BioCybe by Imogene Nix

anything! Your men
were supposed to keep her safe. Instead, they abused her and returned her
injured. Nothing you have to say will—”
    “The last time she was here, it was as an assassin. She
killed our people. The ship that captured her—”
    Sandon’s breath caught as his mind shattered at that one single
word. Captured .
    “Say one more word and I’ll gut you, General. My past is
just that.”
    Sandon turned to see a cold mask on Levia’s face. He hadn’t
heard her approach, but he guessed she’d probably been taught that in assassin
school.
    The general nodded and backed away. “No. Of course not. Now
that the cargo is loaded, I will arrange for your immediate departure window.”
    It was clear he couldn’t get away from her fast enough, and
Sandon looked at her, noting the way her hand fisted then released cyclically.
    “Levia?”
    “Get on the ship, Captain. I want to go home.”
    The tone wasn’t encouraging, but he noted with a modicum of
pleasure that she called the Echo home. It wasn’t much, but it would
have to be enough for now. When things were completed, when she took her
downtime, he was fully prepared to raise the issues with her, man to woman.
    * * * *
    He knew about her capture. If he asked about what happened
after that… Her mind stopped as fear crept in. She couldn’t tell anyone,
because if she did… You are not a wimp, Levia. Get over it. You’ve done it
in the past and you can do it now.
    She straightened in her seat, feeling the rigid confines of
the webbing and welcoming the sting and ache. She was alive and getting away
from Omega V. At the end of the day, that was all she wanted.
    “Levia, are you…”
    “I can get us off this planet and home without issue. Don’t
worry, Sandon. You won’t have to see me like this for much longer.” She hid
behind sarcasm, because showing the pain, the deep emotional pain, meant
opening herself to the heartache she’d already overcome once before.
    “Levia, it’s not that and you know it.”
    “Sure I do, Sandon. But right now I don’t want to talk it
over. I don’t want to rehash it, okay? Just let me get this craft off the
ground.” She dismissed him by jamming her hand onto the comm button. It
squawked loudly and she cursed herself for being ham-handed. “Ground control,
this is GE-Five-Zero-Nine BB requesting the first available ascension slot.”
    “GE-Five-Zero-Nine BB, this is ground control. We have been
instructed to hold all traffic until your departure. The skies are yours. We
recommend using the following co-ordinates.” The woman in ground control
rattled off a trajectory, and Levia checked the details quickly. Her reading of
the weather meant they shouldn’t face any turbulence, and she remembered how
Sandon hadn’t handled that well on their entry. It should be smoother this
time.
    She tapped her finger on the console. “Ground control. This
is GE-Five-Zero-Nine BB acknowledging. Powering up now.”
    “Safe flight GE-Five-Zero-Nine BB. Ground control out.”
    Letting go of the communications button, she entered the
necessary coordinates and fired the thrusters. “Buckle up, Captain. We’re outta
here.”
    The craft lifted into the sky, and she gave a sigh of relief
as the building started to grow smaller in her sight. Up they went, through
clouds while the gravitational pull tugged them against the seat. The ache of
her body intensified. The protest of abused ribs and muscles continued. Just
when she was sure it would be too much, they rammed out of the atmosphere and
she jerked forward with an audible oomph .
    “Damn it, Levia, let me see—” Sandon reached for her as she
unclipped her belt.
    “No. I’m fine.” She rechecked her calculations and rose on
unsteady legs. They nearly gave out and she slumped slightly, but Sandon had
already risen, his hand ready to steady her.
    “You aren’t well, and this is too much.” His tone told her
of his anger, even more so than the tight planes of his