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Neo-human Short Story Kitana – First Glimpse…
Nadia stretched, let out a sigh. “That quarrel at the jirga still bothering you hun?”
The Shotar glanced over his shoulder. “Damianus Vorskrai’s proposition to reorganize our government is surprisingly popular.” He exhaled. “Particularly among his workers. Not so much so with the warriors and Tahru clerics.” Sharr added glowering. “I do not care for the secrecy it shall breed.”
“Open jirga’s always been the Falcanian way.” Shalimar commented. People often mistook her model beauty to mean she must also be an airhead. But never Sharr. “Not this cloistered parliament of lords which Vorskrai suggests.” Her blunt answer to the problem. “You’re the Shotar. Do not allow it to happen. If you require a reason, cite Falcanian righteousness.”
“Damianus Vorskrai believes it will shift power to his Guilthari.” Nadia reasoned. “He’d not have suggested such a reorganization if he did not think he could see it accomplished.” She frowned. “He’s an ace up his sleeve. Be cautious. We need his merchants.”
“Of course Nadia.” Agreed the Shotar. “You say merchant as if Vorskrai’s genuinely a Capitalist.” Sharr Khan fumed. “Why does every civilization on this planet sooner or later end up plagued by Marxists?” Grumbled the Shotar. “I’d thought I forestalled such deterioration with the ThunderHawk Compact. Each house gets an equal voice.”
“As I recall,” said Nadia getting out of the nest. “Your friend, Kvaltar, who established the Guilthari happens to be himself a Socialist.”
“Yes, Bright-Eyes.” Sharr reached out, took hold of her chin. Leaned in for a kiss. Oh, she was so very lovely, his beloved Robotess. Those molded Persian features, based on her creators unique Iranian-Finn heritage. “And the Commander-in-chief of my army is a spartan Vegan. Not exactly Falcanian is it?”
From the forthcoming FREE Neo-human short story Kitana.
Noticeably absent from this preview, is Kitana herself.
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Among Bright Stars… (Neo-human #2)
Humanity’s future, isn’t human…
Nadia Korelia, Falcanian queen, has spent the last three years assembling together her sibling Morningstars. Artificial people, who are in every way stronger, smarter and more beautiful. Among these Morningstars are Temujin Sardur, a Mongolian buccaneer, who raided pleasure boats in the Andaman Sea, Guillaume LaSalle, a Gascony spaceship Commander, who participated in bringing alien life to Earth, and Darius Noorani, the 12th Imam foretold by Islamic religion. Can Nadia unite her fellow Morningstars, even as the Falcanians use war, to broker for peace?
It’s finally here, Neo-human book 2!
A few thoughts. The book here is very different from the draft I began with, though the plot is largely the same, how it gets to where its going is somewhat different. Many of the changes came about because these first three Neo-human books were written as a single unit, not unlike LoTR, and the second book behaved too much like “the middle” of the novel than a story on its own. To be sure, the larger story arc needed to be, and is served here, though I made a point to connect the grander arc to the micro focus on Mornngstars and what they are. In fact doing so added another layer of meaning which I didn’t intend to touch on until further down the road in the series.
If “Starblade” was the story of Frederika learning about who, and what she is, then “Among Bright Stars…” is Nadia‘s story exploring she and Frederika‘s common Morningstar origins.
I’m going to forewarn you, there’s a little something for everyone to HATE in this book. It could be the whole Muslim messiah presented as both a Robot and a fierce Westernizer/reformer. After Benghazi, I made a special effort to tick up that plot a bit… Or, it could end up being Princess Sitara‘s life choice – Which will only seem radical depending upon your point of view on the matter – Though its sure to annoy some contingent who think science fiction‘s job is to support one particular party line. On that same note, I’m sure the whole Annunaki riff will grate a few people the wrong way as well. But, I don’t try to please everyone, or anyone but myself first and foremost when I write.
*A sharp eye will note, the Table of Contents (TOC) is different in the Amazon version compared to the Smashwords (aka all other retailers) TOC. That couldn’t be avoided. Kindle was being a pain and wouldn’t read the Table of Contents as it was formatted for Smashwords (which was odd as it had every other time) so I needed to build it a different way. Which is why the epigraph is displayed as it is on the Amazon book.
Gorgeous Gynoids
“Guess that explains 12th Daughter of Kobol…”
Nadia groaned. “I love Tanis Rao, as I do all my Valküri,” she licked her maroon lips and exhaled. “Just, she can’t write herself out of a paper bag.” Reconsidered. “Maybe that’s too harsh? Rao’s bodice rippers get the job done.” Nadia’s blue eyes twinkled. “I probably shouldn’t have shared my complete origins with the Sisterhood. Though I thought it my duty to keep my Valküri Order knowledgeable, to better let them think in the long-range view.” She sighed heavily. “However, Tanis Rao allowed her speculations to roam wild.”
Arshira giggled. “I think that particular Sci-Fi novel, is Sharr’s favorite example of popular Falcanian literature.”
“Furious, gorgeous gynoids,” Nadia joined in the laughter. “Who plot to dominate the Earth,” mock sarcasm, hand on hip. “Yeah,” she flipped her brunette mane. “I can’t imagine why that would appeal to our husband or anything…”
— Nadia, and Frederika, From Falco Invictus: Under A Raptor’s Wings
I should probably post more, but I’ve been intently editing as you can see from the above block quote. Yes, that is a shameless BSG reference (and a Superman one too!) in fact its a Battlestar Galatica reference wrapped in bacon, in the full context of the novel… where I flirt with the 4th wall (wait until the third book…) and get really meta…
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Arrival At GenKon
On a warm June evening an ox-blood painted Humvee pulled up outside of Genetic Konnections Incorporated. The sky was rusty orange, tinted with a suggestion of the same sanguine shade as that of the military style car that had arrived before the huge reflective glass building.
Four figures concealed in angular shouldered black trench coats jumped out of the Hummer: Kenneth Pierson, a muscular African-American with a shaved head and goatee, Kenneth glanced from side to side surveying the grounds of the empty parking lot, noticing it was not totally abandoned. A purple Maserati 3200 GT was parked next to an old Volkswagen van. Also in the lot, but off on its own a cream-colored BMW. Kenneth wondered whom the vehicles belonged to.
He stood with hands clenched behind his back beside the hulking form of Pierson. Roderik Visal waited, considering what was to come. The tips of his spiky red-brown hair were colored golden blond.
“It’s usually busier when I’m here.” Vance Turner said. “Thanks to Aria I come back and forth here enough!” the lanky man exclaimed. He straightened his glasses, then adjusted his SWAT Cap.
Roderik only rolled his eyes, noticed that his friends looked expectantly at him at mention of Aria’s name. “Any smart remarks Oswald?” He asked, mind still tingled at mention of Aria.
“Nope.” Oswald Knox replied the fourth of the Phoenix Project members from behind coke bottle glasses, which he wore more for their disarming effect then anything else. Who’d think a “nerd” a threat?
“Well, let’s be off.” Vance advanced.
Before they entered the building Roderik stopped to take a closer look at the hourglass shaped DNA emblem embedded in a sign that read: Genetic Konnections Incorporated ’… Rebuilding Mankind at the dawn of the genetic renaissance. Our eyes are forever look toward the Morningstar.’
“Hmm.” Roderik thought to himself as he stroked his goatee.
The three – Kenneth, Oswald, and Vance fell into triangle formation around Roderik. They’d done this since they were kids. It was the Falcanian way when acting as honor guard to the Shotar.
They entered the waiting room outside the lab, his three friends moved aside, but Roderik halted dead in his tracks. The Shotar found himself looking upon something, someone he hadn’t expected to see this evening. A young woman dressed in a purple lengha-choli, and bedecked in a myriad amount of jewelry sat and read what looked to be a Femina Magazine, a woman’s publication that sponsored the Miss India pageant. Her dark brown hair was tied in a thick braid, which she absently twirled between two fingers. A yellow carnation affixed to the base of the braid as decoration.
Up from her magazine she glanced, smiled at the newcomers. Large brilliant-blue almond eyes radiant with a deep intelligence brightened even more at the sight of the four men. A tiny beauty mark adorned her chin and again at the tips of her kajal accented eyes: Three dots set in a triangle. She stood, smoothed the side of her lengha, the movement caused her bangles and assorted baubles to make a clanking sound. Offering the Indian greeting with her touching palms she said. “Nameste’ I’m Nadia Korelia, you must be the people my parents have been expecting.”
Roderik just waited, frozen in place, mesmerized by the girl’s eyes, he blinked a couple of times until Vance elbowed him. “Ah…” He stammered, while realized that he didn’t make the best impression, yet he couldn’t find his ability to talk. “…Yes we, ah we’re from the ‘Phoenix Project’.” He at last managed to get out and took a deep breath which he almost regretted. Inhaling Nadia’s spicy scent laced with jasmine. He felt giddy. This girl had knocked him off-balance. Roderik wasn’t sure that he’d be able to get out the spiel he had planned for the Korelias – not with this striking girl here to sidetrack him.
Nadia continued to grinned, made it even more uncomfortable for him as she got closer, and smiled right in Roderik’s face. “Perhaps we should go into the lab?” She suggested. “My Maa and Papa will want to see you – they’re intrigued by your ideas.” She pulled on Roderik’s hand. Looking over her shoulder she added. “And so am I.”
As she pulled him to the security door the exotic girl glanced over and smiled, tugged a bit more intently on his hand. There was a noticeable twinkle in her kajal-accentuated eyes at notice of the dumb struck look on Roderik’s face. She ran a key card through a slot Nadia then punched in a code, in an instant her French manicured nails danced over the keys. The secure doors slid open.
======================================================================
As you can tell this is actually the first moment Sharr (Roderik) and Nadia meet. A cut scene from On the Forge of War.
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Nadia – NSFW!!!
I have been reworking book 2, of The Falcanian Legacy Series book covers. I figured as Frederika gets heavily featured in ‘On the Forge of War’ – both in the story as well in various incarnations on different covers, its only right to place Sharr’s first wife, and queen Nadia, called T’Kara on the next book cover. Also she takes on an active role in shaping things on a political level in ‘Under A Raptor’s Wings’. The teaser cover actually has the bad guy on it, but it was seeming very flat…
This is not a cover, only a character portrait. Mmm… women featured on two book covers. Now I’m not sure what I’ll be doing for the third book. The teaser cover currently has ummm a male, who is very important to the story.
It’s almost a pity I’ll have to put clothes on her for the final version. 
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“Give me five minutes.”
Nadia Bjorlin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“Give me five minutes.” She said.
The service had just ended everyone was leaving the inner temple. Groups of worshippers clustered about the atrium where Sharr stood with Nadia. He was incredibly rigid, not at ease and she was perfectly casual and beaming, in fact getting some amusement out of the waves of tension coming off her companion.
“Ah… OK.” He said sounding nervous. Sharr hadn’t really made sense out of the fact that the Korelia’s daughter had basically talked him into joining her at temple following the meeting at GenKon hours ago, not that his friends hadn’t more or less helped her in that regard, especially Oswald.
Nadia slung a duffel bag over her shoulder, reached out and patted Sharr on the cheek.
“Don’t be so worried, everything will be fine.” Assured Nadia in her softly accented voice almost giggling. Smiling she turned on her heel and made for the lady’s room.
Sharr found that he felt like an outsider here not that anyone had made him feel unwelcome, the opposite was true to be certain the temple priest himself had greeted him upon seeing Nadia guide him to the sanctum. There certainly were very few Anglos around. Most were a varied mix of Indians from all walks of life here in Connecticut. It was just his nature to not be at ease.
Five minutes in truth became twenty odd minutes. Sharr spent the time studying the crowd that was thinning at the moment. He sat back on a chair and listened to the conversations going on all around him.
“Hey!”
Opening his eyes the young Shotar was stunned.
Nadia was a chameleon. She had changed from her Lehnga-choli to a pair of low-cut navel showing, black denim jeans with a red off the shoulder top that had unusual slits down the arms revealing her cinnamon complexion.
She’d toned back the make-up as well, now wearing only glossy pink lipstick and kajal on her eyes. As for her thick braid, she had unbound it allowing the rapunzel-like curls to cascade all around her beaming face, held in place with only two black barrettes. Bangles jangled on her right arm and a jade ring was on her left pointer finger. Girl next door is what came to mind upon looking at Nadia now.
“WOW!” Mouthed the Shotar it was like she was a completely different girl. Both looks were appealing to him however.
“Aren’t you glad you gave me five minutes?” Nadia asked clearly teasing. She knew that she would need to be playful with this one, there was so much always on his mind that he might miss what was right in front of him well dealing with the shadow that lingered in his soul.
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