Heaven Saga 3: Sojourn Into Despair (25 page)

“This
is the point where we lost contact,” Valis said as she and the others looked at
the moon the Avoni had used for shelter a long time ago.

“Checking
it again proves that the Avoni wasn’t destroyed,” Daes said as she scanned the
area.

Kivi
sat in the captain’s chair with Seles at the helm. Dreka put an image on the
monitor. “We’re picking up a signal,” he said.

On
the Raulno’s main monitor appeared the faint image of an old Malcovin ship, a
massive colony class ship of unknown origin, and the battered Avoni. The front
half of the Avoni had taken severe damage.  The original material had been
replaced with different metals and caused the ship’s coloration to be off.

“Send
a signal immediately,” Kivi ordered. Seles complied without a word.

“It
looks like they’ve seen a lot of fighting,” Valis said after looking over the
scans. “She’s being held together with a hope and a prayer.”

“At
least it’s in one piece,” Mira said as she entered the bridge.

“What
are those other two ships doing with them?” Kivi asked.

“I’m
getting a response!” Seles shouted with delight in her voice. “I’ll put them
through now.”

On
the screen appeared an exhausted Zae in the captain’s chair with Baed at her
console in the front. Jesela stood at the back console hard at work.

“It’s
been a long time Captain Valis, Kivi, and everyone else,” Zae said. “Thank Kali
you came for us.”

Valis
put a hand on Kivi’s shoulder. “I’ll take care of this,” she said.

“Of
course, it’s your ship after all,” Kivi said.

“Give
me a report on the situation Zae,” Valis ordered.

“Of
course,” Zae responded. “Currently the Avoni is operating at sixty three
percent of its normal output. Our crew has been reduced to a hundred and one,
including Brian and Grigon of course. Our mobile suit forces have been reduced
to twenty seven Phase Raknas. There are ten Talons left on the Vomada. The
other ship with us is the last of a species attacked and wiped out by the Greys,
called the Braiden. They have just over two hundred and fifty thousand refugees
onboard the Meche.”

“What
happened?” Valis asked.

“Too
many things,” Zae said. “What we’ve seen words alone can’t describe. We’ve
collected a large amount of data on the Greys and their territory. Some of the
evidence we bring the Confederation won’t be able to ignore.”

“I’ll
look at it as soon as I return to the Avoni,” Valis said.

* * *

Brian
awoke to the sound of excited chatter. When he opened his eyes he saw nothing.

“He’s
awake,” Celi said as she took his hand in hers. “Brian, how do you feel?”

“Like
hell,” he said as he grimaced in pain. “But I feel a lot better than when I
fell asleep. I still can’t see.”

“The
disease took its toll on your body,” Celi said. “I’m going to put you through
regenerative treatment when we get back to Dega Jul. I’ll replace the other
parts as needed.”

“Take
your time,” Brian said with sigh of relief. “How long have I been out for?”

“Two
weeks,” Celi answered. “I was really worried at first. But as time passed I
could tell your body needed time to recover.”

“Thank
you Celi,” he said. “I owe you my life. And I’ll take you up on the promise
when we reach Dega Jul.” He turned his head towards the others in the room. “I
believe Valis is in here, and I’m going to request some time off.”

“You
and the others have more than earned it,” Valis said “I’ll let the rest of you
have at him soon enough. I want to speak with Brian alone.”

“Yes
captain,” Mira, Seles, and Kivi said as they stepped outside the medical lab.
Celi nodded to Valis as she checked him over once more and stepped out. Valis
sat down next to him.

“I
don’t know what to say right now,” Valis said. “I’m glad you and the others
came back to me. Now that I know what you went through.”

“No,”
he said. “No, you don’t Valis. I don’t say this as an insult but as a fact. The
video evidence doesn’t show everything that happened, just what little we could
record.”

“It
sounds like you traveled through hell to reach home,” she said.

“No,
the place we were in was worse than hell,” Brian turned his head away, “In hell
only the guilty suffer. But what we witnessed was a place where the innocent
suffered, not the guilty.”

“I
gathered as much reading your journal.”

“The
Greys are the greatest enemy our galaxy faces,” he said. “No, it’s actually not
the Greys; it’s their machine god that’s the problem. In a brief moment my mind
made contact with it and I saw things no one should see. I saw things that
shouldn’t exist and yet, they do. It was the deepest and darkest chasm of moral
damnation imaginable. Worse because it’s real.”

“It
sounds like all hope is lost when dealing with the Greys,” Valis said.

“Not
all hope,” Brian said. “They’re a people in chains, chains so powerful their
will has been subdued. Their god is mad with the desire to destroy all that
exists other than itself. They will come soon and try to destroy everything we
hold dear. And they won’t stop until the last of us is gone.”

“Is
there anything we can do to save ourselves?” she asked.

Brian
reached out and took her hand. “Read my journal entries again,” he instructed. “Only
then can we create a society that extols life and happiness above order and
power.”

“I’ll
do that,” she said. Valis noticed the others were impatient. “I’d better let
Seles and Mira in. They’ve been dying to see you for months.”

“I’m
glad they didn’t have to see me in those months,” Brian said with a laugh. “Let’s
just say I wasn’t myself.”

“No,
but you are now,” Valis said as she opened the door and signaled for the others
to go inside.

Kivi
looked at Brian once more and decided to leave Seles and Mira alone with him.
Each sat next to him, unsure of what to do next.

“It’s
been awhile ladies,” Brian said with a stupid grin. “I must look awful to you
right now.”

“Awful
doesn’t begin to describe it,” Mira said.

“We
worried about you,” Seles said. “Every day and night it was all I could think
about. I’m sorry we didn’t make it to you sooner.”

“There’s
nothing to apologize for,” he said. “I ordered the two of you over to the Reiki
ships and the Reinkar. What happened was something no one expected. In a
strange way I’m glad it happened.” Brian paused. “Although those lost on the
way back I mourn the most.”

“What
did you see?” Seles asked.

“Yes,
please tell,” Mira added.

Although
he couldn’t see them Brian looked at the pair. “All the evils of the universe, I
have seen, heard, and now spoken,” he said. “You’ll see soon enough after Valis
has a chance to look through it. But to sum it up there are things worse than
death. It was a journey through a place worse the hell, filled with despair and
terror. If the small amount we were exposed to was enough to make me speak like
this I can only imagine what the rest of the territory they call home looks
like.”

Seles
squeezed his hand. “I wish there was something I could say to help but I can’t
think of anything right now.”

“I
feel the same,” Mira echoed.

Brian
smiled. “It’s enough that you’re here,” he said. “And for the first time in
forever I feel safe when I sleep tonight.”

* * *

Dreka
landed his Talon onboard the Vomada and marveled at the vessel’s old fashioned
design. He walked off the suit and met a number of the maintenance droids down
in the engineering section. He quickly made his way to the bridge.

“I
can’t believe you’re still alive!” Dreka shouted with joy as he ran to his
grandfather.

“Yes
young man, I survived,” Grigon said as he turned around. “So how are things
back home?”

“Pretty
much the same as when you disappeared twenty years ago,” Dreka said. “I didn’t
think you made your way to this part of the galaxy to escape though.”

“No,
that was my intention Dreka,” the old birdman said. “I had to see the home of
Terrans. The Mylor would never have let me through so I had to take scenic
route.”

“It
that’s true than you have much to show me,” Dreka said.

“Yes,
I’ll let you have a look at it once you tell me how you figured out how to
build a Talon on your own.”

“Sure,”
Dreka said.

* * *

“I’m
going to check on Jesela and the others now,” Mira said. She pulled something
in a small case out from her pocket. “But before that, I have a gift for you
Brian.” She handed the case to him. Seles watched with the look of annoyance on
her face. “Think of me when you wear this and know I’ll always watch over you.”

“Thank
you Mira,” he said. He opened the case and found that the tiny object inside
was an earring.

“I’ll
help you put it in sometime,” Mira said as she left.

Brian
closed the case and placed it on the table next to the bed. He closed his eyes
and sighed. “I should have told her that Baed and Zae are official before she
left.”

“When
did this happen?” Seles asked.

“A
few months in is when,” he explained.

“Have
they?” Seles asked.

“Stop
that,” Brian shook his head, “I wouldn’t know and it’s none of my business.” He
stopped as she started laughing. “I missed you Seles.”

“I
missed you to,” she said before kissing him. “I was worried I’d never see you
again. There were times when I could see you in my dreams.”

“I’d
hope you didn’t see me at my worst.”

“I
did,” she said. “Mira did as well.”

“Strange.”

“Not
half as strange as the recording of the last battle you barely survived,” she
said.

“I
remember Celi came and saved me,” he said. “It was the strangest thing I’ve
ever experienced.”

“Hearing
that makes me a little jealous,” she said.

“Don’t
worry,” he said. “Once we reach home I’m taking a long time off.”

“I’m
looking forward to it.”

Myden
watched the video on Grigon’s monitor alone in silence. After a few minutes the
old Malcovin entered the room.

“Pretty
impressive, isn’t it?” Grigon asked.

“Yes,”
Myden turned to him and held out his hand, “It’s been too long.”

Grigon
took his hand and shook it tightly. “Twenty some years I believe?”

“Indeed,”
Myden said. “I’m glad you made it back in time.”

“I
take it we’re entering the eighth stage of the plan.”

“Yes,”
Myden said. “With the awakening of Brian and Celi it’s arrived. And after
reading through his plans I know he’ll move us towards the ninth stage.”

“What
happens next?” Grigon asked as he sat down.

“With
each successive awakening he’ll learn to control it better,” Myden explained. “It’ll
probably be another twenty years or so for him to completely master this new
power. The same can be said for Celi of course. I’m sure the other Maidens and
Dreka will start down the same path soon enough. What this leads to is a
blending of consciousness. I can tell that for a brief period in time everyone
onboard this ship was connected mentally.”

“Yes,
it was quite a strange experience,” Grigon cawed. “Although an Avian feels some
emotion I wasn’t prepared for those my mammalian companions have inside them.
But what are you getting at?”

“Stage
nine will bring about a new force for justice within the Confederation. An
outside force, independent from the main governing body of the Confederation,
is the only solution to the problem. This was anticipated long ago. In a few
short years it’ll come true. After stage nine has run its course the
unification of Alden will be completed.”

“Are
we to just sit back and watch?” Grigon asked.

“No,”
Myden answered. “We’ll do as we always have done and throw our support behind
him. This time my people didn’t succeed in killing the one we both wanted to
aid.”

Grigon
looked Myden in the eyes. “A long time ago we believed we could change the
galaxy. But then the plague came and Gaelic passed away. All the elements were
in place to do this back then. We had to wait a hundred and sixty years to finally
see it through again.”

“Even
if he dies it won’t end things now,” Myden said. “He’s set into motion a new
era. If he dies then one of the others can take his place.”

“It’s
good to know that from now on.”

* * *

Valis
turned the video off before closing her eyes. She tried to not get too
emotional. Kivi had a similar look on her face.

“Words
alone can’t describe the horrors I have seen,” Valis said. “That’s what he said
to me. And now I know it’s true.”

“If
this is the truth, then what other horrors exist in the Greys’ territory?” Kivi
asked.

Zae
listened from the other side of the room. “It was like staring madness in the
eyes,” she said. “Those who survived this journey will never be the same. Of
that I’m sure.”

“Are
you alright Zae?” Valis asked.

“No
Valis, I’m not,” Zae looked up, “Like Brian I need some time off. There are
things I need to sort out.”

“The
job will remain open as long as you want,” Valis said.

“Thanks
captain,” Zae said as she left the room.

* * *

“I’d
better go and see the pilots,” Seles said as she stood up.

“Come
back later,” Brian said.

“I
will,” Seles said as she left. After a few minutes of silence Brian heard some
footsteps heading towards him.

“Who
is it?” he asked.

“It’s
me,” Celi said. She took his hand and sat with him silently for a few minutes.

“Why
were you so determined to save me?” he asked.

“Because
I believe in you,” she answered. “I believe in the future you’re trying to
create.” She paused. “I knew at that moment you weren’t supposed to die.”

“Is
life that precious to you?” he asked.

“Yes,
because as long as you’re alive you have a future,” Celi said.