Free Crusader (Battle Born Book 1) by Cyndi Friberg Page A

your reluctant guest.
    Bandar took a lightning-fast shower and donned a fresh uniform, then jogged to the departure deck and contacted the ship. He was streamed to the infirmary a few seconds later.
    “What’s so urgent?” he asked as Dr. Irron turned to face him. “Disappearing without explanation isn’t helping me earn her trust.”
    “I was reviewing the summery reports from the unit that regenerated her stab wounds and found some damn strange readings. I was curious about the anomalies, so I ran some other tests.”
    “What sort of anomalies?”
    “Genetic. Someone made significant changes to her DNA.”
    “For what purpose?” Bandar crossed his arms over his chest, dreading the conversation awaiting him when he returned to Ashley. Had Daniel Kane been ruthless enough to experiment on his own daughter? Was Ashley aware of the changes or had she been deceived in some way?
    “I’m not certain yet. If I knew the specifics of Kane’s protocols, it would be much easier to figure out exactly what was done to Ashley.”
    “How do you even know Kane was involved?”
    Irron rolled his eyes. “These aren’t simple changes. There had to have been multiple procedures over a period of years. Who else would she have trusted enough to subject herself to something like that?”
    “So what do you want from me? We haven’t found the backups yet.”
    “The commander said you’d likely return her to her loft once the backups were found.” Irron squared his shoulders and looked into Bandar’s eyes. “I think that would be a mistake. I know you’re trying to minimize her exposure, but she could be as valuable to our research as her father’s notes.”
    “You want me to bring her here, so you can experiment on her? That’s never going to happen.”
    “Nazerel and the humans found Sevrin’s lab during the final raid. It’s well-equipped and self-contained. Most of the damage has been repaired and the humans have agreed to let us use it. A team of Garin’s scientists are on their way. They should arrive within the week.”
    “And if we don’t find the backups?” Bandar’s shoulders were starting to twitch, so he unfolded his arms and relaxed the tense muscles. His hands remained clenched.
    Irron’s words were calm and concise, as if he chose each one in an effort to remain non-confrontational. “Without her father’s notes, it’s even more important that we have access to Ashley. She’s living, breathing documentation of his progress.”
    “Again, that’s only true if her father was the one who screwed with her DNA. We have no proof of that.”
    “Even if Kane wasn’t the one who engineered the changes, we need to understand what was accomplished and why she tolerated the treatment so well.”
    “I’ll think about it.” Bandar turned to go, but Irron grabbed his arm, stopping him.
    “Bring her to the Farm, that’s what the humans call the complex. Nazerel knows where it is.”
    Without actually agreeing, Bandar twisted his arm free of Irron’s light grasp and left the infirmary.
    * * * * *
    Ashley woke up alone, in a strange bed, surrounded by Bandar’s scent. She had no idea when he’d left or where he’d gone. She sat up and looked around, momentarily confused by the setting. The lights were dim, but she could make out the basic layout of the apartment. The Bunker. He’d brought her to this secret complex late last night and they’d been greeted by his fierce-looking cousin, Nazerel. Then Bandar told her about the plight of the battle born and he’d showed her his gold-ringed eyes. Phitons , the rings in a Rodytes eyes were called phitons . That was when she started blubbering like a twelve-year-old who was terrified of what she’d sworn she wanted. For sixteen years, she’d searched for proof that aliens were real. Finally, she stood face-to-face with one of the elusive beings and she fell apart. How humiliating.
    Well, it wasn’t going to happen again. She’d been exhausted, both