Freedom Saga 3: The Dawn of Liberty (2 page)

The
three Maidens flew into the enemy fleet and destroyed one vessel after another.
The Gemini and Artemis switched to spread mode and continued blasting as many
enemies as possible. Their foes attacks started focusing on the Siren.

“I’m
not used to such a difficult audience,” Mira said.

“That’s
an interesting way of putting it,” Seles said.

“I
think it’s time for our huntress to do her thing,” Kivi said. “We’ll back you
up if it gets too hot.”

“Alright,”
Seles said.

The
Artemis lit up and charged the Malcovin forces. The Gemini and Siren followed
her wake as the Artemis precisely attacked the enemy. After several minutes
Seles ended the berserk and waited for the other two to join her. As they
looked around all the Malcovin in their area were destroyed or damaged beyond
fighting.

“How
should we clean this up?” Seles asked.

“If
they don’t surrender assume they aren’t going to,” Kivi said. “I’d rather not
attack targets that can’t fight back, but these soldiers are different.”

Their
monitors flashed as a number of the nearby enemy crafts began inverting their
gravity drives.

“That’s
your queue Mira,” Kivi said.

“I’m
on it,” Mira said.

The
Siren lit up as she sang and disabled all surviving enemy vessels. Afterwards the
Gemini and Artemis destroyed the rest of them. As they turned about they
noticed the two ships and their forces were under siege by a mass of enemy
vessels.

“I
think we should help them,” Mira said.

“Agreed,”
Seles said.

“We’ll
continue with S-4 then,” Kivi said.

“You’re
not one for planning, are you?” Mira asked.

“Only
when I have to,” Kivi said.

“That’s
your style,” Seles said.

* * *

When
the Malcovin forces charged the Freedom and Raulno moved closer together. Their
mobile suits continued acting as shields.

“Looks
like the three ladies are done with their end of the mission,” Dreka said over
the monitor.

“Yeah,
and we still have a mess on our hands,” Brian said. “All mobile suits are to
assume formation D-2.”

As
the Malcovin vessels flew closer the sensors detected a number of them readying
to detonate their gravity drives.

“Jesela,
get our trump card ready,” Brian said.

“Hades
system activated,” Jesela reported.

“I
don’t think you’ll have to do that,” Kivi said as she and the other two moved
next to their ships. “Take a look at the scanners.”

The
monitor showed the Confederation ships moving in from behind. Now caught
between the two forces the Malcovin ships veered off and gravity jumped away
before they were destroyed. Those left behind continued forward but were cut
down by the Artemis and Gemini’s cannons. After the battle was over the Confederation
ships flew next the two ships with their Lances in attack formation.

“Captain,
we’re receiving a hail,” Droid A reported.

“Put
them through,” Brian said.

“Yes
sir,” the droid said.

Baeron
and Siata appeared on the screen with a buzz of activity around them.

“I
thought patrolling mining colonies was our duty,” Baeron said. “What brings
Heaven’s Light out here?”

“We
were requested to look into the recent attacks,” Brian answered.

“No
doubt without a word to us,” Baeron said.

“The
request was anonymous,” Brian said.

“Very
well,” Baeron said. “You may continue as you are. Just make sure you don’t
cross cannons with any of our forces or the civilians.”

“We
won’t Commander Baeron,” Brian said.

After
the transmission ended Brian looked at his forces. “Everyone return to base.”

“Yes
captain,” the pilots said.

The
Confederation ships collected their mobile suits and returned to the colonies.

“I
didn’t expect them to help us,” Brian said.

“It
shows their respect for our organization,” Myden said.

“I
hope it does,” Grigon cawed.

“I’m
done here,” Jesela said.

After
she left Brian looked at Grigon.

“Aren’t
you following her?” he asked.

“Jesela
can handle it now,” Grigon answered. “I have enough to get my claws into.”

* * *

After
the Artemis and Siren landed Jesela started her usual round of scans. Both
Seles and Mira departed their mobile suits.

“You
two look miserable,” Jesela said. “Is something going on?”

“Yeah,”
Mira said.

“It
has to do with Brian, doesn’t it?” Jesela asked.

“That’s
the situation,” Seles said.

“Let
me guess, it has to do with his berserking, or awakening, or whatever it’s
called?” Jesela asked.

“That’s
it,” Seles said.

“Is
he going to die?” Jesela asked.

“I’m
not sure,” Mira answered.

“Then
stop worrying about it!” Jesela shouted.

The
other two were shook from their doldrums.

Jesela
sighed. “The two of you know better than anyone if he’s facing life or death
Brian comes out on top. Worrying about it is pointless anyway. Look at what
we’re doing here. Any or all of us could die in a moment’s notice.” She shook
her head. “Now go and shake it out of him, tell him you love him, and get over
it. I don’t want you piloting until you’ve done so.”

Seles
sheepishly looked up. “You know, for a supposed airhead, you know a lot.”

Mira
smiled. “She’s right you know.”

“I
only act the way I do because I was born with too much energy,” Jesela said.
“If Kali wanted me to sleep I’d be doing more of that and less of this. So let
me get to work.”

The
other two laughed.

“Thanks
Jesela,” Mira said.

“You
know what to say and when to say it,” Seles said. “Thanks.”

“Anytime,”
Jesela said as they left. She started checking the two mobile suits before
sighing again. “They’re so rough on these nowadays.”

* * *

Kivi
landed the Gemini in its designated launching bay.

“Take
care of yourselves while I’m gone,” she said.

We
will.
Gemini Alpha responded.

Take
care of yourself Kivi.
Gemini Beta wrote.

“Thanks,”
Kivi said before departing the mobile suit.

With
her helmet in hand she made her way to the bridge of the Raulno. Other than
having several more launching bays the ship resembled any other Avoni class
Kalaidian ship. Her crew of three hundred and fifty was mostly Kalaidian, with
a number of Malcovin and Shandi mixed in. When she entered the bridge she took
the captain’s seat from Dreka. At the two consoles in the front of the bridge
sat the navigator, a young Shandi man named Shol Dema, and the second officer,
a Kalaidian named Kaela. Shol wore a falchion on his back and a sash signifying
his rank as a lieutenant while Kaela wore the circlet with a single leaf to
show she was a lieutenant commander. Dreka made his way back to the console at
the top of the bridge to run a diagnostic.

“How’s
he holding up?” Kivi asked.

“All
navigation is functioning normally,” Shol reported.

“The
same with weapons and shields,” Kaela said.

“Everything’s
green captain,” Dreka said.

“Excellent,”
Kivi said. “I’m sorry I run out on all of you so often.”

“We
understand captain,” Kaela said. “All of us were pilots before taking our
positions on your ship.”

Shol
shook his head. “I do miss my old Spit.”

“We’re
alright captain,” Dreka said. “If we weren’t you’d have heard some grumblings
by now.”

Kivi
smiled. “Thanks everyone.”

* * *

Brian
scratched his head while working on the next mission plan on his computer. As
frustration set in he stood up and paced around the room. He stopped to stare
at his exoskeleton and
rakna
blade before turning back to the computer.
That’s
it!
He thought as he added a few numbers to the plan. The door buzzed.

“Brian,
it’s me,” Seles said.

“Come
in,” he said as he started working away again.

Seles
stepped inside wearing her regular Kalaidian uniform.

“We
need to talk,” she said.

“Just
give me a minute,” Brian said.

Seles
sighed before walking over and turning the monitor off. Brian sat back with a
stupid smile on his face.

“I
did something wrong, didn’t I?” he asked. He noticed the look in her eyes.
“Mira told you, didn’t she?”

“You
guessed it,” Seles said. She took his hand and pulled him out of the chair.
“And now you’re going to tell me everything.”

“I
guess it’s time I come clean,” he said.

She
smiled. “If you want anything from me you’re going to have to.”

“I
suppose Mira’s under the same orders,” he said.

“Right
again,” Seles said.

Brian
pulled Seles close and closed his eyes. “Someday soon, probably sooner than
either of us wants, the red eyed glare may consume me. The nanomachines can
only be held off for a little longer.”

“How
long?” she asked.

“A
few years at best, a few weeks at worst,” he answered.

“Is
there a chance you’ll survive?” she asked.

“Perhaps,”
Brian said after a long pause. “But the Teacher was killed by it so I don’t
know what my chances are.”

“You’re
going to live,” Seles said. “I don’t care if you’re nothing more than a glowing
ball of light, you’re going to live.”

“I
hear you,” he said. “Can I finish what I was doing now?”

Seles
stepped aside and turned the monitor back on before saving the plan. She closed
it afterwards and turned off the computer.

“You
can finish it after we’re done,” Seles said. “If you only have a short time
before changing into a ball of light or dying I want something to remember you
by.”

Brian
smiled, “As you wish my lady.”

* * *

Mira
and Jesela stood outside Brian’s quarters and listened to the conversation
inside. After a while the two walked away.

“She
didn’t have to force it out of him,” Jesela said.

“I’m
surprised she didn’t,” Mira added. “Brian’s dense about these things most of
the time.”

“He
can change the world but not figure out what’s in a woman’s heart,” Jesela
said. “Are you going to do the same routine tomorrow night?”

“Seles
and I do things differently,” Mira said. “I’m glad she resolved it so I don’t
have to do it.”

“That’s
pragmatic of you,” Jesela said.

“Are
you up for a bath?” Mira asked.

“I
was thinking the same thing,” Jesela said.

The
Artemis, Tctie’s modified Rakna, and Kyli’s Rakna flew deeper into the asteroid
field with their phase cloaks up. Each of the pilots kept a close eye on their
sensors as they searched.

“So
commander, what are we looking for?” Kyli asked over the com.

“Kivi
has a hunch the Malcovin have a hidden base in this area,” Seles explained. “I
figured it’d be a good chance to teach you two how to do this.”

“Learning
by doing is the best method,” Tctie said.

“I
couldn’t agree more,” Kyli said. “It’s a good change of pace as well.”

Seles
noticed Tctie’s antennae were twitching.

“Is
something wrong?” she asked.

“I
don’t know. Something feels…strange,” he answered. “It’s going away now.”

“Keep
us informed if something changes,” Seles said.

“Of
course commander,” Tctie responded.

The
Artemis’s scanner found something. In the distance it detected a large asteroid
with a strangely uniform opening. The other two mobile suits detected the same
thing a moment later.

“Looks
like we found our quarry,” Seles said. “Approach with caution and be ready for anything.”

“Alright,”
Kyli said.

“Ready,”
Tctie said.

The
three mobile suits approached the asteroid. It had a diameter of ten
ketres
and was relatively sphere shaped. The opening in question was a large cylinder
of smooth stone. None of their sensors detected any activity coming from the
base.

“That’s
pretty bad camouflage,” Kyli commented.

“The
rough rock was probably knocked off a long time ago,” Seles said. “Kyli, Tctie,
I want you to check the cylinder and see if you can pop it open. I’ll keep my
cannon ready in case something attacks.”

“We’re
on it,” Kyli said.

The
two mobile suits flew to the cylinder and began prying at it. After several
minutes they managed to push the gate open. Both drew their cannons and pulled
back as the gate creaked open to reveal a shaft to the interior.

“I’ll
take point,” Seles said.

“We’ll
watch your back,” Kyli said.

“That
we will,” Tctie said.

The
three mobile suits descended into the base. As they moved deeper they noticed a
large amount of old wreckage and parts from derelict Malcovin vessels. Once
they reached the docking area they noticed a section that looked new.

“They
were here recently,” Seles said.

Tctie’s
antennae were twitching again. He turned his mobile suit around and shined a
light.

“I’m
sensing something,” he said.

Kyli
shined her mobile suit’s light on the same area. “Our sensors aren’t seeing anything.”

“I’m
going to trust him on this one,” Seles said.

She
aimed the Artemis’s rifle and fired in the area Tctie was shining light on. The
pulse was absorbed by a shield as something flew away from them. Seles followed
its track and fired again.

“Looks
like it got away,” Seles said after her shot missed.

“What
was that?” Kyli asked.

“It
wasn’t Malcovin,” Tctie said. “What I sensed was the presence of my kind.”

“That
brings up a number of questions,” Seles said. “How is it we can’t detect it?”

“Perhaps
their phase cloaks are better than ours,” Kyli suggested.

“The
other thing I’m wondering about is why an Ick-Tckt craft is here,” Seles said.

“I
can’t answer that commander,” Tctie said. “But I can tell you whatever was
flying it wasn’t a drone like me.”

“What
was it then?” Kyli asked.

“It
was a warrior type,” Tctie explained.

* * *

Brian
stepped inside the Freedom’s sickbay and went to the side room. Mira came in a
moment later.

“What’s
the problem?” Mira asked.

Brian
pointed inside his mouth. “I was wondering how to take care of these.”

She
flashed a small light into his mouth and saw a pair of mouth sores. She shook
her head and looked him in the eye.

“You’ve
been drinking too much tea again, haven’t you?” she asked.

He
nodded. “I haven’t had a canker sore since being taken from Earth. I forgot how
annoying they were.”

“It’s
because your nanomachines are turned off,” Mira said. “They protect us from
infecting each other with diseases but their primary function is to perform
maintenance on the body.” She opened a draw and took out a sprayer. “This
should numb them for now.”

She
sprayed the medicine on the mouth sores. Brian sighed with relief a moment
later.

“Thanks,”
he said. “If they get too big I’ll start talking funny.”

“They
should be gone in a few hours,” Mira said. “Is there anything else you need me
for?”

“That’s
it for now, thanks Mira,” Brian said.

As
he went to leave she grabbed his arm.

“We
need to talk,” she said.

“I
know,” he said. “We’ll talk tonight if that’s alright with you.”

“Sure,”
she said.

* * *

Seles
and the other two scanned the interior of the base for a while longer before
leaving behind a pair of alert beacons. After they flew outside they carefully
closed the gate. Before heading back they left a few more alert beacons.

“That
should do the trick,” Seles said.

“It
looked like the Malcovin used that base recently,” Kyli said.

“Let’s
return to the Freedom and file our reports,” Seles said.

The
three mobile suits turned and headed home.

“Tell
me Tctie, how can you tell the pilot of that craft was a warrior?” Seles asked.

“It’s
done through a mix of scent and audio signals,” the Ick-Tckt explained.
“Drones, warriors, and females all have different ways of sending signals.
Although I can tell it’s the other types I can’t tell what they were saying.”

“So
you can tell if it’s a warrior or female, but can’t decipher exactly what
they’re communicating to each other?” Kyli asked.

“Exactly,”
Tctie said. “Think of it as different languages. Drones like me know one
tongue, warriors two, and females all three.”

“Can
you learn their languages?” Seles asked.

“If
trained, yes,” Tctie said. “But it’s strictly forbidden for warriors and
females to do such.”

“It
seems like an inefficient way of doing things,” Kyli said.

“Most
would,” Tctie said. “But my people aren’t known for their openness.” His
antennae twitched again. “We’re being followed.”

“Our
sensors don’t show anything,” Kyli said.

“I
don’t like this,” Seles said. “Can you tell where they are?”

“They’re
far enough away that I can’t pinpoint them,” Tctie said. “If they come closer
I’ll say something.”

* * *

Dreka
was doing maintenance on the Gemini when Kivi entered the launching bay.

“You
really love this thing, don’t you?” she asked.

Dreka
cawed. “The Gemini is the masterpiece of my life to this point. Everything must
be perfect.” He looked at Kivi. “How are Alpha and Beta doing?”

“Talkative
as usual,” Kivi said. “Is there a reason you put two personalities in there?”

“Your
special system requires it,” Dreka said. “I can’t wait to see if it works like
it should.”

“Valis
keeps holding me back,” Kivi said. “I’d like to cut loose and see what it can
do for once.”

“Her
caution stems from being a strategist,” Dreka said. “But I agree. We don’t even
know if it works or not.”

“I’m
sure it does Dreka,” Kivi said. “You’ve never built a junker to my knowledge.”

Dreka
laughed. “My first attempt at a Talon would be that junker. But then again, I
was going on the memories of my grandfather’s original blueprints.”

“All
of us mess up the first time,” Kivi said.

“By
the way, are the adjustments working?” he asked.

Kivi
moved about in her blue sea serpent motif exoskeleton as the birdman watched.

“Adding
flexibility helps a lot,” Kivi said.

“The
issue came from the fact we used Brian’s exoskeleton as the base design,” Dreka
explained. “In the process we forgot Kalaidians are much more flexible than
Terrans.”

“It
was the same when I trained him in martial arts,” Kivi said. “He was as
inflexible as a stone wall.”

“I
would’ve loved to see him then,” Dreka said.

* * *

“It’s
gone now,” Tctie said as they approached the Freedom and Raulno.

“I
have a bad feeling about this,” Seles said.

“I
feel the same,” Kyli said.

“Remember
to check and recheck your scans from earlier,” Seles said. “There might be
something we missed the first time around.”

“As
you wish commander,” Tctie said.

“Got
it,” Kyli said.

The
three mobile suits separated and went to their respective launching bays. After
the Artemis landed Seles sat back to relax for a moment.

Something
bad is going to happen.
The Artemis wrote in text.

“I
agree,” Seles said. “Tctie can sense it.”

We’ll
have to take advantage of that when the time comes.
The Artemis
wrote.

“I
think spread mode can find them,” Seles said. “But we can’t rely on that. I
think I’ll talk to Jesela about it.”

She’s
right outside.
The Artemis wrote.

“Thanks,”
Seles said before leaving the cockpit. She noticed Jesela scanning away.
“Jesela, we have a problem.”

“What
kind of problem?” Jesela asked.

“The
kind your manic mind will love tackling,” Seles said.