Freedom Saga 3: The Dawn of Liberty (8 page)

Veda,
Reban, Valis, Kivi, El Kar, Esra, Seles, Grigon, Myden, and Dreka all gathered
in the command center. The repairs of the base and all vessels onboard were
complete. The asteroid moved away from Dega Jul before gravity jumping into a
nearby solar system. Veda put the information pertaining to the Viken situation
on half the screens and the data on the Ick-Tckt on the other. From the images
sent to them by the Viken rebels, it was evident the civil war was causing far
more damage than the Confederation media was reporting. Across all of their colony
systems and in the home system the Viken government forces destroyed civilian
and rebel alike. This left their territories riddled with destroyed or
abandoned colonies and millions of refugees with nowhere to go.

“Things
look bad for their people,” El Kar said.

“We
should’ve acted sooner,” Esra said.

“We
would’ve if we’d known this was happening,” Veda said. “Our intelligence
reports sent these images a few days ago.”

“The
other problem is the government doing this to its people tried baiting us into
helping them a few months ago,” Valis added.

“Who
contacted us this time?” Seles asked.

“General
Yardek and Representative Ulad,” Veda said.

“Are
they the rebel leaders?” Kivi asked.

“They
have secured five fleets of the Viken military as their allies,” Veda said.
“We’ll meet with them on the edge of their territory.”

“What
if it’s a trap?” Esra asked.

“Then
we’ll crush them all at once,” Grigon cawed.

“I’ve
sent a number of plans to all of our ships just in case,” Valis said. “The
Viken don’t have mobile weapons of their own, so we should be able to handle
things. I suspect we’re needed more for aid then military power.”

“What
about the Ick-Tckt?” El Kar asked.

“That’s
why we came up with this,” Dreka said.

The
monitors displaying the Ick-Tckt craft showed the new detection system.

“Now
that we have this installed on every vessel on our base we should be able to
fight them better,” Veda said.

* * *

Brian
struggled with every fiber of his being to stand before taking the
rakna
blade from the wall. He stared at the blade with his eye shining red. He walked
next to his bed and positioned himself for meditation. As he looked at the
blade he saw something reflecting in it. When he turned his head he saw the
ghostly image of Delne once more.

“Why
is it I always seem to see you?” he asked before laughing. “Is it because you
rolled around in my head or something?”

“It’s
because I was the first one you saved,” Delne answered.

As
Brian looked around the room disappeared. The images of all those he had killed
swirled around him as he held the sword.

“Is
it time for someone to pass judgment upon me?” he asked. He felt tears in his
eyes as he gazed upon the dead. “I’m sorry.”

Delne
embraced him. “It’s alright.”

“I’ve
killed so many,” Brian said. “And more will die because of my foolishness.”

“It’s
because you’re mortal,” Delne said. “Making mistakes is part of living.”

“Some
mistakes are unforgivable,” he said.

“You
know that’s not true,” she said. “The majority of my life was spent lying and
coveting power. In doing so I killed so many, but I also killed myself. Even
so, he forgave me, and you did as well.”

“I
did that because you were trapped,” he said.

“You
are as well,” Delne said. “You’ve been trapped in someone else’s plan for the
future. For the dead all you can do is mourn them. For the living you must
defend them. It’s time to move forward Brian.”

The
images swirling around him changed to the liberated worlds, from Kalaidia to
Malcov. He watched as Lumiar and the Braiden danced in their new colonies.

“These
are the people you saved,” Delne said. “You must protect them. Now take that
rakna
and forge your own path.”

Brian
stood as the images swirling changed to the memories inside him. With a mighty
swing of the blade a path opened up before him and the darkness parted. As he
looked up he saw an endless stairway made of starlight before him.

“What
is this?” he asked.

“This
is the path only you can take,” Delne said before fading away.

* * *

Mira
and Celi stepped inside Brian’s quarters and found him sitting in a meditative
pose. But what caught their eye the most was the glowing light coming from the
inside of his exoskeleton. Both turned to the medical equipment and watched the
readings carefully.

“There
are times when science doesn’t have a good explanation,” Mira said.

“I
have to agree,” Celi added. “But we’re able to measure things.”

“We’ll
have to figure it out later,” Mira said.

Seles,
Valis, and Kivi walked in and saw the same thing.

“What
will you have to figure out later?” Valis asked.

Seles
went to him and tried looking inside the eye plates of the helmet. She covered
her eyes and backed away.

“This,”
Celi said.

The
monitor showed Brian’s DNA sequences were realigning themselves.

“I
know I’m not an expert in biology but isn’t this impossible?” Kivi asked.

“According
to all biological research it is,” Mira said.

“He’s
changing himself,” Valis said.

“I
didn’t think biology worked like that,” Seles said.

“The
accepted theory from our world says as much,” Celi said.

The
monitor showed his brain activity.

“He
appears to be in the middle of R.E.M. sleep mixed with some of the traits of
N.D.E.,” Celi said. “What we’re seeing with his body is a sleep deeper than any
we’ve ever seen before. But his mind is alight with activity.”

Myden
stepped out of the shadows and went to Brian.

“He’s
coming along nicely,” the Grey said.

“You
know what’s happening, don’t you?” Valis asked.

“I
went through the same experience when I was younger,” Myden said. “It’s quite
strange. His mind is closed off and I can’t hear a thing. But one can tell
something’s going on in there.” He looked at the others. “In order for an
awakened being to survive it must be reborn. The Brian you knew will no longer
exist. What he transforms into I can’t say so but be prepared for the worst.”

“Now
I’m worried,” Seles said.

“Can
you explain this?” Celi asked while pointing at the monitor.

“Not
in direct terms,” Myden admitted. “I will say this though. Evolution in some
form is the accepted science. But each race sees it differently through their
cultural lens. For Kalaidians it’s the mechanism by which Kali shaped you over
millions of years. For my people it explains how inert matter gained
consciousness.” He looked at Brian. “I can’t say what he believes, but Brian is
neither of our races. So what he sees during this transformation will be his
and his alone.”

“He’s
told me for a long time he’s an atheist,” Seles said.

“Then
his experience will be devoid of god,” Myden said. “For one of your kind Kali would
act as your guide. For me, it was my grandfather.”

“So
we’re talking about something that’s mystical, aren’t we?” Kivi said.

“If
you view it that way, then yes,” Myden answered.

“This
is too subjective,” Celi said. “I can tell he’s changing by the data, that’s
all I need.”

“What
changed about you?” Mira asked.

“Physically,
my people don’t change much at all,” Myden said. “But it differs from species
to species. The Daemos and Mylor undergo some extreme changes, whereas others
don’t.”

“Will
he live?” Seles asked.

“If
he’s made it this far without dying I’d say yes,” Myden said.

“How
long will this take?” Valis asked.

Myden
laughed. “I can’t say. For my people we stay like this for six months to a
year. For the Mylor it takes almost a hundred years.”

The
five women looked at the Grey with blank stares in their eyes.

“So
he could be stuck like this for a hundred years?” Seles asked.

“Or
a thousand,” Kivi said.

“In
other words, prepare to do things without him for a while,” Valis said.

“How
long does it take for a Daemos to change?” Mira asked.

“About
ten minutes,” Myden answered.

“That
makes no sense,” Celi said. “There should be some reason why it takes different
times for different species.”

“I’ve
lived a long time,” Myden said. “And in that time I’ve learned much, but as to
the answer to this, I haven’t.”

Mira
laughed. “Basically, we need to observe several species over thousands or
millions of years to know the rate?”

“Exactly,”
Myden said. “Let’s leave him alone for now. When he’s finished he’ll stand up
and tell us what happened.”

“Hopefully
without becoming a ball of light,” Seles said.

A
few days later the Columbia base appeared on the edge of Viken territory. As
they approached the second planet they saw the devastation wrought upon the
orbiting colonies. Wreckage filled the space around the moons of the gas giant.
Veda and Reban watched from the command center. When they got close enough an
encoded com line activated. From behind one of the larger moons a fleet of a
hundred heavy class Viken ships approached. Their design was a mix of long and
narrow with sharp, triangular edges. Each of the
ketre
long ships
sported two engine towers jutting from their sides. Around each of them a
hundred triangular fighters flew. The screen flashed and showed a tall male
Viken with black scales. He wore a tight fitting black and green uniform with a
star at the center to show his rank as general. Behind him, officers wearing
the same uniform with different symbols manned the stations. The Viken man
moved his hand over his heart to salute.

“I
am General Yardek, leader of the freedom fighters of the Viken Republic,” the
man said.

Veda
saluted using the Kalaidian form.

“I’m
Veda Kein, leader of Heaven’s Light,” she said. “This is the first time we’ve
met, but I’ve heard much of your exploits.”

“We’ve
been fighting for eight months now,” Yardek said. “Though our spirits are high
our bodies have grown weary. I’m glad you answered our call for help.”

“That’s
what Heaven’s Light was created for,” Veda said. “Is this area secure?”

“As
secure as we can make it,” Yardek said. “They don’t send large numbers of ships
out here to attack very often. What we’d like from you now is aid for our
civilian supporters in this system.”

“We’ll
do as you request,” Veda said. “How goes the war?”

“We’ve
secured over half the territories of our people,” Yardek said. “But the
loyalists have the financial backing of the regime. A few months ago I thought
we could handle this without asking for you organization’s aid, but now things
are stalemated.”

“We’ll
help you liberate your people,” Veda said.

“Thank
you Lady Kein,” Yardek said.

“Our
leaders would like to meet with you in person in the next few days,” Veda said.

“I’m
happy to accommodate that,” Yardek said. “For now I’ll send you the details for
aid.”

“Thank
you,” Veda said.

* * *

Brian
climbed the stairway of stars for what seemed like an eternity. Looking to both
sides he saw nothing but black.

“Is
there an end to this?” he asked.

His
voice echoed for a long time afterwards. As he continued he noticed something
strange sitting on the steps above him. Clad in blue armor with the motif of
the sea serpent was a Kalaidian man. He had long red hair in a tail with
matching beard and mustache. Underneath one of his blue eyes was a scar. The
man stood as Brian approached and drew a pair of
rakna
blades. The
stairway faded and shifted to platform of similar appearance. The Kalaidian man
stepped back to allow Brian join him.

“You’re
a tall lad, aren’t you?” the Kalaidian man asked with a smile.

“I
could say the same thing Gaelic,” Brian said.

Gaelic
waved his blades and sighed. “I should’ve made her a little taller.”

“Mira’s
fine as she is,” Brian said.

“How’s
that daughter of mine doing?”

Brian
moved his blade and extended the shield on his left arm. “She’s as beautiful as
ever.”

“I’m
glad,” Gaelic said. “I was worried when she got lost for a while.”

“Why
you are in here?” Brian asked.

“I’m
your guide Brian of Terra Prime,” Gaelic said. “But before that, I’d like to
spar with you. I haven’t had a good fight in ages.”

Brian
smiled as he took a defensive pose with his sword and shield. “Sounds like
fun.”

* * *

Veda,
Reban, Valis, Seles, Kivi, Esra, El Kar, Grigon, Dreka, and Myden all waited in
the command center. After landing his and nine other ships in the empty docking
bay General Yardek made his way to them. He waved for his two guards to wait
outside the room.

“You’ve
got quite a base here,” Yardek said.

“We
strive to be the best,” Grigon said.

“If
that’s the case then I’d say you are,” Yardek said. He looked to Valis. “What
thrills do you have in store for us?”

Valis
smiled. “You’ll see soon enough.”

“I’m
looking forward to it,” Yardek said.

“By
the way, where’s Representative Ulad?” Veda asked.

“She’s
busy leading our effort on the front,” Yardek answered. “So as to not exhaust
ourselves we’ve switched places a few times. Now that you’re here we can end
this war.”

He
placed a data crystal in the console and displayed the last known formation of rebel
and loyalist troops across the Viken territories. He highlighted a number of
planets and colonies to show the damage.

“As
you can see our infrastructure is in shambles,” Yardek said. “Our intention was
to avoid damage like this, but the loyalists have been ruthless. It seems their
only strategy is to crush all opposing elements as mercilessly as possible.”

“Looks
like war crime charges are going to be needed,” Esra commented.

“War
crimes indeed,” Yardek said. “I’ll admit the freedom fighters have killed some
civilians, but it was never intentionally nor on such a scale.”

“What
prompted your rebellion in the first place?” Seles asked.

“For
decades our election system has shown itself more and more rigged in favor of
the wealthiest citizens,” Yardek said. “It used to be the candidate that worked
for the people was the norm, but now all we see are those boosted by the most
money. Representative Ulad and her allies put everything into winning a
majority in parliament last year. They lost in a close vote. But it was
revealed shortly after the election was a fraud. The Prime Minister, Daran,
used the opportunity to declare martial law. When he went to arrest Ulad and
her supports the people rose up and that led to where we are now.” He looked at
everyone. “Never let money into your politics. It’ll only lead to a war like
this.”

“We
won’t,” Seles said.

“The
same for us,” Grigon cawed.

“Let’s
get back to the plan,” Veda said. “How much military strength does the
government have left?”

“They
have around a thousand ships,” Yardek said. “What hinders them is none of the
generals stayed with them.”

“What
happened to the others?” El Kar asked.

“I
was the only one to flee in time,” Yardek said. “All the others were executed
in a military purge. Because of that the military split in half.”

“If
that’s the case then our goal will be even easier,” Valis said. “Soldiers who
don’t trust their commanders have little chance for victory.”

The
monitor flashed and showed two hundred Viken ships approaching the base.

Yardek
growled. “It appears we’ll have to postpone our planning session.”

“Pull
your ships into our shields for now,” Veda said. “We’ll show you the power of
Heaven’s Light.”

* * *

Brian
and Gaelic sparred for hours without tiring. Although he was a head shorter
than Brian, Gaelic was quicker and more flexible, forcing the bulkier human on
the defensive. But Brian’s size gaze him extra reach with his blade to prevent
the other from getting close enough for a decisive blow. As their blades clashed
each sang. After a long time Gaelic backed off and saluted the human.

“Well
fought young man,” Gaelic said.

“Are
you giving up?” Brian asked with a smile.

Gaelic
laughed. “No, but we must get on with our journey. For now let’s call it a
draw.”

“A
draw it is,” Brian said before sheathing his sword.

The
starlit background shifted and showed images of Earth. All of them lined up as
memories to Brian. Gaelic looked on with a bit of awe.

“So
many,” Gaelic said as the images of cities flowed around them.

“There
were almost seven billion when I was taken,” Brian said. “By the way, what are
we looking at?”

“We
start the journey with your memories,” Gaelic said. “In order to change you
must first understand yourself. By the way, who’s the pretty lady?”

Gaelic
pointed to a cluster of memories of Layla. Brian blushed while shaking his
head.

“Layla,”
he answered.

“You
should’ve grabbed her up while you could,” Gaelic said.

“We
all have regrets and she’s a big one,” Brian admitted.

“It’s
good to know you’ve felt pain,” Gaelic said. “Only those who’ve suffered can
sympathize with others. For the role you play that’s vital.”

“For
the role I play, huh?” Brian asked.

“That’s
right lad, you have a role to play,” Gaelic said. “You may not believe in Kali,
but she’s right there, watching you all the time.”

“I
think I understand,” Brian said.

The
images shifted to when he first met Seles and Celi. Afterwards they watched his
first year on the Avoni.

“She
looks just like her mother,” Gaelic said.

“When
I first met Celestia I thought the same thing,” Brian said.

“Let’s
watch some more,” Gaelic said.

The
two men turned in circles as visions of Brian’s time on the Avoni and Freedom
surrounded them in a colorful light show.