Death Zone — T.C. Southwell

To save the Queen, Sabre is forced to take her into the most dangerous area on the planet... The Death Zone is a place where worlds collide in a medley of dangerous realities and near-realities. Nothing is as it seems and everything poses a danger as mutated beasts prowl the ever-changing scenery, and a Change can trap the unwary in rocks or trees. They acquire a guide, a shape-shifting Death Zone denizen who agrees to help them cross to the other side. When they reach the living land on the far side of the Badlands, they encounter strange cultures, and Sabre often has to rescue the tempestuous and somewhat irritating young Queen from various unsavoury characters, into whose clutches she seems to fall with annoying regularity. While he finds her infuriating, Sabre feels something for the girl, but he does not understand his newfound emotions. He only knows he is just a damaged killing machine, with no rights, and certainly no chance of finding happiness. Even if he could understand his feelings, the spacer who brought him to Omega Five will return for him in less than a year, and there is nothing he can do to avoid his fate when the time comes.