Testing Truth (Cyborg Space Exploration #6) - Cynthia Sax Page 0,52

She guessed the culprit.

“He sent the footage six planet rotations ago.” Truth murmured that information into her ear. “It was relayed to a closed access channel. Very few beings had access to it.”

“Those few beings must have sent it to everyone.” Her voice was a whisper. Her tranquil expression didn’t slip for one moment. “They’ve all seen the recordings Valentin made.”

“And you, young male.” The human male turned his attention toward Truth. “We saw how you saved our princess…more than once.” Truth’s hand was gripped also and shaken. “You’re all right.”

“He’s more than all right.” The gray-haired female eyed him. “He’s fine.”

Other females twittered.

“She’s our Forever Princess now.” A brown-haired female smiled. “Due to him. She won’t ever get old and she won’t ever die.”

“She’ll be looking over us always.” The gray-haired female nodded.

“Our Forever Princess.” The crowd shouted those words, waving pieces of cloth.

“Forever Princess.” A female offspring tugged at his female’s skirt. “I got this for you.” She held out a handful of wilted blooms.

Truth’s female crouched down and accepted the gift, treating the ragged vegetation with care. “They’re beautiful.” She smelled the blooms. “I got this for you.” His princess unwrapped a sparkling length of fabric from around her neck, draped it over the offspring’s small shoulders. “Now you look like a princess.”

“Ma.” The little human toddled toward a fully mature female. “I look like a princess.”

“You do look a princess, darling.” Tears coursed down the female’s cheeks. “Thank you, Your Royal Highness.”

His princess gave the female one of her regal nods.

Truth tried to shield his female as much as he could from the exuberance of her subjects. They all wanted to talk to her, touch her, sought to talk and touch him also. The humans loved her, respected her, commenting on different parts of the footage, of her history.

The queen’s private secretary must have realized he hadn’t been followed. He’d retraced his steps and waited with Claude, Marthe, and an extremely smug-looking Valentin on the other side of the gates.

Truth’s princess passed bouquets of blooms and squares of fabric and other presents to him. He placed them in his holsters and sheaths, his black body armor decorated with splashes of color. He bent down to better secure an offering and—

“You killed her.” A male devoid of hair rushed up to Truth and spat on him.

The gob of saliva hit his body armor-clad chest, rolled down that protective garment. Truth was undeterred. He had been struck by fouler liquids in the past, had once waded through a waist-high stream of bovine feces with his brethren to reach a battle site.

“You killed my sweet daughter, my only child, and I hate you for that.” The bald male’s angry gaze shifted to Truth’s female. “I hate her for choosing you as her consort.”

She glared at his accuser. “The consort is to be treated with respect.” His little human defended him, a cyborg, a warrior manufactured for war.

Truth’s lips twitched, the situation amusing him.

“Hey. Hey.” A bearded male pushed the bald male away from him.

“No.” Truth stopped him. “I want to hear about his daughter.” He flattened his lips, wouldn’t damage the male’s emotional system more by smiling. “What did she look like?”

“She was the kindest, purest soul, and you killed her.” Anger-infused grief ravaged the bald male’s words. “She was a teacher, was returning with her students from a trip to see a container maker. The container maker said they had a grand planet rotation, crafted small containers. Then you spotted her crossing the old stone bridge.” His top lip lifted into a sneer. “You hunted her down and killed her.”

Truth searched his databases, scanned the collective memories of all cyborgs ever stationed on Royaume. “Was she wearing a blue garment around her waist?”

“That was the apron her ma, my wife, made her, you heartless machine.” The bald male surged forward. Other beings held him back. “You did kill her. You killed my baby.”

“I didn’t kill her.” He had killed other innocent beings, but not the male’s daughter. “One of my brethren ended her lifespan.”

Everyone stared at him, including his female.

The others looked horrified.

“It was war.” His princess squeezed his hand, her voice softening with understanding.

“It was war and your daughter died a hero.” Truth met the bald male’s gaze, treated the discussion with the solemnity it deserved. “She saw the Humanoid Alliance forces marching toward her, urged the offspring, her students, to hide under the bridge. While they concealed themselves, she stood in the center of the bridge