Free Her Cyborg Awakes (Diaspora Worlds) by Melisse Aires Page A

sell
ship.”
    Sabralia chose several sets of fine jewelry,
leaving the rarest and most expensive in the bag, which they locked up with the
weapons.
    They found a jeweler who asked no questions.
Kaistril found nothing unusual about that. He was alert for the trade, but
afterwards fell asleep in the transport she hired. The financial appointment
was held in private and was over quickly. The credits she held were universal
and easy to pass at any hub or port, and most larger cities. While there, she
paid for the Hub news to be sent to her personal com.
    It was so much easier than she’d expected. Her
account was bonded to their fingerprints, and a universal credit stick slid
neatly into her com. “Back to the ship?” she asked Kaistril, who’s eyes were
closed under the deep rim of the hood. He looked fragile, with blue hollows
under his eyes.
    “No. We should find a room.”
    While he rested in the chair, Sabralia found a
rental agency.  “We require a decent lodging,” she had told one of the agents,
“but we want something quiet. We are not interested in luxury accommodations or
gaming resorts or intoxicant saloons in the area.”
    The agent set up the appointment and gave her
coordinates to a building quite away from the heavily-populated center of the
Hub, and ordered a private transport to carry her and Kaistril’s chair to the
building. Kaistril did not wake up as she moved him into the private transport,
and she held his hand as they zipped and lurched through the bustling Hub.
    The rental unit was built into the Hub wall, far
from the busy floating platform area that filled the center. A concierge showed
her the room, while Kaistril remained in the transport. Sabralia liked it.
Tiny, smaller than the stateroom on the ship, it had a narrow balcony that
overlooked a courtyard full of light and greenery. She paid the fee, and the
driver helped unload the grav chair while she helped Kaistril into the room.
She paid the concierge a generous tip.
    She woke Kaistril up after the concierge left them
alone.
    “This is good,” Kaistril said. “Until my brothers
come…” He was exhausted, she could tell. She helped him to the small bed, and
sank down beside him. I wonder how many brothers he has? Or does he mean
military brothers? The activity of selling the jewels and leaving the ship wore
Kaistril out. He slept for most of the next twenty-four hours and continued to
sleep almost constantly the next few days. Sabralia stayed inside the small
apartment.
    “The Hub is full of Sirn’s sympathizers,” Kaistril
said in one of his brief moments of consciousness. “Order what you want for
delivery. Get concierge to accept deliveries.”
    Daveed, the concierge, was willing to put her
purchases on the apartment account, which she paid when he delivered the items
she ordered. She was able to get food, clothes, anything they needed, while
only leaving a payment record on the apartment account. She thought it might be
a good idea if anyone was looking for them. They were lucky the Hub had no
regular security force or methods for registering and tracking people.
    Even with the jewel sales, Sabralia worried about
their finances. Life on the Hub was expensive. She researched ship sales. What
if Kaistril’s brothers didn’t arrive as quickly as he thought they would?
    Kaistril continued to sleep heavily. Sabralia
talked to him about the sale of the ship, but it had to be done soon, she
thought, before their pursuers docked at the Hub. She placed an ad and then
consulted Daveed for a safe place to meet potential buyers.  Daveed and his
wife had a small son. He ran the apartment complex while they saved money to
immigrate to a world outside the war zone. Most of the apartment residents were
sphere workers who needed affordable, safe housing. The ad brought in immediate
responses. She chose to answer one that was politely worded, and made plans to
meet at the Tea Room—a place Daveed strongly suggested.
    The Tea Room was