Heaven Saga 2: Sands of Aquarius (17 page)

Both
Brian and Mira laughed.

“I
must be missing something.” Shiken said, surprised by their reaction.

“You
should know in every contract Valis signs that in the case of capture, she’s
obligated to pay our ransom,” said Brian.

“Is
that so?” Shiken grinned, “It’s good to know I have a large amount of money
coming. After the mess your people caused we’re barely able to function.” He
took out a key and tossed it to Mira. “That will free his arms. As long as
neither of you try anything I guarantee your lives,” he said before leaving the
room.

Mira
took the key and unlocked the chains. Brian rubbed his wrists in relief. “Do
you feel alright?” she asked.

“Yeah,”
he saw she was staring at him, “What is it?”

“Why
did you put yourself at risk like that?”

“I
couldn’t let the Mjolnir fall into their hands. Its sounds strange, but that
mobile suit is more important than me really.”

“No
it’s not,” Mira said with tears in her eyes. “Don’t you understand how I’d feel
if you died?”

“I’m
sorry,” he answered. She saw a strange darkness in his eyes as he spoke.

“It’s
like you’re searching for a place to die,” Mira cried, “I can’t stand to see
it.”

He
held her close. “I’ve been living on borrowed time since the day I was taken. I
live every moment like it’s my last because I know I could die anytime. What
you see as suicidal I see as my way of searching.”

“Searching
for what?” she asked.

“I’m
searching for a reason to live. I’m lost on who I am and what my purpose is. I
know if I keep fighting, if I keep living just a little longer, I’ll find the
answer I’m looking for.”

* * *

El
Kar watched Brian and Mira on the monitor while shaking his head, “Mammals.”

Shiken
came into the room. “I see you’ve been watching.”

“Is
she really tending to his wounds?”

“I
suppose you could say that,” Shiken shook his head. “Still, I don’t understand them.”
A light started flashing. Shiken pressed the button and allowed the message
through. On the screen appeared the image of Valis wearing her uniform and
circlet.

“I
received your message earlier today Lord Ka,” she said. “I’ll pay the ransom
you seek. Should you bring harm to my officers I’ll make sure the wrath of Kali
falls upon you and your soldiers.”

“Of
course Captain Valis,” Shiken answered. “You’re looking well if I may say so
myself.”

“As
are you Lord Ka,” Valis responded. “But before I agree to pay anything, you’ll
have to show me they’re alive.”

“El
Kar.” Shiken motioned for his friend to stream the picture of Brian and Mira to
Valis.

“I
see,” said Valis. “What about the rest?”

El
Kar changed the video feed over to the other captured Kalaidians.

“Are
you satisfied?” Shiken asked.

“For
now Lord Ka,” she said before ending transmission.

* * *

The
Mjolnir flew into the cargo bay. A number of Kalaidians waited to fix the
mobile suit. Kivi sighed, completely drained. She stood up and patted the
Mjolnir.

“Thank
you,” she said before heading out the front hatch and using the elevator cord
to get down.

“It’s
good to see you’re alright commander,” said Daes.

“It’s
good to be back. I must go to the captain immediately.” Kivi said.

“He’s
alright,” Seles said, catching Kivi off guard. “We received word earlier today
that Brian, Mira, and twenty two others are being held.”

Kivi
shifted from no energy to all energy. “Before I go I have something to deliver
to you.” She leaned down and kissed Seles, completely catching her off guard.
The others stared and blushed. Kivi backed away. “He said you get the rest when
he gets back,” she said with a smile as she ran out of the room. Seles put her
hand on her lips, confused.

“First
time you’ve ever been kissed by a woman?” Jesela asked while standing next to
Seles.

Seles
shook her head. “He probably told her to do that as a joke…”

“It’s
best you not think about it too much Seles,” Jesela said.

* * *

“So
when did you schedule the concert?” Brian asked as he sat cross legged on the
stone floor. Mira sat with her back to the wall.

“I
was planning three months from now,” she answered. “The logistics of putting on
a concert are more than I initially thought they would be.”

“I’ll
bet you didn’t have to do any planning when you were younger.”

“No,
I don’t remember anything like that.”

The
door opened before Shiken Ka entered, “I have good news. Your captain has
agreed to terms and you’ll be returned to your ship within a week.” He looked
at Mira, “I wish to speak with him alone. Please tell your comrades the good
news.”

“Yes,
of course,” she said as she winked at Brian and blew a kiss, “I’ll see you later.”
Two guards escorted her out.

Shiken
slithered back and forth. “I have many questions to ask you. I hope you don’t
mind.”

He
stood up and saw Shiken towered over him by over a foot. “I was expecting you
to ask me about a few things. So shoot,” Brian said as he leaned against the
wall.

“How
long have you been in space?”

“A
little over a year and a half,” he answered.

“How
did you come to space?”

“I
was abducted by the Greys. They experimented on me, for what reason I don’t
know. All I remember was that when I awoke this last time I was able to fend
off their technology.” He looked at the ground. “I killed every one of them.
After falling unconscious I woke up on the Avoni.”

Shiken
held up his hand. “Wait. Are telling me you single handedly defeated an entire crew
of Greys and captured their ship?”

Brian
laughed, “I wouldn’t exactly say I captured their ship. I didn’t know how to
fly it, let alone claim it as my own.”

“Still,
do to what you did with technology as advanced as ours would be impressive, let
alone a lone Terran without anything. Please, continue.”

“Afterwards,
I awoke on the Avoni. The first people I saw were Celi, the head medical
officer, and Seles, who’s now a lieutenant. After I was injected with
nanomachines I understood what they were saying. When Seles and I talked for
the first time the Avoni was attacked by another Grey ship.”

Shiken
smiled, “So the Lady Star survived an attack by the Greys.”

“Lady
Star? Are you talking about Valis?”

“No
doubt you know much about Captain Valis. My people call her Lady Star, because
she burns brighter than any star amongst Kalaidians. In a single battle she
defeated five ships of my fleet with only a half working ship herself. That’s
only one of her many victories during the last war.”

“Tell
me, why do your people and theirs fight so often?”

“For
over a hundred years we’ve warred, mainly over territory. As you know, the
Kalaidians once controlled thirty star systems. Now they control only seventeen.
Systems like this one are what we’ve been fighting for.”

“It’s
the same here as it is at home.”

“What
do you mean?”

He
looked Shiken in the eye, “For thousands of years my race has warred. It’s
amazing how much blood has been spilled over dirt.” He glanced aside, “It’s
such a waste.”

“You
say that and yet you fight for wealth.”

“Of
course,” he said. “One has to survive.”

Mira
sat next Brian and checked his wounds. “It looks like everything is alright now.”
She put down her scanner.

He
sat back against the wall. “Sometimes I wonder if this is reality. Earth seems
so long ago.”

“I
know how you feel,” she said while mirroring his posture. “When I woke up six
years ago I was completely shocked. The world had changed so much and I hadn’t.
I felt like a person out of time, not just out of place.”

He
took her hand. “You have memories of long ago, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“What
was Kalaidia like in those days?”

“It
was a lot like the way you found it. Father sheltered me from most of it, but I
knew of the hate directed towards me. There was constant political intrigue,
back stabbing and deception. I couldn’t stand the lies. When I met Jesela I
decided to leave it all behind.”

“But
you do have a title to claim, don’t you?”

“Not
really. I was only a countess by noble standards. What I enjoyed more than
being able to change myself was the fact that I wasn’t famous any longer. I
could blend in for the first time in my life.”

“Are
you happier now?”

“Yes,”
she squeezed his hand, “I found I wanted to really do something to save others’
lives. I love music, but I enjoy being a medical officer more. I was able to
save your life and that means a lot to me. It was the first time I looked death
in the eye and waved its power away.”

“Just
as I was regaining conscious I saw your eyes glowing blue. Next time that
happens, sing a tune to yourself. That’s the secret the
Maigars
used to
control their berserk.”

“Really?”
she asked. “I wasn’t expecting it to be something as simple as that.” She moved
over and hugged him, closing her eyes. “You’re really warm.”

Shiken
Ka entered the room with a small table in his hand, along with three glasses.
He set it before the pair.

“It
looks like I’ll be returning you by the end of the week,” he said as he pulled
out a large black canister and unscrewed the top, pouring some into each cup.
“Please, try it.”

Brian
took the glass and sipped the dark liquid. Looking up at Shiken Ka, Brian
laughed, “You can’t know how much I’ve missed a having something like this.”

Mira
tried it. “This is an interesting drink,” she said before taking a few gulps.

“It’s
the best black tea I have on the base,” Shiken said before taking a drink.
“Other species prefer alcohol to feel drunk, but for my people it’s this.”

“This
is much too strong to be the tea from my world,” Brian said. “It’s more like
coffee.”

Mira
blinked her eyes, blushing.
What is this I’m feeling?
She thought to
herself as she drank some more.

“So
why are you offering us tea?” Brian asked.

“I
have many questions to ask you.” He glanced at Mira, who was blushing heavily
and breathing strangely. “Well then young Terran, let’s begin. Do you believe
in any god or gods?”

“No,”
Brian answered quietly.

“Than
what do you believe in?”

“I
believe in what’s real, what’s before me at the moment.” Brian took a sip, “On
my world people like me are referred to as atheists. If I remember right your
people underwent a massive change two hundred years ago, when the religious
leaders were destroyed and a new system was put into place.”

“You
know of our history,” Shiken said. “I’m glad. From what I can tell the worries
of my fellows were incorrect. Despite looking similar to a Kalaidian you’re not
one of them. So why would a powerful warrior such as yourself submit yourself
to an inferior breed of being.”

Mira
was blushing heavily while looking out of it. “I’m not inferior. I’m just
smaller.” She put down the glass and hugged Brian tightly. “Tell him Brian.”

He
blushed from her embrace. “Is there caffeine in this drink?”

“Of
course,” Shiken answered. “What would be the point of drinking black tea without
caffeine in it? Is there a reason why she’s acting like that?”

“Caffeine
for Terrans acts as a stimulant, for Shandi, alcohol, but for Kalaidians. Well,
it acts as an aphrodisiac,” Brian explained.

“Well
then, I’ll take my leave soon. I know how much mammals like you like physical
pleasure.”

“I
feel really weird,” Mira said, moving her hands about him. “I…”

Shiken
grinned. “Looks like you’ve learned to enjoy the pleasures they can grant you
Terran.”

“Well,
it’s not like I’m going to be able to go home anytime soon,” Brian said with a
shrug. “Ask what you want, I can tell you want something from me.”

“Do
your people have constellations?”

“Yes.
Why do you ask?”

“What
constellation were you born under?”

“Aquarius,
the Water Bearer.”

“Thank
you,” Shiken said as he placed the bottle of black tea on the table. “I’ll now
leave you two alone for the night. Enjoy yourselves.” Shiken left the room.