Heaven Saga 1: The Lost Hero (13 page)

Mira held up her hands. “These gloves contain all the
needed commands to use the system. Using the HD system takes a lot of practice,
but once you get the used to it, you’ll be able to do the same with your
rakna
blades.”

He held the blades and stepped back. He slashed a
sword and heard the sound of an acoustic guitar strum. He stared at the sword,
perplexed on how it worked.

“Wow.”

She placed her hand on his arm. “Why don’t you try it
on?”

He looked down at Mira, nodding. “Sure.”

It took Brian a few minutes to figure out how to put
the armor on. He moved around and found the suit was as flexible as his own
skin and light as feather. He saw a pair of scabbards at the waist and placed
the
rakna
blades in the. He looked in the mirror.

“You look dashing,” she said.

He chuckled, “Yeah right.”

“How about we do your first practice?”

“I’d love to Mira,” he answered. They went out onto
the stage. He looked to Mira, confused on what to do.

“Trying using your
rakna
blades,” she
instructed. “You need to get used to the sound coming out of them.”

Brian complied and drew the two swords. He took a
battle stance and began swinging the blades about, making the sound of someone
playing a guitar badly. He tried making sense of the notes and promptly fell
flat on his face. Mira started laughing. He shook his head and noticed someone
else laughing as well. Seles walked out of the shadows, laughing with Mira.
Brian lied on the floor on his back.

“That didn’t work very well,” he said as he stood up
and sheathed his swords.

Seles smirked at him. “You’re going to need a lot of
work.”

“Learning how to fight is a lot easier than this,” he
said.

Mira took his hand. “I’m not worried. Dancing and
fighting are similar skills. What I’m worried about is your singing ability.”

“I think that’s going to take some practice,” he said.

* * *

Two months passed as Brian worked on his singing,
dance movements, and blade dancing. The movements came quickly enough; the
singing remained a problem. He stood on the stage and tried reciting the Hymn
to Kali, the most important song to complete the ceremony. He started strong,
but couldn’t quite get the lyrics right at the middle of the song. He growled
in frustration.

“Mira, are you sure I can’t do something else instead
of this?” he asked as he returned to his starting spot on the stage.

Mira paced around him. “No, according to tradition, a
Rakna
Maigar
must recite the Hymn to Kali.”

“Kalaidian
Maigars
, I’m human.”

She stopped, thinking before saying anything. “That’s
true. I’ve shown you many Kalaidian styles of music, but I haven’t asked you
about Terran music at all.”

He sheathed his
rakna
blades. “Terran music
differs greatly on where one is raised on my world. Though, I do have my
preferences.”

“What would they be?” she asked.

He tapped the swords on his belt. “I’ve been
experimenting with these and found I can get the sound of an electric guitar
instead of acoustic. The music I like the most is called Rock, a loud, fast
style of music, quite different from what your people are used to.”

“Could you show me what this music sounds like?” she
asked.

 He drew his swords and took a special pose. “I’ve
been practicing this song on my own for a while now.”

“What song is this?”

“Stairway to Heaven, by Led Zeppelin,” he answered.

He began the song with slow arching slashes to
simulate the guitar chords of the song. As he sang the words came out with
ease. Mira stood transfixed, frozen by the alien music. As the middle of the
song drew near, she found it harder to follow his movements. As the song
reached the crescendo, his swords were like streaks of flashing light. The
flashing light died down near the end of the song. He took his final pose
before sheathing his swords.

“How was that?” he asked.

His voice was perfect and blade movement far superior
to what she thought possible. “I think we have a replacement for the Hymn to
Kali.” She walked up next to him. “You’re in perfect tune with that song. It
was louder and faster than I’m used to, but I couldn’t deny the poetry of the
song.”

Brian was about to say something when the main door
opened. Valis came in alone. “How’s he holding up?” she asked.

“He’s been a great student,” Mira said. Brian was lost
in thought. “He should be ready by the end of the month.”

Valis looked at Brian. “Brian, I wanted to discuss
with the tradition of the Rose toss after your performance is done.”

He laughed. “I was waiting for you to say something
Valis. Whoever ends up as the Lady of the Rose will get what they want.”

Daes stood in the cargo bay and scanned the Malcovin
drop ship. The storage in the room was minimal, with a few metal boxes shoved
to the far end of the room. Behind her was an array of consoles and monitors,
currently manned by her subordinates. She walked the perimeter of the drop ship
to double checking her readings. Brian entered the cargo bay, wearing his
exoskeleton armor and
rakna
blades. He searched for Daes, who had gone
to the back door of the drop ship. 

“You must be Daes,” he said, saluting.

“That’s me,” she said. “We’ve met once before.”

He scratched his head. “I don’t remember.”

“That’s because you were unconscious.” She smiled.
“How do you like the armor I designed for you?”

“I love it,” he answered.

“I glad,” she said as she opened the back door of the
drop ship. “I worked forever adjusting it. Decoding the secrets of the
Maigar’s
armor and weapons took me five months.” She walked inside. Brian followed with
his armor clanking against the metal floor inside. She turned and waved a data
crystal at him. “I’ve also taken a look at this.”

“What do you want to do with it?” he asked as they
headed for the engine room.

“Valis passed me some of the notes you made,” she
said. She turned to a console and deactivating the drop ship’s systems. She
switched a light on and shined it around. “I’ll do it.”

“Is making such a craft even possible?” he asked. Daes
began pulling apart the main computer systems.

“One can create anything if they have the money,” she
said, smiling. “The mobile suit will be tailored for your style,” she pointed
at his armor, “It’ll look a lot like this. My question is what name you have in
mind for it.”

“Mjolnir,” he answered.

“Interesting name,” she said. “What does that
translate to?”

“Mjolnir was the hammer of Thor, a god of thunder once
worshiped on my world,” he explained. He watched as she began piling up
components. “Do you want help Daes?”

“Sure, start collecting the parts I’m removing and put
them in the hallway for now.” She gritted her teeth as she yanked out a massive
chunk of hardware. Brian took the parts and placed them where she told him to.
“What do you plan to do with the Mjolnir when it’s finished?” she asked.

“I don’t understand much of the technical aspects, but
the mobile suit is the next generation craft, right?”

“Yes,” she answered, “Even Kalaidian engineers have
been trying to craft something like the Talon. I’m surprised you were able to
recover such data from a field commander.”

“He gave it to me.” He grabbed another pile of parts
and put them outside.

She turned to look at him in the dark. “You didn’t
answer my question.”

He laughed. “I didn’t, did I?” He knelt down next to
her, helping pull out an obstinate piece of the computer. “I want to protect
this ship.”

“I do to,” she said. “That’s why I’m going to build
it. This ship is my home, and everyone onboard is my family.”

“I hope it’s not too much trouble.”

“It isn’t Brian. I’ve waited a long time to work on
such a project.” She pulled at something and found it wasn’t giving. He took a
corner and helped her yank the part out. Both sat back, breathing hard. She
smiled. “Thank you.”

* * *

Brian and Daes continued taking the drop ship apart.
After the main computer was dismantled, the pair found themselves doing the
same in the engineering room. She slid under a console and began passing parts
to him. Every few minutes he’d take the pile and put it in the hallway.

“What was it like on the Grey ship? I mean, when you
woke up?” she asked.

“I remember being afraid. It was cold, damp, and
smelled like a sewer. But something was different this time. I was more aware
of what was going on around me. It seemed like the Greys did a better job of
making sure I wasn’t coherent,” he answered.

“How long have the abductions been occurring?” she
asked as she placed a drill down and unscrewed a panel. She passed it to him.

He placed it on the pile. “I remember when I was three
years old I saw a Grey look into my bedroom window. I remember the fear. I was
very young, but I knew that was no human looking in my window. It was something
else, a creature I couldn’t recognize.”

“Now I think I understand why,” Daes said. She slid
out from under the console and sat up to take a break.

“What is it you understand?” he asked.

Her eyes seemed to pierce him. “It answers the
question of why you killed the Greys so mercilessly when you broke free. If
they’ve been experimenting on you for that long the emotional scars would run
deep.”

“I know, it was like something inside me allowed me to
break free at last,” he said. He handed a bottle of water to her. She unscrewed
the top and took a big gulp. She sighed in relief before placing the bottle on
the floor next to her.

“Was it rage?” she asked.

“Yes.” He felt her unnerving stare, but felt something
behind it. “I lost all control, all reason. I barely remember anything, just
flashes of the violence I committed.” He stopped, searching for what to say
next. “I wasn’t like that on Earth. I never killed a person before, and I never
thought I could. It was even worse with the Malcovin. I felt a strange sense of
joy killing them, as if a part of me was reveling in the carnage.”

“By observation, I have seen both sides you speak of
Brian,” she said. “Most of the time, you’re peaceful, thoughtful, harmless. But
when your life is on the line, something takes over. The Confederation says we
should fear Terrans because inside of each one resides a warrior.”

“Do you fear me?”

She sat forward and took his hand. “Yes.” Her eyes met
his. “I’m hoping the artist wins over the warrior inside you.”

Mira sat alone in the dressing room behind the stage
and looked into the mirror. She stood up to check her dress. Her white gloves
felt right, she looked perfect. She heard Brian outside warming up for their
rehearsal. She posed in front of the mirror. Her left arm faded away as she
watched her glove fall to the ground.
Not now! I can’t have this happen
while others are around!
Mira started tearing up as her arm reappeared.
Brian opened the door, surprising her.

“What’s wrong? You don’t look so good.” he asked, She
wiped away the tears and composed herself.

“I’m fine Brian,” Mira’s voice quivered, “I was…just
thinking of the past.”

He put his hand on her shoulder. “I sometimes get than
way to. Let’s get this rehearsal going.” He turned and headed back to the
stage. She checked her left arm closely before putting the glove back on and
following him onto the stage.

Brian bounced all over the stage with muted
rakna
blades. “One more week and we’re on. I can’t wait.”

Mira smiled. “Your improvements have been incredible.
I never thought you could do what you’re about to with three months of practice.”

He sheathed his weapons. “I want to earn my rank so I
can leave the ship. We’ve been in port for months now and I haven’t had a
chance to see anything.”

“It’s a wonder to see. The entire planet is covered in
cityscape. Buildings stretch to the sky, and every race imaginable resides on
Dega Jul,” she explained.

“It sounds like the perfect place for a human like me.
Well my lady, are you ready to begin?” He offered his hand as he asked.

She smiled and took his hand. “Sure.”

The pair began performing the twelve Songs of Kali
that led up to the solo act of the
Maigar
. Most of the songs were hymns
or chants in style. Brian’s primary role in this ritual dance was of support.
He sang very little and most of his movements complimented Mira’s while his
blades made most of the music. Brian used his armor’s HPS to give depth and
background to the music, as well as vivid imagery detailing the stories of each
song. They reached the eleventh song, a difficult dancing technique requiring
them to touching hands and dance together. During a crescendo, Brian grasped
Mira’s left hand as it disappeared. He was left holding her glove. He stopped
the song and noticed she was upset.
Did her arm just vanish?
He asked
himself. Mira knelt and grasped her left arm. He went to her as she turned away
with tears rolling down her cheeks.