Falco Invictus: On the Forge of War (25 page)

Her fists clenched with pain and anger, she
looked hard into the holoviewer. Frederika’s expression betrayed
profound annoyance and disappointment in this old warlord whom she
greatly loved. Again, Oberon had lied to her.

“Your mother, Irina, traveled once to the
South of France,” Oberon began. “She met a slightly eccentric
German millionaire… they spent a few days together on his yacht.
That union produced you, my younger half-brother, Roderik.” The
Prussian Colonel emphasized Sharr's birth name for all to hear.
“Uric Kreis went on to invest in a small company which one day
would lead in the pioneering of genetic medicine.” Colonel Oberon
Kreis laughed which contrasted nicely with Sharr's own hard serious
expression. “It’s funny really that the lot of us should be so
interested in the race of the 'Superman'. Our father's dream was of
a better world, one ruled by the superior human. You've come
nearest to making it real. Only you und your Falcanians had been
willing to defy the world to build your Khanate.”

Oberon's self-entertained expression became
one of profound revelation. “We've been watching you since you came
to meet with the Korelias. You showed tremendous potential in your
ideas, a willingness to work outside the law. It's an awesome thing
to see what you have wrought. Had he lived Uric would be very proud
of you brother.”

From across the void of cyberspace Sharr
glared at his brother. Science would need to check this statement
before he accepted it fully as true. Either what Kreis said would
be proven authentic, which would explain much about his parentage
and the secrecy his family had always placed on it, or the Teutonic
Dukedom simply now took advantage of his sordid past?

“Colonel Kreis,” Frederika spoke in a cold
tone. “In ten days, you are to bring the Nemesis prototype here to
Vanguard und twelve Blackeagle. You shall join me on this island
becoming a citizen of the Khanate.”

Oberon saluted. “By your command Lady
Gotha.”

The holoviewer went black.

Across the globe, Oberon Kreis inhaled from
his pipe, very pleased with himself. He had all that he wanted, and
his sacrifice had been such a small thing. Losing Frederika to his
brother's vision would gain him more than the genetically
engineered girl. He'd rule an empire. The chess pieces were all now
in play.

“Is it done, my son?” the strange modulated
voice asked.

Oberon turned from his monitor and looked
over at a canister that had been attached to a complex computer
system. All sorts of lights flickered and bleeped. Gel bubbled in a
jar.

“It is, father.” Oberon grinned. “Your
bastard son will soon oversee our rebirth as gods’ und it shall be
WE
who rule this planet.” A vision of winged
soldiers at his command made Kreis salivate. A glorious thing now
in making.

Uric Kreis experienced joy, or rather an
approximation of bliss, for the recordings of his once human form
could never fully recall the old emotions. The life long plans he
had set out and expanded on in his neural gel form had at last come
to be. This fleshling son of his had done well and a renegade son
fostered by a chance encounter had mastered technology he could use
to become both more than a human reboot. He would rule the planet
as an omnipotent being, ending at long last humanities perpetual
conflicts. Uric would be able to take down the Techatron Unions own
master computer, and supplement it with his own programming. The
Falcanians would be the cannon fodder in his war of global
dominance.

Oberon acted out of love. He wished only to
see his father inherit an optimal form. As it so happened, his
half-brother had come to be in control of the tech that could make
it happen. There could be no denying the serendipity of this
convergence of events. Two scions, each thrust onto a road driven
toward the improvement of the human race at last would meet after
so many years had passed to make their father's visions a
reality.

[Kuras, Capital Of The Falcanian Khanate On
The Subcontinent]

The arrival in the capital was met with
tremendous fanfare. All the subjects of the Falcanian Khanate, both
Falcanians and their human clients, gathered in the streets to
witness the arrival of the Imperial Family. The Drakorian and
Valküri marched ahead of the well-armored black transport carrying
the Imperial family while others rode astride sprinting Drak. The
beasts hissed at the shouting crowd as they made their way down the
main road toward the palace.

From beside Sharr, Frederika looked out the
window. She was shocked to see the mix of humans and Falcanians who
greeted them. “I’m amazed to see there are humans among your
followers,” she said to Nadia.

“Since our forces helped bring peace between
Pakistan and Bharat, we Falcanians are welcomed here as allies,”
Nadia explained. “This province has become our own. Granted to us
by the last Prime Minister of India, his Excellency Naresh
Singh.”

Frederika nestled close against Sharr.
Sitara glared at the blonde from across the other seat near her
twin and soon to be mate. Neither girl had spoken to the other
since the revelations about who Frederika really was had come to
pass. Understandably, Sitara had been angered to be used by the
Morningstar to gain information.

The hover car reached the steps of the great
palace, not all so different from Narshin Thryak as the Imperial
motorcade came to a halt. House guards glided down the immense
steps to help their Shotar disembark. Sharr and his court ascended
the staircase to greet the Matriarch of Falcania.

A picture of classic beauty, the Grand Dame
of Falcania stood tall and tanned, a fierce cleverness churning
behind pale-gray almond eyes. She chose a golden sari for this
occasion, offsetting her red-wings and silver tail. Thanks to the
Rishaak fruit, she had an air of youth about her with only a hint
of gray in her black hair, the only indication the Grand Dame’s age
was as advanced as it was.

As they reached the summit of the steps
Sharr Khan knelt before Ambika Sen. She was the only woman in all
the Khanate Sharr would kneel before. The matriarch reached out and
touched Sharr on the side of his face.

“Namaste,” greeted Ambika in the traditional
Hindu manner. “Welcome home, Sharr.”

Ambika spoke with a softly accented voice,
indicating her upper class youth and an education spent while in
Europe.

“Maa,” Nadia reached out and held her
mother.

“It’s good to see you again, Nadia.” Ambika
looked her daughter up and down. “You look well, child.”

The Grand Dame glanced past her daughter and
noticed her grandchildren, Ariel and Sitara. Out of habit, Ariel
joined her grandmother on the steps. Kuras was where she had become
most comfortable. Beside Sitara, Kulcarin waited respectfully.

“Sitara,” Ambika said, hugging her
granddaughter. “It has been such a long while since I’ve seen you.
Always off in space.”

“Nani,” Sitara greeted in Bengali.

Ambika smiled. “Kulcarin, it pleases me to
know that you shall be Sitara's Rakja.”

“I shall do her and the Imperial family
honor, my great lady,” the Drakorian proclaimed with a gallant bow
of his head while giving the claw-on-fist salute.

Sharr motioned for Frederika to join him.
“This is Frederika Gisela von Gotha, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg.”

Frederika stepped forward and gave a
well-practiced Namaste. To see this girl actually shook Ambika’s
clinical reserve. She moved a pace closer to the young woman and
took hold of her. Ambika Sen marveled at the product of her
husband's work

“Yes!” she exclaimed. “Yes, I see my
Turhan's work in you. Just as he said you would be. “So beautiful
and fit.”

“Where is Shuriken?” the Shotar asked,
surprised to find that his Viceroy was absent.

“Shuriken conducts troop maneuvers today,”
the Grand Matriarch said. “He assures me he will attend dinner this
evening and be at tomorrow's ceremony.”

Swoop, thud, roll.

The figure rolled over and looked up at the
blonde woman. Coming to his full height, the Falcanian took one
step forward and tilted his head. His hair was uncontrolled and
spiked in every direction. He wore goggles so large it amazed
everyone that they stayed on his head.

A mischievous grin over came his thinly
bearded face. The Falcanian male's ears, distorted from being hit
in the head too many times in the combat ring, twitched like he
picked up sounds beyond those of normal human hearing.

“You're the new her, I presume?”

She offered her hand and he shook it slowly.
“Frederika Gotha.”

“Shuriken Kra.”

She flinched. Frederika looked at Shuriken,
in an attempt to figure him out. Her first impression was not that
of a great general as she had imagined, but that of an eccentric
prankster.

Kra toggled a switch on the side of his
goggles, glanced again at the girl. He walked around her to the
left and adjusted them again, shifted the focus and different
filters. The sound of tiny motors within the goggles could be
heard.

“Hmm,” the Viceroy said to himself. “He sure
knows how to pick them.”

Frederika shifted her weight to one leg and
crossed her arms. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Wow.” He shook his head, his grin
reappearing. “Perfect. This one's a keeper.”

“I'd like to know what those goggles
do.”

Kra clicked something on his eye wear. He
spread his wings and jumped into the air where he hovered on his
jets. “And an attitude to match. Great! See you around.”

Then the Imperial Strato-General was
gone.

Ch’Kran Trakan escorted Frederika into the
large antechamber, which unlike the rooms in the palace on Vanguard
Island were square rather than round in shape. Trakan ushered the
girl towards the raised dais where Sharr Khan sat on his carved
throne, looking over papers. “My lord? The Lady Frederika is here
as you requested.”

“Thank you, Trakan. Please excuse us.” He
waved his majordomo away.

Trakan bowed and drew the doors closed as he
exited. Frederika, clad in tight black pants and a lace-up bodice,
walked toward him. Sharr sat back and absorbed her movements with
his eyes. He noted the precision of each step, the slowness of her
pace. She was purposely making him anxious. There was no doubt;
seduction was built into her genetic composition.

Perhaps ten paces away, she halted. “I think
I met your friend today.”

“Friend?” Sharr shifted in his seat. “I have
many. To whom do you refer?”

“Kra. Deformed ears? Acts kind of strange
and speaks randomly?”

He motioned her to come forward again. “Ah,
yes. Shuriken Kra. I’ve known him many years.”

She took several more steps and stopped.
“What’s with the goggles?”

“A defining characteristic, to be sure, he
is never without them.”

Frederika came closer and placed one foot on
the dais. “It seemed like he focused on me for a long time and
constantly adjusted his goggles. It was almost uncomfortable.”

Sharr threw his head back in laughter. A
surprising open expression of joy as he so guarded his emotions.
“The answer is quite simple, really. Not many know this, except for
Vron who designed the goggles and me who know the true nature of
that device. You see, they are equipped with myriad abilities, such
as night vision, heat sensors, radar.”

“What is so funny about that?” she
asked.

Sharr laughed again. “You can be sure what
he sees, I see.”

He motioned to a flat monitor on his right.
The image on the screen was Frederika, arms crossed, weight shifted
to her left leg.

Before the dais, Frederika raised one
eyebrow.

“He was looking through your clothes.” Sharr
managed over his laughter even though he attempted to not show his
amusement yet utterly failed.

“What?” Frederika’s jaw dropped. “He... he
did not. He...”

“Yes, it’s true.”

She stood speechless as the information sank
in. “A bit – forward!” She shook her head after a moment. “Why did
you send for me?”

“There’s something I wish to show you.”

Glancing down at the papers in Sharr's
hands, Frederika noticed the strange calligraphy. “That is not the
Kaliburn. What script is that?”

“This,” Sharr said, “is an older form of
Falcanian handwriting called Trikash, preferred for use in
shorthand.”

Frederika sighed. While she studied the new
script, Sharr studied the emotions behind her eyes.

“What's the matter, Rika?”

“It's Sitara. I fear that she has grown to
hate me.”

“She'll come around and trust you again.
Give her time.”

“Trust,” she echoed, her emerald eyes full
of concern. “Don't trust Oberon, Sharr, even if he is your brother.
I've come to learn he acts for his own agenda.”

Not really wishing to talk about the matter,
Sharr changed the subject. “I supposed Mia and Sabina are pleased
to learn that they are to be your ladies-in-waiting?”

“They're a bit confused by recent
developments,” Frederika admitted. “Becoming Falcanian will improve
both their lives I think.” She knew making that demand of Sharr was
the correct action on her part. Both young women deserved better
lives. At least she would not be going into this alone.

“What is it you wanted to show me?”
Frederika asked.

Sharr stood, took Frederika by her arm.
“Come.”

“By Wotan!” Frederika gasped.

A series of FS-9 Raptors flew overhead.
Stronghold troops marched in formation inside the mountain. Below
the scaffolding on which she stood, workers armed both Falcanian
warriors and their war machines as they prepared for their day to
strike.