Falco Invictus: On the Forge of War (6 page)

Under the cowl, Frederika could see Ch'Kran
had long hair, a metallic silver-blue. Humans did not have such
shades of locks, not naturally at least. It must have been a
genetic upgrade worked into his DNA, this bird like plumage. If
Ch'Kran were in fact a typical representative of his kind, then she
could not help but think them to be a most magnificent and
beautiful people.

Ch'Kran knew the girl sized him up, sought
out clues about himself and his species. They always wondered such
things. These females without fail gaped with awe when they stepped
foot upon the island of his birth, for Vanguard was not like any
other place on Earth.

Once more Frederika discovered herself
caught up in the magnetism of Ch'Kran's gaze. She stared nearly
awestruck at him while he looked at her. Her twenty-twenty vision
held his own perfect sight, though the Falcanian did not look at
her as a man does upon a beautiful woman, rather he regarded her as
some kind of toy and that notion rather displeased her. “What…”
Frederika cleared her throat, shook by his magnetic presence. “I
have heard of your religion, D’Har Tarik. Exactly what is it?”

To Frederika's shock, Ch'Kran laughed, an
ironic bellow.

“D’Har Tarik.” The Falcanian's laughter
almost died away, yet he could not help himself. This trinket dared
go where few should tread. “To be Tarik, is to embrace tairlock --
instinct. All those dark primal things the Budjah fear, which fuels
their hatred of Tantric Priestesses. The D’Har Tarik takes darkness
and finds in it starlight to guide him while he walks on the long
road over the abyss. In one simple and dangerous mantra: 'OM
Geihva, Geihvat, Geihvar OM' lays the understanding of D’Har Tarik.
Those who speak this shibboleth are never again the same. It is, my
pretty one, something that you should be fearful of.”

Ch'Kran's sapphire eyes flashed an
otherworldly green. A rush of wind blew her blonde curls and a
sound of jets fired in her ears. The Falcanian glared down at her
from the ships upper deck, his tail behind him whipped about and
burnt-orange wings were now safely folded out of his way. It
happened so fast that even Frederika's enhanced senses could not
make reason of what occurred.

She looked up and gasped. One moment she was
staring at the Falcanian and in the next breath, he swooped up to
the upper level of the boat. She didn't even seen him fly. The
notion chilled her. What could cadres of winged shock troops do for
her Dukedom against her enemies?

“Do you know, girl?” Ch'Kran shouted, a hint
of humor to his words. “Aside from bats, Falcanians are the only
other mammals to have achieved powered flight. Mankind has dreamed
of it for a lifetime and we have accomplished it. Much awaits you
at Vanguard Island, my radiant falcon.”

Nadia entered her office, pleased to come
upon bouquets of her favorite flowers in every open corner of the
room. Her workplace had become a small garden, each vase arranged
in the most artistic manner possible. Nadia bent over a bunch of
red hybrid-roses, and relished their rich scent. Clearly Sharr had
ordered the floral arrangements to be brought here as a surprise.
For her. She loved him so much. Sharr had known he would ask her to
restart her reproductive cycle, and these flowers were intended to
make her more inclined to do so.

On her desk she discovered a package. Nadia
unwrapped it and let out a giggle.

“Perfect!”

Sharr had obtained for her a copy of
Huntress XLR: Demolition
. Always the geek girl, she had
soothed her childhood loneliness with video games which Nadia
observed to be quite a needed stimulation for her always
overwrought brain. She sat on the edge of her desk and broadly
grinned.

“T'Saar Maharani,” Priyanka, her aide
greeted, bent to smell an arrangement of fire lilies. “Our
Padishah's work I assume?”

“Just Sharr being his sweet self,” Nadia
said. “You know, he wants another child.”

Concerned Priyanka opened her mouth, and
then stopped herself not sure if she should speak her mind.

The Queen frowned. “What troubles you
Priya?”

“Isn’t that dangerous?” asked the aide.
“Weren’t there complications when your daughters were
conceived?”

Nadia sat in her chair. “Yes. And it's one
of the reasons I stopped my cycle. I wasn’t sure I could handle
another pregnancy. Twins weren’t expected, or even thought possible
for our species. In my case, there were other difficulties that
have made me cautious about once more giving conception a try.”
Nadia smiled at her aide. “But how can I deny him a child?
Especially a son?”

Priyanka nodded. She should have expected
this to arise sooner or later between Sharr and Nadia given the
Shotar’s recent loss of his male heir. “May I speak openly?”

“Of course.”

“We all grieved our Shotar and his Kajra
Re’s loss,” the girl said carefully. “I understand why you prefer
to birth his heir and not another woman –”

Nadia narrowed her eyes. Certainly her aide
hadn’t meant to say she had been glad Sharr’s son had died?

“What do you mean, Priyanka?”

“What I mean, my Lady, is I know you also
grieved with Shalimar as well...” She hesitated. “Only... please be
careful in what you choose to do. Don’t risk your health just to
give him a son. Do you have any reason to think this time a
pregnancy will be different?”

“Our faith in the Telchar will guide us. In
the end, that’s all any of us have. If it’s meant to be, it will.”
Nadia touched the girl's arm. “Don’t worry Priya, I won’t do
anything that will put me in danger. In fact I’m going for a
physical later today and shall abide by what the doctor recommends
before I restart my cycle.”

That appeared to be sufficient to sooth the
younger woman’s worries.

“What's on the agenda for the day?” asked
the Queen as she booted up her computer.

“Later you’re expected at the hatchery.”
There appeared a glint of pleasure in the young woman's brown eyes.
“You’re needed to bless the new mothers and their children.” This
caused Nadia much delight; she enjoyed her role as the Grand Brood
mother. With luck and faith, she hoped she would soon also welcome
a hatchling.

The acidic smell of bergamot and smoke from
a pot of Imperial blend tea hung in the air. Sharr tapped a button
on his desk which activated the holoviewer set into a far wall. He
switched the viewer to FKZ, a network established by an
enterprising Guilthari on the subcontinent. Sounds from the
holoviewer became background noise as Sharr looked at the pictures
on his desk. Framed images of his mate and daughters gazed back at
him. One picture stood out, a human girl smiled at him. The
lighting in the picture highlighted the girl's brown hair. Her
pretty, girl next door Italian face aglow with a big smile.

The Shotar's reminisces were interrupted by
shouts from the courtyard. Sharr got up and pulled back the maroon
curtain.

Down in the walled ring-shaped garden, the
Shotar could make out two female figures, one taller than the
other. Back and forth they exchanged harsh words under the branches
of Rishaak trees that drooped with long silver fronds and tear
shaped golden fruit. Neither woman seemed to care that their voices
carried throughout the palace complex and down to the market
outside the walls.

Sitara, the taller of the two, hands on her
hips, her tail swished in anger. Beside her a large pet kheigra
sat. The Princess was dressed in a purple and silver lehnga-choli.
Many bangles and jewels bedecked her arms, all of which clanged
when she moved. Her hair was put in an elaborate hairstyle intended
to show off the points of her ears which were decorated with
complex earrings. This most feminine of clothing made it clear why
Sitara had her reputation as a flirt. Compared to the hardness she
tended to communicate while in her black Armada uniform, the
lehnga-choli seemed a welcome change. Though the figure she bore
down on might not have noticed the difference.

Kheira, called such for the Falcanian word
given to the Himalayan range fit her appellation rather well, had
pale luminescent skin. A glow in her complexion gave her a radiant
aura. Straight, jet black hair contrasted with her lighted body.
The young princess had a rare genetic anomaly known as the
rahli'ka, or the gleaming. A child born with the rahli'ka was
otherwise in perfect health and Falcanian physicians could see no
reason to eliminate this abnormality from their genetic structure.
To begin with, they were not entirely sure of the genetic alignment
which produced this unusual outcome and preferred to leave it be.
Those with the rahli'ka were in truth revered by the Tahru.

By the time Sharr, entered the courtyard
Sitara and Kheira had begun to shout at an even greater pitch, not
only in Falcanian, but in English and Hindi, along with Bengali.
They seemed to be finding the most abrasive of words in whatever
languages they studied in order to insult one another.

He approached silently, only Sitara's tiger
striped white kheigra, Krürashi paid the Shotar any mind. His
daughters were doing some unspeakable things with their wings and
tails – brandishing them as if to strike at eachother. Most uncouth
decorum to be sure.

On the under part of his fingerless gloves,
golden studs were attached. The decorative studs served a practical
function in his black regalia. Sharr Khan crossed his arms and let
the rivets clang against one another, which produced a shrill
sound. That got the girls' attention. At sight of their father, the
princesses stopped yelling.

Silent and respectful in front of their
Shotar, the girls glanced downward.

“Girls?” Sharr said in a low voice.

Sitara turned at her sister. She started to
speak, but bit her lip, shifting her weight to her leg. She had no
desire to test her father today and blaming the argument on Kheira
wouldn't help.

They waited together wordlessly for a minute
and Sharr grew irritated.

“What was this about?” he asked.

“Sitara started it!” Kheira said and pointed
at her elder sister.

“Sitara?” Sharr asked his tone stern.

She sighed as her father looked at her
severely. “I told Kheira I wanted to be alone in the garden,” she
murmured. “I wanted to think, not listen to her sing.”

Sharr regarded his younger daughter. Only
nine by Falcanian standards, she appeared fifteen human years old.
“Kheira, I believe your mother’s ready for your lesson.”

The girl who gleamed politely excused
herself.

Sharr gave his elder child a severe look.
“You shouldn't have done that Tara.”

Sitara rolled her violet eyes as she reached
down to pet Krürashi between his ears. The kheigra purred and
pushed against its mistress's legs. “I know.”

“Among other things, Kheira has a wonderful
talent and I think your mother has taught you to appreciate song
and music. Though, I know opera wasn’t ever your thing, to your
mother's tremendous disappointment.”

“I just wanted to be alone.”

Sitara sat on a bench near a fountain carved
to resemble a female Falcanian and placed her chin in her hand.

Falcanians preferred stylized
representations of the human form and this statue had been intended
to be the idealized model of Falcania herself. Winged, and almond
eyed, the statue had delicate features with pointed ears and a
small nose. Her body well proportioned, and though clothed, the
stone wrought female might as well have been nude for two erect
nipples could be made out beneath the choli that the stone woman
wore. In one hand the statue of Falcania held a Kraris, the blade
which she had forged from three broken swords and Arntiraas had won
by his response to her riddle. In Falcania’s other hand she held
three shards, pieces of the blade Fordon that could not be worked
into the Kraris. The shards were known as the
Phoenix
Puzzle
.

Sharr sat beside Sitara, and Krürashi licked
his hand. “What bothers you my Hamsa?”

“I haven't seen Kulcarin since my return
from Mars –”

The Shotar smiled. “I understand you love
him and miss him. That’s no excuse to be meanspirited to your
sister.”

“Can't you tell me where he is?”

“Kulcarin will be back in time for my
birthday,” promised Sharr Khan.

This didn't cheer up Sitara who continued to
frown.

“He’s doing something important for me, us.”
Sharr pressed on his daughter's hand. “Kulcarin ensures that the
Imperium doesn’t utilize its advantage with the
Excalibur
.”

It took Sitara a moment, but then what her
father had just told her registered. “He's in space?”

The Shotar nodded, got up, and touched his
eldest daughter's cheek. For the first time in their discussion
Sitara smiled.

[Primus Sector: Outermost Terran Colony]

The warship glistened against bright white
starlight, the elliptical blood-red hull and predatory wings swept
forward.
Tair'Aliran
hid in the currents of a blue gas giant
while she waited, ready and prepared to hunt for the
DSV
Excalibur
. The Falcanian warship ascended into the darkness of
space to meet its prey. One could be left with the impression of a
tiny hunting bird. Each wing supported a nacelle capped with a
twisted pyramidal ramjet which functioned also as a VTOL engine.
The bow resembled sharp tines of a fork with a rectangular sensor
array between the points. Mounted on the dorsal section the F-9
Raptor had a single guiding tail wing that allowed for
maneuverability in atmosphere.

In the endless expanse of the stars the F-9
Raptor halted itself. Front facing rockets brought the warship to
an efficient stop. After all, being able to stop on a dime was
important in space and F-9 Raptors had been built for both speed
and maneuverability.