Freedom Saga 3: The Dawn of Liberty (16 page)

            “Yes,”
Seles said. “I hope it doesn’t mean he can see through everyone’s clothes.”

            Mira
laughed. “That would be bad.”

* * *

            Queen
Kchlt watched the movement of the various noble factions on the monitors in her
main hall. Her three warriors stood by her side while numerous drones milled
about. All across the surface of the Ick-Tckt homeworld cities were in chaos as
the lesser nobles schemed and decided which side to put their loyalties with.
In orbit, the queen’s main fleet of nearly a thousand ships guarded her. Beyond
the homeworld power seeking duchesses positioned their troops as they readied
to move in. Kchlt looked at two of her warriors.

            “I
want the two of you to direct our forces in space and on the surface,” the
queen said.

            “We
will my queen,” the first warrior said.

            “Our
lives are yours,” the second said.

            The
pair left to attend to their duties. The queen watched while rubbing her
mandibles in frustration.

            “You’re
on edge more than usual,” Khcha commented.

            “I
know,” the queen said. “I haven’t had to worry about war lately.”

            “Neither
of us is as young or fiery as we were when we took power,” Khcha said.

            “We
were barely hatchlings,” Kchlt said. “Who do you think are the main planners of
this insurrection?”

            “Based
on their troop movements then there are three possibilities,” Khcha said. “The
most likely is the second most powerful behind you, the Duchess Mlka. The other
two would be the Duchess Vkhl and the Duchess Klchta.”

            “That
makes sense,” the queen said. “What about our potential allies?”

            “Heaven’s
Light is moving all of their bases to our border,” Khcha said. “But a large
scale attack isn’t in their character. I have a feeling Captain Peterson has
something in the works.”

            “They
can’t risk invasion or be legally held responsible,” Kchlt said. “It would also
expose all of their forces to attack by our rebellious brethren. I don’t know
what they’re planning but I’ll do my part to help them.”

            “The
other mystery we have is the drone with them,” Khcha said.

            “Tctie’s
hive was destroyed during the last civil conflict we had,” the queen said. “And
his name shows he isn’t an average drone. No noble would name him such unless
he was exceptional.”

            “His
ability as a pilot is superior to my own,” Khcha admitted.

            “That
and his telepathic power are strange indeed,” the queen said.

            “What
does it mean?” Khcha asked.

            “It
means that a great change is about to sweep us,” the queen said. “If he has
such powers than he is more worthy to mate with then our best warriors.”

            “Are
you showing me the door?” Khcha asked.

            “I’d
never do that,” Kchlt said. She rubbed his antennae with her own. “We’ve been
together too long for me to do that.”

            “I’m
glad to hear it my queen,” he said.

* * *

            Brian
stopped practicing a few minutes after the two women left. He grabbed a towel
to dry himself off and turned the temperature down a few degrees. After
stretching he turned on the computer and looked at the plan he’d been working
on for the last few days.

           
“They’ll
think you’re an idiot for such a plan,”
Myden said telepathically as he
stepped out of a shadow.

            “And
you still haven’t told me about that power of yours,” Brian countered.

            “True
enough,” Myden said. “But I came here for a different reason. It doesn’t take a
mind reader to know you’re not yourself.” The Grey looked at the door. “Those
two are keen to your ailment.”

            “I
know they are,” Brian said. “But there are times when I need to be alone.”

            “Solitude
is good in the right quantities,” Myden said.

            “Sometimes
I have to question myself,” Brian said. “I stop and wonder if fighting and
killing is all I’ll ever do.”

            “Until
we find peace and understanding it will be,” Myden said. “My advice is to take
a look around and see how the others cope with it.”

            “I
saw it in Seles’s eyes after battles many times,” Brian said. “Now she’s
searching for something else in her life. I’m glad to see it. With Mira, she’s
always had music to take her away.”

            “What
you need to find is a purpose to keep you going,” Myden said.

            “What
keeps you going after all these years?” Brian asked.

            “Vengeance
plays a small part,” Myden admitted. “But if it was only that I’d have killed
myself with the one I hated long ago. What I want to do is teach others. If I
can spend my remaining days as an instructor I’ll be fulfilled.” He went to
Brian and looked him in the eye. “You’ve been this way since you left the
Mjolnir. Was that the best course of action?”

            “I’ve
questioned the decision many times and the answer is yes,” Brian said. “It only
came in flashes, but I saw Meldi piloting it in the future. And if I am to
choose a successor, she’s more than capable.”

            “I
thought Seles was the one,” Myden said.

            “She
is, but in a different way,” Brian said. “During the sojourn my mind was
connected with all the crew in our final battle. I saw their memories and
ambitions. I saw everything that made them who they are. But one mind in
particular stood out. I saw something in Meldi’s past that shocked my senses.
When I looked at her afterwards I wondered how she could’ve gone on. The answer
is the fire in her heart. Meldi’s a survivor who’ll fight even if she’s the
last one left. She has a destiny like mine, one filled with solitude and
difficulties. I can only hope she does a better job than I ever did.”

            “You
see yourself in her, don’t you?” Myden asked.

            “Yes,”
Brian said. “Seles comes from wealth and power. Meldi is the opposite. She came
from nothing to be what she is today. There’s a reason she’s flying Mjolnir
now. As for Seles, she’s got the Artemis. That mobile suit is a better fit for
her.”

            “This
is the first time in a while you’ve been honest with me about things,” Myden
said.

            “The
truth is sometimes painful,” Brian said. “I love Seles dearly and would give my
life for her in a heartbeat. That’s why I question the decision constantly.”

            “What
do you think Seles would say if I told her about this?” Myden asked.

            “She
already knows,” Brian said. “When I said something she told me she didn’t care
about that.”

            “Why?”
Myden asked.

            “Because
we trust each other,” Brian said.

            “Trust
is a great thing to have,” Myden said. As he turned to leave he noticed the
locket Brian was wearing. “What is that?”

            Brian
held it up. “Mira gave it to me as a little gift. She told me to wear it at all
times.”

            Myden
chuckled. “It looks like I’m not the only one scheming anymore.”

            After
he disappeared Brian looked at his plan again.

            “Even
I think I’m an idiot because of this,” he said to himself.

Queen
Kchlt appeared on the screens of her people across the home solar system. As
the signal was transported it moved across her empire. She stood in front her
throne with her Chka Knight at her side.

“To
all of the Ick-Tckt I appear to make an announcement,” the queen started. “For
the last sixteen years peace has been the norm amongst us, but as of a few
weeks ago it ended. A number of nobles have attacked the organization known as
Heaven’s Light without my or the military command’s permission. Because of this,
the Confederation High Council was forced to put sanctions upon us. And worse
still, they’ve closed our borders with a military blockade. Before this action
was taken I called for a meeting with the highest level nobles and found them
unreceptive to my pleas for responsibility. Now they have taken this
opportunity to upset the peace we’ve had in the attempt to grab power. With the
current sanctions in place and probability of civil war, I fear our place in
the Confederation will fade greatly in the coming years. I’ve searched my soul
for the best solution and believe I found it. For millennia our race has been
ruled exclusively by the females. This was a necessary step because of our
reproductive nature. But with the advent of sentience the inequalities dividing
us are disappearing. Because of this it’s my desire to see the warrior and
drone classes given a place to voice their stake in the government. I declare
the era of exclusive female rule over. From this day forward we rule together.
As such, I’ve drawn up the plans for a parliamentary process whereby the males
of our species will be given an equal voice to the female nobility. I know
these changes are drastic and strange, but in order for us to survive as a
people they’re necessary. I know those seeking power will do everything in
their ability to stop this plan. I call upon every able bodied citizen to
defend our homeworld. In addition, I ask Heaven’s Light to send a
representative to aid us in our endeavor. We seek a guide to lead us on the
right path forward. To my people, thank you, and I pray the gods watch over us
in the coming days.”

After
the broadcast was over Kchlt looked to her favored warrior.

“Do
you think what I did was right?” she asked.

“Yes
my queen,” Khcha answered.

* * *

Brian
watched the queen’s speech in his quarters and smiled.
Now it’s my turn to
answer your call.
He stepped into his exoskeleton and put the
rakna
blade on his belt. When he stepped outside Seles and Mira were waiting.

“So,
we’re doing something crazy, right?” Seles asked.

“That’s
the plan,” Brian answered.

“And
it’ll probably get us killed?” Mira asked.

“You
guessed it,” he answered.

“Then
we have nothing to worry about,” Seles said.

“We
should get back to the launching bay and help Jesela out,” Mira said.

“See
you later Brian,” Seles said as they left. “And fill us in when we’re about to
do something stupid.”

“I
will,” he said.

Brian
headed for the exit when Grigon and Myden intercepted him. They joined him on
the way to the Columbia base’s command center.

“They’re
in good spirits,” Myden said.

“I
think they trust him,” Grigon said.

“We’ll
be doing something stupid,” Brian said.

“We’re
prepared for such things,” Myden said.

“The
Freedom’s in top shape,” Grigon added.

“I’m
glad to hear it,” Brian said.

The
three made their way into the command center. There they found Veda, Reban,
Valis, Kivi, Esra, and El Kar waiting. On the monitors were the three leaders
from the other bases, including Vikrit, Lena, and Miv Daek. Everyone went to
their usual places while Valis put the situation into the holographic table.
The image showed the roughly spherical territory of the Ick-Tckt and the
positions of the Confederation forces as well as the four bases. The last
things to appear were the fleets still loyal to the queen around the homeworld.

“There
quite a few gaps in our intelligence,” Veda remarked.

“The
problem is we don’t know who’s against the queen,” Valis explained. She looked
at Brian. “I had a chance to look over your plan and I have to say it’s bold.”

“Is
this the idea you mentioned after we talked to Khcha?” Esra asked.

“Exactly
the same,” Brian said.

“Enough
with the suspense, let’s see it,” Veda said.

Brian
went to the console attacked the holographic table and quickly added his plan.
It showed the Freedom going alone into Ick-Tckt territory while the four bases
remained behind.

“You’re
not serious, are you?” Kivi asked. “You’ll be blasted to pieces before getting
to the first colony system.”

Veda
laughed. “I like it.”

“As
do I,” Lena said.

“It’s
crazy, but the best one we’ve got,” Vikrit said.

“Something
I’d expect from Brian,” Miv Daek said.

“I
understand it’s crazy,” Brian said. “But there are a few things we have to
consider. The queen requested a representative, not our forces. That leads us
to the second problem. If we launch everything we have it’ll be considered an
invasion. While we would likely succeed militarily, we’d fail in the realm of
public opinion. The Ick-Tckt are fiercely independent and won’t stand outsiders
meddling in their affairs. The queen’s proposal is an excellent compromise
given the situation. Also, the Freedom has a better chance of success than any
of our other ships.”

“The
Minerva confirms it,” Valis said.

“I’ll
play along,” Kivi said. “So what’s our job?”

“The
bases and the Confederation forces are going to have waves of refugees to deal
with,” Brian said. “If things are going as we suspect, then the three duchesses
with the most power are moving against the queen. That means a number of the
lesser nobles are going to run and wait it out.”

“The
Minerva told me it’d be best if you moved out by the end of the week,” Valis
said.

“We’ll
head out in two days,” Brian said.

* * *

Jesela
looked up from her tablet when Mira and Seles left the cockpits of the Artemis
and Siren.

“So
how are they looking on the inside?” Jesela asked.

“Nothing’s
wrong,” Seles said.

“The
Siren says she wants new arms,” Mira said.

“The
spares are in storage,” Jesela said. “You can tell her they’ll be attached by
this time tomorrow.”

“Thanks,”
Mira said.

“It’s
not a problem,” Jesela said. “Although I’m a little concerned with the fact our
enemies are doing more damage to us.”

“It
can’t be helped since we’ve been fighting for almost a year now,” Seles said.

“Yeah,
they’ve had plenty of time to find our weak spots,” Mira said.

“I
didn’t think we had any,” Seles said.

“New
technology like this always has a few bugs,” Jesela said. “An example is the
special systems. According to what Grigon and I have found there’s a lot of
room for improvement.”

“I
didn’t think the arrow system could do more,” Seles said.

“And
the song system works great,” Mira added.

Jesela
nodded. “I know you feel that way, but our designs call for the systems to work
at two or three times what they’re at.”

Seles
received a message on her exoskeleton’s wrist computer.

“What’s
going on?” Mira asked.

“Brian’s
told them the plan,” Seles answered.

“Looks
like more work for me,” Jesela said.

* * *

Queen
Kchlt watched all the monitors in her main hall. The video showed a number of
the noble factions attacking her forces in the colony and resource systems
across the Ick-Tckt Empire. Her Chka Knight entered and watched the battles
with her.

“It’s
begun,” Khcha said.

“The
peace we had is now broken,” the queen said. “It’s possible there will never be
an era as prosperous as the last sixteen years.”

“If
we survive this it will,” Khcha said.

“Do
you think he’ll come?” the queen asked.

“I
saw enough of the man to know his intentions,” Khcha said. “Brian will come.
The question is how to do so without incurring the wrath of our people.”

“I
gave him the hint in my message I sent out,” the queen said. “Now we have to
pray he survives the journey.”

The
monitor next to the throne showed a fleet of ships appearing above the homeworld.
The queen’s fleets deployed quickly to intercept them. In the room next to the
hall the activity level increased as troops on the surface began exchanging
fire.

“We
should secure an escape route,” Khcha suggested.

“I’ll
leave that to you,” the queen said. “I’m staying here as long as I can.”