Fawkes hadn’t realized how much he’d enjoyed flying until he revisited the concept. The screeching wind, clawing at his scales as he dove, going ever faster and faster. It felt so much more real without an exosuit to dampen and mitigate and stabilize.
Nyx had insisted they return to Emerald – in her own subtle way, of course (his neck still hurt).
It was a nice planet. Untouched by GalCore and, thanks to his family, safe from bandits and pirates and the like. If anything. It was considered a mercenary hub now. A surprising amount of people came by simply looking for help. Kill this, destroy that. Most of the tasks were menial and not worth attention, but this one was particularly interesting.
Fawkes perched atop a shear, jagged cliff, watching loose rubble slide and disappear into the cloud layer below as he scuffled with his talons, nearly losing balance. He had to use his wings to correct for the powerful wind.
She landed behind him. He could feel it, that burning around his collar when a female was near.
“Nyx, I thought you were–” it wasn’t Nyx, he realized. Well of course it wasn’t. Naturally. If his client had chosen such a secluded spot to meet then it must have obviously been another Vorchan. “sorry. You must be…”
“Aly’Lenta” she said with a growl. Terran, Fawkes assumed from her size. But she was too colourful to know for certain. Wings were brown with amber web. Chest was orange with red stripes that extended all the way to her tail, which had a glinting pearl-white spike on the very tip.
Her body seemed to fade from orange to navy blue as you gazed on her from front to back. Fawkes was interested in the coloring, and sent the profile to Flames for analysis. The ship was lazily orbiting up above, on stand-by for Fort’s Quick Response Fleet.
Aly’Lenta gazed back politely. Fawkes noticed she had a very calm countenance about her. At least on the surface, he reminded himself. The calm ones were generally the crazy ones. Then he realized he should probably say something already: “Hi! I’m Fawkes.”
“Yes, Darnell told me all about you!” it was why she had been such an interesting client. Darnell never refers anyone to anybody.
“Did he?”
“He said you would be most understanding of the predicament I have perilously placed myself in. For you see – Aldar, a renowned resident of Desa Nine, has been acting particularly strange lately, and deemed it fit to freeze our holdings in Bryar’Down and Laans.”
Flames had just gone around to giving Fawkes the profile report. The ship had been pre-occupied with a conversation about the most effective way to exterminate a dissident population from the Fort System. They were at a standoff between gas and kinetic bombardment.
“You’re VE.” Fawkes realized. Aly’Lenta was smack dab in the middle of Vorchan territory. Desa was a residential core, orbiting a Type-B star whose heat rendered the first few inner planets uninhabitable for anything but the hardiest of Vulcans.
It explained the coloring. There was probably a strong Desert influence from the race that thrived a few more orbits in.
“Why yes. Which was why learning of your presence here has been so amazing. I thought I would never get to the bottom of this. But you, a royal! You would surely help me and defend my honour.”
Fawkes sensed amusement in the neural band, which meant his ship must have considered this conversation worth a listen.
Her honor, oh valiant Flames. Shining Dragon Knight of Righteousness and good! Say, what do you think?
Gas. A neurotoxin could destroy that continent and keep the spoils intact.
I meant your contract, there. I think she’ll need to cite more than honor.
I agree. “You’ll need to pay with more than honor…” Fawkes quipped.
“Oh. Well, alright.” she strided forward, starting to gently unfurl her wings, tail-perked.
“I meant money!!” Fawkes said quickly, nearly falling off the cliff edge as he’d backed away.
“I can give you residence on Desa?” She suggested.
You didn’t BUY residence on a core world. It was allocated to you. And Royal or not, Fawkes had severed those ties long ago. But would he have been able to get residence on a planet like Desa? And did he want to deal with the politics that would undoubtedly creep into his life from having connections there?
“I will have to discuss this with my mate.” Whom I am loyal to, he added silently. And then repeated to himself, over and over, while not trying to gaze at Aly’Lenta any more.
“Shall we meet again, a day’s time?” she asked.
“Can it be on my ship?”
She seemed uneasy at the question.
“You will be safe there.” Flames insisted, not liking this cold.
“I cannot risk Aldar knowing. Not until you have accepted the contract.” she said.
“Fine, then we will discuss terms again tomorrow.” Flames sighed.
She’s very old fashioned if she thinks I can’t hear you up on that mountain.
I honestly don’t know what she’s thinking, but Desa might be a nice place for the hatchlings. A lot have been interested in their Vorchan heritage, and aren’t too fond of Raumens.
… I think you should talk to Nyx. Flames transmitted quickly, gracefully avoiding an awkward conversation about parenting.
Right. Yeah. That’ll be fun…
–
–
“On Desa?” Nyx asked, she was settled in their cavern, curled up around the egg. The bright blue lake illuminated her somewhat, and seemed to make her red eyes glow more than they usually seemed to glow, which was more than they should be glowing, which was not at all.
“Would you want to live there?” Fawkes asked.
“In society? With Vorchans going about their daily lives? Living from payment to payment, hoping their co-ordinators are satisfied and their mates, chosen for survival, not love, don’t leave them? Living day after day for a regency that wouldn’t even care if they lived or died?”
Fawkes just remembered that Nyx had been from Terra. Her race had severed all ties with the Vorchan Empire long ago.
“What about Terra, then?” Fawkes asked.
Nyx carefully left the nest and faced Fawkes. Fawkes took a few steps back, even if she was smiling. He wouldn’t fall for that trick again!
“I’m happy here.” Nyx hissed sincerely. “I never want to leave this – what we have.” her gaze transferred to her unhatched egg, “But maybe it wants to live with the Empire.” Maybe the option could benefit Red, or one of the others. We can always move to Terra, but a Residential Core? I think you know what you have to do, Fawkes.” she said with a swift lick, “But be careful!”
So Fawkes was back at that cold mountain ledge. His Vulcan genes really didn’t like it here. He shot some fire at his feet to warm himself up. There was a particularly strong blizzard today, which made it impossible for either Flames or himself to know if their client was even here.
It was the last scene he would remember that day.
–