Outrider's Secrets - Part Two

       Could he have been assigned to a more squeaky clean woman? Vince asked himself, as he forced his eyes to continue reading. Not only was she on the straight and narrow, she was intelligent. She had finished four years of college by the time she was eighteen, and managed to convince her father into letting her become the assistant ambassador by the time she was twenty.
      What had caught his attention, as well as shook him to the core, was her degree in droid engineering. She had gotten it her first two years in college, then switched to political science for the next two. That meant she knew what droid technology was capable of, as long as she was still following it’s progress. From the other documents that had been on her computer, it was obvious that she was. There was no doubt left in his mind, that she had figured him out the moment she saw him.
      He still didn’t understand, why she hadn’t said anything to him. If she had reported him to the captain, he and Pax would be in a holding cell by now. On the subject of Pax, he wondered what his partner was doing right now. He had him worried, as Pax had talked about breaking cover, though he didn’t know how serious he had been. He and Pax had worked together for two years now, and he still didn’t know when he was kidding or not.
      His sensitive cybernetic ear picked up the sounds of footsteps approaching the room, and he jumped to attention, hiding his data pad. Tony thought she had one over him, as she knew he wasn’t a droid, but now he knew as well. He had no idea how that knowledge would come in handy, but he was sure it would be to his advantage.
      The door slid open, and then shut, and before he saw her, a pair of shoes flew past him and onto the floor. He smelt the wine on her as she past by him. Within seconds, her clothes were off and her pajamas back on. There was no getting use to seeing her strip down in front of him. And if she knew he was a cyborg, why the hell did she keep doing that? To get a rise out of him? He was a better man then that.
      “I’m going to bed, bot. You can ‘power down’ on the couch.” She used her fingers to make quotations in the air.
      Before he could demand that she call him Vince, she stormed off to her room. That’s another thing that was beginning to piss him off. She knew he was a cyborg, but she kept calling him bot. Was it just for making him think she still thought he was a droid? Or was it yet another ploy to get a rise out of him?
      He had trained too long and too hard in the subtle art of replicating droid behavior to fall for simple tricks. He had always been told that it was impossible to trick someone who was educated in droid technology. Had he known about Tony’s history, he would have had Pax take her. Not only did he fake being a droid better, but a larger part of his body was mechanical.
      Again, he heard the sounds of footsteps in the hallway, but this time they stopped in front of the door and stomped twice. He recognized the heavy steps to be Pax, and wondered what the hell he was doing away from his ward. Opening the door, he prayed that Tony fell asleep quickly and slept deeply.
      Pax entered into the quarters and looked around briefly, “Damn, this is nice. Aurelia’s quarters are just a bed, desk, and fridge. You lucked out.” He wasn’t speaking out loud, they both had radio transmitters implanted in their cybernetic brains that they could use to speak with one another. Using them in the office wasn’t permitted, because the transmissions could be easily picked up. And radio waves were monitored within all public offices.
      “What are you doing here?” Vince asked, looking over to Tony’s bedroom door, “If you get caught…”
      “Relax. I wanted to see how things were… are those her clothes?” He pointed to the clothing on the floor.
      “Yeah.”
      “She is changing in front of you, or did you blow our cover?”
      He couldn’t believe that Pax was accusing him of something he had done, himself, a thousand times himself. “No, I think she is doing it to me, so that I will though.”
      “I thought she would figure it out, if the joke hadn’t been so damn funny, I would of switched with you.”
      “Yeah, really fucking funny, Pax. What should I do? She hasn’t reported me, but she hasn’t confronted me either.” Vince kept looking between Pax and the bedroom door. He had no idea what he would do if she walked out.
      “I don’t think she’ll say anything. After all, she trusts the council, and probably knows this was their decision. However, if you slip, she’ll gladly partake in any information that you have to offer.” Pax grinned, “I should go, I don’t have the luxury of a door between me and Aurelia.” He began to turn around, but stopped. “Oh, yeah, if the ambassador asks, we have companion bot programming.”
      “What?” He actually spoke the question.
      “Shh. I told Aurelia that I had companion bot programming, so I could give her a massage… uh, a full body one. She is pretty easy, ya know?” He chuckled, “Poor girl was telling me how her sister never lets her leave the ship, and how…”
      “Ok, that’s enough. I can’t believe you blew our cover, Pax… again!”
      “Hey, I didn’t blow it. She still thinks I am a droid, and I didn’t climax either. I finished myself off in the bathroom. No harm, no foul.” Pax shrugged. “See ya later.”
      “I fucking hate you.” Vince growled, and when Pax was past the door, he threw himself onto the couch. That partner of his was going to get them locked up, and possibly terminated. They had messed up on too many missions in the past, and were on the verge of being more of a liability then an assets to the military.
      He couldn’t worry about it right now, he had to get his rest. A grin tugged at his lips, he couldn’t believe that Pax had already bedded the ambassador’s sister. He was suppose to be a droid, and he still had the irresistible charm that the lady’s loved. A thought of using the companion programming on Tony crossed his mind, but that would probably be pushing his limits.

      Tony held back a grin, when she had exited her bedroom. Vince was already positioned at her door, and ready to start the day. She had heard him snoring on the couch all night, and thought perhaps she would ask if that was part of his programming too. At the moment, however, she couldn’t be bothered by him, her sister always came to her quarters for breakfast.
      She made omelets, and placed them on the table. The droids would not be eating this morning, at least not until they admitted they weren’t droids. Aurelia had access to her room, so Tony arched an eyebrow when the door buzzed. She hated the thought of answering the door in her pajamas, but it would take her too long to dress.
      The door slid open, and her heart skipped a beat. Deep green eyes smiled at her. Chestnut brown hair still brushed to the side like it had been so many years ago. A strong face and wide shoulders, Tyler looked like he hadn’t aged a day. In his hands was a Siamese kitten, no older then six weeks.
      “Hello, captain.” She greeted, ignoring the kitten for the time being.
      “Good morning, ambassador.” His deep voice responded, before he smiled again. “May I enter?”
      “I do not think it’s appropriate for the ship’s captain to enter a lady’s room, let alone the ambassador’s.”
      Tyler hadn’t seen Vince yet, nor the other way around. However, Vince was pleased with her response to his invitation.
      “Come now, Antonia.” Tyler sighed, and stepped in pushing her back some.
      Vince made an advance, and it caught the captain’s eye.
      “No, stand down.” Tony ordered him, and Vince returned to his position.
      “You hiding men in your quarters now?” Tyler teased, as the quarter’s door slid shut behind him.
      “It’s my security droid, I…”
      “I was just teasing you, Antonia. I read the report.” He sighed, and looked down at the kitten when it meowed. “I brought you this.” He held out his hand with the kitten wrapped up in his fingers.
      “Why?”
      “I heard the one I gave you got sick and died, so I thought I would bring you a new friend.”
      Tony’s harden heart melted for a moment, as she took the kitten. She had lost her Siamese cat three months ago, he had been a gift from Tyler on their wedding night. It felt like she lost a piece of herself when she made the decision to let the cat go. “Thank you, Tyler.” She stroked the kitten’s head with her fingertips, before putting him on the ground to let him explore his new home. “What is it that I can do for you, captain?”
      “I just wanted to say good morning, and let you know that I have come aboard. And while I was here, let you know that the leader of Beroge wants to talk to you.”
      “Leader? Haven’t they given him a title, yet?” Tony sighed.
      “Nope, they are still arguing over whether or not they want to be a democracy or a monarchy. However, he was complaining to me about some deal that you made with him.”
      She nodded, “Alright, I’ll take a pod down there and speak with him. That won’t cause any problems, will it?”
      “No, but we do plan to leave orbit in three hours, so I would hurry.” He looked over to the table and saw two dishes prepared. “Are you expecting someone?”
      “My sister… she’s the assistant ambassador, now.”
      “Oh yes, I read about that too. By the way, congratulations on your position.” He stepped back towards the door.
      “You too.” She replied as Tyler exited her quarters, she returned to the table. When she sat down her sister entered.
      “Hello, my ass!” Aurelia barked as she entered. “Who does he think he is? Talking to me like I’m his friend!” She slammed herself down into her seat at the table, while Pax stood guard at the door. “Did he come here to bother you?”
      “Really, Aurelia, you would think you were his ex-wife.” Tony shoveled some of her omelet into her mouth.
      “I don’t like him, never have, never will.” She barked and took a bite of her own food, “Oh, hot, hot!” Jumping from her seat, she tried to catch the food that fell out of her mouth. “Damn it, Tony! You make it too damn spicy, again!”
      “I would think you would be use to it by now.” Tony mumbled as Aurelia raced to the kitchen to pour herself some milk.
      Vince looked at Pax out of the corner of his eye, and used his transmitter to speak with him. “She knows, Pax. We should just blow cover and tell them what’s going on.”
      “No, Aurelia would kill me…”
      “Well, you should of thought about that before you fucked up. Besides how long do you think we can keep this up? Most definitely not for a year.” His eyes wandered to Tony, she was staring at them.
      Pax responded, “Aurelia is completely in the dark, she doesn’t know. I think your problem is that Tony isn’t as naïve.”
      “Yeah, that’s what I just said, asshole. I feel stupid playing the part of a droid, when she obviously knows that we aren’t.”
      “Look, we will give it two weeks. If they are the traitors, which I am sure they aren’t, but if they are, then Aurelia will be the one to blow it. But you should stay with Tony no matter what, don’t let her out of your sight.”
      Vince didn’t like the idea of faking it for two more weeks, he hadn’t done well with one day. “And then we explain everything to them?”
      “Yeah, and then I get my ass kicked by Aurelia.”
      As soon as they were done speaking, Tony returned to her food. Vince knew it wasn’t possible that she had heard their conversation, but he had an eerie feeling.
      “Were you listening to me, Tony?” Aurelia snapped as she threw herself into her seat.
      “No.” Tony replied.
      Her sister exhaled deeply through her nose, “I said, I am going to feed this to the droids, and make my own damn breakfast.”
      “They won’t like how spicy it is either.” Tony told her, as Aurelia picked up the plate.
      “They are droids, Tony. They have no taste buds.”
      She shrugged, and looked up to Vince then back at her sister. “I am pretty sure the hot sauce isn’t good for their systems.”
      “Oh.” Aurelia looked down at her plate, she trusted her sister with these things, after all she had a degree in droid engineering.
      Vince almost wished that Tony hadn’t stopped her. His stomach was churning with hunger, and he announced through the transmitter that he was hungry. Pax told him that he got up early and ate some candy that Aurelia had sitting out.
      “Should I throw it away then?” Aurelia asked, holding the plate in front of Tony.
      “No, you should eat it.”
      “It’s too hot! I…” She sighed, this was a losing battle and she knew it. Sitting back down, she began to eat her meal. After every bite she took a large gulp of milk to wash it down.
      Tony shook her head in disbelief, as she watched her sister eat her breakfast. “I need to go down to Beroge right away. Make sure you arrange a transport for me, when you leave.”
      “Why?”
      “Apparently some deal I made with them has not been carried out. That’s all the information that I have.”
      “Don’t drink the water while you are down there. Makes people sick.” Aurelia warned, then picked up both her and Tony’s plates from the table. She cleaned them then headed for the door. “And really, Tony, you should be dressed by now.” Aurelia scolded before exiting her quarters.

      Dressed in her black uniform, the smooth edged collar stuck up from the jacket covering most of her neck. On her shoulders the two stars were evenly placed apart, and her blonde hair was pulled back into a bun. Her father had sent her to military school until she graduated early, and went to college.
      Vince could see the military training in the way she walked around the Outrider’s crew. She held herself with pride and dignity, like he had been trained to do when he joined the military. She had never actually joined any branches, which was unusual for an ambassador. Though with her intelligence and a father who was already an ambassador, it would of probably been overkill anyway.
      Stepping into the docking bay, the small transport ship was preparing to make another trip to the planet’s surface. Tony remained at the entrance of the dock, until another uniformed individual waved her over, the pilot.
      He looked at Vince for a moment, taking notice of his security uniform, and then returned his eyes to the ambassador. “We are ready to leave, ambassador.”
      “Very good.” She said, and began up the ramp with Vince close at her heels.
      The small pod could carry no more then six passengers, plus the pilot. It had been a while since Vince had boarded one without it being stuffed past capacity. As if he couldn’t do it himself, the pilot helped strapped him into his seat after he helped Tony. Vince took offense to the man’s help.
      The flight took no more then twenty minutes, all of which was within the confides of silence. Tony was reading up on her previous contacts with the planet’s leader, as she had been the one to bring them into the Coadunation. Ambassadors often made promises to get planets to join, and the council didn’t always keep them. It was her duty to ensure that they be carried out, however if she didn’t know that they weren’t, then she couldn’t do anything about it.
      The pod landed with a hard thud, and Tony released herself from her safety harnesses. Vince tried to remove his as quickly as she had, but found the buckle to be a bit tricky. It refused to let go off him, until Tony took notice and released it’s grip of him. He tried not to appear embarrassed, but knew that his cheeks had probably flushed. Luckily the pod’s cabin was dark, and he could easily hide the shame.
      Slowly the pod’s ramp lowered, and they were able to exit. Beroge was a small planet, but rich in minerals. Most of the land masses were considered islands, and it had tropical weather for most of the year. It would have been a vacationing paradise if the water wasn’t full of parasites that were easy enough to get rid of. Tony knew that the water had not yet been cleaned, and that was probably the reason she had been called down there.
      The planet was poor and desperately needed the tourism, but in order to do that they needed the have the overwhelming parasite population lowered. Almost everyone who lived on the planet had one or two parasites calling them home. Some of the worse parasites could kill a person within a matter of days.
      The Anorms of Beroge were a fish-like race, though they spent most of their time above water. They shared the planet with a race of snake creatures, who were called the Sessasions. Neither races got along, but they hardly ever crossed paths. Both knew that in order to boost their own people and planet, they couldn’t start wars. So Beroge was a relatively peaceful place.
      The Sessasions didn’t like dealing with outsiders, so they let the Anorms deal with the Coadunation. Tony wondered how they would deal with tourism if it were ever to occur, but that was not the matter at hand.
      As soon as they exited the docking port, which had been built by the Coadunation, they found themselves in a primitive society. Huts were the only form of housing, and they didn’t have any markets or stores. Everyone worked together and shared the wealth.
      A light gray Anorm approached, he wore a long dark robe and had whisker-like protrusions on his face. His mouth was large and wide, and he looked like a cross between a catfish and a big mouth bass. “Greetings, Ambassador Corwin.” His voice sounded as if he had mucus in his throat. “Thank you for coming all the way down here.”
      Tony bowed her head, “It is my pleasure, Karooska.”
      Karooska looked at the man behind her. He was not aware of what specific uniforms meant, and therefore was uncertain if it was safe to speak openly in front of him. “Perhaps, we should speak alone.”
      Looking over her shoulder at Vince, she then returned her gaze to the Anorm in front of her. “That is my security droid, you needn’t worry. Now, tell me what the matter seems to be.”
      He waved her to follow him with his fin-like hand. They approached a large hut, and Karooska opened the flap allowed her to look inside. At least twelve Anorms lay on the ground, and there were two humans. They all looked very ill, and in desperate need of medical attention.
      “The purka has attacked in force this year.” He told her.
      The purka was a deadly parasite, that was easily curable, but these people didn’t have the money nor the knowledge to cure it.
      “It does not respond anymore to our herbal remedies, ambassador.” He shut the flap, so that the dying could no longer be seen. “If they do not receive the human made antidote, they will not survive the month.”
      Tony nodded, “Has anyone come with medicine for the planet since you joined the Coadunation?”
      “No, we have had several of your army’s ship pass above us and even stop here, but none were willing to help. I spoke to them of the deals made, but they said that there was nothing they could do.”
      “Who are the two humans?”
      Karooska snorted, “Missionaries, trying to force their religion upon us. If any of them dies first, I would hope it would be them.”
      “I will try to get a medical ship out here as soon as possibly. I am very sorry that I was not informed of this sooner. I will also work on getting a research team out here to try and find a solution to Beroge’s problems.”
      “All that I ask is that you try, ambassador. My people feel cheated and lied to. You promised us medicine, tourism, and a better way of life. We have received nothing but miners destroying our lands, and then leaving us with nothing.”
      She looked at the large hut, she would need to help set up some sort of plan to ensure that the people got payment for any minerals taken off the planet. They desperately needed a military and medical base built, so to encourage ships to visit more often. “I will do what I can, Karooska.”
      He gave a nod, “I must return to my duties, thank you.”
      Tony looked around the small village for a moment, then set her eyes upon Vince. She looked upset and a little taken back by the situation here. “Well, back to the ship then.” Her voice was barely audible.
      Vince couldn’t believe that she actually cared that her promises had not been kept. Most ambassadors spoke empty words to get others to join the government, but Tony actually believed them to come true.

      Back aboard the Outrider, Vince had some difficulties keeping up with Tony as she made her way to her office. Once inside, she abandoned him to his duties, and didn’t even bother telling her sister what had occurred on the planet. She disappeared into her office, leaving Aurelia standing behind her desk.
      “What happened down there?” Aurelia asked Vince.
      It was more then a little surprising to hear her ask him a question like he was a real person. No wonder Pax wasn’t having any trouble with her, he could act anyway he wanted and she couldn’t tell the difference.
      “I am not allowed to inform on my ward’s activities.” He responded.
      Aurelia glared at him, not at all satisfied with his answer. Entering Tony’s office, she watched her sister beginning her work on her computer console. “What happened?”
      “Nothing has happened, that’s the problem! I told them that they would get access to medicine and doctors, and that we would help them fix their parasite problem! I put in for all that a year ago, and not a single drop of medicine has been given to them!” Tony yelled, knowing that the two security droids could hear her.
      “Well, don’t get mad at me!” Aurelia took offense, she always did when someone raised their voice.
      “I am not mad at you, Aura! Don’t be so self absorbed! I need you to find out who is taking personal complaints this month, and patch me through.” She ordered, and Aurelia sensing the urgency in her sister’s voice ran to her console.
      Tony watched the door close and after ten minutes, she heard her communications console beep. Turning in her chair, she lifted the screen and saw the face of High Ambassador Jolon.
      “Ambassador Corwin, your assistant says you wish to issue a complaint, but would not leave it with my assistant.”
      “I needed to speak with you directly, high ambassador. I am sorry if this is an inconvenience.”
      He shook his old, balding head. “No, what is this relating to?”
      “I just spoke with one of the leaders of Beroge, and he informed me that no medical team was every dispatched to the planet. One of the conditions that were made when they joined the Coadunation was that they would receive both military and medical support. They have a terrible parasite…”
      “Ambassador Corwin, you of all people should know that we are stretched with medical supplies and military units because of the war. Your whole point upon that ship is to recruit other planets to our cause.” His voice carried no emotion.
      “And that gives us the right not to fulfill conditions in a contract? They need a research team down there trying to repair this epidemic.” Tony crossed her arms.
      “Any team sent down there will have to be privatized. The Coadunation just doesn’t have the resources to deal with this type of situation right now. I am sorry, but there is very little that I can do.” Jolon rubbed his brow.
      “Very little? Sounds to me like you are doing nothing at all.”
      He said nothing for several moments, “I’m sorry, ambassador.” With that the screen went blank, and Tony screamed a slew of curse words that caused all three people in the waiting room to look at her door.
      Aurelia stood from her seat and grinned, “Sounds like someone isn’t getting her way.” She said to the droids, who tried to suppress their smiles.
      Tony looked at her sister, her eyes heated with anger. “Very little that they can do my ass!”
      Aurelia grinned, “Whatever it is, I guess you’ll have to call in some favors.”
      Her anger began to subside, “That’s a good idea.”
      She smiled, it was rare that Tony complimented her, and that was as normally as good as it got. Leaning against her desk, her smile widened. “Hey, did you know our droids came with companion programming? That’s kind of weird for a security droid, isn’t it? Leann said that they are suppose to be multi-purpose though.”
      “When did you talk to Leann?”
      “When you were on the planet.” She sat down in the chair in front of the desk.
      Tony arched an eyebrow, “Did you say companion programming? How did you figure that out?”
      “Oh, Pax offered to give me a massage, and then I got into it. So, I asked him if he was capable of more then just massages…”
      “Did he ejaculate?” Tony couldn’t believe she was asking that question, but companion droids didn’t do that.
      “No, droids don’t climax, silly.” Aurelia laughed.
      “Did he dispose of his waste in the bathroom afterwards?” Tony was on to them, and if Aurelia hadn’t slept with half the men on the ship already, she would of walked in there that moment and torn Pax a new one.
      “Yeah he did, all three times. Tell you what though, this is a lot better then having to do the whole dating thing with the real guys.”
      Tony pinched the bridge of her nose, “Aurelia, don’t use him for that anymore, alright?”
      “What? Why?”
      “He’s a security droid, not…”
      “He’s a multi-purpose droid with heighten security responses, that’s what Leann told me this morning. Hey, did she ever send you those, uh, blue prints for them?” Aurelia could see her sister’s uneasiness with their droids, and decided it was because she didn’t know how they worked.
      “No, not yet. Remind her, would you?”
      Aurelia nodded and stood from her seat, “Back to work.”

      Vince had had a rather pleasant experience after Tony had finished her work. They had gone to the ship’s gym, where he had been able to enter the women’s locker room. Everyone else believed him to be a droid, except for Tony who refused to change in front of him, though she didn’t make a big show of out it.
      The other women had gathered around him, some naked, others in towels, amazed by how real he looked. They had pinched and poked him, however it had not been an unpleasant experience. After leaving the locker room, he had to keep his hands in front of his crotch for several minutes to hide the stretched fabric of his pants. It was definitely a tale that Pax needed to know about, the minute he saw him.
      Now, however, they were inside Tony’s quarters again. She was sitting at her desk, preparing the communications console. After several long moments of waiting, she was finally patched through.
      “Hey, Ethan.” Tony said with a wide smile.
      Vince could see the man on the screen, his hair blonde and short. He, however, was a cyborg as the right side of his face was covered in a metal plate. An older model, as several years ago, artificial skin had been perfected. Before that, most skin looked worse then the metal parts, it was a wonder that this Ethan hadn’t covered them yet.
      “Tony, it’s good to see you. I watched the council meeting the other day, that was brutal.” Ethan’s voice sounded cheery, not at all like the brooding cyborgs that Vince was use to speaking with.
      “Ugh, don’t remind me!”
      Ethan was her older half brother who had been adopted by their father after her parents married. If he had been her father’s real son he probably would have been in the position of ambassador by now, not working some medical ship. Several years before, he had gotten caught up in a battle that he was not a party to, and was severely injured. Not ever being in the military, he had not been eligible for receiving mechanical parts. However, after much persistence from their mother, their father called in a couple favors, like she was going to do to him now.
      “I got a favor to ask you.” Tony started, and stuck out her bottom lip.
      “Ah, the lip, that’s never a good sign.”
      “Have you heard about the parasite epidemic on Beroge?” She watched him nod and then continued, “They have really nasty one called a purka, and a lot of people are very sick. Do you think you and your team could stop by with medication? I will be glad to pay for it all… oh and pick up some water filters as well for them.”
      Ethan bit his lower lip, “Yeah, I think we can do that. We are only a couple days away, can you order to water filters to be picked up in Altur by tomorrow?”
      “I can try, how many do you think you can transport?”
      He looked down, probably at his cargo manifest. “Maybe seven or eight cases.”
      “Ok, I’ll order them. Thanks a lot for this, Ethan. It really means a lot to me.”
      “No problem, I owe you for getting Trycon to fund us. Hey, are you alright? I mean with all the attacks happening to ambassadors lately, I’ve been worried about you and Aura.” He leaned back in his chair.
      “Yeah, we are fine. We just got some security droids, top of the line.” She grinned, “Unfortunately, they are quite handsome, and you know Aura.”
      Ethan sighed, “Well, luckily they are security droids and not companion droids, otherwise she would never leave her room.”
      “Aura tells me that the droid engineer here, says that they are multi-purpose droids with heighten security responses.”
      He stared blankly at her for a moment, “I have never heard of that in all my life.”
      “Me neither.” Tony looked at Vince out of the corner of her eye, she was saying all this for his benefit.
      “That’s weird, you should read their programming reports.”
      “I plan too.” Reaching up she began to rub her own shoulder, “I need to go, went to the gym today and I am a little sore.”
      “Ok, take a hot bath and some aspirin, and call me in the morning.” He teased.
      “Alright, Doctor Corwin, thank you.” She turned off the screen, then turned it back on.
      Aurelia’s face popped up after a moment, she was still in the office. “What?”
      “Hello to you too. Order some water filters seven or eight cases on Altur. Make sure they are ready to go by tomorrow.”
      “What for?” Aurelia questioned.
      “Put it in Ethan Corwin’s name, but have them bill my account.”
      “Uh, what does Ethan have to do with this?”
      “Just do it.” She flipped off the screen, ignoring the fact that she was certain she had seen the back of Pax’s head attempt to exit from under her sister’s desk. “Well, that takes care of that.”
      Vince couldn’t decide if she was talking to him or herself, considering she hardly ever spoke to him, he chose not to respond.
      “Can you tell your friend to stop messing with my sister? She’s a sensitive girl, and if he breaks her heart, I won’t have a working secretary for about a month.” She asked as she came around to the front of her desk and leaned against it.
      “What my counterpart does with his ward is not under my authority.”
      Tony sighed, before reaching up to massage her own shoulder again. She remembered how her sister had told her that Pax had massaged her, and was tempted to ask Vince to do the same for her.
      “Would you approve of a massage, ambassador?” Vince asked, reading her look.
      “No, aspirin and a hot bath like my brother said. Besides, that’s how Pax caught my sister in his little trap.”
      “I have no trap, ambassador. I was merely offering to help relieve you of pain. If you do not wish for me to do so, then I will not touch you.” He never realized how stupid a person could sound when they didn’t use contractions in their speech, until now.
      Tony narrowed her eyes and sucked on her inner cheek.
      “You can trust me, ambassador.”
      “Trust isn’t the issue here. Comfort in an intimate situation is, and you can’t find comfort when someone is trying to deceive you.” She continued to rub her shoulders.
      “Are you implying that I am attempting to deceive you?” Vince’s heart throbbed. She couldn’t confront him now, he wasn’t prepared.
      “Yes. Does that bother you?” She arched an eyebrow.
      “I am not programmed for deception, ambassador.” Vince kept his back straight, and his hands behind his back.
      Tony snorted, and pushed herself off her desk. Immediately, she grabbed her lower back. “Ow.” She mouthed the word.
      “Did you injure yourself?”
      “I pulled a muscle, leave me alone.” She ordered, when his arms fell to his side and he stepped forward. Vince returned to position, as any good droid would do.

      Pulling on her pajamas, the sharp pain in her lower back continued. She hadn’t gone to the gym for a couple months, her schedule had just been so busy that she didn’t feel like it. Though, she didn’t feel like going that day either, she hated the thought of being stuck her in quarters with Vince for another evening.
      It wasn’t that she was afraid of him, but that the council had lied to her. Why had they sent a cyborg in place of a droid? Did they think they she had something to do with the recent assassinations? She knew that the council had to know, obviously Leann knew. There was no way that Leann couldn’t know, she had been the one to examine them.
      Looking into the mirror above the metallic sink, her hair cascaded down over her cheeks and shoulders. She pulled her blonde locks into a ponytail, then pulled her antibiotics from the cabinet and took a couple. Giving herself one last glance over, she exited the bathroom. As the door opened, she could of sworn she saw Vince stand up from the couch and return to his position at the door.
      “Are you hungry?” Tony asked, as she walked to the kitchen.
      “Yes.” He responded, before realizing that he had just blown cover. His heart began to throb, waiting for what Tony would say.
      Nothing, it was as if he hadn’t even answered her. Bending over, she reached out to pull open one of the cabinets. Her back stiffened and she stood up straight, a series of facial expressions played across her face, most of them pain, others embarassment.
      Vince left his post to come to her aid. Helping her to the kitchen table, he pulled the chair out and helped her to sit down. “Are you still in pain, ambassador?”
      “I’m fine, just give me a minute.”
      Looking over his shoulder at the kitchen, he held back a sigh. “I can prepare the evening meal. Please, rest.”
      “You can cook?” Tony cocked her head to the side and watched his backside walk into the kitchen.
      “I never said that.”
      She fought a grin for a moment, but allowed it to show. “So, no gourmet meals tonight, huh?”
      “No, ambassador, and nothing that my systems can not handle.” With his back to her, he smiled when she broke out in laughter. It seemed that their secret was becoming a joke between them, and that worked for Vince just fine. He was getting a little tired of the cold, never ending silences between them.
      After several minutes, Vince put a bowl of macaroni and cheese in front of her. Taking a seat, he began to eat his meal.
      “I haven’t eaten this stuff since I was twelve…” She looked over at the kitchen, “Did you make this from scratch?” Her question came, as she picked at a blob of cheese.
      “It was the best I could do on such short notice.”
      “I need hot sauce.” Tony went to stand up, but before her legs were even straight, she sat back down. She grunted in pain, before attempting again.
      Vince placed his hand over her own, causing a shiver to run up both of their arms. “All that hot food is not healthy, ambassador.” Even with his words spoken, he stood up and retrieved the bottle of hot sauce for her.
      Tony watched him set it on the table, and return to his seat. Ignoring his warning, she began to pile it upon her food.
      Once their meal was over, Vince took care of the dishes. When he was finished, he found Tony with her head pressed against the table. Her hand was rubbing her lower back, as she tried to ease the pain there.
      She didn’t notice when he came to stand behind her, until his fingers slid under her own, and began apply gently pleasure to the area. Her body jerked forward trying to pull away from him, but the pain prevented her from escaping. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he pressed down to keep her in the chair.
      “Why are you touching me? I thought I told you not to, earlier.” Tony growled.
      Her head returned to it’s position on the table, and Vince grinned knowing she couldn’t see him. Her mouth was telling him to get away, but she had relaxed under his gently kneading.
      “You are in pain, ambassador, I am merely trying to relieve the tension.” In more ways then one, he had thought to himself.
      Tony released a long cat-like moan. “My name is Tony or Antonia, not ambassador.” She finally said. “I really hate being called by that title.”
      “It would be inappropriate for a security droid to call their ward by their casual name, ambassador.”
      “In public, maybe. I’ll make you a deal, you call me by my name and I’ll call you by yours.”
      Vince brought his brows together, he really didn’t like being called bot. “In private, then.”
      He worked his hands up to her shoulders. Tony arched her back some, placing her arms under her forehead. Every moan she offered, affected him in ways a droid should not be. It had only been a couple days, but Tony had destroyed everything he had thought about her when she first walked into the engineer’s workshop.
      She put on a hard face, but she really did care about the people around her and her career. Hell, she was even paying for eight cases of water filters for a planet out of her own pocket. He knew why she acted tough, she was an ambassador, and opponents smelt weakness like sharks to blood. She was also the youngest person on the council, and from what Vince had read there was a big uproar when she took her father’s place. It had surprised him that he never heard about it, or he did and it just wasn’t important enough to remember.
      He was brought back to reality, when the bulge under his pant rubbed between her shoulder blades briefly. She had sat up causing the friction between them. Releasing her, he placed his hands in front of himself to hide his un-droid-like response. At least that’s what he thought to himself, truth was he didn’t want to offend her.
      Standing up, Tony looked at him with a mischievous grin on her face. “Thanks, goodnight.”
      “Goodnight, ambassa… Antonia.” He didn’t like calling a woman by a man’s name, no matter what it was short for.
      As she stepped behind her bedroom door, he sighed loudly. He would have to call that a victory, he decided. Only two more weeks of making a fool of himself, and then he could explain himself to her. She had to be curious as to why a cyborg would be sent instead of a droid, and why they had lied to her.
      Laying down on the couch, he prepared for his downtime, and began reading more of the ambassador’s history. As he read, her grin flashed in his mind, and he looked up at the bedroom door. Did she know that he had been aroused while massaging her, or was she just pleased with his assistance? He shook his head, did it really matter? Either way, he had just broken down a wall, and if Antonia was the traitor, then she would be more trusting. That would mean she would make more mistakes.

      Positioned at the door, Vince wondered why he hadn’t heard any movement come from Tony’s bedroom. It was nearly two hours past the time that she had awoken the previous day. Was today her day off and if so why did she sleep in so late? When he was about to check on her, the doors opened beside him and Aurelia burst into the room, Pax close at her heels.
      “Tony, god damn it! You’ve slept in again!” Aurelia screamed and raced towards her bedroom.
      “I was in the woman’s locker room yesterday.” Vince spoke through the transmitter, before Pax could say anything.
      “Were there naked women?”
      “All around me, touching my arms, chest, thighs, and face.” The pride in Vince’s voice was not hidden.
      He grinned, “Well, you are getting closer at least.”
      “What does that mean?”
      Pax made the daring move of looking over to him, “We have been partners for what three years?”
      “Two.”
      He shrugged, “In all the time that we have done special ops with each other, I have never seen you get laid once. Or at least, you’ve never told me about it. I mean two years man, come on!”
      Vince crossed his arms, “That’s not true.”
      “Really? When?”
      Glaring across the doorway, he frowned, “I don’t sleep with my wards or those I am bound to betray in the end, Pax.”
      “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
      Both of their heads twirled to attention, as Aurelia came running out from the bedroom. She ran over to the communications console, but didn’t bother using the visuals screen. “I need a medic in the ambassador’s quarters, immediately!” She flipped it off before anyone could answer, and ran back to the bedroom.
      “What the hell?” Pax asked, “What did you do to her?”
      “I didn’t do anything, asshole.”
      Within five minutes, three medics entered the room with a gurney that hovered above the four feet from the floor. Two of the medics entered the room, and spent several moments within. Finally, they come out for the gurney and when they exited Tony was laying unconscious upon it with her arms folded across her chest. Aurelia stayed close behind the medics as they took her sister down the hall.
      “She has to go to the captain’s doctor.” Aurelia told them, and the medics nodded.
      It wasn’t actually the captain’s doctor, it was the ambassador’s private doctor, as well as some of the higher ranking officers aboard the ship.
      Pax and Vince kept their distance from the medics, knowing they would need the room. When Pax tried to convince Aurelia of this, she gave him a look that nearly froze him in his tracks.
      Entering the doctor’s office, the medics ordered Aurelia and the others to remain in the waiting room. Aurelia stood on her tip toes as she tried to get a last glimpse of her sister, before the doors closed behind her.
      She turned to Vince when she could no longer see her. “Did she complain about anything last night?”
      “She injured her back while exercising.” He responded.
      “No, I mean…” She stopped for a moment, and swallowed as if trying to decided if she wanted to ask. “Did she complain about a headache or that her eye was hurting?”
      He tried his best not to look confused, “No, assistant ambassador, she only spoke of her back.”
      Aurelia nodded, before taking a seat in the white waiting room. It very much resembled their own office, except there were medical degrees posted on the walls. Folding her hands in her lap, Aurelia began to mumble to herself in what both Pax and Vince decided was praying.
      Her questions had been peculiar and it only sparked more questions within. Why would the ambassador complain of headaches? Was she prone to them?

      Doctor Aldrich appeared after an hour, he was a man in his late forties, who looked to still be in his thirties. A rich head of dark hair and a young face had done that for him. He approached Aurelia, and touched her shoulder. She still had her eyes closed and was mumbling to herself.
      “Assistant Ambassador Corwin, thank you for waiting.” His deep voice said when she looked up at him.
      “Is she alright?”
      “Yes, it seems that her infection spread, and she isn’t responding to the antibiotics like we had hoped. Too much pressure on the brain from fluids that had built up were the cause.”
      Aurelia swallowed, “What can be done?”
      “That is entirely up to the ambassador, I am afraid. She is awake now, if you would like to go in and see her.”
      “Have you told her any of this?”
      He shook his head, “Not yet, I’ll thought you would like to be there.”
      “Yes, thank you.”
      She and the guards began towards the back of the office, when Aldrich stopped them. “I’m sorry, policy states that only two visitors at a time can be in the patient’s room.”
      Aurelia nodded, “Pax, you wait out here.”
      “But…”
      “Don’t argue with me. I’m her sister and he’s her security droid… I don’t think she’s ever talked to you, anyway. You wait.” Aurelia ordered and headed for her sister’s room.
      The hallway was a tight fit for the two of them and the doctor, but they managed to get to the private room that held Tony. She was sitting upright in the bed, her arms crossed over her chest.
      Aurelia knew that her sister hated to be fussed over, and nothing made people fuss more then when they were sick and in the medical bay. Once inside, Tony glared at Vince, and Aurelia realized that she should have had both of the droids stay outside in the waiting room. Though she wondered if Vince would have allowed it.
      Tony’s eyes settled on Aldrich, “So, doc, am I dying yet?”
      He grinned, “Not yet. Though, you aren’t responding to the antibiotics that I gave you. The infection has gotten worse, I am afraid, and we have very few options left.”
      “Well, what are they?”
      “You can try this experimental drug that is suppose to help people cope with artificial parts or we have to remove it.” Aldrich crossed his arms.
      “Removing it would not be an option, I can’t very well be an ambassador with part of my brain missing… and my eye, now can I?”
      He slowly nodded his head, “No, I suppose that you couldn’t do your job as proficiently. Though with certain pieces of the brain that you have missing, you could very well not function at all.”
      “So, I could be a vegetable or take an untested drug?”
      “It’s not untested, it’s just not approved by the medical board yet.” Aldrich responded.
      Tony took a deep breath, “Ok, let’s go with the drugs. That seems to be the lesser of the two evils.”
      “You know, ambassador, some people’s bodies just refuse to accept artificial parts like these. No matter what you try to do, in the end your body may not be able to handle it.”
      “Are you trying to convince me to give up, Doctor Aldrich?”
      He shook his head, “No, merely preparing you for what the future may possibly hold.” When nothing more was said, the doctor announced he would get preparations on their way and ordered that she remain in the medical bay under observation.
      Aurelia came to her bedside, and took her hand. “Are you alright? Are you in any pain?”
      “I’m fine, Aura. Why don’t you go back to work? There is a lot that needs to be done, and it doesn’t look like I am going to be able to do it.”
      “But, Tony, I want to stay here…”
      She frowned, “I realize that, but both of us shouldn’t get behind in our work over this. So, please just do me this favor.”
      “Should I leave Vince here? Or do you want him to wait out in the hall?”
      Tony looked over at Vince, who had placed himself in the far corner of the room. He stood straight with his arms behind him. “Might as well let him stay, he’s heard enough as it is.”
      When Aurelia exited the room, her eyes shot over to her guard. “Are you going to inform the council about this, bot?”
      He could of sworn that she promised to call him Vince in private, but what the hell, maybe she didn’t consider this private. “It is against my programming to report on my ward without their permission.”
      She sighed, “Ok, we are still playing this game, I see.”
      Vince didn’t respond, even though he knew that he should have. After a moment of silence, he looked up to her. “You have artificial parts, that is what the doctor said. Does that mean you are a cyborg?”
      Tony bit her inner cheek, “Remember the bombings on Yuhon? The one that killed twenty three ambassadors that were attending a council meeting?”
      He nodded.
      “Official records say that I hadn’t arrived yet, but in truth me and about seven other ambassadors were outside the building when it exploded. A large piece of metal flew out and hit me in the head. Damaged my brain from here to here.” She pointed to her left eye and then around to the back of her head. “My spine was also severely impaired because of the accident.”
      She didn’t know why she was telling him this, probably to gain his sympathy so he wouldn’t report back to the council. Though it wasn’t the council that she feared knowing, they were the ones that had the surgery performed on her and the other survivors. It was against the law for cyborgs to hold government offices, and therefore if the press got word, her career would be over… and possibly her life. Cyborgs weren’t normally allowed to live normal lives outside of the military.
      “How did you receive your alterations?” Vince asked.
      “The council decided that me and a few other survivors had to be saved. The fact that so many were dead from this attack was too much for the public, and was starting to cause stress between the planets. I think twelve of us in all were altered, though who was, I have no idea.”
      Vince loosened his stance, and leaned against the wall. Something a droid would never do, but she knew he wasn’t one. “I am sorry, ambassador.”
      “I didn’t sign off on this. I never wanted to become… one.” She didn’t want to use the word, she wasn’t a cyborg, because she didn’t think she was one. “How did it happen to you?”
      “I am a droid, ambassador, no such thing has…”
      She sighed loudly interrupting him, “Fine, fine. I guess you are the type of person who only confesses the truth, when his hand is firmly stuck in the cookie jar, and he needs someone to tell him to let go of the cookie.”
      Vince tried not to grin at the analogy.
      “I am going to get you to admit the truth, Vince… anyway that I can.”
      He remained silent, because of the look that she had given him. She was issuing a challenge to him, and she was in luck, because he loved a good challenge.
      “Anyway, are you going to report me?”
      “If the council already knows, then it would do you no harm. However, as I have already stated, a droid can not report…”
      “Ok, blah blah. I got it. The council may know, but the public doesn’t. If they found out, it would be all over for me.” She grabbed the bed controller and made the mattress lay flat. “I am going to sleep now.”