Digital Heartbeats: Fallen Stars, #3

By Ash Gray

Determined to liberate her wife from cryostasis, Zune heads to Arcana 7, the human settlement that supposedly has a cure for Zoe's illness. While she is away, Xian makes friends with Super, a giant Megatron who believes the meaning of life is what each individual chooses to make it. Whlie Xian is off debating philosphy with robots, Zune crosses paths with a wicked cyborg raider, who wants her Eternity chip and will stop at nothing to get it. Don't miss the third installment of this lebsian science fiction series!

 

--

Zune was worried. Since finding Zoe 2, the sudden cold, hard reality had hit her that Xian was a pure human, which meant she did not have cybernetics . . .which meant she would live a very brief life and then she would die.  

 

In the days before the war, humans had lived well to five hundred years and beyond. Now humans could barely make it to twenty before they were killed by a destruction unit, and those that made it to old age only saw their sixties before they perished due to lack of clean water and proper nutrition. Those in the settlements lived the longest, naturally. 

 

--

Zune didn't answer. Xian looked up and went still: Zune's blue eyes were looking down at her, glinting with hunger in the soft, blue light of the heat lamp. Xian's heart skipped a beat. Plenty of women had desired her, but only Zune had ever looked at her with such hard longing. She supposed it had been a long time since Zoe. Perhaps the cyborg had needs after all.  

 

--

Xian remembered not understanding, watching in a sort of sad confusion, wondering why her parents were going into the earth. When she asked, Xy had lifted her onto her hip and told her that their parents were sleeping and would never wake. "They're sleeping, Xian. Lay off me with the q-questions," Xy had said, tears in her eyes. "They're sleeping . . ." 

 

--

"What do you want with her?" Zune demanded. 

 

"Her Eternity chip, obviously, you zoinkhead. The ancients didn't build their soldiers to think, just take orders, apparently," said the woman derisively. "I want my bio processes to stop so I can live forever. Only trouble is, an Eternity chip can only be found on a pre-war cyborg, and now I've got two of them standing in front of me." She pulled a laser sword from her hip with a flourish and a red beam extended from it. "Lucky me." 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ash Gray
• Release date: Jul 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201592141

Ash Gray

Ash Gray is a lesbian living in California. She writes lesfic (aka fiction for lesbians) in science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal settings.

Book preview

Digital Heartbeats

Fallen Stars, Volume 3

Ash Gray

Published by Ash Gray, 2022.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

DIGITAL HEARTBEATS

First edition. July 8, 2022.

Copyright © 2022 Ash Gray.

ISBN: 979-8201592141

Written by Ash Gray.

Also by Ash Gray

A Time of Darkness

Time's Arrow

The Infinite Athenaeum

Clan of the Cave Bear

Taken by the Chieftess

Passed Around

Keeping Warm

Her Pretty Pet

Dominated

Seduced

Caught

Clan of the Cave Bear: The Complete Series

Cyber Mech

Good With Her Hands

Fallen Stars

Fragile Hearts

Broken Minds

Digital Heartbeats

Electric Souls

Metal Bones

Her First Knight

The Knight of the Wild

Sparrow Song

Rowan's Hammer

The Dragon of Almara

Sanctuary

The Flower of Adwean

The Halls of Erinyel

The Daughter of Light

The Tomb of Azmon

Queen Liadan

Knight of Fire

The Queen of Swords

The Three of Goblets

The Queen of Wands

The Queen of Goblets

The Star (Coming Soon)

The World (Coming Soon)

Knights of Passion

The Queen's Lust

Handfasting the Warrior Queen

The Revenge of Raven's Cross

The Light of Lythara

Taming the Wolf Knight

The Mermaids of Menosea

The Fairy Queen of Elwenhal

The Dragon of Edhen

Essential Selene

Hearth and Home

Aereth’s Return

The Fairy Ring

The Main Course

Knights of Passion: The Complete Series

Knights of Vallor

Saving Salia

Raven Spirit

Eryet's Fountain

The Daughter of Idet

The Mirror of Iovar

Aine's Athenaeum

Bone and Fire

Princess Eydis

Ona of Ozmora

The Amulet of Tizra

The Bandit Queen of Crystal Falls

The Council of Eldor

The Sword of Avara

Wicked Things in the Wilds

Pirates of Artusa

Stolen Booty

Taking Her Sword

Marooned

Wil's Way

Tales of the Blood Moon Coven

Bloodlust

The Hidden Memory

Whispered Names

Morbid Fascination

Bending to Her Will

Blood Rage

Prey

Hunted

Voyeuristic Intentions

Interludes and Ecstasy

The Assassin's Kiss

Crossed Daggers

Swordplay

Running Hot

The Chronicles of Omicron

The Thieves of Nottica

The Watchtower of Rustoria

The Dragon Riders of Valheera

Birthday Surprises

The Dreamscape

Out of Mind

Recalling Color

The Last Queen of Qorlec

Project Mothership

The Harvest

The Suns of Anarchy

The Light-year Lion

Moon Fire

Exiled Stars

Zora's Stone

The Legend of Kiva

The Starlight Stair

The Pussycat Chronicles

The Heist

Broken Hearts and Brain Damage

Candy, Sweat, and Regret

Lip Gloss and Loose Women

The Vampire's Seduction

First Taste (Coming Soon)

Bound (Coming Soon)

Turned (Coming Soon)

Witch Xim

Rezzora's Workshop

Standalone

Qorth

Fall Apart World

Unicorn Blood

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Also By Ash Gray

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

More From Ashley Gray

Sign up for Ash Gray's Mailing List

Further Reading: Electric Souls

Also By Ash Gray

About the Author

Chapter 1

Zune should have been gone to Arcana 7 ages ago but could not bring herself to leave Xian’s side. At least not before Micro was repaired and functioning again, then Xian would have some form of protection while Zune was away. The robot had proved useless so far in battle and was a little coward to boot, but Zune hadn’t forgotten how valiantly Micro had attempted to protect Xian from Syphon. Micro was also an infiltration unit and could prove quite deadly if only she would tap into her combat programming.

Zune was soon to realize, however, that Micro was a gentle soul who was afraid of giving herself over to her darker, deadlier side. This became clear one morning before they had reached Sector TW29 when Zune awoke to see the little robot perched on a muddy steel tire rim, hand lifted to cradle a butterfly.

It wasn’t long before Xian had finished her repairs on Tippy, and then the e-horse could be seen cantering around the garage’s driveway, sometimes standing in the rain, hooked up to the small car battery they had brought along for her. The horse was sometimes as silly as Micro had been, leaping with glee in