Heaven Saga 1: The Lost Hero (31 page)

“If Valis trusts you, I know I can trust you,”
Celestia said. “Is Terra Prime your home world?”

He nodded. “Yes, that was my home. The Avoni is my
home now and I’m glad to say I enjoy the company of your people greatly.
Celestia, hold down the palace. I have a few places to visit before returning
to you. Also, make sure all the ambassadors of the other Confederation member
races are ready to attend the meeting.”

She smiled. “I’ll drag every one of them out myself if
I have to.”

* * *

Myden stepped out into the sunlight and pulled the
hood tighter. He saw Seles and Mira standing in the stream nearby, splashing
water at each other.
I’m really happy I choose this world as my home.
He
thought to himself as he walked over to them. As he got approached, Seles
turned to him.

“Where’s Brian?” Seles asked. Mira caught her breath
as she laughed.

“He needed some time to think,” he said.

“This is fun, but I’m sure we can’t avoid reality much
longer,” Mira said. “The war isn’t going to end without intervention.”

“If he makes the correct decision we’ll be visiting
the place of rest for your father Lady Mira,” Myden said. “In that place is the
secret needed to end the war.”

“Now stop talking like that Myden. I’ll make my own decisions,”
Brian said as he came from the Mjolnir armed and armored once again. As he went
to them he stopped and looked to his side. “What the hell is that?!” He jumped
away from the bush and ran to the Mjolnir. The other three ran to where he was
looking.

Myden scanned the area. “I don’t sense any soldiers
around here.”

Seles and Mira moved the bush, revealing a pair of
large roach-like bugs. Seeing them, Seles looked at Mira. “Why would he run
from these?”

Mira laughed. “Long ago we purged ourselves of phobias,
but obviously Brian hasn’t gotten over them.”

Myden chuckled in the background.

“So he’s willing to charge into battle against thirty
Malcovin but he’ll run from insects?” Seles asked. “I admit they’re ugly, but
these things couldn’t hurt him at all while he’s wearing that armor.”

Mira continued laughing, while Myden headed back to
the mobile suit. Seles put the bush back to the way it was before.

Seles shook her head and laughed with Mira. “I can’t
believe he’s scared of a bug.”

Myden, Seles, and Mira joined Brian in the Mjolnir. He
was sitting in the pilot’s seat seemingly engrossed with something. “We’re
heading to the tomb of Gaelic Kein,” he said. “Is everyone ready?”

The others nodded. He activated the phase cloak and
flew the Mjolnir north for a while. Passing over jungle, cities, rivers, lakes,
and many smaller battles, they came to a mountain range far in the north. Brian
landed the mobile suit in a small valley. To each side there were a number of
caves. He flipped the door open and went down to the ground. Seles and Mira
grabbed their equipment and went down after Brian. Myden came out last,
sporting a jet black staff from under his robe.

“Myden, which cave leads to his tomb?” Brian asked,
glancing from cave to cave.

Myden stepped forward and pointed to the cave a thirty
five
vetres
away. “That cave leads to the tomb. It’s said Gaelic himself
sealed the tomb from the inside.”

“Why?” Seles asked as they headed to the cave.

“Father was a proud man,” Mira said. “He never showed
weakness, even to his family. Father would’ve done that rather dying in his bed
at home.”

“He desperately searched for the cure to the plague,”
Myden said.

“I can’t believe people like Delne would go to such
extremes. How does murdering every male Kalaidian save our people?” Seles asked
with anger etched in her voice.

“The ends justify the means,” Myden said. “It was the
seal in a deal with my people. We’ll give you stability and power. In return
you kill off all the men in your population.” He paused for a moment. “But the
truth is Kalaidia’s an excellent staging ground for my peoples’ military. If
they control this system, it acts as gateway into Shandi, Dega, Odair, and even
Malcov. The Confederation won’t be able to strike back in time to save your
people.”

Mira walked up to Myden and looked closely at his
face. “No wonder you hide yourself under a hood. If anyone saw you they’d run
or attack immediately.”

Seles did the same. “But Myden, you’re different,
aren’t you?” she asked.

“I’m quite different. Those creatures now traveling in
space aren’t the proud and powerful race I once belonged to. My people have
given in to madness and I’m afraid your world is on the verge of it. What can
reveal the truth is hidden deep within that tomb.” Myden pointed at Brian.
“Only the Warrior may enter.” He turned to Seles and Mira. “The Maidens must
stay out here.”

Seles and Mira ran over to him with worried looks on
their faces. “Now stop looking like that you two,” he said as he turned to go
inside. “I hope Gaelic’s test doesn’t include a giant bug, otherwise I might be
leaving quickly.”

* * *

Morning passed into afternoon as Seles, Mira and Myden
waited outside. Myden meditated, while Mira practiced a song. Seles closed her
eyes and enjoyed Mira’s voice.
I really wish I could do that sometimes, I
couldn’t sing if my life depended on it.
Seles thought to herself as she
stared at the clouds.

“That‘s not your role,”
Myden said telepathically.
“As the Maiden of
Passion, your role is to ignite the fire within the Warrior’s heart.”

Mira finished her song and walked back to the other
two. She saw Seles giving Myden a funny look. “What? I missed something good
didn’t I?”

“Myden, what exactly do you mean when you call us the
Maidens?” Seles asked as he stood up and stretched.

“Long ago the Maidens ancestors were marked by the
Teacher. Your families have passed down the mark, though it only manifests in
the females.” He went to Mira. “You have a mark just behind your ear, do you
not?”

She touched the mark with her hand. “You mean this?”

“Yes,” he said. “Both of you bear the mark of
Maidens.”

“So, are we to be servants to Brian?” Seles asked.

He shook his head. “No. The Maidens are not subjects
to the Warrior, but his equals.”

“If we’re not his servants than what are we supposed
to do?” Seles asked.

“Stay close to him. His youth and inexperience will
work against him. There will come a day long from now when I will tell both of
you what you’re supposed to do. But before then, let’s make sure he lives to
see those days.” Myden paused. “And should he go down the wrong path it’s your
duty to destroy him.”

* * *

Brian walked through the cavern while ducking in a lot
of spots and squeezing through in others. After a half an hour of descending
through pitch black he came to a strange metal door. Finding it sealed, he
could only make out a carving at the center of the door. He drew his
rakna
blade and commanded it to light up. He saw some writings on the door, written
in Kalaidian:

This Sealed Chamber is the Laboratory/Tomb of Gaelic
Kein. To Intruders: Leave now or die trying to move forward. To the Warrior:
Prepare to Open the Door of Truth.

Looking below the writings, Brian saw a specially
carved slot. He pulled out the Amulet of Kali and placed it inside the slot.
The door rumbled as scan ran over his body. As the door opened, the Amulet
popped out onto the floor. He quickly picked it up. Inside was a well-lit
tunnel, carved and winding. He held his sword defensively and began his way
down the hallway. After another fifty feet Brian came into a well-lit room
filled with computers and chemical testing equipment. As he moved into the room
a number of secret doors open up. A score of Keinien androids emerged equipped
with
rakna
blades. They stopped and scanned him. One stepped forward.

“Sorry for the disturbance Sir Warrior,” it said.
“We’ll resume guard mode.”

The Keinien androids moved back inside the secret
doors and left him alone.

“Strange,” Brian said to himself. “It makes sense he’d
leave guards behind.”

He left the laboratory for the next room. Shelves of
old books lined the walls, but what caught Brian’s attention the most was the
display in the center of the room. There was a set of exoskeleton armor sized
for a Kalaidian. It was dark blue, marking it as the armor of the sea serpent.
Behind the armor was a pair of old
rakna
blades displayed in the air. He
saw the name etched on all of the equipment: Gaelic Kein. Brian turned to the
desk on the far side of the room, seeing nothing but shelves of books and
papers. On the desk there was a note covered in dust. He cleared away the dust
and read the note:

To You Who Have Come Here,

This is the last writing I will ever make. The disease
has taken its toll, and I’m near death. My calculations show I have only a few
hours left to live, so I wanted to leave behind my last request. But before
that, I must tell someone the truth.

Four years ago, a mysterious disease began taking the
lives of our male populace. No matter how we tried to isolate them, they
continued dying. I myself have resisted the disease for nearly three years, but
I’m losing the battle. No matter how many different treatments I try, nothing
works. I thought it was as new type of cancer. That was wrong. I thought it was
an advanced virus. That was wrong. After a year of solitude I’ve found what the
plague really is, and it’s something far more sinister than I could’ve
imagined.

Right after birth each Kalaidian is injected with
nanomachines for enhancement purposes. Nanomachines normally protect our immune
systems and allow for many other small miracles. But there’s a dark side to the
technology, one that can inflict a terrible price. The plague wasn’t caused by
any natural disease, but an advanced rewriting of the fundamental
nanotechnology itself. In a sense, the nanomachines programming was rewritten.
Slowly, the nanomachines change programming, fighting a battle within our
bodies. Eventually the protectors are outnumbered by the invaders and death is
the result. Such an insidious thing cannot be natural and from what I’ve found,
it isn’t.

What many of the Maigars feared for a long time has
happened. Our home world will fall to the outer power, whose identity has
escaped my research. With the loss of the Maigars, our military is weak. We’re
open to invasion, and if a cure isn’t found our people will die out. This is
because I’ve found something else about this terrible plague.

With a minimal command the plague can be unleashed on
the now vulnerable females of our people. The outside force that made it can
activate this at any time, and I worry that it’ll happen sooner than later. For
you who read this, I have my final request.

Inside the laboratory are thousands of test vials.
Inside each of them is a cure to the plague. Unfortunately for me, it only
functions on the dormant female version afflicting our population. Please, help
my people. Save them before it’s too late. This is my last and final wish. If
the one reading this is the Warrior, I salute you. Take my rakna as a symbol of
my inheritance. What I was, what I wanted, only you can finish. Clang the
blades three times and my final speech will be yours. I truly hope that one day
you find my final song and set her free.

                                                                        Gaelic
Kein

Brian looked up from the note and noticed a door to
another room. He slowly walked in and found a small cot with a clothed skeleton
on it. Moving closer, he noticed that it was a male Kalaidian. In his right
hand he held a golden ring with emeralds studding it. Brian took the ring and
read the inscription inside:
Only for the one I love, Delne. I forgive you.
He
placed the ring back. A tear fell from Brian’s eye as an image of a smiling
Delne appeared, this one beautiful and young, not vicious and broken like he
saw.

 “At least now she can see you again,” he said,
smiling. With a final salute he looked down at the skeleton. “You’ll be glad to
know your song has been set free. She’s a wonderful girl, one any man could
fall for. I will do as you ask Gaelic.” Brian saluted one more time before
leaving the room.

On the floor was a large woven sack. Brian picked it
up and began putting the marked vials into the bag. He stopped in front the
armor and
rakna
blades. He drew the blades from their sheaths and
clanged the blades three times, causing an image to appear. A long written
document floated in the air in front of him. After reading it he sheathed the
blades and headed out. The door sealed behind Brian as he left.
Goodbye
Gaelic, I wish I could have met you when you were alive. I will take these
words and free your people.