There was a time in her life when Whadgaf Jiris enjoyed a privileged simplicity; before the veil over her existence was lifted, when she thought that life didn’t really exist outside of the city of Jeriel.
It’s hard to fault her for her ignorance; her parents had worked hard, some would say they had committed heresies against their own family and their own race, to ensure that she enjoyed an idyllic existence. The heresies were never known to her, they are a carefully guarded secret and not considered to be heresies by the Ruling Council of the owning caste that uses the techniques.
Hafjeris science is not the most sophisticated in the universe, but the Ruling Council of the species is well versed in biological sciences that allow them to extend the life of the physical Hafjeris body far beyond the norm. Their reason for this technique is related to the complex politics of the planet Hafjeran that dictate ownership in a society that is fractured between owners and renters.
Whadgaf, the oldest child of the current head of the Jiris family, owes her life to this advanced science in an oblique way. The Jiris family is one of the few that have a distant relative who was characterized as a perfect Hafjeris. The Realfen family is another to have a distant, perfect relative. According to legend, the perfect Hafjeris was capable of physical feats that were unheard of to others of the species. They were always the best warriors and often chosen as leaders to ensure the continued success of their family. The manifestation of a perfect Hafjeris has not occurred in a very long time, though Whadgaf seems to display the fierce perfection that allowed her to manipulate the size of her body and her wings.
Her father, Whadged, is not fully aware of just how special his daughter actually is, and it was her mother, Cieela, who fed her infant daughter the flesh of their distant, perfect relative whose body had been preserved and hidden away in the Jiris building.
Just after the message from Frial, also proudly known as Agent Red, over the speakers of the ship that takes Whadgaf to the banned regions, the man sitting next to her says to her nervously,
“I wonder who they’re talking about. That security guard better keep us safe, we paid a lot of money to be on this ship.”
Whadgaf, still only a shade of her normal self since the massacre at the lair of the Auburn Order, looks at the man blankly.
“I am Whadgaf Jiris and it is a waste of your worry to fear me. You should fear the man who made the announcement. I will surrender myself when the ship arrives to ensure that there are no casualties.”
The man’s beak falls open and he stutters, then leans back into his seat and stares straight forward.
There is a general sense of panic onboard the ship during the brief detour to an asteroid where Whadgaf disembarks, before the ship eagerly blasts off again, happy to be free of the danger that seemed to be brewing.
Agent Red is a man of his word and he approaches Whadgaf on the rocky landscape as the ship flies away. She recognizes the crack in his beak that she had caused when he abducted her. She hates the smirk that lifts one of his cheeks and she wants to hit him. As he comes closer to her, Whadgaf takes deeper breaths and she feels a sensation in her body that is familiar, the sensation she uses to manipulate her physical form.
“We have a race to complete,” Frial says and he stops at a distance. “We could fight here,” he pulls a huge gun over a shoulder that is like a rocket launcher and balances it next to his head, aiming it at Whadgaf, “but you are out gunned. Pick a ship you jafara!” Jafara is a Hafjeris profanity that men use to belittle women.
Whadgaf’s wings grow and they turn a deep shade of green, they look mighty in the glow that radiates from them. And the woman is mad.
“What will it be? Shall we race or shall I have my revenge.”
Whadgaf doesn’t fear the rocket aimed at her, but she recognizes the hurt in Frial’s eyes, the deep loss that she had brought to him that day at the lair. She hadn’t intended to bathe in their blood, but he must have saw her covered in red from head to toe. She owes him this race.
“I will take the single ship,” Whadgaf growls.
“Wonderful!” Frial is giddy. “I will see you in the banned regions!”
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