Freedom Saga 1: Heaven's Light (19 page)

Brian stepped
out of his exoskeleton and allowed the Minan guards to cuff his hands. He wore
only the white shirt and brown pants he’d grown used to over the years. Baeron
exited his mobile suit. The bear like people stood a head taller than Brian and
wore battle axes on their backs. The launching bay of the Minan ship was
smaller than a Kalaidian ship but carried the same flurry of activity. Baeron
stood before Brian and looked the Terran in the eye.

“In all my years
never did I hunt prey as dangerous as you,” Baeron said. “The price was high in
lives and material. I hope it was worth it.”

The two guards
nudged Brian to get him moving. The four of them left the launching bay and
headed for the brig. After the guards pushed him into a cell, Brian turned
around as the barrier shield went up. The guards left the room and stood
outside while Baeron remained. Brian sat on the uncomfortable bed and leaned
his head against the wall.

“You seem
different,” the Minan commander said. “I don’t sense the aggression I once
did.”

“That’s because
I regained my sanity,” Brian said. He glanced around. “Brigs on starships don’t
differ much, do they? This reminds me of when I was found by the Avoni,” he
looked at Baeron, “Though the outcome will be different.”

“The charges
brought against you come with the penalty of death,” Baeron said. “If you plead
your guilt mercy may be on your side.”

Brian laughed.
“Spending the next seventy years in a cell isn’t what I’d called mercy.”

“Seventy?”
Baeron asked. “I thought your kind lived longer than Kalaidians.”

Brian pointed to
a small mark on his neck. “We are. But to keep on living I had to deactivate
the nanomachines.”

“If that’s true
then how can you understand me?”

Brian pointed to
his right eye. “This translates the vibrations into text, kind of like subtitles.
In a way my fake eye acts as an ear.” He shrugged. “I didn’t have a clue until
I tried it myself. The only languages I know are Kalaidian and Reiki sign. I do
know a smattering of Shandi and Malcovin.”

“So you can’t
berserk,” Baeron said.

“Nope,” he
smiled, “I’m about as useless as when the Kalaidians first found me.”

The door opened
before Siata silently floated in.

“She can prove
it,” Brian said.

Siata’s eyes
flared up as she concentrated. They stopped after a moment.

“His mind is
closed,” the female Mylor said.

“What does that
mean?” Baeron asked.

“It means he’s
telling the truth,” she answered. “Tell me Brian, why did you let us capture
you?”

“I didn’t have
much of a choice,” he said. “Several years ago I was told by Lord Jita that a
Mylor fleet was always stationed near Terra Prime. Even if I slipped past you I
doubt they’d let me make to Earth.”

“My question is
why you let us catch you?” she asked.

“So you want the
truth?” he asked. “To be honest, I fear being taken by your people almost as much
as being taken by the Greys. I know the Mylor are civilized and orderly, but as
the second oldest race in Alden the mystique surrounding you remains.” He
looked at Baeron. “Even he feels it at times.”

“That answers
one question,” Siata said. “But I have a number of others.”

“Go ahead,”
Brian said.

“What did the
Teacher tell you?”

“Everything,”
Brian said. “I now know the plan all the way through.”

“What did he
tell you to do?”

“He told me to
live,” Brian said. Even though he couldn’t see her face through the exoskeleton
he sensed puzzlement. “That’s why I deactivated the nanomachines. If I hadn’t
I’d be just like him by now.”

“You’d be dead?”
Baeron asked.

“In a way,”
Brian said.

“Explain,” Siata
said.

Brian nodded.
“The Teacher is dead in the physical sense. But his mind, his soul, whatever
you want to call it is very much alive.”

“Very well,”
Siata said. “Then tell us what the Teacher’s plan is.”

“I’d rather not
go through the ten stages like he did, but explain the outcome,” Brian said.
“His plan is to unify the people of Alden.”

“Unification?”
Baeron asked. “Is that even possible?”

“Through
Heaven’s Light,” Siata said. “You plan on unification through military force?”

“No,” Brian said.
“Heaven’s Light has a greater purpose then conquest. Its goal is to free the
people of Alden. Not just physical freedom, but freeing their minds. The only
thing stopping unification is the preconceived idea that such a thing is
impossible. If you believe something’s impossible you’ll never see it come
true.”

“Such idealism,”
Baeron said. “Is this because of the beliefs of your homeworld?”

“No Commander
Baeron,” Brian said. “It stems from the will of the people of Alden. Look at
Kalaidia, Shandi, and even Dega Jul. Three worlds changed when I appeared. It
wasn’t because of my beliefs but because they were ready for change. I simply
supplied the dose needed for it to come to pass.” He looked at Siata. “We’re
doing what must be done. If the Confederation doesn’t change the Greys will
overrun them. Even the Original Five won’t be able to stop their rampage.”

“Is what he’s
saying accurate?” Baeron asked.

“It is,” Siata
said. “How much do you know?”

“For years their
machine god taunted me,” Brian said. “By doing so I also saw many things. I
know the truth behind the Avar.”

She hissed. “Say
nothing more of it.”

“I won’t,” Brian
promised. “Tell me Siata, why are humans treated as they are? Are we special in
some way that places fear in your hearts?”

“The main reason
is simply because your people are isolated from the others,” she explained. “Most
of the peoples’ of Alden are on the other side of the galaxy. We can’t keep a
lid on the younger races nearer to the Confederation, that’s all. The Original
Five put strict guidelines in place after the incident at Geluke Don.
Undeveloped races are not to be interfered with.”

“Are you sure
that’s all?” he asked.

“There is one
thing I will say,” Siata started. “Terrans have strange traits all of us must
be wary of. Your people are better and faster than any other in adapting to new
environments. From what we’ve observed this includes space. Humans will
colonize their system at an alarming rate. It took many of our races thousands
of years between colonization within our home systems and interstellar
capability. Yours will likely break the mold by many centuries and colonize the
areas around Terra Prime in only a short period of time.”

“How quickly are
we talking about?” Baeron asked.

“It took
humanity about seventy years to move from powered flight to reaching the moon
around our world,” Brian said.

“In any event
that’s all I’ll say for now,” she said. “If you have any suspicions you can
keep them to yourself.” She turned to leave and stopped at the door. “By the
way, we’ll be using a Mylor ship to transfer you back to headquarters. Prepare
yourself Brian, the trial for your life is at stake.”

As she left Baeron
followed. Brian sat on the bed and stared at the wall. “My life is at stake?”
He chuckled to himself. “It seems like the only thing I do lately is put my
life at stake. How will this be any different?” He held his cuffed hands in the
air. “Well my lady, its time you saved me.”

* *
*

The Mjolnir
drifted lifelessly in the rings of the gas giant for a long time. It waited for
the Confederation fleet to leave. After they gravity jumped away the mobile
suit started moving. It looked around itself and gazed at the parent star far
away. The mobile suit grabbed the massive
rakna
blade and broken shield
and put them back on its hull.

“Someday,” the
machine said to itself as its voice echoes through the empty interior. “Someday
I’ll see the blue Earth he spoke of. But for now I want to go home. Mother and
the others are waiting for me. That’s where I belong.”

The Mjolnir
flashed as it gravity jumped away.

Myden stood alone
in his dark room with his eyes closed and telepathic staff in hand.
Two
thousand years is a long time to finally see it come true. How I’ve waited!
Well old friend, I’m here and ready to carry out the plan. Soon the world will
change. The place you sought will be real. This was your dream, but now it’s
our dream. The dawn breaks for the people of Alden. And so, let the sun shine
on. I leave the darkness forever and walk in the light.
He opened his eyes
and threw down his hood. His large black eyes glanced around the room as he ran
his three fingered hand through his long blond hair. He looked at a mirror and
laughed.
I still look good for a man my age.
He spun his staff and left
the room with an extra hop in his step. The light outside caused him to squint
his eyes as they adjusted to the bright light. As he walked the crew stopped
and stared at the Grey walking amongst them. All of them knew who he was, but
none had seen his face before. Myden quickly made his way off the Freedom and
onto the base. Those outside were surprised to see the shadowed Grey walking so
openly. A small smile appeared on his face as he entered the command center.
When the door opened he saw Seles, Valis, Mira, Kivi, and Celi in their
exoskeleton armor. Next to them were Veda and El Kar. Esra leaned against the
wall with interest in her eyes. Grigon rushed into the room with Dreka a moment
later.

“Sorry we’re
late,” Grigon said.

“Some last
minute adjustments came up,” Dreka explained.

Myden nodded in
acknowledgement. “I called all of you here to explain everything,” he said with
his raspy voice. He noticed the grin from El Kar. “And yes El Kar, I’ll answer
all of your questions. “But I’ll begin with myself. Long ago my people were
much like all of yours. We lived, we searched, we warred, and we loved. Our
name was not Grey, it was Naerendi. Our empire was great and future even
brighter. We were the masters of destiny and the universe would change by our
will. But despite our greatness the fighting never ended. Even with our
advanced technology and telepathic abilities we weren’t able to stop killing
each other. When we took the Teacher from his world he sought the same answer.
Was war the only thing we could do? Would there ever be an end? This is the
question he tried answering and couldn’t. Before he passed on he relayed the
plan to me. We are currently entering stage nine of the ten originally thought
out. The birth of Heaven’s Light will lead to the unification of Alden. And
through unification peace will finally be found.”

“Is that all?”
El Kar asked.

Myden nodded.
“Yes, that’s the reason why we’re here today. Long ago the Teacher spoke of a
great darkness. The Naerendi like me are all but gone now. We’ve been replaced
by easier to control beings that are little more than biological robots. This
is the current state because a little over sixteen hundred years ago my people
put all their hopes into a false god of machinery.”

“Why did your
people create it?” Veda asked.

“Its purpose was
to unite our minds as one,” Myden explained. “What it really did was steal the
minds of everyone within the empire when it was activated.”

“Can it control
you?” Esra asked.

“No,” he said.
“Those who have the will to resist can do so.”

“Are there any
others like you left?” El Kar asked.

“To my knowledge
I’m the last free Naerendi left in Alden.”

“Are you
implying there are others in places other than Alden?” Veda asked.

“Yes,” Myden
said. “The planet killers you see today were once our intergalactic
transports.”

“How far have
your people spread?” Valis asked.

“We sent scouts
to nearby dwarf galaxies but our main focus was Kelden,” Myden said. “The truth
is that galaxy is all but under the machine god’s control.” He noted the look
on their faces. “That’s why Alden must be free. At any moment the forces stationed
within Kelden could attack. If they combine with the forces here our
Confederation would be overrun with little difficultly.”

“This is a lot
to absorb,” Valis said.

“I know it is,”
the Grey said. “Even the High Council knows little of the threat they’re
currently under. The only race to know the truth is the Avar.”

“They’re one of
the Original Five if I’m correct,” Esra said.

“Not so,” Myden
said. “The Original Five once included the Naerendi. The Avar only came when
their homes in Kelden were overrun by the forces of the machine god. When they
found refuge in Alden they were accepted as the new fifth member of the early
Confederation.”

“So what is it
we’re supposed to do?” Seles asked.

“We will unite
the people of Alden,” Myden explained. “Even if we’re destroyed others will
take up the cause. The ideals our organization stands for mean too much to the
people. But our first test is to survive. Our legal status is still in question
for the High Council. To this point I’m baffled as to why the Mylor have let
this drag on like it has.”

“Maybe their
influence is waning?” Esra suggested.

“Perhaps,” Myden
said. “In any event for now we must survive. Our first mission will be up to
the rest of you though. I’m not the one to lead us.”

“Tell me, how
much influence did you have with your people?” El Kar asked.

“I was the
General of the Black Star Knights,” Myden said. “The equivalent would be the
highest admiral within your space forces.”

The light
flashed red as the monitors turned on. Outside, a massive fleet of Confederation
ships appeared and launched their Lances. The Shandi forces from Kalmar moved
to intercept. From what the scanners picked up the Shandi were outnumbered six
to one.

“They don’t look
they’re playing around anymore,” El Kar said.

“No,” Myden said.
“They’ve captured Brian. Now that the leader is in custody they plan to destroy
us.” He looked at the five Maidens. “Now is the time for you to fight as one.”

* *
*

Zae, Baed, Vae,
and Daes were on the bridge of the Avoni. The Kalaidian battleship was outside
the Columbia base with the cube shaped Vomada nearby.

“It appears
their goal is to overwhelm us,” Zae said. “Meldi, Myli, ready all pilots for
combat.”

“Yes commander,”
the two responded.

“Should we get
the Vomada ready?” Daes asked.

“Yes,” Zae ordered.
“Baed, ready the Avoni.”

“Already doing
so,” Baed reported.

The door of the
base below opened as the Reinkar and Daevoni joined them. The two Kalaidian
ships launched their mobile suits a moment later while the Shandi ship launched
its mobile armors. The Vomada deployed a number of the newly outfitted Phase
Talons as well. When the Raulno emerged a shuttle sped towards the Avoni.

“Zae, Valis is
hailing us,” Baed said.

“Put her
through,” Zae ordered.

Valis and Celi
appeared on the screen from the shuttle

“Zae, have our
mobile suits move into formation D-7 for now,” Valis ordered. “Celi and I will
be boarding the Aegis and Minerva.”

“Are you sure
about this captain?” Zae asked.

Valis smiled.
“The Minerva has all the battle plans I’ll ever need built into it. The Freedom
will be joining us shortly.”

“Got it,” Zae
said.

* *
*

On the bridge of
the Freedom Seles was with Mira, Jesela, and Grigon. The lights flickered on as
the Freedom lit up. All of its systems took a moment to charge up. Seles looked
around the empty bridge.

“Where is
everyone?” she asked.

Grigon and
Jesela looked at one another before laughing.

“Alright, what
am I missing?” Seles asked.

Mira tapped her
on the shoulder. “You didn’t take the time to read everything over, did you?”

Seles sighed.
“Yeah, so what did I miss?”

“The two of us
will be plenty enough for the bridge operations,” Jesela said. “We did that on
purpose to free up operations for the rest of the crew.”

“The two of you
should go warm them up,” Grigon said before cawing.

“Let’s go,” Mira
said.

She led Seles by
the hand out of the bridge.

“You didn’t have
the heart to tell her, did you?” Grigon asked as he and Jesela went to work on
the consoles.

“It slipped my
mind,” Jesela said. “Anyways, when Brian’s back he’ll keep everything
straight.”

“True,” the old
Malcovin said.