Chapter 101: Planet killer

The next morning, he sprawled in the easy chair in their bedroom and watched as she pulled on her boots. She'd clung to him the whole night. But his need to show the cyborgs who was in charge of Earth had damaged the fragile trust they'd had. In spite of their passionate lovemaking the previous evening, there was a chasm of quiet between them as big as the ocean. "Will you have breakfast with me before you go to the ship?"

"No, I do not have time." She sighed. "The ship is doing random things again." She stood and stamped her feet into her boots. She was beautiful, with her long legs and small waist and generous breasts. But it was the kindness and intelligence in the gaze that briefly flicked to him that made her stunning to him.

"Random things?"

"Yes, it takes my tools and then they reappear in the mess hall or someone's quarters. Or it closes off corridors when I am in a hurry to get to the control room. If I didn't know better, I'd think it was playing with me."