5
"Iagree to your terms," the female, Tina, said.
Good.
At least she agreed to that. Her emotions were evident and easy to read--fear and anger with confusion. He supposed it would be confusing to be thrown into a whole new place and expected to mate with a virtual stranger in her position. Regardless of if the Intergalactic Dating Agency set it up.
Was there an emotional part of himself that was a little bit disappointed?
Yes.
The concept of having a mate had its appeal--the companionship had great merit.
"So, how shall we handle this?" Tina asked.
Kolvin gestured to the bedroom. "You can use that as your private area. I'll meditate out here." There was plenty of room for him to recharge his systems while she rested. While he meditated, he hoped his system would determine how to connect again with Master System.
Also, it would keep them separated overnight, for she did ignite his Craving. Obviously, she did not see him in the same kind of light, so separation seemed appropriate.
She nodded. "I think that works." She glanced around the residence, taking a few steps as she appraised the location. "This is the bedroom?"
"Yes. I have not been in there yet. We typically do not use beds, so I do not know what needs to have. You should inspect for your own needs."
"I will, thank you," she said as she walked into the room.
He stood there and stared at her.
His Craving burnt under his skin like fire. He'd never felt it so strong and powerful before. While he did not believe she was their mate--Rhimodians did not have mates--she ignited the primal side of him unusually well.
Rhimodians had a primitive side--part of the reason they had cybernetic enhancements was that their primitive side made them more volatile. It was an effort to calm the population on Orlicia before their sun went supernova. Their shared databanks carried more details about how the Craving was supposed to be blocked entirely, but it was not. The primitive side of the Rhimodians was still there. Less than it was before, but still there.
This female humanoid, though, carried something within her that engaged the Craving.
From the moment Kolvin walked into the medical bay and saw her, he felt it. His Craving cried out to touch her and protect and care for her for all his existence. It was powerful.
Unlike anything he'd ever experienced before.
Even her physical lines appealed. Curves that he wanted to caress to experience the shapes. To know what it felt like to touch her.
It would be best if Kolvin kept his distance.
She likely would not like this sort of Craving.
The next thirty days would be difficult, to say the least.
He truly hoped that he could reconnect with Master System. If there were new directives, he would be able to download them and follow new procedures. Until then, he was stuck with his current circle of protocol. And that included the Craving that this female humanoid ignited.
"So, you're a cyborg, huh?" Tina asked as she came back out into the main area.
He nodded.
"Do you have a collective? Like a hive brain of some kind that connects you with other cyborgs?"
"We have Master System," he replied. "Master System is our central connection. New protocols are sent out to us as needed. When we meditate, we are connected to Master System for any updates to the programs we have running."
"Are your programs all conscious?"
"What do you mean?"
