Freedom Saga 1: Heaven's Light (11 page)

Valis was on the
bridge with Zae, Baed, Vae, and Daes. Brian entered and took his place next to
her. Celi entered the bridge a moment later and stood next to Daes at the top
of the bridge. Meldi came in right behind her.

“Alright, let’s
get started,” Valis said.

Baed hit the
console and the monitor showed Esra and El Kar on their respective bridges.

“Our current
mission will take us away from the Confederation’s center,” Valis said. “I’d
like for us to move towards the galactic interior as well.”

“Sounds
dangerous,” Esra said. “But danger isn’t what I’m worried about.”

“Agreed,” El Kar
said. “The sojourners did the same thing, didn’t they?”

“Yes,” Brian
said. “Baed planned a route that took us away from their main territory so we
could travel unimpeded.”

“How long are we
supposed to act as decoys?” Esra asked.

“At least two
months, preferable three,” Valis said. “I’ve chosen this path and my crew
agrees. Remember, we’re not forcing you to come with us.”

“We’ll stay with
you,” El Kar said.

“My crew would
mutiny if I did otherwise,” Esra said.

“Alright,” Valis
said. “If we’re in agreement then we can move on the next subject.”

Baed sent over
the route to the other two ships.

“As you can see,
the Confederation has a number of strongholds in the area,” Valis said. “This
route should take us away from their main force and give our friends a chance
to finish preparations.”

“Let’s head out
then,” Esra said.

“As soon as
possible,” El Kar added.

* *
*

“I’m feeling
much better now,” the Mjolnir said. Daes was finishing a number of hardware
replacements.

“I’m glad,” she
said. “How are your motor functions coming along?”

The Mjolnir
flexed its hands before moving its arms around. “Everything is functioning
properly.”

Meldi knocked on
the hatch as she came in. “What’s going on in here?”

“I’m replacing
some parts,” Daes explained. “The upgrades are almost finished.”

“The stuff
outside looks intimidating,” Meldi said.

“That’s just
because the cannon’s bigger,” Daes said.

“The pulse
blasts are calculated to be at least fifty five percent larger,” the Mjolnir
said. “By the way, what brings you here lieutenant?”

“Yeah, what
gives?” Daes asked. “It’s not like you to be crawling in the parts like this.”

“Has Brian
talked to either of you?” Meldi asked.

“Yeah,” Daes
said. “I added a little something in the drive system because of it.”

“What about you
Mjolnir?” she asked.

“I’m alright
with it lieutenant,” the mobile suit said. “But when I’m under your care can I
call you Meldi?”

“That would
fine,” she said. “The question I have is why?”

Daes finished
installing a large apparatus and closed the metal panel. “It’s because of his
physical condition,” she said. “From what Celi has told me his days as a pilot
are numbered.”

“Is it because
he’s berserked too many times?” Meldi asked.

“Precisely,”
Daes said. “The Mjolnir’s drive system saved his life. But now his body can’t
take it anymore. The only option left might be to deactivate the nanomachines
inside him.”

“But if he does
that then he’ll be vulnerable again,” Meldi said.

“At least he’ll
live,” the Mjolnir said. “I don’t want him to die.”

“I agree,” Meldi
said.

“Do you think
you can handle him?” Daes asked.

Meldi patted the
mobile suit on the monitor. “If he’s alright with me then there shouldn’t be a
problem.”

“I’m okay with
it,” the mobile suit said.

“Then I’ll make
sure the adjustments for your flight preferences are put into the system,” Daes
said.

* *
*

“If the two of
you can’t beat them in a simulation there’s no way you’ll do it in real life,”
Brian said.

Valis and Celi
both stepped out of the simulators to take a break. They noticed he was
incensed.

“What are we
doing wrong?” Valis asked.

“Do you want me
to be blunt or kind?” he asked.

“Blunt,” Valis
said.

“Celi’s doing her
part perfectly,” he explained. “But a shield is only effective if the sword is
in sync.”

“He’s right you
know,” Celi said.

“I know you’re
not used to being criticized but I have to insist on this,” Brian said.

“I’m trying my
best to figure it out,” Valis said. “But piloting isn’t my strength.”

“That’s the
problem,” he said. “You said you wanted blunt so that’s what I’m going to give
you.”

“Hit me with
everything you got then,” Valis said.

“Let’s start
with your attitude,” Brian said. “You need to view your mobile suit not as a
tool or device but as part of your body. When you’re in battle you can’t be
separated. Don’t just fly the mobile suit, become it. The reason why Mjolnir
and I fight so well is because we act as one mind and one body. Otherwise all
you’re doing is lazily flying the thing through space.”

“Is that all?”
she asked.

Brian shook his
head. “No, the reason why you’re sluggish is because you’ve spent too many
years in the captain’s chair and not training. If you’re going to fly the
Minerva you have to see the whole battlefield, not just the commander’s
perspective.” His com beeped.

“It’s time for
your shift,” Zae said.

“I’ll be there
in a minute,” Brian said. He looked at them. “I’m sorry if I’m being a jerk but
you asked me to be blunt.”

“Like a hammer,”
Celi said.

“I’ll be back to
check on you two later,” Brian said as he left.

Valis stared at
the ground while clenching her fist. “He’s right,” she said. “I’ve been looking
at things from a distance so long I’ve lost perspective.”

“Don’t we all?”
Celi asked. “I spent years cloistered away in sickbay without a second thought.
Sometimes we forget what got us to where we are today.”

“I’ve forgotten
what hard work is,” Valis said. “When victory comes too easy this is the
result.” She stared at the simulator. “He fought through the worst odds
imaginable while the rest of us simply watched.”

“It wasn’t all
him Valis,” Celi explained. “It was everyone banding together to survive. When
the time comes you’ll live up to the moment.”

“I hope you’re
right,” Valis said. “What I’m wondering is if his condition has allowed him to
figure out the Teacher’s plan.”

“Perhaps,” Celi
said.

“It’s bothered
me for years that he’s never explained things in detail,” Valis said. “Myden is
the same. I have a feeling there’s more going on than what they’re telling us.”

“There’s more
going on,” Celi said. “At the end of the sojourn Brian was about to die. If I
hadn’t awakened he would have. From the strange looks I get from Grigon and
Myden I get the impression that wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“Are you saying
he was supposed to die?” Valis asked.

“That’s exactly
what I’m saying,” Celi said.

“He said
something similar a few days ago.” Valis thought for a moment. “Being in the
dark isn’t something I enjoy.”

“If he knew the
Teacher’s plan then he would’ve told us,” Celi said. “Brian’s not the type to
keep it too himself.”

“But he is,”
Valis countered. “I hope he doesn’t take it all on himself again.”

“He will,
doesn’t he always?” Celi asked.

Valis nodded.
“If he doesn’t know then the one who does is Myden.”

“When we see him
ask for some answers,” Celi suggested. “If he’s to have our trust then he has
to be honest with us.”

“I’ll do just,”
Valis said. She looked at the simulators. “I guess we should give it another
round.”

“My thoughts
exactly,” Celi said.

Siata watched
the message from a console next the captain’s chair before turning to Baeron.

“Our mission is
to capture Brian Peterson by any means necessary,” she said. “The operation’s codename
is Prism.”

“How many ships
do we have to hunt with?” the Minan commander asked.

“As many as we
request,” she said. “The High Council is willing to pull all patrols to aid in
this mission.”

Baeron watched
outside as dozens of ships and hundreds of Lances gravity jumped in near their
tattered fleet. As the minutes passed the space around them was filled with
over a hundred ships and a thousand mobile suits.

“With this many
it shouldn’t be a challenged,” Baeron said. “We’ll overwhelm them and force
surrender.”

* *
*

A message played
throughout the territories of the Confederation as fast as could be spread. In
the Kalmar system, Veda, Grigon, Kivi, and Seles were in the command center of
the Columbia base. Seles had changed from her standard uniform to a silver and
white exoskeleton made for her. On her belt she wore a
rakna
blade.
Shiken Ka came in a moment right before the message was to be played.

“Only once every
hundred years is this done,” Veda said. “I’m sure all of you suspect what’s in
this message, but I thought it’d be prudent for us to watch it together.”

She turned the
receiver on and allowed the message to play. On the screen appeared the chamber
in which the High Council met. The recording panned the room before settling on
the Mylor representatives. Lord Kris stepped to the front.

“To the peoples
of Alden, we of the High Council have made our decision regarding the
independent military organization known as Heaven’s Light. This organization,
headed by Brian Peterson, is nothing more than a cover for his attempt to grab
for power and dismantle the Confederation as we know it. He is charged with
conspiracy to overthrow our governing body, piracy, and most of all the spread
of lies to create unfounded fear amongst the people of Alden. He is to be
captured at all costs and tried before the High Council under those charges. We
have dispatched our special task forces in an effort to ensure his
incarceration. As a charged outlaw, anyone found aiding him will be held as
criminals under the same charges. The organization calling itself Heaven’s
Light is to disarm itself and surrender its leaders to the High Council. That
will be all.”

The message
ended with silence in the room as everyone tried to understand what was said.

Grigon cawed in
defiance. “A few pretty words from the High Council won’t change a thing. Their
threats are nothing compared to our momentum.”

Shiken Ka
grinned, “As outlaws fighting for the same cause I must agree.”

“Did anyone
notice the Kalaidian and Shandi representatives were absent?” Seles asked.

“They probably
left in protest,” Kivi offered. “I’d expect Jabril to order such a thing.”

“Trai Gor would
as well,” Shiken added. “But what I find pathetic is their charges. They offer
words but none of the evidence. If anyone’s guilty of spreading false
information it’s the High Council itself.”

“Their goal is
to spread doubt amongst the people,” Veda said. “Our nobility did the same
thing for years.”

“But it won’t
work,” Seles said. “Even if Brian hadn’t appeared the Kalaidian people would’ve
destroyed the nobility.”

“True,” Veda
said. “Revolution was inevitable.”

“Much like what
we’re doing right now,” Grigon said. “Anyways, I don’t think we have to change
our mission plan.”

“We’ll proceed
with caution,” Shiken Ka said. “But with practical force. The three ships can
only hold out for so long.”

* *
*

Seles stood on
the dock leading to the Freedom. Next to it were the Raulno and the Vomada. She
watched the engineers work on the ships and base. Then she turned to the exit,
deep in thought.
Why do I feel so uneasy about this?

“Are you alright?”
Kivi asked as she joined her.

Seles shook
herself back to attention. “Sorry, I was just thinking about things.”

“Are you
hesitating?”

“Perhaps,” Seles
said. “Maybe a spar would clear those doubts.”

Kivi smiled. “I
like that idea. I haven’t had a chance to use my blade lately.”

The pair walked
into a side hallway with a number of rooms attached. Most of them were empty
for the moment. They came to a room at the end with lights and plenty of open
space. As the two entered Kivi drew her two blades and took a defensive
posture. Seles drew her
rakna
blade and flexed her left hand to extend
the shield from her silver and white exoskeleton.

“You’ve gotten
taller,” Kivi said.

“It’s the armor
more than anything,” Seles said. “I haven’t gotten used to wearing it yet.”

“It’ll grow on
you,” Kivi said. “You fight with the same stance he does.”

Seles tapped her
blade on her shield. “When our minds connected some of his preferences passed
into me.” The two circled each other for a moment. “An example is this.” Seles
thrust her sword forward and was blocked by Kivi’s. Kivi reacted by stepping to
the side and pouncing forward with her second blade. Seles countered with a
shield punch and forced Kivi to summersault backward.

“You really have
been in his head,” Kivi said. “I should’ve grabbed my helmet.”

“I take you
don’t enjoy using your head to parry?” Seles asked.

Kivi laughed.
“That’s the exact thing I said to him the first time we sparred.”

* * *

The
Confederation fleet massed together before Siata made her announcement.

“To all captains
in this fleet, our mission is clear,” she said. “Capture the Terran Brian
Peterson. We’ll send the specifics over later but the general plan is this:
Each ship will be part of a fleet of twelve. Upon detecting our quarry the
fleet is to withdraw to a safe distance and send word to the other fleets.
Using this method we’ll encircle the three ships and force them into an unfavorable
position. If we’re forced to we will destroy them, but our goal is the capture
of Brian, keep that in mind. That will be all for now.”

The ships
outside began coalescing into fleets of twelve. Baeron joined the Mylor female.

“Never before
have so many ships gathered for a single warrior,” he said. “But given the past
battles with the Terran I understand why.”

“We must capture
him before he goes over the edge,” Siata said. “Otherwise we’ll lose the chance
to save his life.”

“Why not go to
the Terran homeworld and advance them forward?” Baeron asked. “If one Terran is
so valuable millions we be greater.”

“Never again,”
Siata hissed. “My people made that mistake at Geluke Don long ago. Our intentions
got the better of us and the result was their extinction. The Terran people
aren’t united as one and can’t endure such change right now. They would only
use the technology to destroy each other. We enacted the Edict to prevent such
tragedies.”

“I see,” Baeron
said. “But what if the Greys get to them first?”

Siata stood
silent for a moment. “If that were to occur, my people would intervene. But the
truth is doing so may not save them in time. That’s why we need him. If Brian
is the last of his people then they still exist through him. The Kalaidians are
currently researching a method to mix his blood with theirs to create males. It
may take a few decades to do so, but I have no doubt they will. Through the new
males the Terran people will live. It’s far better their blood lives on in
others than become extinct from the universe.”

“If such a thing
were to come true wouldn’t he be utterly alone?” Baeron asked.

“He already is,”
Siata said. “With every awakening he moves further away from the human he was
to the being he is. Brian’s more alone than anyone else right now. Even if he
returned to his people he would be marked as different. He’s the beginning of
the new Terran race.”