Heaven Saga 1: The Lost Hero (23 page)

“You’ve had basic training in pilot, right?” he asked,
standing behind her.

“Yes,” she answered. “How do I turn the system on?”

He leaned forward and pressed a blue button. “Command:
Rakna Maigar
Brian Peterson. Password: The Star Spangled Banner is my
Flag.” The computer confirmed. “Switch all controls to setting: Kalaidian.”

The pilot seat shrank, much to the surprise of Mira.
The monitors changed from English to the Kalaidian.

“That should do the trick,” he said. “Now everything’s
set for a Kalaidian pilot.”

“How long will it take us to reach the homeworld?” she
asked as she got a feeling for the controls.

“Six days,” he answered. “As long as we maintain
phasing we won’t be spotted. My intention is to appear in the sky as we’re
landing outside the capital.”

“Wouldn’t be easier if you landed at the palace, or
the High Courts?”

“Not really,” he answered. “My intention is to be seen
by as many Kalaidians as possible. I figured a walk through the city would get
some attention.” He turned and went into the other room.

“More like a riot,” she said, joining him.

He turned. “Um…where am I going to sleep?”

She danced around him. “Don’t worry,” she said as she
pulled a small cot from under the bed. “I brought my own. I don’t think it’s
time for me to complicate your life by sharing your bed.”

“Thanks,” he said.

After looking at the stars for a while Seles went back
inside. She changed into her evening clothes and fell onto the massive bed. She
closed her eyes, thinking.
It’s only been a few days, but it feels like much
longer. Mira, Celi, Baed, I miss you. I hate being locked in this room. I want
to fly my Nova, the only thing that lets me know I’m alive.
A while longer
passed as she fell asleep. Someone stood in the shadows, waiting. The robed
figure stood silently for over an hour before stirring.

Her consciousness has drifted into sleep. It should be
safe for me now.
The grey robed
figure walked over to Seles and extended its three fingered grey hand towards
her head. It stopped and looked at her intently.
She’s really is beautiful.
I envy this Brian she thinks of so often. It’s time I perform a deep scan.
The creature stood over her for half an hour and read every thought, memory,
and dream Seles had for the last three years. Afterwards, the creature stepped
back to absorb all the new information. She rolled over and opened her eyes,
seeing the outline of someone next to her bed. When she was about to scream for
help, a voice entered her mind.

“Don’t Seles, I’m not here to cause trouble,”
the creature said telepathically.

She sat up. “I know that voice,” she said. “I always
thought you were a phantom.”

“No Lady Seles, I’m not a phantom. I’ve always been
here, watching this palace. You were gone for a long time my Lady. I’m happy to
see you again.”

She sat cross legged, still feeling uneasy. “Myden?”
she asked.

The creature bowed.
“I’m honored you remember me. I
used to visit you a lot more when you were a child. I told you many stories of
the peoples beyond this world, and fables of heroism.”

“I remember Myden, I remember all of it. The last
story you told me was when I was eight. You told me a about the Warrior who’d
lead us into the future.”

“I’ve come because you know who the Warrior is, don’t
you Lady Seles?”

“You must be joking,” she said.

“He’s someone you care a great deal about. The Terran
named Brian.”

Surprise appeared on her face. “How do you know about
him? I haven’t said anything since I came back.”

“I know many things Lady Seles. I know about your
relationship with him, as well as his actions since you met.”

She looked around. “Someone might be listening.”

Myden gestured with his hands.
“I‘ve shut off all
monitors and listening devices. You can talk with me openly.”

She stood up and stretched. After yawning, she turned
back to Myden. “Why do you think he’s the Warrior?”

“It’s more than just him. There’s a small birth mark
above your right breast. This marks you as one of the Five Maidens. When the
time comes, the Warrior will gather the Five Maidens and Three Wisemen. I never
told you this Lady Seles, but the Warrior is also supposed to be of Terran
blood. Brian fits the profile, especially if he’s close to you.”

She lifted up her night gown and found the birthmark.
She noticed Myden was staring at her. “What is it?”

“I’m envious of him. He’s met a species so close to
his own. I‘ve been alone for ages untold; fortunately he won’t suffer the same
fate. Please take care of him; he’ll need your affections and your strength.”
Myden faded away.

“Wait!” She ran to where he was standing and found
nothing. All she heard was silence. She waited for a few minutes before going
back to bed.
What was that about?
She thought.

* * *

Myden reappeared on the palace roof. Looking to the
stars, he found the constellation of the Great Dragon.
Her feelings are much
stronger than I expected.
He walked the rooftop silently. Looking to the
lands surrounding the palace, he turned his gaze upwards once more.
He’ll
come. Within the next eve’s time, Brian will come. She means too much to him.
Turning
away from the Great Dragon, he looked to a distant constellation, one
resembling a butterfly.

Pointing to the star at the head, Myden spoke in a
raspy, male voice.
“To my people, the day is coming. The long night
shall end and daybreak will shine upon our great world again. Long ago, I made
a promise to an old friend that I would save you from the madness consuming us.
I’ll guide him and the Five Maidens as appointed by the one who came before.”

He disappeared again, this time appearing inside his
underground chamber.
I need to give the Queen a prophecy. He’ll come, likely
under the guise of something else. Hopefully he’ll steer the Kalaidians in the
right direction.

* * *

Mira awoke to find Brian eating a ration bar. Sitting
up, she yawned and stretched, looking especially tired.

“I know you’re trying to learn the controls, but you
shouldn’t tax yourself,” he said. He grabbed another bar and tossed it to Mira.

“Thanks,” she said as she caught it. “I was just about
to ask for one.”

Brian finished his and tossed the wrapper into a
disposal unit in the wall. He watched Mira eat, making her feel uncomfortable.

“What?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I can’t believe that you’re a
hologram. You eat, sleep, and even need to shower. Are you imitating those
actions? Or do you actually feel hungry, tired, and dirty?”

“That’s not funny,” she said after finishing her meal.
She tossed the wrapper at him. He didn’t dodge as it hit him in the face.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way,” he said. “I’m
saying Gaelic did an impressive job when he made you. Always remember what I
told you before, you’re real, not an illusion.”

“Alright, you’re forgiven,” she said. “And to answer
your question, yes, I feel all those things.”

An alarm sounded.

He turned and checked a console on the wall. “It looks
like we just entered the defense perimeter of Kalaidia Prime. I need to make
sure our entrance was unnoticed.”

As he was about to leave, he stopped, seeing something
behind of her ear. “Mira, what’s this?” He pointed to a small mark behind her
ear.

She shifted her hair and held up a mirror to check.
“Oh that! That’s a birthmark Mira Kein was born with. I guess father
transferred over to me.”

* * *

Queen Celestia stood in her private chambers. She held
a small glass of red wine and browsed pictures of her past ventures. She picked
a specific picture, one depicting herself with Valis in the courtyard. Behind
them she saw Seles and Baed playing when they were small children. Valis wore
the traditional uniform for a captain and three leafed circlet. Celestia’s eyes
welled up as she looked at the photo.

“That was a long time ago old friend,” she said. “It
seems like an eternity since you became a captain, the youngest Kalaidian to
ever achieve that rank.”

As she placed the photo back on the table, a grey
robed figure emerged from the shadows. She was startled and went into a
defensive stance.

“As ready as ever my Queen,”
Myden said telepathically.

She relaxed. “I never know when an assassin may make
their way to me.” She went to the table in the center of the room. There was a
bottle of wine and a few small glasses. “Myden, would you like some?” she
asked, showing her glass.

“No thanks. You know how alcohol and telepaths don’t
mix,”
he answered.

She sat down. “It’s been a long time.”

“I know. I haven’t left my enclave for almost a year.
But, something stirred me.”

She smiled. “And what might be?”

“The Teacher is sending a messenger.”

Her eyes widened with surprise. “What?”

“The Herald will come onboard a ship of light. He
wears the armor of a dragon. His eyes will be of the sea and forest and his
hair brown. His skin will be pale, much like Northerners here on the home
world.”

She felt panicked. “How do you know this? What am I
supposed to do?”

“Steady yourself my Queen. The Herald will come on the
eve of two days’ time. I’m not sure of his reasons, but it’s likely he was sent
to prepare you for the coming darkness.”

She took a deep breath before finishing the glass of
wine. “What should I do?” she asked.

“Call for a session with the ten noble families. Tell
them nothing of this. The only thing you need do beyond that is prepare a room
for him. His journey has been long and he’ll need a good place to rest.”

In the main meeting hall of the Kalaidian High Court,
one hundred and seventy six nobles representing the seventeen star systems of
the Queendom nervously awaited their leader. It was rare for the queen to
request a noble session, only in cases of emergency, war, or some other special
event. Those within the hall were well versed in Kalaidian history and knew
something strange was going on. The nobles sat behind stone desks that circled
the hall in an upward fashion. The bottom of the meeting hall was where guests
came in to speak while the queen’s spot was at the top of the center row.
Messengers filtered in and handed sealed documents to each noble. A few minutes
later Queen Celestia made her entrance. She came in through the bottom and
slowly walked the stairs to the top, with all the silent nobles staring at her.
What caught the nobles off guard was her dress. Celestia wore a military
uniform, with a slim
rakna
blade on her belt and a long white cape. The
Queen only wore such an outfit if she was to meet a foreign dignitary, or to
lead them into battle herself. As the crowd began murmuring she took her seat.

“I welcome all of you to the High Court this day
because of a special event,” Celestia said. “I understand calling for all of
you on short notice is inconvenient, but it was necessary. By now you’ve seen
what I’m wearing and I can tell you we’re not at war. Today, a special guest
will be attending this session. Please open the documents I’ve provided.”

The nobles opened the documents and read them
carefully. The first to stand up was Maya Obril. “My Queen, is this true? How
is it possible for someone to penetrate all of our defenses, especially the
orbital defense networks?”

Celestia smiled. “Yes. As of earlier today, we
detected a phased ship moving through our system. What you’ve been provided
with is what our military knows.”

A moment passed before the nobles began talking
frantically amongst themselves. Then, a messenger came in and spoke to Queen
Celestia and she stood up.

“Please, all of you look at the main monitor,” she
said. The crowd hushed and the main monitor came on. A small, glowing ship headed
towards the ground. The nobles began speaking again, this time with a greater
fervor.

Another noble, Riena Daekon, spoke this time. “My
Queen, do you know who it is?”

Celestia nodded. “As you all can see, a ship of light
is aimed to land at the edge of our city. That ship carries the Herald of who
we know as the Teacher.”

* * *

The Mjolnir landed two
ketres
outside of the
Kalaidian capital, Vaelis, the City of Water. As the ship landed it shifted
into the giant robot form and landed, kneeling on the ground. Still glowing, a
few Kalaidians cautiously approached. Inside, Brian changed the controls to
Kalaidian.