Heaven Saga 1: The Lost Hero (11 page)

She pressed a few buttons on the scanner. “The orders
of the Old Council passed down the edict for Terra Prime long ago. As for what
I’m doing, I’m checking to see if I can remove your bandages.” She finished her
scans. “It looks like you’re fine now.” She started removing bandages. “Have
you decided what position you’re going to train for?”

“Yes,” he answered.

Valis walked into the room. “Which one would that be?”
she asked. Celi saluted and went over to the main computer again. Valis sat
down next to him.

Brian pointed to the monitor next to his bed. “I
researched a number of positions, but there’s one in particular I’m interested
in. Since there’ve been no males for well over a century, I thought I would
look into the ranks for men. I would like to take my place at your side Valis,
as your
Rakna Maigar
.”

Valis looked him in the eye. “It’s said the
Maigars
were the best weapon masters of the Queendom. It’s also said they were the
inspirational leaders of armies, as well as ships.” She paused, thinking. “You
have the potential combat skills, but earning the title of
Maigar
is
much more than just fighting. One needs qualities of leadership, as well as the
ability to inspire using the sacred
Cou don e Kali
.”

He called up the records for
Rakna Maigars
on
the screen. “I didn’t get much information on the
Cou don e Kali
. I
could only find a little detail on the rank. What do I need to do to complete
the
Cou don e Kali
?”

Valis recalled it from memory. “If I remember
correctly, the
Cou don e Kali
consists of a series on songs played by
the movement of the warrior’s blades, in addition to complex dance movements.
Also, the
Maigar
must complete a song completely on his own, including
the singing.”

“That sounds really difficult. Are you sure that’s
what you want?” Celi asked.

“I know it’ll be difficult, and I’ve never performed
for a crowd, but I really think this is the position I must go for,” he said.

“If you’re determined I won’t stop you,” Valis said.
“Your training begins in ten days. We’ll have your quarters ready by then and
I’ll assign an instructor to you.”

Brian woke up, still a confused by his surroundings.
Looking over at the door he saw Seles talking with Celi. Outside the room was a
pair of security officers holding pulse rifles.

“What’s going on?” he asked as he sat up. Seles walked
over to him, holding a small bag.

“We’re here to escort you to your quarters,” Seles
said. He looked at the bag she was holding. “I brought you some new clothes.”

“Thanks,” he said. He took out the clothes, a pair of
brown leather-like pants and an off white silken shirt, cut off at the
shoulders. “These look comfortable. It’s so hot in here I can’t stand the
clothes I’m wearing anymore.”

Celi came over. “Those are traditional male Kalaidian
clothes. We sized them to fit you perfectly, and they should conduct your body
heat a lot better than your Terran clothes.”

“I’d be happy to put them on, but I need a little
privacy,” he said.

Seles and Celi looked at each other.

“Why do you need privacy?” Seles asked.

Brian sighed and looked annoyed. “I don’t feel
comfortable being naked around other people, let alone a group of alien women.
On Earth, privacy is an important thing to a person.”

“I guess you won’t be using the public bath area?”
Celi asked.

“Public bath?” he blushed at the thought. “No, I don’t
think I’ll be going there.”

* * *

A few minutes later, Brian emerged from the medical
lab and entered the main sickbay, where Seles, Celi, and the escort guards
waited. He wore the clothes he was given and appeared relaxed. Everyone stared
at him as he walked past them to the hallway. Brian and his escort walked the
hallways as numerous crew members stopped to look at him. After a quick stint
on an elevator, they came to the ambassador’s quarters. He was brought to a
room with a larger than normal door. Celi and Seles stopped as the guards each
took a position in front of door.

Celi opened the door and turned to him. “We’ve
modified the atmosphere and temperatures to suit your tastes. Since you
requested a private bath, it’ll take us a few more days to make it. Sorry about
the delay.”

Inside, he saw one large room with a few small rooms
on one side. Pictures from Kalaidia Prime were spread on the walls, mostly of
oceans and mountains. At the far end sat a large bed with black coverings. He started
searching the room and then checked the other rooms.

“I wish I could get quarters like this,” Seles said.

 “Celi, can I access the main computer from here?” he
asked.

Celi went the wall near the door and pressed a panel.
A desk and monitor slid out of the wall. “For now you’re restricted to
information available to ensigns,” Celi explained. “Other than that, you’re
free to use the computer how you wish.” She went to the door. “Seles will show
you the rest of the ship, alright?”

“Thanks Celi,” he said as she left. The door closed
behind her, leaving him and Seles alone.

“I’m so jealous,” Seles said. “I have to share my
quarters with Baed, and it’s less than half the size of this room.”

“It’s bigger than my room back home,” he said. “By the
way, where can I get something to eat? I’m starving Seles.”

She took him by the hand. “I’ll show you mess hall,
there’s a lot of good food there.”

* * *

Valis and Kivi observed the reaction of the crew to
Brian from the tactical room via a video feed.

“It looks like they don’t fear him,” Kivi said.

“I wasn’t expecting them to. He has a calming demeanor
about him,” Valis said.

“Are you sure about this Valis?

She turned to her first officer. “Yes,” she said as
she gazed at the video. “We left the military five years ago because we
believed change must occur. At this point we’re unable to evolve and our people
will die out. He’s an infusion of change. It’s a gamble, but I believe it’s for
the greater good. The people of Kalaidia deserve something better than a slow
death.”

Kivi nodded before turning back to the video. “You’re
right. I’d like to train him.”

Valis looked Kivi in the eye. “I didn’t think you
liked him.”

Kivi shrugged. “I never said I don’t like him. All I
want is for the officer right below my rank to have a clue on how to do their
job.”

Valis tossed a data crystal to her. “That’s just like
you Kivi. His training begins in ten days. Since we don’t have access to a
Kalaidian military academy the HDC will have to suffice.”

“True,” Kivi said as she turned to leave. “By the way,
what’s on this data crystal?”

“The truth behind his victories,” Valis answered.

* * *

Brian followed Seles’s lead into the mess hall with a
pair of guards shadowing them. The mess hall was crowded, loud with the sound of
conversation. He couldn’t help but notice each crew member stared at him, some
more obvious than the others. He also noticed his presence killed a dozen
conversations at the same time.
When they went to the buffet area, he
found many different kinds of vegetables, breads, and nuts he’d never seen
before.

“What do you like?” Seles asked. She handed him a tray
and began loading a few things onto hers.

“I’m not sure,” he scratched his head. “I guess I’ll
take the shotgun approach.”

“What does that mean?” she asked.

“Basically, I’m going to try a bunch of different
things, and hopefully I’ll find something I like.” He piled many different
vegetables and nuts, as well as a few varieties of bread. Turning to Seles, he
noticed the funny look on her face. He glanced at his plate and saw he had four
times as much food as hers.

“I know it looks like a lot, but I’m bigger than you,”
he said before trying to laugh it off.

“Now I kind of feel bad, I didn‘t know you needed such
large quantities of food,” Seles said. She looked for an open table and saw one
in the back. “Brian, let’s go over there.”

They sat down to eat. He watched as the others ate to
make sure there weren’t any strange meal customs. He turned to his food and
tried a number of things. Some he liked and others he didn’t. When he finished
his meal, Brian sat back and relaxed.

“Are you feeling better?” Seles asked.

Brian drank some water. “Yeah, I feel a lot better
now.”

“I’m glad,” she said. “Do you want to stay here and
relax?”

“Sure, I don’t have anything else to do right now.”

“How do you feel about the Avoni?” Seles asked.

“The temperature’s a hot and the humidity isn’t to my
liking. But, as long as I can enjoy good food and the presence of this many
pretty girls, I think I can manage.” A number of strange looks came from those
at nearby tables.

“Which one of us is the prettiest Brian?” Mira asked
as she appeared from nowhere. She wore a white dress with frills, along with a
miniskirt.

He smiled. “You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”

“Call me Mira,” she said, smiling. “Would it be
alright if I sat with you?”

“Yes,” he said. Seles shot him a dirty look.

Mira slid next to Brian and took his hand. “Could you
stay awhile longer? I know you haven’t had a chance to see one of my
performances yet.”

“Performance?” he asked, looking to Seles.

“Mira’s a medical officer, but her main duty is to
provide music and entertainment for the crew,” Seles explained. “She’s the best
singer onboard, and we refer to her position as the
Reiniere
.”

Mira squeezed his hand to shift his attention. “I’ll
be holding a concert in a little while, right here in the mess hall.”

“Will you be wearing that?” he asked, pointing to her
dress.

Mira blushed. “Yes, a musician like me always dresses
for the occasion.”

“I’d love to stay and see what this performance is all
about Mira,” he said.

“Great!” Mira winked at him. “I’ve got something
special planned for tonight.”

* * *

The room went dark shortly before Mira took her place
on a small stage at the back of the mess hall. Brian watched as a number of the
crew joined and observed how they sat and acted. Before taking a seat, each of
them knelt in prayer for a few seconds and praised Kali. He turned to Seles and
saw she did the same. When she finished she looked at Brian.

“It’s tradition to praise the goddess and the
Reiniere
before each concert,” she explained.

Kneeling in the dark, he praised the goddess and
looked at Mira. He thought about what he’d read earlier.
From what I’ve
learned about Kalaidian philosophy, existence is a grand stage on which all beings
are actors playing their roles. Music, theater, art, all these things are held
in the highest esteem in their culture. To them, events like this are the same
as attending church. I can see why a musical performance is thought of in such
a way.
Once everyone finished with prayers, Mira went to the center of the
stage. She took her opening pose as beam of light shined down onto her. She
smiled and waved to her crewmates.

“I’d like to thank everyone for attending this
evening,” she said, pausing as the crowd applauded. She pointed in Brian’s
direction. “I have something special ready for tonight in celebration with our
new companion, Brian.” She paused as the crew applauded again. She looked at
him. “Let’s enjoy our first evening together.”

As the next ten days passed for Brian, he explored
more the Avoni and learned about the ship and its crew members. At night he
studied heavily into the culture of the Kalaidian people. When he had extra
time he wrote a journal on the computer. He enjoyed his time alone in his
climate cooled room. On the eleventh day he woke up and dressed. The door
buzzed.

“I’m here to bring you to the HDC,” Valis said.

“HDC?” he asked when he opened the door.

“Holographic display chamber,” she explained as they
started walking. “We use it for training in numerous climates, as well as zero
gravity training. After the basics, you’ll move onto weapons, shuttles, and
navigation. The last things you’ll need to learn are tactical skills and
command training.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier if you trained me on a planet?”
he asked.

Valis smiled. “We’re taking extended leave on Dega
Jul. That means we have a lot of time to spare, so don’t worry. Since we don’t
have officer training instructors, we’ll teach you ourselves. I’ll train you
later on tactical and command, but for now your teacher is Commander Kivi, my
second in command.”