to snort, he wouldn’t have any problem with that. Watching an old man walking around his quarter’s naked all day wasn’t exactly something he wanted to stare at.
      Leann walked over to her desk and finished the droid request for the two of them. They had both been put into black uniforms with silver strips on their shoulders, informing any military personnel that they were security. Pax felt a little uncomfortable standing perfectly straight, though he wasn’t in any pain. With his spine reinforced to carry the bulk of his new weight and cybernetic legs, he hardly got tired. He just preferred to stand in a more relaxed manner, not to mention the droid body parts that were thrown about Leann’s workshop like a battle had just taken place.
      The workshop doors opened, and in stepped a woman around the age of twenty four, a full eight years younger then both men. Her hair was golden, and her eyes a light green, she had a skip in her walk. She was the assistant ambassador, they knew this from her uniform. Black cloth, but gold trim around the edges, as well as a star on each shoulder, the ambassador would have two stars.
      “Hey, Leann.” She said with a smile, stopping in front of her desk. “Sorry, it took so long. Tony is down on the planet with the council, it was hell getting a message through.”
      Pax gave a brief victory grin to his partner beside him, who only frowned in return. When Aurelia turned her eyes to look at them, they both emptied their faces immediately of all emotion.
      “Will Tony be here soon?” Leann asked.
      “Should be.” Aurelia responded, “Which one is mine?” Her voice held greedy excitement.
      Pax wanted to grin at the possessive way that she was speaking about him. He felt like a new toy.
      Leann walked out from behind her desk, “This is Pax. He’s already programmed to serve you, though there are some rules. I’ll explain when Tony arrives.”
      “Was kind of hoping the other one would be mine.” Aurelia looked at Vince. “He’s taller and looks meaner.”
      Both men were without a doubt gorgeous. Pax had short black hair, well built muscles, a strong jaw, and stood no more then six feet. Vince had a similar build, but with light brown hair, two scars over his left cheek, and was about two inches taller then Pax.
      “They are exactly the same on the inside. Besides, wouldn’t you prefer the pretty boy following you around anyway?” Leann asked.
      Vince took offense to that, but kept a straight face.
      Aurelia shrugged, “Yeah, I guess so. The other one still looks meaner though.” She looked over her shoulder as another woman entered the workshop.
      Her hair was long and blonde much like Aurelia’s, though she wore a dark brown robe that hid much of her body. She didn’t smile when she entered, instead frowned deeply at the two women. It was a second before Aurelia said her name, that Vince realized the woman was wearing an ambassador’s council garb.
      “Tony, it’s about damn time!” Aurelia snapped.
      She didn’t even look at the two droids in the room, just came to stand in front of Leann’s desk. “Can we hurry this along?” Tony asked.
      “Sounds like someone isn’t as happy as their sister to get their security droid today.” Leann teased, walking behind her desk and offering Tony a data pad to sign.
      Vince was confused were their two Ambassador Tony Corwins and if there were, why had he never heard of it? He thought over the information that he had read about the ambassador, and nearly smacked his own forehead. Antonia Corwin was his daughter, she must of taken over for him when he retired, he had read that she was the assistant ambassador for him. Damn his commander for making him do all the investigating himself. He knew he should of watched a couple broadcast council meetings.
      Pax tried to hide a grin, which informed Vince immediately that he had known about this all along. Normally, he would of punched him in the shoulder right there, but punishment would have to come later. He was too busy pretending to be a droid.
      Suddenly, Tony was in front of him, checking out her new droid. “Had to make him human-like, didn’t they?”
      “What you wanted a big glowing piece of metal flowing you around all day?” Aurelia asked.
      “At least then people would know a big, strong droid was my guard, not some human.” Tony began to walk around the two men, her hands folded in front of her.
      Vince felt a little exposed under her gaze, and she wasn’t afraid to check out everything that he had to offer including his behind and package.
      “Why does he had a big bulk in the front here? I mean is that really necessary?” Tony asked, pointing to his crotch.
      Leann turned three different shades of red, “It’s to be realistic, Ambassador.”
      “My god, Tony!” Aurelia squealed, “Do you have to be so uncouth?”
      “What he’s a droid? He doesn’t have feelings, and even if he did, I called it big. It would be a boost to his hypothetical ego.” Tony snapped.
      “Well, since you are at it, why don’t you just tell him to pull down his pants, and show it to you.” Aurelia looked over to Leann, “Can we do that?”
      Tony whacked her sister on the neck, “Don’t be perverted, Aura.” Leann opened her mouth to answer her, but Tony shot up her hand to silence her. “Don’t answer that, she would do it.”
      The ambassador turned her eyes back to her new droid, holding her hand out she touched the skin on his arm, then his lower cheek with her index finger. Aurelia rubbed the welt that was forming on her neck, and glared out the corner of her eye at her sister.
      “I was told that these are experimental droids.” Tony began, “I don’t feel comfortable being a test subject for these things.”
      Leann nodded, “Well, they aren’t exactly experimental, especially these two units. They have been tested, and are in perfect condition.”
      “Tested? So, I am getting a used one?” Tony asked, her eyebrow arched upward.
      “Damn it, Tony, why do you have to be so damn picky?” Aurelia sighed.
      “I am not being picky, only ensuring that I have received the best droids that engineering technology has to offer. After all, if regulations call for him to be my shadow, then I want to know he won’t go haywire on me. Especially, if I am being attacked.” Tony twisted her eyes back to Vince. She could of sworn she could a hint of annoyance in his eyes.
      “I assure you, Ambassador Corwin, that these two units are top of the line. Your father has been speaking with the head of security for some time now, he demanded nothing but the best. You have gotten the best.” Leann tried to ease the tension that she was starting to sense between the two sisters.
      Tony sighed in defeat, “Very well, truth be told I was just looking for a reason to send them back. Tell me about upkeep.”
      Leann grinned, “This new technology can overheat, and it’s recommended that you keep them offline for six to eight hours. Maybe during the evening, or when you aren’t doing much.” She was trying to buy them a sleep schedule. “Also, they have a better speech program, and may use words or terms that you are not accustomed to hearing droids speak.”
      “What about energy, do they need to be plug in or anything?” Aurelia asked.
      The question seemed to excite Leann, “They use regular food…” She slow her speech, when Tony narrowed her eyes at her. “It’s true, I’ll send you a report on their systems.” It would be much easier to trick Aurelia then Tony, as the ambassador had gone to college to become a droid engineer. Though her father talked her into politics instead.
      “Yes, I would like to see how that works.” Tony’s words were spoken with disbelief.
      “Disposal of by products can be done by the droids, like any other droid does.” Leann meant using the toilet, but she wanted to ensure that Tony remembered that all droids disposed of their waste that way. “Ambassador, I assure you that you have nothing to worry about from these units. Now, because of their complicated systems, please, bring them only to me if they have any programming errors or system malfunctions.”
      “Alright.” Tony’s voice held her skepticism, as she walked with Leann towards the exit.

      Outside of the workshop, Leann bid them goodbye, and returned to her duties. Vince and Pax walked behind the two women, as they discussed what had happened on the planet. Aurelia seemed genuinely interested in what had occurred, though she was next in line for the position and needed to ensure she knew the happenings of the council.
      Tony offered her a disk, “I need you to change this recording into text format.” She could think better when she saw the council’s meetings in writing. “Also, I want those reports done by this evening. I have to go to the captain’s office, so I’ll be back in an hour.”
      Aurelia nodded, “Ok, I’ll get on that.” She fell silent for a moment, “You want to tell me, what happened back there?”
      Tony didn’t look at her, “Back with Leann?”
      “Yeah, back with Leann.”
      She slowly shrugged her shoulders, “I am not really all that keen on this whole security droid thing. We don’t know who has been killing the ambassadors, could be droids.”
      “You had a security droid before.”
      “I wasn’t exactly in love with my last security droid, and he had to disappear.” She sighed, “I kind of hoped they would send me a woman this time around though. Kind of eerie to wake up in the middle of the night and have a male form standing near your door.”
      Aurelia giggled, “You can be too funny.” She turned down a hall to her left, and Pax followed her.
      Vince was a little surprised that Aurelia hadn’t even said goodbye to her sister. Of course, it was more along the lines of wanting to say his farewells to his partner. He felt suddenly alone, now that Pax had ventured off with his target. Tony didn’t really seem to mind his presence now, but something about the way she looked at him in the workshop had him on edge. She was a smart girl, he would give her that much, and not shy about asking questions.
      He looked downward towards his crotch, he had gotten a little boost to his ego when she called it big. The urge to look over at Pax with a cocky grin had to be fought off.
      Paying too much attention to himself and not her, he didn’t notice her sudden stop. The collision only last a moment, but it was enough to send her forward. Tony twirled around once she got her footing.
      “What the hell?” She barked.
      “I am sorry,” He had to think of an excuse quickly, “perhaps there is a problem with my distance receptors.”
      “Yeah, there is a problem with you alright. I don’t know if it’s with your receptors.” She placed her hands on her behind, and Vince realized that he must of grab her rear to steady himself.
      “I am a droid, I do not make sexual advances, Ambassador.”
      “That wasn’t an advance, that was an assault.” She sighed, before rolling her eyes. “Forget it.” Walking over to her quarter’s door, it slid open when she placed her thumb on the pad beside it.
      Vince was impressed with her quarters, even his weren’t as nice. She had a small kitchen and an entertainment area in the first room, and what he assumed to be the bedroom and bathroom doors along the right wall.
      Tony watched him take a protective stance beside her door. She gave him a glance over, before she pulled her robe off and threw it on the couch. Next to come off where her shoes and pants, until she was in nothing but her black underwear and bra.
      Remembering Leann’s advice, Vince tried not to watch her undress, but the black under clothing had almost been too much. He snatched a quick peek as she headed towards her bedroom. The robe hadn’t been very revealing, but the clothes she presently were in showed much more then he had expected to see. Her body could of easily belonged to a goddess, her skin tone even, and her muscles well toned.
      A warning light went off in his head, telling him that this was a trap, she was testing him. He had seen the uncertainty in her eyes when they were in Leann’s workshop, she new something was up. It made him wonder why she hadn’t asked to see his circuit boards or anything, she just accepted Leann’s word for it.
      Tony emerged from her room in her black officer’s uniform. Aboard the Outrider, she helped bridge communications with the military and the government, but she also had another purpose. The Outrider explored planets that were not yet populated, at least not by humans, and other space traveling life forms. Populations were getting out of hand, and new planets had to be found. Tony’s duty was to ensure that any intelligent beings found on uncharted planets got their say within the Coadunation Government’s council. Which was a nice way of saying, she helped them merge more easily with their government, whether they wanted to or not.
      He watched her walk to the bathroom, not even sweeping her eyes past him. The less she looked at him the better, not only did it stop her from noticing his un-droid-like habits, but he was already tossing away Leann’s advice. Don’t follow them with your eyes, kept repeating over in his mind, but he already couldn’t help it. Tony may of proved herself to be snobby, but it was a trait that he found attractive. She was better then everyone else, or at least she thought so. If she had been a man, they would call her confident and strong willed. He slowly shook his head, maybe it was just him. She did show a lighter side to her sister, perhaps she just didn’t like having a security droid around.
      Exiting the bathroom, she began to pull on her socks. “Hand me my shoes, bot.” She ordered without even looking up at him.
      Vince realized that she had never been told his name nor did she ask. Without hesitation, he picked her shoes up from where she had dropped them. As he approached her, she held out her hand, but again didn’t bother to look up as she adjusted her sock. “My name is Vince.” He said, dropping the shoes beside her, then taking his place at the door.
      A small victory pounded in his heart, when he saw that she had looked up at him. Though, he realized that it was probably an erratic behavior that would get him sent back to Leann.
      Tony dropped her eyes to her shoes, and without another word, pulled them on. Standing up, she checked her hair and make-up in the mirror one last time. Walking to the door, it slid open as she approached.
      Her eyes slowly found his, “Come along, bot.” The name was spoken like a dare, as if she wanted him to correct her again.
      Vince said nothing, as he followed her out of her quarters and into the hall. He fought a grin off, before questioning what the woman was up to. His thoughts then went to Pax, and he wondered if he was faring any better with Aurelia.

      They made their way to the captain’s office, Tony never paying any attention to the man behind her. When they entered, all the head officers were present, and one stood offering his seat to her. Vince took his position next to the door, and watched the proceeding. No one questioned who or what he was, though he suspected they were all informed that a security droid would be boarding at the last planet. He was also wearing a security uniform but that slipped his mind.
      Captain Graham sat behind his desk, balding but what hair he had left was silver. His uniform was white with black and gold trim. He had greeted Tony with a smile, though they were told to treat her like an officer aboard ship. “Glad that everyone has arrived. I have… news.”
      They awaited patiently for him to finish.
      “I have discovered that I have fallen ill, and have only a year left in my life.” He waited for everyone to give their condolences, “With that said, I have decided to retire early and spend what days I have left with my children and grandchildren. Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to Commander Carnell will not become captain of this ship.” He gave his second in command a sympathetic look, and those close to him patted Carnell’s back.
      “It’s alright.” Carnell announced, “I just got this position a year ago, I understand.”
      Graham’s eyes went to Tony, this time holding sympathy for her. “The new captain will be Tyler Mikolas, though he is much younger then I am. He has an excellent record, absolutely impeccable. I know that he will be a fine captain for the Outrider.”
      Tony tried not to frown or gasp at the sound of her ex-husband’s name.
      “I was given the honor of hand selecting my replacement, and I really do think he is the best choice.” Graham stood up, “He will be boarding tomorrow when we stop off at Beroge.”
      Everyone stood from their seats, when Graham dismissed them. After another wave of condolence, they began to shuffle out of his office. Graham turned his attention to Tony. “May I speak with you?”
      She nodded, and removed her arm from Commander Carnell’s. Vince didn’t like the man already, as he had immediately came to her side when they were dismissed. His light brown hair pulled back into a short ponytail, defiantly against military regulations. Deep dimples impaled his face when he had smiled at her. Tony waved goodbye to him, before turning her interest to the captain.
      Graham began to speak before Carnell was even out of the office, “I know that you and Mikolas have a shady past, and I did not select him knowing that. He informed me of some of your history when I spoke to him earlier today. This won’t cause any problems for you, will it?”
      Tony shook her head and smiled, “Don’t you worry about anything, Captain. We separated on good terms, and I don’t think we will have any trouble getting along. After all, I see you maybe once or twice a month. I think I can manage.”
      Graham grinned, before sitting down. “That’s good to hear, Ambassador. I like to think that we have become friends, you have been here for what eight years?”
      She nodded, “Back when I was assistant to the assistant ambassador.” The words were spoken with a chuckle. Her father had just pawned her off on the assistant ambassador, who put her to work on menial tasks. He, unfortunately, died off planet during an operation, which was the only reason that Tony was an ambassador now. At twenty six, she was the youngest ambassador on the council.
      “They past by so quickly, didn’t they?” Graham sighed, leaning back in his chair.
      Tony took a seat again, “What is it?” She was asking about his disease.
      “Ah, something to do with my brain. Eating away at it, soon I won’t even be the man you see before you.” He looked up at her, “Eight years, and I didn’t even know that you were ever married. Was he aboard this ship?”
      She giggled, “Of course, for four years, Captain. You never met him, he was an officer?” After she asked the question, she rather wished she hadn’t.
      “You know, he did seem to be familiar with me. Maybe, I did know him.”
      “Yes, I think you did, but he is rather forgettable.”
      Graham laughed out loud, “An ex-wife would say that.”
      She shrugged, “Will there be a going away party?”
      “No, no. I would… I would rather go silently into the night. I came in here like a thunder storm, but I would rather leave without any notice.” Folding his hands on his lap, he looked down at them. “Like your father did.”
      “Keep in contact after you go. I would like to hear how you are doing.” Tony stood up.
      The old captain didn’t respond, and Tony took that as her cue to leave.

      Vince watched her walk down the halls, and tried to hide his frustration with Pax. That bastard didn’t tell him about the ambassador being a woman, so he wasn’t well researched in her background. Knowing that she had been married might of come in handy, as well as other personal matters that revolved around her. He had hacked into the Outrider’s personnel journals and spent a month reading the old man’s journal and reports. He knew Anthony Corwin like the back of his hand, but Antonia was a mystery that he thought Pax was researching.
      He shouldn’t blame his partner, he had heard the name Tony Corwin and assumed that it was the old man. All he had to do was look at the council roster, and that mistake would of never happened. Damn him for thinking that he knew it all, Pax had looked to be sure. No, he had this one coming.
      Tony entered through the door that had a plaque beside it that read “Ambassador Antonia R. Corwin, and her sister’s name beneath it.”
      Another thing that Vince had overlooked, his commanding officer had said Tony R. Corwin, and he thought it had been his commander’s mistake.
      Inside the office, there was a desk that circled off the far right corner, it was Aurelia’s desk, complete with everything she needed to basically be a secretary. In the center of the right wall was another door that led to Tony’s private office. The rest of the room had chairs and plants, and looked like any other politician’s office that Vince had seen.
      Pax was standing beside the door, when they entered and Vince took a station on the other side of the door. Tony had seemed to forget that he was even following her, as she turned her head when the door didn’t close immediately after she entered.
      “Captain tell you that he was retiring?” Aurelia asked.
      “Yes, how did you know?”
      She pointed to a flat screen that protruding from her desk, “He sent us all a message, I guess after the meeting was over.”
      “Take a wild guess who is replacing him?” Tony rested her elbows on the desk, her rear end facing the two droids at the door.
      Vince knew that Pax wanted to point and wink as was his behavior, but he kept his composure.
      “Commander Carnell, who else?” She watched her sister shake her head, “No? Then who?”
      “It’s no fun unless you guess, Aura.” Tony began to wave her backside.
      Vince let a grin tug at the corner of his lips, knowing that Pax was probably dying over there from holding his tongue. He was also enjoying the view, and that Tony was being somewhat playful with her sister.
      “It’s not fun, I never guess right, and then it’s always someone I would of not thought of. So, just tell me!” Aurelia slammed her fist playful on her thigh.
      “Tyler.”
      She rose her eyebrow, “Tyler, Tyler? Tyler, ex-husband, Tyler? Tyler, that cheating bastard, I will kill him if I ever see him again, that Tyler?”
      “That Tyler.”
      “Should I request a transfer?” Aurelia immediately spouted off, and turned towards her computer console.
      Tony laughed, “No, it’s been what four years since I last saw him. It’ll be fine, I hardly see the captain anyway. As long as he stays on his side of the fence, there won’t be any problems.”
      “You know that he won’t, Antonia. He didn’t want to get divorced to begin with, and…”
      “And he could be married with kids by now, I doubt there will be any issues.” She stood up, removing her waving behind from view. “Anyway, I have work to do. How are those reports coming? I need them sent to the council by tomorrow.” They were mostly reports about how she handled certain situations with hostile beings, as well as her diplomatic approach to problems that arose.
      “I think I am going to have to stay late tonight.” Aurelia whined.
      “That’s the spirit!” Tony patted her shoulder, before disappearing into her office.
      Vince decided not to follow her in, he didn’t need to give her anymore reasons to suspect him. Before he even had a chance to wish Aurelia would leave for a moment, she jumped from her chair and went into Tony’s office.
      “You bastard.” Vince whispered, neither men moved their bodies or head. If the women came back, they wouldn‘t want them to see any movement on their end. “I am completely unprepared.”
      Pax smiled widely, then pulled a disk out of his pocket. “Here, I did all my research on her, until I got to the part where she became an ambassador. I knew I should of looked at the damn roster.”
      Vince took the disk, he would have to read it when Tony was sleeping. “Thanks.”
      “They are both nice pieces of ass. Makes you want to break cover.”
      “Don’t.”
      Pax shrugged, “I doubt they are the traitors, not like it would really…” He stopped when both women walked out and stood in front of Aurelia’s console.
      “See, he said that this here shows of an intruder.” Aurelia said as she sat back down.
      “Did he check my files?” Tony asked, hovering over her.
      She nodded, “Same thing, says it was probably the same hacker. It’s so embarrassing, they downloaded my journal… and yours.”
      Tony shrugged, “Guess they get to learn that I hate Jake down in communications.”
      Aurelia glared up at her, “That’s what you write in your journal?”
      “Yeah, why what do you write?”
      “It’s a journal, Tony, I write my most private and intimate thoughts down.” Aurelia’s voice held annoyance.
      “You mean you write sexual fantasies down, don’t you?” She watched her nod, and then sighed loudly. “Aura, don’t put your thoughts in solid form unless you want someone else to read them. This kind of thing happens, did he put up a watch in case they try to hack again?”
      “Yeah, and a firewall, but he said odds were they got what they wanted. This is so damn embarrassing.”
      With the women’s backs to them, Pax rose both his eyebrows at Vince. He couldn’t believe that his partner had read her journal, then he remembered the disk that he had been given. Was Tony’s journal on it? He knew she said she didn’t write anything down that she didn’t want someone else to read, but maybe there was a bit or two in there that he could use to keep her in line.

      Sitting at her desk, Tony stared at the office door, knowing that her handsome security droid was posted just outside. She had almost wanted to demand that he station himself inside her office, but thought her sister might catch on. That and he was no droid, that was a cyborg, she would bet her life on it. Though she could easily prove it by demanding he open his chest panel so she could see his circuit board, she decided not to.
      Leann was in on this, which meant her brother, who commanded a Cyborg military was the one that sent them. This had to be an order given by high members of the council, but why send cyborgs and not inform their wards? She didn’t understand it, but she was going to find out, and Vince was going to tell her.
      It had taken all her composure not to laugh at him, when he announced his name was Vince. He hated being called bot, and that only allowed her a deeper penetration into his skin. Turning to her computer console, she began to search the military database for anyone named Vince or Vincent who was injured in combat, and who was younger then forty. Ninety eight percent of all cyborgs were soldiers who had proven themselves too valuable for the military to lose. After a quick search, two thousand matching names popped up. She sighed, if it took her all year, she was going to find his records.
      There were few things that Tony just couldn’t forgive, but lying was one of them. She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face, when she threw a data pad with his record pulled up. The thought of even calling him by his last name played in her mind. This man thought he could pull one over on her, how stupid did he think she was? More importantly, how stupid did Leann think she was? Aurelia wasn’t dumb, just not well versed in droid engineering.
      She hoped that her sister would be safe with the other cyborg, though she knew she should have been more afraid for Pax’s safety. Her sister had a wild side, one that was not without it’s causalities. She had never purposely killed anyone, just convinced them to go too far. Pax probably wouldn’t be aiming to impress, but Aurelia saw any man as a challenge. A handsome droid in her bedroom, the girl would do anything to see if she can get it to attempt a physical relationship with her.
      Although, the thought had crossed her mind when she had Vince alone in her bedroom. He stared intently at her, as if both thrilled and stunned that she had just stripped down in front of him. She wasn’t going to change her habits, just because he decided to interrupt her life with his lies. If he was uncomfortable with it, then he would have to admit that he wasn’t a droid. Besides, she liked the thought of having something over such a handsome man, cyborg or not.
      Neither Aurelia nor Tony were that afraid of cyborgs, their brother was one and he had never had any malfunctions. He even had children, and his wiring was probably older then their new guards.
      Her eyes returned to the list of names, she began her search one by one for the next five hours, until Aurelia entered and told her to head home. Saving her search, she stood from her chair and walked out into the main room. Vince looked exhausted, well more bored out of his mind then anything. Though Pax seemed to enjoy watching her sister all day long.
      “Come along, bot.” She ordered and walked out the door.
      Vince glared at his partner, he was not a robot, and he hated to be called such. He may have mechanical parts, but a majority of his body was still organic. Most cyborgs hated to be called bots, and it had become a crude insult to them. He couldn’t blame her though, she really thought he was a bot, at least she was pretending she did. Whether she thought he was or not was still a question left unanswered. He was almost certain that she knew.
      Back in Tony’s quarters, Vince fought off any yawns that began to emerge from his throat. Standing there watching Aurelia type had been the most boring assignment that he had ever been given. Of course, things got a lot better the moment the door shut behind them.
      Tony began to strip down again in front of him, and threw her clothing onto the couch. He could of sworn that she knew he was a cyborg, but she was still treating him as if he were an unfeeling droid.
      “I am going to shower, bot, don’t let anything disturb me.” She announced, and began to peel her bra off as she walked to the bathroom door.
      Vince watched her attentively, and when she was behind the thick piece of metal, he threw himself on the couch. He stopped midway when the couch made a loud moan under his weight, but when he heard the shower start up, he relaxed. She hadn’t heard him. Her pulled his data pad out of his inner coat pocket, and found the disk that Pax had given him in his pant’s pocket. Inserting it, he began to read Tony’s history, but soon found himself too curious about what was on her journal. Listening for the shower, he slowly read over her private thoughts.
      The woman was boring enough, and she had meant what she said to her sister. She didn’t put anything in her journal that was incriminating. His own sister’s journal had been more scintillating then this when he was fifteen. At least she was smart, probably too smart for her own damn good.
      The sound of falling water ended, and Vince put the data pad back into his inner coat pocket, before standing up to guard the door.

      Tony exited the bathroom wearing dark gray sweatpants and tank top, she didn’t even bother putting anything on her feet. Her long gold locks were brushed out and loose over her shoulders. Allowing her eyes to wander over to the large man standing at her door, she grinned when she realized he was standing in the exact same position she had left him in. He was a clever one she had to give him that, but she had heard the squeaky couch alarm her that it had gone into use.
      She kept her gaze upon Vince, as she made her way to the kitchen to prepare her meal. He looked tense as her eyes continued to probe him, and she tried her best not to show any hint of satisfaction. When she was content with his uneasiness, she turned to her food storages. A grin played on the corner of her lips, Leann said they could eat regular food, and droids couldn’t taste. She wondered how Vince would like an extremely spicy meal.
      Preparing the spicy chicken and rice, she caught Vince trying to see what she was making out of the corner of her eye several times. Earlier that day around lunchtime, she had conveniently forgotten to order the droids food as well. They were suppose to be droids after all, one meal a day should be enough for them. She was certain that Pax was a cyborg too, though he seemed to play the part of a droid better. Perhaps, she thought that because she wasn’t around him for very long, so she didn’t see his flaws.
      Aurelia was too trusting and would probably not notice that anything as amiss. With Leann telling her that they were meant to act more human, her sister would easily let things slide. Tony, on the other hand, kept track of all droid technology, it was one of her interests. She had never heard of any droids looking or acting this human, and for crying out loud, Vince had scars on his face.
      She caught the look of relief in Vince’s eyes when she pulled two bowls out for them. Scooping out the rice, she waited for the chicken to finish cooking in the wok. She had made sure to make it extra spicy. Tony adored hot food, and the hotter the better, but not many people could tolerate it as spicy as she liked it. Pouring the chicken and it’s sauce onto the rice, she placed both bowls on the table, and returned to pouring them each a glass of milk.
      Sitting down at the small two person table, she began to eat her food, and waited for the right moment. Vince wouldn’t just come sit down and start eating, he had to act like a droid and remain put until she issued a command.
      “Around here we eat at the table, like civilized human beings.” She informed him, when she was quite certain he couldn’t take much more.
      “I am not a human, nor do I eat, Ambassador.” He corrected.
      Tony looked up at him, a hint of mockery in her eyes, “Then come to the table, and refill your energy reserves.”
      “My duties dictate that I guard the entrance to your quarters.” He thought the response was very droid like, though he wasn’t convinced that Tony thought so.
      “Eat at the table, bot, or don’t eat at all.”
      Vince walked over to the table, and took a seat across from her. He could already smell the spices seeping off the food, but that was alright he liked hot food. Filling his fork up, he shoveled a large piece of chicken and some rice into his mouth. Ok, that was way too hot! Droids couldn’t taste, so he had no option but to continue chewing his food without any facial expressions. After the heat began to work it’s way through his body, he prayed that he wouldn’t perspire.
      “You chew it, do you?” Tony arched an eyebrow.
      “It is easier to process in smaller sections.” He answered, trying to hold back the sound of pain in his voice. “I do not believe this will satiate my daily nutritional intake, Ambassador.”
      “Too spicy for you?” She asked.
      It was obvious that she knew he wasn’t a droid, but his mission demanded that he not reveal his true identity. He was beginning to feel like an idiot playing the part of a droid now. “No, Ambassador, rice and chicken have little…”
      “That’s what we have, eat it, or you can go without.” She was beginning to sound like his mother.
      Turning his eyes back to his food, he ate it as quickly as he could. The less time it touched his tongue the better it would be. When he finished, he drank down his milk and returned to his position in front of the door.
      Tony did the dishes, and took a seat on the couch after grabbing a data pad from her desk near the table. As soon as the screen on her data pad flashed green, the familiar buzz sound echoed throughout her quarters. She walked over to her desk and flipped the switch.
      “Yes?”
      “Ambassador Corwin, this is Commander Carnell, could I see you in my quarters within the next twenty minutes?” His deep voice asked.
      “What is this about, Commander?”
      “Our new captain, I would like to discuss a few things with you. If you would feel more comfortable, we can meet in my office.”
      Vince watched as Tony opened her mouth to answer, and then paused. Asking a woman to his quarters for ‘business related’ matters was one of the oldest tricks that Vince knew, and he hoped that Tony knew that as well.
      “Alright, Commander, I will be there shortly.” She responded and flipped the switch off.
      Nope, apparently she didn’t.
      She pulled off her sweatpants and tank top, after locating her uniform on the couch. “You stay here, bot.” She ordered, pulling her uniform on.
      “My objective…”
      “Is to do what I say, and you are staying here.” She glared at him as she walked towards the door. “You know, you are kind of noncompliant for a droid.”
      “I do not believe it would do well for public relations for you to enter the commander’s quarters, Ambassador.”
      Tony scratched her brow and chuckled, “I don’t think it’s your job to tell me who I can and can not see.”
      With that she walked out of the door, leaving Vince in her room. He wanted to go because this was suspicious behavior, even if the commander had said it was about the new captain. Perhaps they were working together against the council, and possibly for a larger terrorist organization. Of course, he didn’t like the thought of her dating anyone either. The last thing he wanted was to be stuck outside her bedroom, listening to her with another man.
      With a shrug, he sat down on the couch and pulled out his data pad. At least this would give him some time to read Pax’s research on her. He could be prepared when she returned, and therefore able to complete his mission. There was no way in hell that he could do this for the year that he was assigned to. Tony already had him figured out, but she wasn’t admitting to it. He wondered what her game was.

      Kevin Carnell offered her a glass of wine as he sat down on the couch beside her. His quarters were much bigger then her own, even having a kitchen split off from the main room. After being posted on the Outrider a year before, she and he had become more then friends. Though, she soon discovered that he was a married man with three children. She broke off the relationship as soon as she found out. As Vince had said, it wasn’t good for public relations, but not because she entered his quarters
      News spread quickly and word of the affair reached his wife’s ear, and five months after he arrived, Kevin was a divorced man. Tony didn’t trust men who cheated on their wives, as she had been a victim of that same crime, and refused to date him after his divorce. Her hate towards him slowly faded, and she forgave him, allowing them to become close friends.
      “This is such bullshit.” Kevin snapped. “Do you know he is younger then me? Of course, you know, he’s your ex.”
      Tony giggled, “It’s not that bad, is it?”
      Leaning forward he rested his elbows on his knees, and took a sip of his wine. “Tell me about him.”
      “There isn’t much to tell, I haven’t seen him in four years. People change.”
      He turned his head so he could see her, “How a man acts in a relationship is a good indication on how he will run his ship.”
      Tony shrugged her shoulders, “I met him when I first arrive on the Outrider at eighteen, we were friends for a year, dated for a year, and married for two years. He couldn’t keep it in his pants, and I found out. And that’s it.”
      Kevin leaned back into the couch, “Did he treat you well, despite cheating on you?”
      “You mean was he an asshole? No, he was actually quite charming. His father is the king of Alyug Seven, and before you say anything he has earned his rank, it was not purchased for him.” She watched Kevin snap his mouth shut, “He was like the fifth son born to the eighth wife, so he really only gets the title of prince and nothing more.”
      He didn’t seem convinced as he sucked down another gulp of his red wine.
      “He can be a little overconfident at times, and arrogant, but…” She sighed, “You’ll have to see for yourself, even as my ex-husband, I think Graham made a good choice. Though, Tyler wasn’t a captain last I saw him.”
      “Ok, judge for myself, I get it.” He chuckled after a long pause.
      “What’s so funny?”
      “I was thinking about that huge droid you have following you around. Thanks for not bringing him along. Graham informed us that the council sent you a security droid, but damn he was intimidating. I could of sworn he glared at me after the meeting.” He shook his head, as he chuckled. Slowly, his face went serious when he realized that Tony didn‘t find his words amusing. “He looks very realistic. Graham said that they were sending an experimental unit.”
      “He looks a little too real, don’t you think?”
      He shrugged, “Too real? Does that bother you?”
      “A little. I mean he is in my quarters. No more walking around in the nude for me.” She jested.
      “Ah, he’s a droid, what do you care? A damn lucky droid.”
      She scooted around, and laid her feet in his lap. “Droid or not, it’s creepy.” Tony wasn’t going to tell him that she suspected Vince to be a cyborg. Suspected? She knew he was a cyborg, but before anything could be said or done, she needed to know why the council sent him.
      “Well, how about a game of chess?” Kevin asked, as he put his wine glass down and began to remove her shoes so he could massage her feet.
      “I don’t want to be up too late tonight, and we always tie.” She sighed loudly, “I swear that council can’t agree on anything. No one has the same opinion, except when it comes to my job. Half of them think it’s wrong to try and integrate other planets into the government, and the other half argue the opposite.” She jerked her foot away, when he began to massage the arch of her foot. “That tickled.”
      Kevin laughed when he looked up at her, before grabbing her foot and tickling it again. She thrashed about, spilling some of her wine onto the couch, before falling to the floor.
      “Stop!” She cried out in laughter.
      He let her foot go, keeping the smile on his face. Standing up, he took the wine glass from her and placed it with his own, before offering his hand to her.
      Tony took it, and he pulled her to her feet. When she tried to retract her hand, he kept a firm grasp and grabbed her other hand. He slide both their hands behind her, pulling her closer to him.
      “Kevin, I thought we discussed this. If you can’t control yourself, then we will have to end our friendship.” Tony spoke the words slowly, all the while trying to keep her knees from weakening.
      Truth be told, Kevin still had the same effect on her that he did when they first met a year ago. She knew now, however, that he was a cheat and a liar in relationships. They were great friends, but he had to be reminded every so often that that was all they ever would be.
      His lips, that he had originally planned on smothering her own with, landed gently on her cheek. “What? Did you think I was going to try to make out with you?” He dropped her hands.
      Tony stepped back, and picked her shoes from off the ground. “I need to get some sleep.”
      “Don’t leave, I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just playing around.” He begged as she walked towards the door.
      “No, Kevin, you were testing the walls of our friendship, and I am not going to let you knock them down.” She stepped out of his quarters and into the hall, before he could impart any more half truths on her.