Heaven Saga 1: The Lost Hero (16 page)

“I didn’t think this would be so exhausting,” Mira
said before taking a drink of water.

Brian did likewise. “Only one more left to go.”

She smiled. “This one isn’t what they’re expecting.”

“It’s not my song, just one I heard long ago and
really liked. I’ll credit those who made the original,” he said.

“But they didn’t use a pair of blades, or have anyone
as pretty as me as back up,” she remarked.

“Well Mira, shall we?” he said as he offered his hand.
She joined him.

“Yes, we shall,” Mira said as they left for the stage.

The room darkened again. Brian moved to the front of
the stage with a single beam of light shining on him. The crowd quieted as he
addressed them. “The
Cou don e Kali
is a sacred ceremony steeped in
tradition. The song to complete this ceremony is normally the Hymn to Kali, but
I will not be performing that song.”

The crowd gasped with whispers moving about the
audience. Brian began again. “I’m human, not Kalaidian. So I thought I should
perform a song from Earth, with much story and meaning behind it. It’s a
classic rock song, a style of music unknown to your people. I present to you,
Stairway to Heaven, originally performed by Led Zeppelin.”

He drew his swords and spoke the command to change
their sound. Mira took her place in the dimly illuminated back. He was to perform
the electric guitar and vocals while Mira covered everything else. The
auditorium went completely black save for the two on stage. The background
resembled a forest from Earth. Tall, human sized figures danced around them,
matching Brian’s blades and voice. One figure was a female ghost, slightly
transparent compared to the others. During the song the ghost matched the
lyrics of the “Lady”. As the song continued, the crew was dazzled by the speed
of his movements.  Suddenly, all but the figure of the “Lady” disappeared. She
stood at a split in the path. Brian’s singing stopped as he began performing
the guitar riff, except he used dance movements, along with sword spins,
slashes, and thrusts to make the music. Mira matched his speed doing the drums
and support music, dancing and twirling in time. When he reached the peak of
“Stairway to Heaven”, his blade dancing was so fast they could barely see him.
As the song neared the end he sang the closing lyrics. At the end, the “Lady”
found the “Stairway to Heaven”, and began climbing the steps. As the song
ended, both Brian and Mira posed in beams of light. The background hologram
faded away as the music ended.  He closed his eyes and wondered why they were
taking so long to applaud.
Didn’t they like it?
He opened his eyes as
the crew began cheering loudly. He smiled and looked back at Mira, who was
smiling as well. She stepped forward and waved to be heard.

“Did you enjoy that my friends?” she asked the crowd.

A cheer came out, saying “Yes, More, Again.”

She turned to Brian. “Then I present to you, Brian
Peterson,
Rakna Maigar
in name and fact.”

She went to the back of the stage and picked something
up. She handed it to him. He glanced at the white rose as the crowd cheered for
him to throw it. He closed his eyes and kissed the rose before tossing it into
the crowd. The room went silent. He opened his eyes to see the crew staring at
the captain. She held the rose.

He stepped off the stage. The crowd parted until he
stood in front of her. He knelt and offered his hand. “Valis, as the Lady of
the Rose, I’m to serve you for the night.”

“Yes, and you’ll serve me well,” Valis replied as she
took his hand.

* * *

Brian and Valis enjoyed a fine meal at the table in
her quarters. Pictures of landscapes from various worlds lined the walls, as
well as pictures of Valis in her younger days.

“I have something to ask you,” she said.

“Ask away.”

“What are your thoughts on the future?”

He looked at the pictures on the walls. “I want my
freedom. I want to feel the sun on my skin and the wind in my hair. I want to
see more Valis.”

“I see,” she said as she took something from her desk
drawer. It was a silver circlet with a single leaf angled to the left. She
walked over and placed the circlet on his forehead. “This is yours Brian. From
this day onward, you’ll be ranked as Lieutenant Commander, my second in
command. I’ve watched your growth carefully, and I’m glad I took the chance of
letting you stay.”

He nodded before saluting. “I’ll be ready for duty
tomorrow. What about going outside? I know if I walk around like this it’ll
cause problems.”

She smiled. “I have a simple solution in mind. When in
public, I want you to wear this.” Valis went behind her desk and pulled out a
large metal helmet. It matched his armor’s color and motif. “Not only will this
hide your identity, it has many features to add to your armor. Here, try it
on,” she said as she handed the helmet to him.

After putting it on and locking it into place, he saw
Valis’s heat register. “Is this okay? Can you hear me?” he asked with a voice
sounding like a robot’s. He noticed she was laughing.

“Daes did a great job,” she said, shaking her head.
“You look just like a Keinien Android.”

“What are those?” he asked.

“Keinien Androids were common a hundred years ago. For
a long time we used Androids to fill the males’ role on the battlefield, until
it was decided ninety five years ago to decommission them. When in public the
crew will refer to only your rank, not your real name or species. You should
also get used to being called
Maigar
, since that’s your title,” she
explained.

He took the helmet off and put it down. “It feels
weird wearing this.” She came close and took his hand.

“Before going on duty tomorrow, I want you to see
Celi,” Valis said. “She’s been pestering me about a physical for months now.”

“No problem,” he said.

“But before that...” She began picking at his armor.
“I’d like to give you a thorough physical myself.”

“Anything you desire my Lady.”

Valis jumped out of bed and desperately searched for
something.

“What is it?” Brian asked as he threw his clothes on.

Valis quickly put on her clothes and circlet with the
three leaves. “I have to be on duty in less than 10 minutes.” She checked
herself in the mirror and fixed her hair. “I want you to report to Celi
immediately. Afterwards, go to the HDC. Kivi will be waiting for you there with
a few gifts,” she said as she ran to the door. She looked back and smiled. “By
the way, come back to my room sometime soon.”

He put on the rest of his clothes and armor. Looking
in the mirror, he placed the circlet with a single leaf on his forehead. On his
way to sickbay, he noticed a number of the crew stopping to salute. He returned
each one and said thanks. Walking into sickbay, he found Celi and Mira waiting.

“I’m here for the check up,” he said.

“Thanks for coming,” Celi said as she led him into the
medical lab. Mira followed and closed the door behind them.

Celi turned to him. “Please remove your clothing.”

Seeing their strange smiles he shook his head and
complied. They took turns scanning him over. The large monitor in the middle of
the computer equipment showed two pictures, one of Brian when he first came
onboard, and the one they were in the process of finishing.

“You’ve improved your physical condition quite a bit,”
Celi said.

“Six months living in whatever hell your commander can
think of does that to a person,” he said. “Can I put my clothes back on?”

“Sure,” Mira said. “We’re almost finished.”

“There’s one more sample we need from you,” Celi said.
Mira continued the data comparison.

He donned his armor and locked it into place. “What do
you need?”

“I need a sperm sample from you,” Celi said. “I have
everything else for my research other than that.”

He laughed and shook his head. “Do you have something
I can use as a container?”

She went to the table and grabbed sealed cup. “This
will flash freeze the sample,” Celi said as she handed it to him.

Brian placed the container in a side pocket on his
belt. “I’ll bring it to you in a few days.”

“Thank you,” Celi said as he left.

“He looked really embarrassed,” Mira remarked.

“I felt the same asking, but we really do need it,”
Celi said.

* * *

Brian opened the door to the HDC and walked into the
illusion of a bright sunny day in a desert. He saw a sand storm off in the
distance and an oasis nearby. There, he found Kivi, wearing her circlet with
two leaves as she meditated in the open sun.

“It’s been awhile,” he said.

She opened her eyes and stood up. “I bear gifts from
Daes.”

“What else could I need?” he asked.

“The
rakna
blades you’re carrying are good for
music, but not for battle. Daes made a few items to suit your tastes.”

She went to a bush nearby and brought out a pair of
large objects wrapped in cloth. She placed them at his feet. He knelt down to
see what they were. He began with the object shaped like a sword. Unlike the
rakna
blades he had been using, the sword was the size of a European bastard sword,
straight blade and extended hilt. The scabbard matched his armor. He picked up
the blade and found the balance was perfect.

“This is perfect,” he said.

“I knew you’d like it,” Kivi said. “Before going into
battle you’ll have to master the sword’s a special feature.”

“What kind of special feature?” he asked.

She waved her hand in a spinning motion. “If you spin
the sword while at full power, you can gather energy. You release the energy by
slashing in an arc, or by thrusting forward or back. Which way you attack will
determine the shape and power of the energy beam released.”

“I don’t suppose I could try it out here?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Sorry, but firing a beam like
that would damage the ship.”

He removed the cloth from the second it. It looked
like a massive dragon scale.

“Is this a shield?” he asked.

“Yes, and it locks into place here.” Kivi pointed to a
spot on his left arm.

He placed the shield into the spot she pointed to and
found it fit perfectly. He flexed his arm and watched the large shield fold
into his armor. “That’s handy. I don’t have to carry it on my back.” He flexed
his arm again and caused the shield to grow to full size. He pressed a button
on the shield. A second later a force field surrounded him. He turned off the
force shield and let the shield fold into his left arm. “I really appreciate
this.” Looking behind Kivi, he saw something else in the bushes. “What’s that?”

She smiled. “That’s for me.” She revealed a set armor
with the motif of a sea serpent. “I saw your armor and decided I should have a
set made for me,” she said as she stepped into the armor. She wore a pair of
rakna
blades on her belt. “Would you mind sparring with me?”

He smiled. “That’s just the thing I need.”

* * *

The two sat in the shade while enjoying the
holographic weather.

Kivi turned to him. “So what’s the special project
Daes is busy with?”

Brian stood up and motioned for her to join him. “Come
and see for yourself.”

They left the HDC and headed for the cargo bay.

“It’s going to take a few more weeks to finish the
computer systems, but Daes told me its nearing completion,” he said as they
came to the bay door.

The cargo bay looked more like a weapons development
lab. A number of engineers were in the room while Daes was at the main console
working. As Brian and Kivi walked in, Daes looked up and went over to them.

“I wondered when you’d come to see what we’re
building,” Daes said. She led them to the corner of the cargo bay. “It can take
the form a light class cruiser or giant bipedal robot.” Daes flipped a switch
on her belt.

Light above shined on the mobile suit. The metallic
giant stood over twenty
vetres
in height. It was equipped with a massive
sword and shield. Propulsion systems were attached to the back and feet.

“I never thought you could make this real,” he said as
he touched the leg of the robot. “Daes, you’re really a great engineer.”

“True,” Daes said. She stared proudly at the Mjolnir.
“But the original designs were crafted by genius far greater than mine.”

Brian was alone in his room. After equipping the
shield and placing his
rakna
blade on his back, he placed the helmet on
his head to lock it into place. Before leaving, he looked at his image in the
mirror. He head to the rear of the ship until he came to a stairway leading
outside, down to a landing pad. Though shielded by his helmet, Brian saw real
sunlight for the first time in nearly a year. Looking down, he saw Seles, Mira,
Jesela, and Celi. The four of them stood outside talking. As he approached,
each of them gave him a funny look.