Falco Invictus: On the Forge of War (17 page)

“I'll handle it Braden.” Trajan came onto
the bridge, clearly pleased. He handed a disk to the communications
officer. “Transmit this on the assigned frequency and then wait for
further instructions.”

Cole did not like being undermined on his
own bridge. But any protest was abated by the fact he was glad to
be free of responsibility for what would come from that
transmission. He sunk into his command chair and waited for history
to unfold. He wanted to laugh at this insanity, but managed not to.
There would be time enough for that soon.

[July 3, 2001 New Haven Connecticut]

Down the hallway of the large corporation
they walked, the man and woman bickered with one another.

“
Nadia, this is a massively bad idea!”
Sharr said, frustrated.

He took hold of his girlfriend's lab coated
arm and pulled her to a stop. Nadia removed her black wire-framed
glasses in a huff and shot an intense glare at her boyfriend. She
wore a much too short skirt for work. She figured that her genius
permitted her to get away with flaunting her exotic looks. Ambika
did not approve of the behavior and had hoped that Sharr could rein
her daughter in. The young Shotar did not have much luck with
changing his stubborn girlfriend's mind when she wanted to do
something.

Short and bleached, Sharr's hair shimmered
when he wore it spiked. Like all his men he donned a duster cloak
with angled shoulders. His silver Phoenix emblem hung around his
neck. The Shotar had been dressed similarly when the Korelia's had
asked to meet with him no more then a few months before.

Things happened so fast. The next thing he
knew he had begun to date their daughter. Though thinking about it
he considered that it had been part of Ambika's intent to see her
child involved with him.

“
Why?” Nadia asked suspiciously. “I
thought you were over Aria?”

Sharr didn't respond. He didn't need to. He
was aware that Nadia could easily enough pick up on his emotions.
One day her special talent would become an asset to him and his
organization. At the moment, it was simply inconvenient for him
that she had such access to his inner thoughts.

“
That’s just it, hon! You're not over her
at all,” Nadia said as if she had pulled the words from her
boyfriend's head. The thought was clear enough. She didn't need to
be a telepath to see how he continued to hunger for Aria. The
Italian girl had worked her way into Sharr's soul.

“
I told you this already.” Sharr was now
very angry. “And you have to go and make dinner plans with her.”
For a brief moment his frustrations started to surface, rarely did
he raise his voice at Nadia but this time she had touched a raw
nerve. Her big brilliant blue almond eyes began to tear-up, yet she
kept her own emotions in check as he stood there angry with
her.

“
You’re friends aren't too happy with the
idea either,” Nadia said.“Kvaltar for one.”

“
He and I work with her
remember?”

“
Hon, my memory is in perfect working
order,” she told him in her sweetest voice. She was well aware they
stood in the middle of a hall in a public place.

He clenched his jaw. Why did he go for the
Princess types? And Nadia was a genius on top of it which made her
more of a pain. She always found a way to get what she wanted.

“
Why do you worship her so?” Nadia asked,
very aware of the answer.

“
For the same reason that I worship
you.”

“
Really? I'm a prodigy and she's...”
Nadia considered how to put it. “And she's far from one. You said
that you would make me your queen. Am I just a stand in for
Aria?”

“
You are my queen, my Maharani, and my
T'Kara.” He watched her wince at her Falcanian name.

“
Perhaps I'll clone her for you?” Nadia
cooed. “A toy for your nodor, a play thing for my Shotar’s
pleasure.”

Oberon grinned wolfishly as he watched the
old security tape of the exchange between Dr. Korelia and her then
boyfriend Roderik Visal. “Dankeschön, Doktor. Danke!”

[Vorkrür Island, Evening]

A fire blazed in a triangular altar. Chanted
by the Tahru, reverberations of the prime syllable OM resounded off
the slanted interior walls of the A-Frame temple. Sharr stood
outside the vault with Zoar at his side.

From his thick belt, the Shotar removed a
key and unlocked the strongroom. The doors to the central chamber
groaned on their hydraulics. Within the vault rested the Rashalon
Engine which had spawned the first Falcanians and on occasion even
still created chrysali for new blood to enter the aeries. A glass
crimson sphere rested in the grasp of a statue which represented
Falcania. A throbbing glow illuminated the chamber and bathed the
two men in a blood red flaming light.

With respect Sharr walked to the statue and
lifted his middle and pointer finger of his right hand. He made a
curvilinear sigil similar to the Falcanian Kaliburn in the space
between himself and the Phoenix Heart.

Up Sharr stepped to the statue and reached
out for the heart. Felt its pulsating life-force charge him. No
more than the size of a softball, a platinum gray, eight-pointed
chaostar clutched the crystalline orb. In the very center of the
chaostar, an otherworldly emerald bort sparked with life. At first
glance it looked like there were micro-fractures in The Heart's
surface, yet closer examination would bring one to recognize that
what seemed to be cracks, were in truth an embedded neural net.
Sharr lifted The Heart from its place in Falcania's protection. A
star burst shined at its center to illuminate the vault. Zoar
brought forth an ark for the Shotar to set the orb into.

Mia held Frederika’s hand while they made
their way around the horde of Falcanians and a few human guests to
get closer to the center of the festival plaza. An octagonal
platform was constructed in the shadow of the Tahru's Temple where
now a theatrical production unfolded. A single Falcanian woman on
stage declaimed her final monologue: “Just as the star must go
nova, you, to be truly alive must one day confront the void. Only
in that moment of transition can your star-fire be rekindled.”

Behind the actress a holographic sun bulged,
and seemed to sigh in a feminine voice.

“Goodbye,” shouted the star to at last reach
its crescendo of death. Lights faded, and swallowed up the
actress.

The lines held for Frederika an unexpected
finality.

Applause erupted to honor the
sun-actress.

“Ashkaltai by Arduth Pol,” Mia explained.
“Even suns must die is its theme. Curious, huh? In a culture that
worships the Phoenix as an ideal, final death is so enshrined?”

“It does seem odd,” Frederika said.

The two girls found a spot to watch the
ceremony. Guests waited while the actors left the platform and for
the ritual to start. Sitara sat beside her mother and two of the
Imperial concubines with them. A few high-ranking Falcanians
Frederika had never seen before were also there, yet the Shotar
could not be seen anywhere.

It started out as a low whisper of sound.
But soon it cut the air, almost whistled, and became a mighty
noise.

Thrump, thrump, thrump!

The whoosh of wind pushed across strong
silky membrane covered wings engulfed the plaza. Many of the humans
turned their eyes toward the skies and witnessed a display which
very few among them ever imagined. A phalanx of red armored
Drakorian Guard who accompanied blue clothed Tahru clerics circled
above. The Falcanians swooped back and forth, their tails trailing
behind them in a majestic beauty, like a humanoid archeopteryx on a
hunt. It was an inhuman sound, more like some kind of primal shriek
which emanated from the airborne beings and resounded at an
auditory range that no human could produce.

Cries of “Falcania Jai!” greeted the
warriors and Tahru.

In a choreographed decent, the Tahru touched
down to make an inner-ring and surround the arch. They faced
outward toward the assembled crowd. The Drakorian touched down to
form a disciplined ring on the outer edges of the platform.

At the platform's center, beside the arch
Sharr Khan landed, his wings folded back and away as he came out of
his crouch. An impressive figure, dressed in his red and black
jodtok. A golden circlet crowned his brow ornamented with an
eight-pointed Tarik star. His tri-claw boots took the impact of his
touch down for they were built to be shock absorbers. He made the
Shakra salute and returned the shout of “Falcania Jai!” which was
then echoed back at him.

Under the arch rested the chest containing
the Phoenix Heart. Sharr went over and removed the sphere from its
place. He raised it above his head.

Frederika's eyes widened at the sight of the
orb the Shotar held aloft. She unconsciously fiddled with the
Thor's hammer on her collar.

“Vir arin, sra shyr'la vra sra Narshin!”
Sharr intoned.

We are the children of the Phoenix.
He held the orb and it seemed to take on a whole new vibrancy,
glowing in the hands of its keeper and protector. The green jewel
throbbed for the Phoenix Heart was his eyes and he its hands.

Each of the Falcanians felt a personal
synergy. At once their souls engaged in a great communion, each of
their sparks joined together. Not only here but across space and
time and reached far into infinite probability. The vibration of
the Heart echoed and in response the Falcanian species returned
that echo in a life-affirming cry.

D’Har Tarik thought itself a religion of
light, a philosophy of the stars. That light burned in each
Falcanian and shone from within. All the eyes of the Falcanians
became an eerie green, like the bort inside the Heart. The moment
of commune passed and the ceremony of the spark concluded. Sharr
replaced the Phoenix Heart into its ark. The ceremony ended with a
hearty “T'Saar!”

Afterward Sharr joined his family and
friends at the edges of the platform. A robust cloaked figure came
onto the stage, he began to sing in a deep baritone, rock music.
Though the singer spoke Falcanian the tragic notes of the song were
clear even to those who did not know the words. Falcanians had rock
ballads. That bit of kitsch amused Frederika.

Later he sat at a low table with Nadia and
Kitana draped against his red and black uniform. They placed bits
of food into their mouths while adoringly, they fed their Shotar.
Tanusri sat on a cushion where she strummed her sitar and sung a
somber tune. Sabina served the Imperial Family, her duties
continuing on from earlier in the day. The Shotar had offered her
attention and seemed happy to have her linger about.

Followed by Sitara and her boyfriend the
Drakorian Kulcarin Aranskrai, Frederika and Mia entered the thraj.
The girls enjoyed the thraj’s luxurious accommodations. Sharr
glanced up. His eyes glistened in the light of the many brass oil
lamps when he caught sight of Frederika. He nodded at the dancer,
his eyes feasting on the sight of her in a clingy red velvet dress
that pulled attention to her every curve.

When Sitara noticed Kvaltar Vron, she beamed
and with no warning jumped onto his lap, almost like a little
girl.

“Kvaltar, it’s so nice to see you again,”
she purred, even though her mother could be heard to make a sound
of disapproval from beside her father.

Kvaltar colored beet red. He had not
expected for Sitara to maul him. An awkward moment to be sure,
never mind the fact her rubbing on him had caused the affect she
wished. No doubt the Princess was attractive, but Lord Vron knew
better. Besides, he happened to be happily wed. Kiralia didn’t
exactly appreciate Sitara’s ardent affection for him either. Gently
Vron pushed his friend's daughter back into the hold of her
Drakorian boyfriend.

Frederika found it all rather
entertaining.

The newly entered group sat and received
plates of food. This time roasted pig doused in a spicy-sweet
tamaki sauce. Bits of cilantro stuck to the succulent crackling
skin. Under the lamp light the roasted beast shined a rich warm
brown awash in its own juicy warm fat.

“Have you enjoyed the carnival, Frederika?”
the Queen asked.

Nadia's attention on her made Frederika most
uncomfortable. She could not be sure how strong a telepath the
Queen might be and so Frederika played the dumb blonde and flipped
a strand of hair.

“Oh, it’s cool.” She used way out of date
slang, noticed her hair flip had not been lost on the Shotar for he
looked on her intently. “A very pretty ceremony.”

The queen gazed back at Frederika as if to
say You merely act the dumb blonde.

Again Frederika felt her head tingle. The
queen was a threat. She needed to guard her thoughts more
carefully.

“Rika, come sit by me,” the Shotar
commanded.

The dancer did as she had been bid.

Most accustomed to her mate's lustful
tastes, Nadia never denied him his toys. She was more interested by
a wave of jealousy which suddenly overwhelmed her mental
facilities. Not her own, nor the two concubines. This triad had
long ago adjusted to the dynamics of the harem. Hard in truth not
to miss where the jealousy came from. Sabina glared at
Frederika.

Luckily Nadia had other concerns, for she
quickly turned her attention toward her child. “I have some good
news, Sitara.”

“Oh?” Sitara asked, giggling still at a
remark Kulcarin whispered into her ear.

“Yes.” Nadia grinned proud of her handiwork.
“I am happy to announce that I’ve spoken with Kalpana, she agrees
with me. You and Kulcarin should be wed.”

The reaction was not what the queen
expected. “I don't want to marry now!” the princess declared and
very nearly stomped her foot in protest. “I should have been
consulted, there are adventures still be had before I nest down and
begin producing children.”