Heaven Saga 1: The Lost Hero (6 page)

“What’re you doing?” Seles asked as she sat up and
yawned.

“When I was outside yesterday I had the scanner check
weather patterns for the next few days. The analysis should be done.” He showed
her the data. “I can tell by the frown on your face you don’t like the cold
temperatures very much. At least for the next few days it should be clear and
sunny.”

“I feel so useless in the cold,” she said.

“Then let’s make sure we’re careful. I’m only useful
because of what you’ve taught me Seles. Being able to do things in the cold
doesn’t help when it comes to starving to death or going insane.”

Seles smiled. “Alright, I’m not useless, just
limited.”

“Exactly, I need you as much as you need me.” Brian
looked into her eyes. “Six days ago I was worrying about my future. Now I’m
stranded on an alien world with an alien girl. The last thing I want to do is
be sad about it.”

Seles hugged him. He sat rigid with a red face.
“Thanks for saving me.”

“Don’t worry about it; I’m sure you would have done
the same for me.”

She looked up. “You smell better. I didn’t want to say
anything earlier, but you smelled pretty bad.”

Brian smiled stupidly. “I took a bath a moment ago.”

“What should we do next?” Seles asked as she stood up
and stretched.

“I was going to ask you the same question,” he
answered. “I’m picking up on your technology quickly, but I’m going to need
help repairing the shuttle.”

She picked up the scanner. “You’re right about the
weather. We should head to the shuttle later in the day and start repairs. With
any luck, there’ll be a response from the Avoni.”

* * *

“This isn’t much different from a day in December back
home,” Brian commented as the pair trudged through the snow. The air was
warmer, with dim sunlight revealing the landscape. Above in the sky loomed the
gas giant.

“Your people haven’t left Terra Prime yet, have they?”
Seles asked.

“We have left Earth, though only briefly. About forty
years ago we landed a small number of men on the moon circling our world. The
Apollo missions were the one of our greatest achievements, though the desire to
go into space has died down over the years.”

“What about unmanned probes, certainly your people
have used those to explore?”

“Yes, we do have such devices to explore our solar
system, but nothing as grand as your technology,” he said. Seles checked their
position and looked to the sky.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” she said as
they started walking again.

“What is it?”

“What’s like having both sexes in your world?”

He laughed. “I don’t think I can give you an easy
answer. Maybe if I understood more about your people I could say more. Could
you tell me how are your people born? How are you raised?”

“Alright,” she said, thinking for a moment.
“Kalaidians are born in birthing facilities. At birth, each child has a sample
of their DNA taken and spliced with another set of DNA, creating a new child.
Most children are assigned a caste at birth. The only exceptions are those from
the noble families.”

“Are telling me an advanced society like yours uses
such an old system?”

She nodded. “Yes, your future is determined at birth.
The noble families hold dominion over all aspects of our society, as written in
the books of Kali.”

“Is that your system of law or something?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No, the Books of Kali are
religious texts from ancient times. Everything written in the books are law.
Kali is the goddess who gave birth to us, and her words are law. But, there are
a few of us who don’t care for the system. That’s why Valis and many others
rebelled five years ago.”

“Are your people the only ones with a government like
that?”

“No, most have a system based on caste or control,”
Seles answered.

“What of freedom? Don’t you have basic rights
protecting you from your government?” he asked.

“Freedom is a dangerous concept for those in power. As
for individual rights, those are nonexistent. But recently, more and more
revolts are occurring. Those in power are beginning to fear the drive for
freedom will spread chaos.”

He smiled. “Then let it spread like wildfire. Only
through chaos can change occur, and through change one finds freedom.”

“You sound like a mad philosopher. Few speak of
freedom and change so easily,” Seles said.

“Not really Seles, it’s just where I come from. The
nation I come from called is the United States. We fought for democracy over
two hundred years ago. We pride ourselves on freedom, even if reality dictates
differently. Our system is imperfect, but at least we’re trying.”

“It’s strange Brian. You speak of how advanced my
people are, but the words you speak are those of a very advanced race. I wonder
what lessons Kalaidians could learn from you,” she said as they came upon the
shuttle. Seles headed inside and turned the computer systems on. Brian began
assessing the damage.

“It looks like the message you sent a few days ago got
through,” Seles said as she worked at the front console.

“That’s good to hear. What does the response say?”

She played the audio message: “Avoni has suffered
severe damage, can’t rescue for eleven days. Please respond as soon as possible
on situation.”

“That’s Daes!” Seles smiled and then sighed with
relief. “It’s good to hear a response.”

“They must have taken a lot of damage to need eleven
days,” Brian said, continuing with his work.

“Let’s get started. We have everything we need to do
on the monitor. I’ll show you how to work the engine and tools.”

“Let’s get to it,” he said.

“Is something wrong?” Seles asked. “You’ve been pacing
for hours.”

Brian turned with a rushed look on his face. “I just
can’t sleep. It’s like everything I was taught earlier in life is coming back
to me. I want to learn more of your people’s history and language.”

“It’s the nanomachines,” she said, taking out the
scanner and sweeping it over his body. “They can boost your memory and
intelligence.” She looked at the readings.

“It’s really strange. My memories have always been
photographic, but this is absurd. I’m remembering math equations from junior
high, and that was almost ten years ago,” Brian said.

The readings on the scanner showed his body was raging
out of control. “Are the nanomachines affecting your emotions as well?” she
asked.

He continued pacing back and forth.  “I’m so full of
energy. My mind’s racing at the speed of light. My emotions are the same. I’m
having difficulty with the shifts. One minute I’m happy as can be, the next I’m
ready to fall over crying. Is this normal for a person when they receive
nanomachines?”

She took his hand. “Normally, one undergoes the
treatment when they’re an infant or larvae. You’re a rare exception. It’s been
found adults have a harder time integrating the machines into their system.”
Seles paused. “It shouldn’t take more than a few more days. Brian, you’ll be
alright.”

He grasped her hand before pulling away. “I hope
you’re right Seles, I’m not having fun with this.” He looked down, seeing the
rakna
blade on his belt. Unsheathing it, he gazed at the blade intently. “I’m going
outside to practice. There’s no way I can sleep right now.”

He headed for the entrance. As he went down the cavern
leading outside the cold air touched him. He saw nothing but stars in the sky.
Nothing
looks the same here. None of the constellations match what I remember.
He
thought as he looked at the sky. He took the blade and stood ready to spar,
like he did at home to keep himself in shape for the last few years. He began
swinging the blade about, searching for the balance of the strange sword. After
a half an hour, Brian placed the
rakna
blade inside the entrance of the
cave. He stretched, feeling the cold wind blow against his skin. He started
running and went until he felt exhausted. He fell into the snow and made a
couple of snow angels, laughing at the stars above. Lying in the snow he
reached towards the heavens with his right hand, deep in thought.
This is
reality. I’m stranded on an ice covered moon in an unknown solar system. I
can’t go back to Earth. What should I do?
Sighing, he lowered his arm and
closed his eyes.
Goodbye my friends. Goodbye Layla.
He thought as he
stood up. He looked around and saw the cave in the distance. He walked back in
silence, wondering what the future held.

* * *

Seles stood at the edge of the cave wrapped in her
cloak. She looked outside to see what Brian was doing. He held the
rakna
blade, took a stance, and began sparring with the air.
I wish there was
something I could do to help him.
She thought as she watched him.
I
can’t imagine what he’s going through right now. I’ve heard horror stories
about Terrans my whole life, but out there in the cold is a very vulnerable
being. He’s been kind to me.
She turned and walked back to the hot spring.
Once there, she went over to the scanner and checked the logs.
He’s
interested in the plague.
She put the scanner down and curled up.
He’s
so warm. I like sleeping next to him. Is it because he resembles a male of my
species? Or is it something else?
Seles lied on the ground blushing and
confused.

* * *

Brian headed into the cave holding the
rakna
blade, looking tired, but better. He walked in and sat down next to Seles.

“It’s good you came back, I was getting worried,” said
Seles as she sat up with sleepy eyes.

“I needed to think things over. I’m feeling
overwhelmed. It’s only been five days since this started. I needed to take it
all in Seles,” he said.

“I‘m glad you‘re feeling better,” she said, gazing
into his tired eyes. She blushed and turned away. “By the way, I noticed that
you were reading about Kalaidian psychology and physiology. Is there a reason
you’re so interested in that?”

“I didn’t realize our races were so close genetically,
save size and how warm blooded we are. What’s concerning to me is I can’t find
any pictures of male Kalaidians,” he said as he searched for the information on
the scanner.

“All records of male Kalaidians were destroyed a
hundred and forty years ago by the order of the Queen and eleven noble houses. 
All we have are their military records, technology, and of course,
rakna
blades,” she explained.

“So, you’ve never seen a picture of a Kalaidian male?”
he asked.

Seles shook her head. “No. No one has for over a
hundred and forty years. You’re the closest thing to a Kalaidian male my kind
has ever seen.”

She crept closer and looked at his face. “Is there
something wrong with your face?”

“Not that I know of,” he rubbed his face and laughed,
“I haven’t shaved in a while, so this was bound to happen.”

“What’s that dark stuff on your face?” she asked.

“It’s called facial hair. It’s normal for a male human
to grow it. I was clean shaven when I was taken and haven’t had the time or
blade to fix the problem,” he said.

“Can I touch it?”

“Sure, I don’t mind.”

She put her hand on his face and felt its coarse
texture. “It’s rougher than your other hair.” She lean back and rested against
a rock. “I was wondering if you’re considered attractive for one of your race.”

He laughed. “Not especially. I’m about average. But I
can’t be too sure. I was never a ladies man back on Earth. I’m shy, a little
bit of a loner and never had much of a way with women.”

“Is that because you are
Callun dayma
?” she
asked.

“I have no idea of
Callun dayma
is,” he said.
“Could you translate that into a simpler form?”

“
Callun dayma
is what we call Kalaidians who
fall in love. It’s a term roughly translating to lovers of the same.”

“Oh, I get it. No, I’m attracted to females, not other
males,” Brian said.

Seles looked inquisitive. “Is
Callun dayma
practiced
among your species?”

He thought before speaking. “Yes, homosexuality is
normal amongst my people. It’s been ridiculed and persecuted for ages, but it’s
a well-established lifestyle for humans. Is it normal amongst your people?”

She nodded. “
Callun dayma
is the ideal life for
Kalaidians. Not all of us are attracted to females, but it’s said once you find
your soul mate it’s the most beautiful thing you’ll ever experience.”

“Well, that answers a few questions. I know this may
seem forward, but what about sexuality and procreation?” he asked.