Heaven Saga 2: Sands of Aquarius (33 page)

The
bridge was consumed in flames as the Sheldik exploded.

* * *

As
the Mjolnir and Talon continued their battle, each machine strained to defend
against one another. Soon their shielding systems began failing. Afterwards
each craft began taking damage.

“Are
you tied to your people’s fate?” Brian asked. “Is fighting, greed, and
destruction all you can see?”

“Yes,
because that’s all there is to this miserable world,” Dreka answered. “I fight
because I have no choice.”

The
two mobile suits stopped their battle and saw they were reaching at the
breaking point. Dreka’s eyes widened suddenly as a flood of Brian’s memories
entered his mind. The scene he saw the clearest, as if through Brian’s eyes, was
when the field commander Dragik handing him the data crystal. Brian felt the same
surge as he grabbed his head. He saw the image of Grigon from Dreka’s eyes when
he was young. A moment later the image jumped to when he and the others were in
the ocean of thought. He saw himself and the others from a distance. Turning he
saw an old, grey Malcovin standing next to him.

“Dreka,
he’s the one I waited for. I waited for over a century for the day he would
come to us,”
the old Malcovin pointed at Brian, “And now, you must follow him Dreka.

“Why?”
Dreka asked.
Brian felt the uncertainty in the Malcovin’s mind.

“You
carry the mark of the second, the Hawk. Now take to the sky and let your wings
fly with the Dragon. The future is never set Dreka. We build it new, each day,
by working together, not apart. You already know this so do it you idiot!”

Brian
shook his head and found he was in the Mjolnir. Dreka’s Talon hovered in front
of him.

“I
see,” Dreka said. “I finally understand.” He heard a shout from one of his
subordinates over the com.

“Why
are you hesitating Dreka?” Malke asked.

“No,
wait,” Dreka said. He stared at the Mjolnir.
What should I do? What am I
supposed to do?

As
Dreka hesitated his subordinate, along with another Talon closed in on his
position.

“If
he won’t destroy the Mjolnir then he’s betrayed us,” Vrekt said.

He
charged with his mobile suit’s claws ready to strike. When Dreka turned he was
locked in a moment of confusion, seeing his life about to end, the Mjolnir flew
into the path and took a glowing claw through the cockpit. A cry of agony came
from Brian’s craft.

“Brian!”
Dreka shouted.

“Dreka…if
you can’t accept what you are…then… you must…change,” Brian said. “Break
free…from the destiny that binds your people…and lead them into a new world.
Unchain yourself…from what you are…and become…what you should be.”

Brian.
Seles felt the
pain in Brian’s mind and the pain in his body. Her eyes began glowing blue.
Turning her mobile suit towards the battle between Brian and Dreka, she saw
three Talons about to strike down the Mjolnir. Dreka’s Talon quickly grabbed
the Mjolnir and flew away. The three Talons followed. Aiming her pulse cannon
with deadly accuracy, she fired a shot and blasted a Talon apart. The second
charged her Zero and slashed with its claws, destroying her pulse cannon. She
backed off quickly and drew the sword. She sparred with the two remaining Talons
in the skies over Dega Jul with tears running from her eyes. Strangely, Dreka
felt the young Kalaidian’s emotions and fears. He flew to an open roof nearby
and landed with the Mjolnir below him. The birdman quickly unbuckled and opened
the Talon’s door, using the elevator cord to go down to the Mjolnir. He held a
hand scanner. Seeing through the hole the cockpit, Dreka looked upon Brian in
person for the first time with fear in his heart.  Climbing forward and
scanning, Dreka saw Brian’s right eye socket cut into deeply and noticed his
right arm was missing as well. When he moved closer he found Brian’s wound was
cleanly amputated and cauterized.

“Brian!”
Dreka shouted. He took out a small bandage and placed it over the destroyed
eye. “Brian, can you hear me!”

His
left arm grasped Dreka as his left eye opened. “Go to her…I’ll be alright.”

“What
happened?” Dreka asked.

A
Kalaidian shuttle land nearby.

“My
arm was mangled when the Talon struck. I had to use my
rakna
to stop the
bleeding.” Brian cringed and laughed. “I never thought pain would be so
wonderful.”

From
outside came a small squad of Kalaidian foot soldiers with Mira at the lead.
Seeing Brian she ran to him. She looked at Dreka with confusion.

“He’ll
live lieutenant Mira,” Dreka said before moving back to the hole he entered.

“Why?”
she asked while setting her regenerator to full power.

“He
saved me,” Dreka said. “He saved my soul.” he marched back to his Talon and
reactivated all its systems.
Looks like my systems are at about fifty
percent.
Dreka flew the suit back up into the air.
Fifty percent will be
enough.

“I
will protect her Brian, that I promise,” Dreka said while flying the damaged
mobile suit towards Seles.

Even
using the berserk Seles found herself on the defensive against the two Talons.
They circled and struck in waves, forcing her to parry with her shield and
sword while dodging as best she could. One of the Talons charged and locked her
sword and shield. The second moved in from behind to stab. A pulse shot came
from behind, forcing the second mobile suit away from her. She saw Dreka’s
damaged Talon, missing an arm, aiming its pulse cannon.

“Stand
down,” he commanded over the com.

“Why
should we listen to a traitor like you?” Vrekt asked.

“Our
mission is over,” Dreka explained.

“It’s
not over until we collect the money for killing him!” Rait shouted before
turning and charging at Dreka.

“You
can’t let go of the past,” Dreka said calmly. His eyes glowed. “Then there’s no
place for you in the future.”

He
dropped his mobile suit’s rifle and aimed the single remaining claw forward
while spinning the mobile suit in a pattern Rait couldn’t follow. A moment
later his claw struck through the center of Rait’s Talon. Dreka’s Talon danced
away as the other mobile suit exploded. Seles punched with the Zero’s shield and
knocked the Talon in front of her back. With a quick slash and thrust with the
sword the last Talon exploded. She saw a com channel calling her.

“Lieutenant
Seles I surrender to you,” Dreka said. “He’s still alive. A young medical
officer with pink hair is taking care of him.”

* * *

Brian
groaned before opening his left eye. He saw Mira and Seles next to the bed.
Turning his head he saw Celi, Valis, and Kivi talking outside the door.

“I
had this crazy dream that I did something really stupid and lost my eye and an
arm in the process,” he said. He glanced at his missing arm. “Damn, I guess it
really happened.”

“You
really scared us this time,” Mira said. She hugged him.

“What’s
going to happen to me?” he asked as he sat up.

“We’ll
make sure you’re ready for the concert on time. Celi has taken measurements for
your replacements. It should take about three months to rehab,” Mira said.

Seles
embraced him tightly. “You’re an idiot, you know that?”

He
felt her tears. “Yeah Seles, I am.”

Brian
stood on the roof of the apartment complex and gazed across the broken cityscape.
He wore his green armor minus the right arm with a black patch over his right
eye. Closing his left eye, he took a deep breath, feeling the morning breeze
blow through him.

“You’re
looking a lot better,” Seles said. She stood to his left.

“Will
you still love me when I’m an android?” he asked sarcastically.

“I’m
sure she would,” Mira said. She stood in his blind spot to his right.

“Of
course,” Seles answered.

“As
would I,” Mira said.

“What
do you think is going to happen?” Seles asked.

He
pointed to the construction crews. “In time the damage will be repaired. The
lives lost will never return. At least we’re moving towards a better world.”

“You’re
still a dreamer,” Seles said before taking his arm. Above them flew Dreka’s
damaged Talon. It landed on the other side of the roof. The three turned to see
the black feathered birdman descend from his mobile suit. He walked slowly
towards them.

He
stopped to size up Brian and the two ladies. “This is the second time we’ve met
in person,” Dreka said.

“I’m
glad you got the message,” Brian said, smiling.

Dreka
scratched his head and glanced at his Talon. “I wasn’t sure that thing would
fly me here in time.”

Brian
stood face to face with Dreka. Seles and Mira stayed with him. He reached out
with his left hand. Dreka did likewise to shake hands.

“The
past is the past and now I’m moving on,” Dreka said. “As of tomorrow a score of
my comrades and I will be joining you on the Avoni.”

“What?”
Seles asked.

Brian
nodded. “I asked Valis to make another exception to the single race rule on the
Avoni.”

“I’ll
be joining you as a field commander of small craft lieutenant Seles,” Dreka
said.

“I
won’t go easy on you,” Seles teased.

“Throw
what you will at me young lady, I’m ready for anything now,” Dreka answered.

“Are
you sure about joining us?” Mira asked.

“Yes,”
Dreka said. “Brian, I owe you my life. For that you have my thanks as well as
my intellect as an engineer.”

“I
didn’t ask for that,” Brian said. “I’m just glad we’re not enemies anymore.”

“Indeed,”
Dreka said.

* * *

Veda
paced the halls of her estate palace as her servants scrambled around in a
daze. She walked into the main courtyard and found Valis waiting.

“It’s
been awhile since you had time off,” Veda said.

“I’m
glad for it,” Valis said with relief in her voice. “Although the war lasted
little more than a week it was bloody.”

“And
now we wait,” Veda said before looking at the sky. “Jabril Hopart was elected
as the first prime minister of Kalaidia today.”

“I
know.” Valis smiled. “I cast my vote last night to get it counted on time. Nine
more years and the nobility will lose official power.”

“I’ve
ceded control of our former estates to the House of Commons,” Veda said. “This
estate and our corporations here are all we have left. Enough to aid you on the
project you mentioned the other day.”

“Brian
came up with the idea first,” Valis said. “He doesn’t know I’ve started implementing
it. I don’t want to tell him I read his journal entries.”

“Privacy
is an outdated value,” Veda said with a smirk. “He’ll get over it, just warm up
to him and he’ll listen.”

“Do
you mean seduce him?” she asked.

“Of
course I meant that,” Veda said, laughing afterwards. “I wish Gaelic was here
to see this.”

“He
is, in a way,” Valis said. “She’s still alive.”

“It’s
Mira. Brian told me when the festival was held. When did she come back to us?”

“She
joined my crew a few years ago,” Valis answered. “Mira slept for all those
years, waiting for someone to find her. She won’t speak of how or why, but
admits to who she is. She told me she wants nothing to do with the estate and
won’t make a claim against you.”

“If
she didn’t come here herself she must be in hiding,” Veda said. “Why are you
telling me this?”

“Mira
has a concert set with Brian in a few months. I thought you’d like to know
before seeing her face on every screen in the solar system.” A shuttle from the
Avoni landed at the far end of the courtyard. “One more thing,” Valis said.

“Yes?”

“Did
you have anything to do with the attempt on her life?” Valis asked.

“No,”
Veda answered solemnly. “Although I didn’t approve his relationship with a
commoner I cared for my brother far too much to do something so awful.”

“Do
you know who may have?”

“We
suspected for a long time the Raekar family may have had something to do with
it,” Veda said. “The other possible scenario that makes sense is if the Malcovin
assassinated her. We just ended our war with them and had claimed much of their
territory.”

“Thank
you for telling me this,” Valis said as she turned to leave.

“Tell
Mira to come and see me sometime in the future,” Veda said. “There are many
things I’d love to talk to her about.”