Heaven Saga 1: The Lost Hero (3 page)

Brian looked down and saw her outline.
She’s a lot
smaller this close to me
. He thought as she led him to the brig’s door.
“Your ship has escape pods, right?”

The ship shook violently again. Seles looked up at
Brian. “There’s an escape shuttle down the hall. But first, I have to blast the
door down.”

“Go for it,” Brian said as she took aim. After
shooting the door a number of times with energy blasts the door fell open.
Outside the emergency lights were on. She led him down a hallway until they
reached a small hexagonal door sitting in the wall.

“This is the escape shuttle,” Seles said as she
accessed the adjacent computer panel.

Brian looked at it. “It’s a bit small.”

“Let’s go,” she said, jumping through the door.

Brian sighed. “Guess I don’t have a choice.” He
squeezed his way through the door and into the back of the escape shuttle.

* * *

“What’s our status?” Valis asked.

“Shields have been reduced by 40%, propulsion is near
red line,” Daes said.

“I really wish we were on even footing
technologically,” Kivi said as she continued working the Avoni’s systems.

We can’t survive more than two more attacks.
Valis thought to herself. She looked at her plan,
frowning.
At least we’ll leave with our lives
. She looked up again.
“Baed, full speed ahead for the Grey ship, when I give the command put the
Avoni into a barrel roll. Zae, reroute all remaining power to the forward
shields.”

“Planning something crazy?” Kivi asked.

“I hate to do this, but survival takes precedence over
treasure. Grey vessels are as maneuverable as Original Five types. The only way
we can compensate is to get as close as possible. That’s when we give them the
ship we captured,” Valis explained.

“What about their telepathy?” Zae asked.

Valis grinned. “A long time ago I learned their
telepathic powers are limited in range. By the time we get close enough for them
to read us it’ll be too late for them to react.” Valis finished the adjustments
to the ship and looked to Kivi, who nodded.

 “Baed, Zae, let’s get this started,” Valis said.

* * *

Brian banged his head as he stood up in the shuttle
pod, holding back a curse. In the front were two small chairs and a control
panel. To the sides were storage lockers and extra seats, as well as more
consoles. Seles sat in the front chair to the right and activated the small
vessel’s systems.

“Good, it looks like everything’s working here,” she
said as she flipped a pair of switches above her chair and started the engines.

Brian sat in the chair to the left. “I think I need a
bigger seat.”

“You look ridiculous.” She glanced at him, smiling.
“Make sure to use the safety belt. I’m sure you don’t want to crash into a wall
once we get moving.”

Brian looked around, seeing the strap on the back. He
slid it on; not bothering to lower the arm rests. He looked the console.
Their
language looks remarkably similar Greek. I can almost read it.
He thought
to himself, looking at Seles.
I’m glad that their species is pretty. I’d
hate to be stuck with the Greys any longer than I did.
He looked down and
noticed she still had her rifle trained on him.

“I’m not going to hurt you Seles,” Brian said.

Seles finished readying the shuttle’s systems. “Never
trust the word of a Terran. Until I see otherwise Brian, my weapon will be
ready.”

“What?” Brian asked.

Seles detached the shuttle from the Avoni’s hull right
before the ship barreled into the attacking ship. As they began speeding away,
the Avoni tossed the remains of the captured ship at the other, causing an
explosion. The Avoni was thrown away, while the small shuttle was driven
towards a large gas giant. Seles struggled to keep control of the craft,
steering them into the orbit of a large, ice covered moon.

“That was one hell of an explosion,” he said.

“I hope the Avoni survived it.” Seles turned to Brian.
“As for us, it looks like our engine systems were damaged. It’s going to be a
struggle for me to just land the shuttle.”

“I hope you’re good at flying Seles,” he said as the
shuttle dove into the moon’s atmosphere.

“I’m the best Nova pilot onboard,” Seles said, showing
a small, silver button shaped like a star on her shirt. “My people only earn
these when they become an ace. I’ve shot down my share of enemies in the past
few years.”

Brian looked at the moon’s landscape as they
descended.  “Figures the first rock I’ll set foot on other than home is frozen
to the core.”

Seles smiled.
You wouldn’t think that he
annihilated an entire Grey crew just a day or two ago.
She thought to
herself. “Brace yourself!”

The shuttle dove into an icy plateau, crashing softly
into the ice and snow.

* * *

The crew of the Avoni braced for the explosion
outside. Smoke filled the air as small fires erupted from the equipment on the
bridge. Valis shook her head and looked around, seeing everyone was alright.
She turned to Kivi. “Give me a damage report.”

Kivi coughed. “Defense shields down. The pulse cannons
are operating at 20% output. The gravity drive is not functioning, engines at
10%. Five crew are confirmed dead, twelve missing.”

“Which sectors?” Valis asked.

“Novaguard hanger A,” Kivi answered.

Valis closed her eyes. “Where was Seles?”

Kivi checked. “She’s not among the casualties. It
appears she took an emergency shuttle.”

“Are you sure?” Valis asked.

“I have the video here.” Kivi showed it to Valis.

“What’s that?” she asked, pointing to a shadow
entering the hatch behind Seles.

“That’s the alien we recovered,” Daes said.

“We need to get the Avoni moving as soon as possible.
I don’t have to stress why recovering Seles is so important,” Valis said.

Brian woke up after the crash and found himself lying
on the floor next to Seles. The air was cold, getting colder by the minute. He
looked around frantically for the emergency supplies before making his way to
the back of the shuttle. There, he found the back hatch was bent open a little.
After searching through a few containers, he found the sack full of emergency
supplies. Next to it was an object that looked like a sword, about a meter in
length, with a slight curve to the blade. The hilt was made of the same metal
and wrapped tightly with leather. Brian picked it up and drew the blade from its
metal sheath. He swung the blade, feeling it was perfectly balanced and light
as a feather.

“What are you doing?” Seles asked as she got up and
shook her head.

Brian looked at the blade. “Why would you have this in
the emergency supplies? Isn’t a sword a bit behind the technological curve?”

Seles stood up and motioned for the blade. When Brian
handed it to her she pressed a button and said, “
Rakna bel de cou.”
The
sword started glowing and radiated heat.

“It’s not just a normal sword, it’s a
rakna
blade.
The metal vibrates so quickly it can cut through most metals.” Seles repeated
the words,
“Rakna bel de cou.”
 The sword stopped glowing. She placed it
back within its sheath and handed it to Brian. “Can you grab the rest of the
supplies?”

He grabbed the sack and threw it over his back. Seles
took her pulse rifle and a small scanning device, turning it on.

“Can that thing find us shelter?” Brian asked.

“Yes, why do you ask?”

He pointed at the back of the shuttle. “The back hatch
is bent and the air from outside is leaking in fast.”

She checked the door, confirming the leak. She looked
at her scanner and sighed with relief. “There’s a large cave about eight
hundred
vetres
away. It’ll take us thirty minutes if we hurry.”

Brian grabbed the cold weather cloaks and handed one
to Seles. “How big is a
vetre
?” he asked as he put the
rakna
blade on his belt.

She put her hand just below his waist. “That’s about
what a
vetre
is. Let’s hurry to the cave; it looks like night will be
falling soon.”

The two wrapped the thick white cloaks around
themselves and left through the back hatch. Snow was blowing in all directions
and the sky was near dusk. Visibility was next to nothing. Brian noticed the
temperature was barely below freezing.

“Compared to what I was living in a few days ago this
feels like summer,” Brian said as the two began walking. He let the hood of the
thermal cloak down.

Seles was shivering. “How could anyone call this
summer?” she asked, pulling the cloak tighter.

“Haven’t you ever seen winter Seles? This is quite
normal from where I come from,” he said.

“What’s winter?” she chattered out.

“Winter’s the cold season, when the temperatures fall
below freezing and it snows like this.” He looked at her. “What kind of world
do you come from?”

Seles continued shivering. “Kalaidia is a land of lush
tropical forests and swampland. It never snows or gets near the temperature of
freezing. My people suffer hypothermia much quicker than a high warm blooded
being like you. Even with nanomachines we can stand the cold for only a little
while.”

“At least we found a moon with a breathable
atmosphere. What’re the chances of that?”

“Not very good,” Seles answered.

Brian kept looking at Seles. She was shivering as the
blowing snow and wind were getting worse.
How could beings of such high
technology be so frail?
He thought to himself.
I’d better keep her
talking so she doesn’t fall unconscious.

“Why did you react so strongly when I told you I was
from Earth?” he asked. “How do your people even know about it?”

Trembling, Seles replied, “It’s because of your race’s
love of war and adaptability. Are we wrong for believing what we’ve been told
Brian?”

He shook his head. “No, that’s pretty accurate. Humans
have adapted to live in all climates, from the coldest arctic to the hottest deserts.
We’re also fascinated with war. But, we’re also explorers who love to conquer
the unknown. What I still want to know is how you know about Earth.”

She turned and looked at him. “Long before Kalaidia
joined the Confederation, many centuries ago, there was a lone Terran who came
from space. It’s said he was the greatest of his people, rising above the base
desires of your race. But the other races feared him, and because of their
fear, killed him. Some believe he never died, or perhaps returned to Terra
Prime with his memories erased. All records of who he was were destroyed.  He’s
known only as the Teacher.”

“So why not just destroy us and be done with it?”
Brian asked.

Still shivering, Seles responded, “Because, we fear
the Greys even more than Terrans. The Confederation believes there will be a
war in the coming centuries.”

“What does that have to do with humans?” he asked.

“Terrans are a wild card in such a war. Your race’s
fighting ability is one of your greatest strengths. There’s also your race’s
ability to develop new technologies faster than us. Most Confederation members
took several centuries to develop space flight after powered flight. Yours did
the same in less than seventy years.”

Seles looked at the scanner, trembling. She pulled the
thermal cloak tighter. Night was falling. With snow blowing, Brian and Seles
saw the outline of a rocky outcrop. Near the center was a small entrance. As
they neared the cave, Seles tumbled to the ground.

Brian ran over to her, “Seles! What’s wrong!?”

He put his hand on her forehead.
I’ve got to get
her inside and start a fire.
He grabbed the scanner and put it in his
pocket, lifting the unconscious Seles and running into the cave. The interior
was cold, but the wind was blocked. He headed down the lone corridor until he
came to a split. He looked right, seeing more corridors. He looked left, seeing
a small room. He carried her into the room and gently placed her on the ground.
He searched for something to start on fire.
I don’t suppose trees grow on
ice worlds?
He thought to himself.
If I can’t start a fire I’m going to
need to raise the temperature some other way.
He felt his belt, touching
the
rakna
blade.
This should work.
He thought as he drew the
blade.

“Rakna bel de cou,”
Brian said, pressing the button. After a few seconds the blade started
glowing. Only then did Brian realize he’d been walking in complete darkness. He
knelt down and felt Seles’s skin; she was getting colder and breathing lightly.
He grabbed a large, loose stone off to the side and placed it on the ground. He
put the
rakna
blade on the rock. After a few seconds the
rakna
blade began heating up the rock until it glowed and acted as a heat dynamo. He
turned the blade off and felt the warmth coming from the rock.
This should
do the trick.
He held Seles and sat with a stalagmite to his back, pulling
her close to his body. He made sure she was facing the heated rock before
wrapping his thermal cloak around her. Exhausted, Brian fell asleep holding
her, thinking about warmer days back on Earth, days when cold like this would
melt away.