Chapter Text
“Not by parliamentary speeches and majority votes are the great questions of the day determined… but by iron and blood” - Otto Von Bismarck
ANYWHERE
TAMAR MARCH
FEDERATED COMMONWEALTH
1 MARCH 3050
“Come back here you little twerp!” The thundering voice of an angry Storch echoed through the halls of the beach house, twin sets of hoofsteps racing down the stairs and past the living room.
“It was an accident, honest!” The higher pitched whine of the pursued Kolibri answered, the two replikas barging out the door and onto the porch, smaller replika just barely dodging the larger and scrambling over the gate to sprint down the steps. With a frustrated yell, the Storch jumped the barrier to surge after her quarry, only to misjudge her jump, catch her leg on the gate, and start to tumble down the steps head over hooves. With the elegant grace of a one legged Locust, the larger replika crashed into the smaller, and both were sent tumbling to the sand in a heap.
“Owwwww.” Each whimpered as they tried to roll over and check themselves, the larger rubbing the back of their neck carefully, before a pair of long black legs settled in the sand in front of her. Slowly looking up, the Storch stared into the eyes of a Falke unit, her arms folded and expression disappointed.
“Nike. Why were you chasing your sister around the house?” Falke Malaki stared down at her daughters, her tone a mixture of motherly concern and commanding authority. “Your father warned you about hopping over the gate, you both could have gotten seriously hurt.” The Storch just looked away, pouting in response.
“She ruined my jacket.” Came the muttered reply, and Falke looked to the Kolibri, who was carefully sitting upright and rubbing her head.
“Gloriana, what happened to the jacket?” Falke kept her tone as measured as possible, not wanting to place blame on either replika until she knew the full story. After a few moments, the Kolibri slowly pulled a sand covered red jacket from under her, holding it up for her mother to inspect. There were splotches of bright pink and fading all over it.
“I didn’t mean too, honest! I just, put the wrong bleach in on accident, and I didn’t realize it until it was too late.” Gloriana’s voice was on the verge of tears, and Falke sighed softly. Without a second thought she knelt down to her daughter, carefully pulling her close into a hug.
“It’s alright Glory, it’s alright. You didn’t mean to.” She whispered softly, pressing her lips to a mop of bright red hair. “I know it’s upsetting, but you need to come clean when mistakes like this happen.” The Kolibri sniffled, before nodding silently. Falke then turned her attention to the larger daughter.
“And you, Nike Malaki, should know better than to chase your younger sister around like a wild animal.” The stern tone had returned to Falke’s voice again, standing over the taller replika. Nike’s pout returned, and Falke sighed quietly. Then she reached down, and grabbed hold of her daughter’s ear, pulling her to her feet slowly despite the noises of protest.
“Ow ow ow ow! What the hell mom!?” Nike shouted, exasperatedly holding her ear like it had been pulled clean off. Falke narrowed her eyes.
“Nike. I have told you, time and again, to mind your temper. Your sisters wouldn’t ruin your favorite jacket on purpose, and you know that.” Falke said, folding her arms over her chest again. “You’re the second oldest of them, you’re supposed to help set an example.” There was an instant look of hurt on Nike’s face, and before she could even begin the words that were in her mind, Falke cut her off.
“No buts Nike. You are a Steiner Storch, and my daughter besides. You will start acting your age, and that means not chasing your sisters around the house at the slightest provocation.” Falke’s tone was final, and Nike slowly hung her head.
“Yes mom…” She finally said, still grousing about being scolded, but recognizing she was in the wrong.
“Now, Gloriana, what do we say to Nike?” Falke asked, looking to the smaller replika. Gloriana carefully rose to her hooves, brushing the sand off her and looking up to her sibling.
“I’m sorry I bleached your jacket.” She said, wiping her face with one hand. Falke nodded, then looked to Nike. The elder daughter flinched at the look in her mother’s eyes, before rubbing the back of her neck.
“I’m, sorry I accused you of doing it on purpose… And chasing you around the house threatening to clobber you…” Nike said. “It’s… Just a jacket.” Falke looked between her daughters, then nodded.
“Good. Now both of you get the sand off you and get ready. We’re going into town.” She said. The two looked confused for a moment, and Falke smiled.
“Well, that jacket is completely ruined, isn’t it? So we’ll just have to get you a new one, now won’t we Nike?” She said. “Glory, you’re coming with, so you can help your sister find something she likes. Fair?” Gloriana blinked, before nodding, bright red hair bobbing as she beamed. Nike brushed a lock of black hair back behind her ear, nodding.
“Yeah, that, sounds fair.” Nike said. “Thanks mom.”
“Don’t thank me yet. I still need to tell your father about this when he gets back with the groceries.” The news that Falke would be telling her husband, Galan Malaki, about this little incident drew a groan from Nike’s throat. No new jacket was worth the laps she’d have to run for trying to hurt one of her siblings. Falke just looked back to her daughter, a small smile at her lips.
“Better stretch now, before he gets warmed up.”
“Alright girls, let’s get everything unloaded.” Galan stepped out of the van, his thick boots crunching on the gravel drive to the beach house as he moved around the vehicle. The almost military look of the footwear clashed violently with the tan shorts and loud, colorful button up he wore, but they were what he was most comfortable in, and the habit of grabbing them instead of the nicer, more fitting dress shoes was long since ingrained into him. As he opened the hatchback, five sets of hooves quickly scrambled around the car, lining up for assignment.
“Alright, Sieglinde, mind getting the extra meat to the deep freeze?” Galan pulled out a special cold bag from the front of the cargo space, passing it to the eldest of his “children”. The Kolibri quickly took hold of the bag, smiling and running toward the garage as fast as her legs could take her. Galan chuckled as his eldest’s bioresonance flared around her, the deep burgundy color of her power matching the accents on her armor and the stars on her forehead. As the garage door opened, he turned his attention to the next in line.
“Victoria, Romilda, think you two can handle the tanks?” He pulled a pair of heavy propane tanks over, the metal canisters filled with flammable gas for the porch grill. The twin Starlings both nodded, each one easily grabbing hold of the tanks to hoist them to their shoulders.
“We gonna do burgers or brats tonight dad?” Victoria asked, brushing aside a strand of bright blond hair from her eyes. The man shrugged, pulling over the next bag.
“Not sure… Ask your mother what she thinks.” He said, not giving it too much thought. The Starlings quickly moved to carry the tanks in, their thick Steiner made legs easily supporting them into the house. Galan turned his attention back to the last two of his daughters, passing the bags of vegetables over to the smaller.
“Reina’s got the greens, and Sigrun, if you can get the bread in…” He held the bags out, the girls quickly stepping up to help. Third youngest in the family, Reina was a Davion Starling, built a bit more slender than her elder sisters, but instead of the boxy, conventional armoring Victoria and Romilda sported, her in-built protection was designed to be more like the medieval plate of a knight. A trait shared with the family’s youngest, Gloriana.
Meanwhile, the second youngest, Sigrun, simply wreathed the bags in bioresonance, lifting them off her father’s arm with a deep blue light emanating from her eyes. The bright blue star on her left cheek marked her as a Steiner Kolibri, and much like any other of her designation, Sigrun was by nature a gifted Bioresonant, with penchant for wanting to show off said power to prove her strength. Galan just smiled as he watched, patiently waiting for her to drop something in her haste to prove herself.
It didn’t take long, as just three steps from the car one of the bags split at the bottom, and he held out his own hand instinctively. Brilliant electric blue lightning surrounded the first loaf to slip through the tear, and Sigrun turned around to scoop the bag into her arms, a look of disappointment written on her face. Galan simply chuckled, lifting a bag of canned goods from the van and closing the door.
“If you support them from the bottom, they tend to tear less often.” He said simply, patting the dark haired Kolibri on the head as he walked with her to the house. Sigrun nodded, her frown still present but her hooves quickly following her father towards the house.
“Glory was upset… I could feel it.” She said. “She still is a little bit.” Galan raised an eyebrow, his eyes locked on the door to the vacation home the family had spent so much money renting out.
“She told you what about yet?” He asked, trying to hide how impressed he was at the connection his youngest children had with one another. No matter where they were on the planet, Gloriana and Sigrun always were connected bioresonantly, a feat that he and Falke still had to spend considerable effort to maintain. Though he supposed them being activated at the same time and being together so often probably had something to do with the bond they shared being so tight.
Sigrun shook her head, and Galan sensed it through his own bioresonant abilities. Even now, with almost two whole decades of practice, he still felt a small amount of awe at how beneficial the power of Bioresonance was for him. And no small amount of guilt that he relied on it so extensively. The powers of bioresonant individuals were still a subject of study across the Inner Sphere, and while more instances of such individuals were being found by the year, the full scope and scale of bioresonant power was unfathomable. Even the New Avalon Institute of Science struggled to quantify what source Bioresonance had, whether biological or genetic. The only thing they knew for sure was that strong links formed between bioresonant and non-bioresonant individuals, forged in battle and bolstered by Neurohelmet usage, had the slimmest of chances of inducing a Bioresonant awakening. And even that was simply theoretical, based on a sample size of exactly two individuals. Not exactly the kind of news to set the scientific world ablaze.
Galan’s mind focused again, the door ahead of him opening without even a thought from himself. Standing in the doorway was a figure slightly shorter than Falke, dressed in a crisp suit and tie, black rimmed glasses framing her face with an elegant professionalism that could only mark one individual. Kaede, the family’s hired Kondor, stepped aside to allow the master of the house and his second youngest to step through.
“Anything happen while we were out?” Galan asked the family’s head butler. Kaede insisted that despite her frame’s feminine appearance, her title should more appropriately be head butler, as her attire choice was more suited to the role. Galan never argued with her on it, the bioresonant blue star on her cheek more than enough reason not to start a fight. The palm of her hand gently rose to the bottom of her glasses, adjusting them back into proper place, before the Kondor spoke.
“Lady Nike’s favorite jacket was sadly damaged in the wash. Lady Gloriana claimed responsibility, but it was my own fault for not specifying which bleach was appropriate for colors. I accept full responsibility for the distur-” Kaede’s formal tone was cut off midsentence as the back door of the house opened. Galan looked to see his beloved wife and the two daughters who elected to stay behind and take care of chores around the beach house stepped in. The eldest child looked like a whipped dog, and the younger seemed no better in mood. Galan sighed, gently unpacking cans from the bag to set on the table for sorting.
“Glory, was it an accident?” Galan asked simply, trying to modulate his tone. He wasn’t angry with the girls, but judging from the welts he could see forming in their soft tissues, it was clear they’d gotten into some kind of scuffle. Gloriana nodded quietly, her head bowed, bright red hair covering up her gold Davion stars. He looked to Nike, the second eldest of his children, and the only Storch. She didn’t meet his eyes, just looking at the floor through short black bangs. Galan sighed, before stepping away from the table and walking over to Falke.
“Should we start the laps now, or after we get back from buying a new jacket?” Falke asked quietly, the Malaki family matriarch deferring to her husband’s judgement. Galan looked at the two, before shaking his head.
“They’re beating themselves up enough. Nike loved that jacket, said it looked just like the trivids from old earth. Long as they’re both sorry, and as long as Nike minds her temper the rest of this trip, I don’t see any reason to punish them further.” He muttered. The sound brought a small amount of hope to the girls, and a small smile played on his lips. Nike stood a bit straighter, nodding to her father, while Gloriana quickly walked over to hug him. Falke tried to hide her own smile behind her hand, but Galan could feel it.
‘You’re getting too soft on them.’ Falke’s thoughts intruded on his own mind, and he shrugged in response.
‘They may have the body and minds of full grown adults, but they’re still our kids. This is a vacation. Let ‘em be kids a little longer…’ He thought back, before patting Gloriana on the head. “Alright, you two go with your mother to get that jacket, we’ll get things put away here.”
“Yes papa.” Gloriana said, letting go of her father and saluting.
“Got it dad.” Nike nodded, walking with her sibling to the car. Falke leaned down to kiss his cheek, floating towards the door with her daughters.
“We’ll be back in time for dinner. And do the burgers, we had sausage last night.” She said, and Galan nodded quietly. His attention then turned to the rest of the children, watching them already coordinate unpacking and storing the week’s supplies. Keade walked around to his side, smiling.
“Master Galan, a letter also arrived in the mail while you were away. From Coromodir, if the address is correct.” The head butler replika pulled a small envelope from within her jacket, offering it to him with two gloved fingers. Galan accepted it carefully, looking at the Arano Cormorant emblazoned on the seal. The same sigil that was on Sieglinde’s shoulder.
“... What does Kamea want this time…” Galan muttered to himself, opening the envelope slowly.
Nike carefully walked through the racks, the store filled with clothing in every style imaginable in the Inner Sphere. Polyethylene fingers gently brushed against leather and denim, searching the racks for something iconic or interesting. Something to replace the bright scarlet jacket she had adored so much. The racks were lined with items meant for both human and replika wear, at least, the replikas that weren’t built into what amounted to power armor to begin with. And yet the style just wasn’t there. Every coat and jacket she looked at just looked boring to her, like something anyone would wear, with no sense of style or grace.
“I hate shopping out in the sticks.” She muttered. “Almost better to wait until we get home to Tharkad…” Her hand stopped on a brown leather jacket that would just barely cover her chest and shoulders, the tassels on it looking like a bad attempt at a cowboy aesthetic. She sighed and rolled her eyes, then continued her walk down the aisle. As she looked over a bright pink jacket that was at least long enough to be properly warm, Gloriana ran over to her from the next aisle.
“Nike! Check it out!” The Kolibri held up a black leather jacket for Nike to look at as the older sibling put the one in her hands back on the rack. Her eyes wandered over the zippers and superfluous straps, the whole outfit very clearly meant to evoke a style more than be functional. She carefully took it from Gloriana and unzipped it, slipping the hangar out and sliding it over her shoulders.
“Where’d you find this?” She asked, looking at how the jacket lay on her chest and shoulders, running polyethylene fingers down the front gently.
“It was just a couple aisles over. In the, men’s section…” Gloriana said. “B-but it looked just like the one on the poster!” Nike looked at her sister, then at the mirrors at the end of the aisle. That poster had been up on her wall back in Tharkad for months, and she’d been searching for a jacket just like this one for about as long.
“Yeah, it does…” Nike walked over to the mirrors, her hands moving to her hips slowly as she tried to replicate the pose. Hands on her hips, jacket open, belts catching the light as she cocked one hip slightly higher than the other. It felt, right. Like a natural evolution.
“Well now, don’t you look ‘bad’…” Falke said, walking over from another aisle. “Is this a good replacement?” The Malaki matriarch stepped into the frame of the mirrors beside her daughter. Nike nodded without a word, her hands quickly making small adjustments to the collar and straps, emulating the album cover from memory. Gloriana looked up at her sister, and Nike nodded, smiling.
“Yeah, this is the one. It’s perfect, thanks Glory.” The Storch looked at her sibling, a smile finally coming to Gloriana’s face now that everything seemed to be settled. Falke however was checking the price tag, a small smile playing on her lips.
“Well, I certainly hope you like it, and it’s warm enough. Because your father is not going to want to buy you another one if it isn’t.” Falke said. “We’ve already spent quite a lot on this trip, and you know how your father gets about money.” Nike looked at the tag herself, finally, and nearly balked at the price.
“Sixty-Five C-Bills!? Where do they get off charging that much for a jacket? Real leather or not, that's way too much.” She shouted, holding the tag between two fingers. Falke simply chuckled and put a hand on her daughter’s shoulder.
“Now now, Nike, let’s not make a scene. It’s a lovely jacket, and we have more than enough to pay for it. Just don’t let your father see the tag.” Falke said. Nike looked at her mother.
“But, mom… This is, this is way too much, I can’t ask for this.” She said. “I mean… I want it, but…” She looked down at the black leather and slowly smoothed it out. It felt perfect, but spending that kind of money on a jacket was hardly something she should expect her parents to cover. Falke sighed, and slowly placed a hand under her daughter’s chin to direct her gaze back up.
“If you want it, then that’s all I need to hear. You’ve been looking for something like this for more than long enough, I think we can afford to pay premium prices for my daughter’s happiness. This whole trip is about relaxing, isn’t it?” Nike nodded quietly in response to her mother’s question. “Then let’s get rung up, and head back home. I’m sure dinner’s almost ready.” Falke kissed Nike’s forehead, then turned to walk back down the aisle towards the registers. Gloriana was at her heels almost immediately, but Nike took one last look in the mirror at herself. As if on instinct, she lifted her finger and thumb like a pistol, firing at the reflection.
“Who’s bad?” She asked, a small smile at her lips, before she turned to run after her mother and sister.
Dinner that night was as perfect as could be. Between Nike showing off her new jacket, Victoria and Romilda teasing her about being obsessed with an old terran pop star, and the ensuing rough-housing, the family retired to bed in high spirits but exhausted bodies. Sigrun stared up at the stars through the window of her, Sieglinde, and Gloriana's bedroom, the eldest and youngest of the Malaki siblings glad to have the shared bedspace. The three would often sleep in each other's rooms anyway, their natural inclinations as Kolibris drawing them together ever since Sigrun and Gloriana were first activated. Now the trio were preparing for bed, Sieglinde reading quietly in a corner while Gloriana settled in to sleep, and Sigrun's eyes watched the starlight.
“Do you think we could see Tharkad from here?” She asked, looking back to her older sister. Sieglinde blinked, before shrugging and closing her book.
“Maybe. I mean the starlight would have travelled out this way ages ago, right?” The eldest Kolibri walked over to the window, looking out at the sky above. Sigrun moved a wisp of blond hair away from her eyes, her vision focused for a brief moment on her reflection in the glass. She smiled at the sight of the blue star on her left cheek, and the sight of the three burgundy stars on Sieglinde's forehead. One of the easiest ways to tell the trio apart, aside from their hair colors, builds, and attire.
‘Okay, so maybe the only thing we share is a face, but still!’ Sigrun thought to herself, smiling at the look of concentration on Sieglinde's face. She turned her attention back to the stars above the house, blinking as she tried to sync her bioresonance with her sister and feel where Tharkad was in the vast black above.
“Is that it?” She pointed to a particularly bright star in the distance, and Sieglinde shook her head.
“Nah… I think that's Hesperus…” She said, before pointing to another. “Maybe it's that one?”
“No way, that's gotta be Antares.” Sigrun said, before looking at another star. “What about that one?” She moved to point at it, but the star moved before her finger could mark it. She squinted at it, following its path with her finger.
“Could be a satellite…” Sieglinde started, before the two noticed more stars in motion. “No… It's too fast for a satellite. Maybe it's a DropShip?”
“Mmm… There's a lot of them though. You think the Archon sent them?” Sigrun looked to her older sister. Sieglinde shrugged, before looking to Gloriana.
“Hey Glory, come look at the-” The elder Kolibri froze, looking at the pained expression on the youngest's face. "Glory?" Sigrun moved to look around her sister, and immediately jumped off her bed to run over.
“Glory!” Sigrun quickly crawled onto the bed and put her hands to her sister's face, trying to reach out to her with Bioresonance. Sieglinde scrambled over as well, the two wakeful minds trying to contact their sleeping sister. All at once, a horrible sight met them. A hoard of massive, winged monsters descended from the sky, their feathers a deep green like they had never seen before. Talons flashed in the darkness, and before any of the trio knew what they were doing, they screamed in fear and horror as the monsters from the stars tore into their flesh.
Gloriana sat bolt upright, her forehead smacking square into Sigrun's nose. The impact sent the middle Kolibri flailing backward, her hand catching Sieglinde and accidentally throwing her to the floor. The door flew open in an instant.
“You three okay?” Victoria asked, the Starling leaning in only to spot Gloriana looking terrified, Sieglind sprawled on the floor, and Sigrun leaking oxidant fluid from her nose. “Holy shit what happened?” Victoria quickly rushed into the room, Reina hard on her heels while Romilda and Nike stood in the doorframe. Sigrun groaned as Victoria helped her sit upright, her fingers gripping her nostrils tight to slow the leak.
Reina helped get Sieglinde back on her hooves, the Davion Starling finally turning to Gloriana. The youngest of the seven was rocking back and forth, on the verge of tears, her body shaking in terror.
“Glory, Glory what is it, what's wrong?” Reina asked, gently holding her sister's face. Gloriana shut her eyes and shook her head, her breathing hard. Sigrun quickly moved to hug her twin, holding her firmly.
“They're here…” Gloriana finally whispered, her breathing choked with sobs of abject horror. “The Beasts are here!” Sigrun felt her oxidant turn to ice in her veins, and behind her eyes she carefully switched on her radio module. Static filled her ears, until she slowly adjusted the dial in her mind to find the right frequency. A transmission from the local militia was cut off by a rough voice.
“We are the forces of the Eighth Falcon Regulars. What forces dare defend this world from the steel talons of the Jade Falcon?”