Page 26 of Scars & Starlight (Of Blood and Conquest #1)
TARA
T he destruction the Ghorvek brought to Asia is beyond anything I could have expected. So much rubble from tall buildings now destroyed, former technological centers now decimated beyond recognition.
We searched for the leaders in China, only to find out that, much like in Europe, we arrived too late.
I asked Kairen if the Ghorvek could be escalating due to the arrival of the Avaren.
If, much like us, they could be going for Earth’s leadership with the intent to destabilize an already broken people.
He warned me not to underestimate the Ghorvek based on their brutish appearances.
That they’re more cunning and inventive than the savages they look like.
Otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to bring so much of the universe to its knees.
As the Talon glides over the remains of Seoul, I can’t help but feel an odd sense of nostalgia.
“What is it?” my perceptive prince asks, his hand coming out to rest on my thigh.
“I always wanted to travel in Asia,” I murmur, my eyes on vine- covered ruins. “Japan and South Korea, especially. See the wonders. Now they’re gone.”
“Well,” Kairen drawls out. “Did you ever imagine you’d be traveling the universe? See galaxies and nebulas, visit planets you didn’t even know existed?”
I can’t help but grin at the positive spin. It’s out of this world – pun intended. “I guess when you put it that way…” I look down at Kiko. “What’s your favorite planet, Kikolino?”
My robot companion chirps, happy to have an opportunity to speak. “I’m not programmed to have preferences. However, I think the princess will enjoy Atreon. It’s bright and colorful, and has varied animal life.”
The little mech focuses his lenses until a projection appears, showing a rainbow-hued planet. My jaw drops when the image zooms in. This place is a little girl’s dream! Pink waters, yellow plants, rainbow animals… Wait a minute.
“Is that a unicorn?” I ask shrilly.
My nanites chime in before either Kiko or Kairen can reply.
ATREONI KIRETH: QUADRUPEDAL HERBIVORE NATIVE TO PLANET ATREON.
POSSESSES A SINGULAR MULTI-COLORED KERATINOUS HORN STRUCTURE EMERGING FROM THE FRONTAL CRANIUM.
COVERED IN REFLECTIVE, SILKEN PELT. HIGHLY ATTUNED TO BIOELECTRICAL FIELDS.
NOTED FOR ELEVATED INTELLIGENCE, HERD COHESION, AND LOW AGGRESSION INDEX.
“According to human fairytales, a Vasari Kireth does bear a resemblance to this unicorn creature,” Kiko chimes in.
“Unreal,” I mutter. “I wonder if it’s a coincidence?”
“Likely not,” Kai says, sounding amused. “Perhaps someone else had visited this planet and brought the imagery with them.”
“I bet they built the pyramids. Oh, and the monoliths!” I sigh wistfully. “One of my sisters was always into all these conspiracy theories. Bet she’d love to learn about the history of the universe.”
“I will be happy to relay any information to her,” the little mech says, either not noticing that my mood turned maudlin or ignoring it in an attempt to cheer me up.
I smile at him and pick him up from the ground. “I think you would have liked Seoul before the Ghorvek,” I tell him. “It looked like a place where having an assistive unit following you around wouldn’t be unusual.”
Kiko’s lenses whir, and I see a rapid-fire slideshow of Seoul in its former glory play out in them. Before either of us can comment, though, the Talon’s alarms begin to beep rapidly.
“What’s happening?” I ask Kairen, the displays of this fighter ship still a bit of a mystery to me.
“Incoming,” he replies through gritted teeth.
Something whizzes past our ship, and I’m stunned to see a bright projectile disappearing into the distance.
“Are they shooting at us?” I ask unnecessarily, just as the alarms go wild and the tail end of the Talon shudders. “What was that?”
Kairen doesn’t look at me as he pushes this button and that. “You need to breathe, Princess.” He examines a console to his left, the light flickering with warning. “Kiko, a power surge in the fifth rear ID coupling.”
The little robot must understand the succinct command, because he immediately jumps down from my lap and disappears into a shaft opening under the cockpit.
“Guess there’s no need for living engineers when they can’t fit into tiny walkways,” I jest nervously.
“I’ll take you over a mech any time, love. But I don’t think we have time for you to learn the Talon’s internal systems right now.”
I laugh at Kairen’s dry statement and clench my hands around my seat in reflex to the ship doing a spin, even though we don’t feel the shift. “I’ll never get used to that,” I mutter to myself.
Kai hums, looking at scrolling readings. “Hm.”
I raise an eyebrow at him. “Good hm or bad hm ?”
“The automated targeting system is good, but whoever is piloting that destroyer is better,” he explains. “I’m going to have to go man a turret station.”
My jaw drops at his statement. “You’re going to leave me here alone?” I squeak. “What if the autopilot fails?”
He throws me a wink. “Then make sure to pull the control stick up. Fewer things to crash into in outer space.”
With that, he gets to his feet and disappears up a ladder by the cockpit entrance.
“I can’t believe you just left me here,” I mutter after him, glaring at the ceiling.
Would you like to join me up here, Princess? It might be a tight squeeze, but I do so enjoy being in close quarters with you.
“Ah! How the hell did you do that?” I shriek up the shaft.
I did nothing. You contacted me through the nanites.
“I did? I didn’t mean to!” I yell back.
There’s no need to shout, I hear you as easily as you hear me.
I cringe, picturing deafening his inner ear, or whatever we use to listen to our inner voice. Probably not the actual inner ear.
At that moment, the Talon shudders, another of the Ghorvek’s missiles hitting us.
“Did you shoot them down yet?” I ask Kairen, the ultimate backseat shooter. I can hear the whoosh of the Talon’s weapons discharging.
Almost, my love.
I chew on my thumbnail. “Do you mean it?”
Do I mean that I almost shot them down?
“No…” I hesitate, gathering my courage. “Do you mean it when you call me your love?” Silence on the other side. Did I put my foot in my mouth again? “Kai?”
Must I answer that question while I’m attempting to obliterate a hostile vessel intent on killing us all, or may I do it when I’m looking into your beautiful brown eyes?
For a moment, I forget we’re in the middle of a shootout. I scuff my boots against the floor like a teenager with a crush, wringing out my hands. I nearly jump out of my skin when the shaft in the floor opens up and Kiko pops out of it.
“The couplings are fixed,” he says proudly.
“Good job, sweetie,” I praise him. “Kairen went to man a turret since he wasn’t happy with the automated systems.”
Kiko spins in a circle. “Did you know that a fighter vessel such as this has its weakest points where turrets are attached to the rest of the hull?”
I close my eyes and tilt my head back. “No, I did not know that.”
The familiar scent of icy blueberries envelops me as Kai hugs me from behind. I didn’t even notice the silence or hear him descend back to the cockpit.
“They can’t exploit any weak points if I kill them all first,” he murmurs, sounding almost as cocky as Kiko did a moment ago.
“That’s my space hunk,” I croon, reaching up to awkwardly wrap my arms around him.
He kisses the side of my neck before whispering into my ear. “As much as I’d love to take you from behind again, the people living here are expecting us.”
I groan. “Hopefully, they’re still there to expect us. What if these Ghorvek didn’t encounter us first? What if they dealt with our future allies again?”
“Then we will help the survivors rebuild,” he assures me. “The Ghorvek are clearly scared, and they should be. We will win this war and drive them off, return your planet to its people.”
I turn around and kiss him, despite having somewhere to be and having the audience of an inquisitive little robot.
Sighing happily, I look up at my malien. “You’re the best thing since sliced bread, Kairen Veyrath.” I tilt my head. “Though I don’t even like sliced bread, that’s just a human saying. It just dries up so fast, you know? There’s nothing like freshly cut–”
The best way to get me to stop rambling? The prince of Avaris’ lips.