by C. C. Ekeke
For some reason, V’Korram was shirtless. “My other clothes were destroyed,” he growled, riled by Habraum’s inquiring look.
Everyone who survived Inorskii Fields was present, save one. Habraum turned to Mhir’ujiid in askance. “Where’s Khrome?”
“Up here, oh fearless leader!” Habraum looked skyward as the Thulican floated down grinning, metallic arms folded across his broad chest. As soon as Khrome landed at Habraum’s side, he said, “The Quud insisted I transmit my message far from Qiidr Ol-Chaeda for security reasons.”
“Same on this side,” the Cerc smiled, spying the Quud warriors nearby gaping at the Thulican as if he were some shiny jewel. Even Mhir’ujiid stared in astonishment.
“It’s the metal skin,” Khrome explained with a chuckle. He took the opening to smugly flex his burly arms. “Apparently I look like a living embodiment of Tala from their ‘Six Elements of Totality.’”
Habraum shrugged indifferently. “Sure. What did you transmit with?”
Khrome nodded. “I rebuilt a workable comm array to contact UComm, informing them we weren’t dead, and that we’re going dark for a few days.” He rolled his eyes and added, “I didn’t mention Ghuj’aega since, well, we don’t know where he is.”
Good call. “On whose orders?” Habraum eyed a silent Sergeant Fiyan.
“Mine.” The Cerc turned toward his second-in-command, Tyris. “You almost called UComm support before, but I figured us being with the Quud didn’t change that,” the Tanoeen added.
“You figured right,” the Cerc nodded favorably. He hadn’t expected Tyris to anticipate his needs so precisely. The Cerc turned to Khal and Cortes. “Did Mhir’ujiid explain about our powers?”
“Yes,” Liliana answered. “An injected suppressant that’ll wear off soon.”
Habraum swept his gaze over the whole group. “Any injuries I should know about?” he asked. His Brigadiers shook their heads. “No, sir.” Fiyan and Byzlar shook their heads, much more subdued—dazed, almost—in responding. Habraum couldn’t blame them.
“Good. Because our mission isn’t over.” Habraum wanted to say more, but he glanced at the Quud warriors surrounding them. Best to wait until we have some privacy.
Khrome cracked his knuckles enthusiastically, sounding off metallic krkk-krakk noises. “I owe Ghuj’aega a few ass kickings.”
Habraum smirked. “You’re not the only one. Once we’ve spoken to Mhir’ujiid’s father, we get our equipment and weapons, then plan how to find Ghuj’aega and the Ghebrekh.”
“The Quud will help,” Mhir’ujiid insisted. “You have my word. Now, this way.” With a quick hand gesture to the Quud bodyguards, she began walking toward the heart of Qiidr Ol-Chaeda.
Fiyan remained rooted firmly to the ground. “Byzlar and I want to see Uyull’s body first.”
Byzlar looked taken aback, but masked his pained expression and nodded in agreement.
Habraum nodded back, knowing that he would do the same, and eyed Mhir’ujiid pointedly.
She communicated something in sign to a young Quud sporting a chest-to-shoulder-length tattoo. “Korchii’mua will take you,” she assured Fiyan. “He speaks Standard semi-fluently.”
The warrior called Korchii’mua veered off the main road leading to a circle of bizarre stone formations. He grunted at the TerraTroopers to follow. Once they’d departed, Mhir’ujiid joined Habraum and CT-1—flanked by many Quud warriors.
Walking to the heart of the city took roughly fifteen to twenty macroms, up and down over hills. Herope illuminated their trek with otherworldly burnt-crimson streaks, the sunset lingering far longer than Habraum and his team were used to.
Along the way, the road cut through what the Cerc guessed was Qiidr Ol-Chaeda’s outskirts. Here, Quud housing came with smaller triple-deck terraces of land on each home’s roofing. Carved out from nearby rock, Habraum noticed how each home’s terrace levels jutted further back than the one below. The bizarre fruits and vegetables planted on each roof varied by the home and its terrace levels. Habraum spied many squashed faces peering out their windows and doors curiously to watch the newcomers.
Finally, Star Brigade reached the city center, as evidenced by the rows of lofty pillars adorning each side of the dirt road. Lofty gates of dark-red stone welcomed them at the pillared road’s end. These gates were etched in intricate Quud iconography telling of a tale no Quud in their group offered to explain.
Qiidr Ol-Chaeda was surrounded by the Qiidr Mountains on all sides, like a vast ring of jagged, charcoal-grey walls with dense pockets of green forest in between. As soon as Star Brigade passed through the city gates, they strode through an expansive and hectic marketplace bustling with breakneck activity. Makeshift trading stores were set up to barter food, jewelry, and other goods. Their Quud bodyguards cut a swath through the curious crowds so Habraum and his team could pass. One aggressive seller thrust a skinned rodent creature in V’Korram’s face to gain his business. The Kintarian smacked it out of the seller’s hand and kept walking.
Other Quud shoppers carted about their belongings in wheeled barrels hitched to enormous three-eyed, scaly, white-skinned pack beasts Mhir’ujiid identified as “hyuccabi”—marked by the thickset, singular frontward-curving horn on its forehead. The hyuccabi’s cries sounded like a rattling yodel to Habraum as their master directed the horde with their reins. For individual transport, other Quud either walked or rode horse-like iokki. A group of Quud younglings dashed down the streets, shrieking joyfully while tossing around a green ball. Parents strapped their babies in protective pouches slung over the back so their arms were free to carry goods.
The energy here differed from other Farooqua territories, mirroring that of a bustling metropolis. Females donned elaborate braided hairstyles, along with exquisite jewelry crafted from golden and silver-like metals. Sparkling gems refined their clothing materials further. Males sported extravagant headdresses of feathers, fur, and animal bone, along with clothes to display their body paintings or tattoos.
Even among these sophisticated Quud, the elite were apparent. Habraum noticed finer clothing, tattoos, and gem-covered jewelry worn by the uppercrust, or stuck onto their physiques in some manner.
The Quud wearing simpler-styled headdresses were holy votaries, Mhir’ujiid explained.
The city’s center offered several low step-pyramid complexes varying between chalky brown and greyish-yellow in color, some still under construction. Wiry Quud workers raced back and forth on the unfinished constructs, working together to stack angled stone onto thin layers of adhesive. To haul stones up the inclining platforms, the workers tethered the blocks onto the backs of trained hyuccabi.
The completed pyramids had a consistent flow of Quud dashing in and out, like ants in a colony. Several Quud warriors guarded one complex, while at the rear other Quud pushed wheelbarrows full of what looked like shiny metals and gems.
Scattered between the complexes were stone pillars and sculptures, the pillars etched with amazing Quud carvings or painted tapestries. The sculptures were of superbly detailed Quud males with jewelry and silvery headdresses, always reverently gazing skyward. Flanking the east and west of the Grand Plaza’s borders, two of four rounded pyramids towered over many other Qiidr Ol-Chaeda structures. One pyramid was situated further from the plaza with a wall of towering trees, its decorated roof comb structure peeking above the forest canopy.
The last rounded pyramid rested atop one of the lower Qiidr Mountains, unmistakably taller than the others even from a distance. These pyramids, Mhir’ujiid detailed, were a series of massive circular platforms, the smaller ones stacked atop the larger ones. The stone had a blood-red shade, giving the step pyramids the appearance of gigantic segmented cones, lacquered in human blood. The only angular components on these temple pyramids were the wide stairways reaching up to the bases of their roof combs on both sides.
In front of the closest pyramid three adult Quud chaperoned around two dozen youngsters covered in mud, performing a slo
w, ritualistic dance in bizarre postures.
Mhir’ujiid continued to play tourist guide. “Three more temples in the lowlands each represent an element of totality.” She gestured to a pyramid in the west atop a narrow river. “The Temple of Estria.” Habraum could see the river bottom clearly under Herope’s afternoon light, though the water’s amber tinge wasn’t from dirt.
“The Temple of Zenith in the mountains represents all the six elements combined, reaching for the Zenith Point itself. Usually only our high votaries and their attendants live there, but many Quud travel up on our most sacred days for worship.”
In the lowland hills bordering the city, scatterings of Qiidr Ol-Chaeda’s more lavish homes sat flawlessly framed against the snowcapped Qiidr Mountains. Unlike the rural dwellings along the outskirts, these homes had multiple stories splashed in vivid rose and cherry paints.
On any developed planet Habraum had seen around the Galactic Union, even the most rural of citizens had some form of modern technology. But in Faroor’s rustic lands, it was as if they had stepped back in time to a society untouched by high-tech advancement.
And compared to other Farooqua cities he’d visited, the grandeur of Qiidr Ol-Chaeda was unparalleled. Mission or not, Habraum couldn’t refuse a quick tour. If only Jeremy could see this. The Cerc would find a way to make that so.
CT-1 was enjoying this, also. Tyris gazed up with unabashed amazement at each structure they passed. Marguliese took in everything with purposeful glances, clearly scanning for potential threats. Khal focused most of his attention on Marguliese, unexpectedly annoying Habraum. Cortes’s awe was mainly reserved for the sculptures, while Khrome looked flummoxed by how all this non-tech operated.
V’Korram—well, Habraum had never seen such wonder on this Brigadier’s face. The massive Kintarian was like a big gleeful cub finding something shiny in the grass for the first time. The rural simplicity of the city was clearly getting to him. That pleased Habraum more than he realized.
“We’re here.” Mhir’ujiid drew Habraum’s gaze to another massive pyramid with blocky outer walls. The main building sported a thick band of carvings, wrapping the complex with ancient tales.
Mhir’ujiid walked among them and spoke softly, “I introduce you to my father. Be respectful.” She looked pointedly at V’Korram, who snarled in offense. “Please, try not to stare.”
Tyris frowned. “Why not?”
Mhir’ujiid shrugged. “Not my place to say.” She briskly hiked up the steep staircase ahead. At that point, Star Brigade’s Quud warrior entourage took station at the base of the complex.
Khal used the break in their march to lean in to Marguliese closely, and mutter, “Love how you look with your hair down.” His remark received a sidelong glare from the Cybernarr. She then swiped a hair band from some random Quud standing nearby, making him yelp, and deftly pulled her long red tresses back in a taut ponytail.
“What? It was a compliment!” a puzzled Khal called as she regally strode away without a word.
CT-1 met Mhir’ujiid at the top of the staircase, where she walked through the entrance guarded by six Quud warriors. They all gaped at Khrome. But when the Thulican spun melodramatically, shimmering under the sunlight, the Quud looked ready to faint.
Inside this complex’s primary room, Habraum spied a vaulted ceiling and walls splashed with ornate Quud arts—all lined with spidery cracks. The biggest fissure ran from the base of the floor on the left up the wall to halfway across the ceiling. Quud workers with their scruffier skin pelts clung to the walls and ceilings via adhesive footwear, slathering cement-like sealant over the split.
The room had lighting in the form of glowing spheres attached to various parts of the ceiling.
Habraum frowned at what they were striving to cover up. Mhir’ujiid followed his gaze.
“That happened during the last major skyquake. Ruined one of our oldest works of art. This temple celebrates art works from all tribes.”
“How do those work?” Khrome pointed at one of the bright spheres on the ceiling.
Mhir’ujiid turned to where he pointed. “Those glow stones drink sunlight during the day, then activate during the evening. A popular commodity from Gajj mines.”
“And they’re held in place by semi-strong magnetic rocks?” the Thulican probed.
Mhir’ujiid nodded. “Glow stones have a heavy metal concentration.”
“Finally, technology that makes sense!” Khrome exclaimed.
The Brigade’s presence drew stares, but most Quud returned quickly to their work.
“I’ll be back.” Mhir’ujiid then scampered off to a small group of older Quud wiping themselves clean of grime and cement.
In a macrom, an older Quud trailed Mhir’ujiid back to the group, dusting dried flakes of sealant off his hands. He stood a few inches shorter than Mhir’ujiid, huge chunks of his bluish pelt burnt off—revealing molted grey patches on parts of his face, right arm, and torso. He sported no shock of bright hair like other Quud. His carriage, however, held unquestionable authority.
Mhir’ujiid smiled proudly. “My father, Kyas’argiid, High Chief of the Quud.”
Habraum gaped, expecting a more regal and less scarred Quud.
The rest of CT-1 displayed similar surprise, though Marguliese simply stated, “Interesting.”
The high chief instantly caught the sentiment. He made several quick gestures to his daughter, who giggled and translated, “My father asks if you expected a fat snob wearing gaudy jewelry and a crown?”
This broke the taut silence with laughter from the Brigadiers.
“Honestly, yes,” Khal chuckled.
A grin pulled at Kyas’argiid’s upturned lips. He gestured swiftly at his daughter. She spoke, “He’s sorry to disappoint you all. And he is extremely grateful for you rescuing me.”
Habraum glared at the high chief. “How about you thank us yourself?”
Khrome, Tyris, and Liliana exchanged astounded looks at Habraum’s unexpected rudeness. Mhir’ujiid leveled a glare at him which all but said “What are you doing?!”
But the Cerc didn’t back down. “She’s not translating back to you, meaning you understand.”
For a long moment, Kyas’argiid met the Cerc’s stare through narrowed eyes. Finally, the high chief lifted his chin a fraction and laughed. “Very good, Nwosu,” he said in oily, accented tones. “Standard... not my favorite dialect. Necessary when dealing with outsiders.” His bulbous eyes softened. “And thank you all for saving my Mhir’ujiid.” He gave his daughter a glowing look. “She is...exceptional.” Mhir’ujiid looked down, a blush warming her flat-faced features.
Habraum sighed and returned the Quud chief’s smile. “She’s a good lass.”
“Come now.” Kyas’argiid gestured to a door to their right. “It is almost meal time...and those nouribars my warriors recovered from your transport are not enough to fill one’s eye.”
The Cerc motioned for CT-1 to follow Kyas’argiid and Mhir’ujiid. Only two Quud warriors now tailed Star Brigade as they exited the museum. Habraum couldn’t help but be impressed by this high chief’s low-key persona.
They were now outside in a spacious terrace between three complexes, the area covered by short urbrui grass. Three iokki milled about, grazing. From this terraced platform, Habraum and his team could view vast swaths of Qiidr Ol-Chaeda’s eastern edge, showcasing some of the city’s bustling walkways. Several large, fiery glow stones on tall poles between the many stone sculptures illuminated the activity. Evening had blanketed the sky in velvety purple and crimson, dotted by countless far-flung stars and the startling glow from its moon, Qos.
Kyas’argiid closed his eyes and basked in the moonlight. “It is truly a night of Zenith, which guided my eldest daughter home. We must give thanks.” The high chief made a series of quick gestures at one guard, who scurried back into the primary complex.
In the center of the terrace sat a series of stone-carved seats, positioned around a crackling bonfire with
whitish smoke billowing up into the dark heavens.
Mhir’ujiid gestured to the seats. “Food will come shortly.”
Habraum and the others sat down as requested. Several macroms later, Sgt. Fiyan and Specialist Byzlar joined the group, appearing far less upset. “They made Uyull’s body look presentable,” Fiyan shared after meeting Kyas’argiid, “and will deliver him to the UComm at first light tomorrow.” Her face was haggard, but the Nnaxan kept a steadfast carriage. She turned to Kyas’argiid. “Thank you for honoring my subordinate.”
Kyas’argiid nodded. “My daughter say this ‘Uyull’ gave his own gun to her. That…cause enough.”
Two female Quud with waist-length braided hair arrived carrying stone trays of steaming soup bowls. Habraum eyed the dishes, then nodded at V’Korram and Marguliese.
The massive Kintarian stood up to block the Quud females. He bent over the bowls and sniffed them all, then returned to his seat. “Smells fine,” he growled.
“I can be more specific.” Marguliese dipped a finger into one piping soup bowl, then rubbed it on her tongue, much to the Quuds’ shock. “Hot water, hygeroot, crushed ambir, massuk kernels, iokki milk, river salt, yellow jombol,” she detailed.
“So it’s edible?” Khal asked impatiently.
Marguliese nodded. “Affirmative.” She snatched away the bowl she’d dipped her finger into.
Byzlar gawked in amazement at the Cybernarr. “How does she do that?”
“Excellently.” Habraum then turned to Kyas’argiid. “No offense, I had to check.”
“If we wanted to kill you, it would have happened at Inorskii Fields.” Mhir’ujiid leaned back, folding her thin arms indignantly. “Why wait to do it here?”
Habraum was unapologetic. “One can never be too sure.” The Star Brigadiers and TerraTroopers, except Tyris and Khrome, accepted soup bowls in silence. Habraum found the hot soup had an abnormal piquant tang he’d never experienced, but tasted decent enough. Kyas’argiid and his daughter looked to be in heaven as they gulped down their servings. An attendant was already returning with seconds.