Sons of Amber by Bianca D'Arc Read Free Book Online

sounded so clinical, so cold as he explained his bizarre 'duties.' The warmth they'd shared only hours before seeped away from her, leaving her chilled inside.
    "So am I just a part of your duty, then?" She couldn't even look at him.
    His warm hand tucked under her chin, raising her eyes to his. He'd moved out of his pilot's chair and to her side without making a sound.
    "No." His eyes narrowed with some indefinable emotion. "You're different, Angela.
    From the moment I first saw you, everything about you has been completely out of my experience." He leaned in to kiss her softly, then pulled back. "And I admit I've had a lot of experience with women of every sort." He grinned, though she didn't like to hear that she was only one in a long line of conquests for him. "I don't know what it is about you, but when I look at you, I could care less about my duty, my mission, or anything else. All that matters is you."
    His whispered words were so touching, so heartfelt, tears gathered behind her eyes.
    23

Four
    The captain of the Regulus commed him a little more than four standards later. He knew the captain, an older woman named Litus, having worked with her before. Gifted with a steady nerve and strong leadership skills, she'd put on all available power to get her ship to the planet even sooner than the original estimate. Since the entire planet was in quarantine until the scientists could determine whether the population was truly free of contamination by the Jit virus, Captain Litus informed him the battleship was taking up a defensive position in orbit. The Regulus would circle with the small planet until they were joined by two other ships of the line. The three of them would then defend the colony against all comers, keeping anyone who was not duly authorized from traveling to the surface.
    No way would they let anyone who had the potential of carrying the Jit virus to these uninfected humans anywhere near the surface. Sons of Amber were naturally immune and had been designed so that they would never carry the virus. Scrubbers onboard all spacecraft would ensure any remnants of the virus that might be carried on inanimate objects were eradicated as soon as all hatches were shut and the air started cycling. Zeke knew his ship had been one hundred percent clean before he crashed, and it was impossible for him or any Son to carry the virus. Regular humans, though, that was another matter.
    Any visitor to the colony who was not a Son would have to wear full protective gear with his own independent air supply. The risk involved in such a visit was high and Zeke knew it would not be undertaken lightly. Dr. Amber would certainly come, if she thought it was important enough, but she would take all possible precautions to prevent contamination of an uninfected human population—the first they had ever found.
    Ezekiel reported all this to Mother Rachel, as leader of the colony, answering her questions about the newly arriving ships' capabilities and their crews. She seemed interested to know that each ship had a crew made up almost entirely of women, and Zeke found himself explaining how the few male survivors of the virus on each world most often stayed near their home planets at the request of the medical community.
    Established gender roles had changed somewhat since the devastating virus attack, and perhaps because Zeke had never known any other way of living, he was equally interested in the more traditional way the colonists divided the workload.
    The men of the colony saw mostly to its defense, though occasionally a female would stand sentry duty or train in the hand-to-hand self defense style they favored. It all depended on individual interests. In this settlement, the males and females alike had the luxury of choosing to follow their own paths rather than have their roles dictated by the desperate needs of society. Watching them, Zeke realized he'd never really had any choice in what he would do with his life. He wasn't