Heaven Saga 1: The Lost Hero (20 page)

“Do you have proof of this?” he asked.

“It’s right here.” She turned on the video. It clearly
showed his eyes glowing blue. They saw his mouth was clenching while an
occasional snicker came out.

“I look like a psychopath in this video,” he said,
averting his gaze. “Is there some way to fix this?”

“Records show 95% of reported berserkers gained
control after meditation training. It may take a few months or a year, but
you’ll probably be able to control it,” Mira said.

“What about the other 5%?” he asked.

Mira reached out, taking his hand. “They suffered from
a condition called Nano Psychosis. Celi’s an expert on diseases, so you should
see her as soon as we get back.”

“I’ll do that,” he said, looking out the window. He
looked down at his bloodstained armor. “Let’s get the Mjolnir and go home.”

“Good idea, I’m exhausted,” Seles said.

“Agreed,” Mira said.

Brian awoke in his bed with Seles. She was awake and
stared at the ceiling.

“Was last night something special I should know
about?” he asked as he got up and put some clothes on.

“It’s been exactly one galactic standard year since we
met. I wanted to celebrate the occasion,” she said as she rolled out of bed and
put her uniform on.

He looked at the clock. “It’s already been a year.” He
shook his head. “It feels like a lot longer than that.”

“What kind of future do you have in mind?” she asked
as they sat down for breakfast. On the table was covered platter.

“I really don’t know. I still have nine years of
service before I’m free to pursue something on my own.” He looked at the
platter. “What’s the surprise in here you mentioned last night?”

She turned the switch on the platter. “It should be
done cooking a few minutes. It’s something you’ve talked about, so I thought
I’d try my hand at making it. I hope it turns out like it should. Ensign Raeka,
our esteemed culinary expert, had a fit watching me prepare this.”

“What about you? What kind of future do you envision?”
he asked.

She lost herself in deep thought before answering. “I
don’t want to return home. The only thing waiting for a crowned princess is the
throne, and that’s not as glorious as it sounds.”

“From the way you speak of it, being a noble isn’t
much of a life,” he said.

“No, it’s not Brian,” she looked at a picture of an
ocean on the wall. “I fled with Baed because the two of us were born to serve.
Ideally, to serve is to serve the people of Kalaidia. But in reality I would
serve as the figurehead for the other noble families. Baed would suffer a
similar fate, doomed to live her life as a lowly noble over a meaningless
fiefdom.” A light blinked on the platter. “It looks like it’s done,” she said.

“I’m starved,” he said as he removed the cover.
Underneath was a sight he hadn’t seen in over year, a cheese pizza. He savored
the aroma as it filled the room. “It looks like you got it perfect.” He took
the knife and cut it.

“It took my at least a dozen tries to get the texture
right,” she said.

He took a slice and ate, savoring the taste. “Thanks.”

“I’m glad you approve,” she said as she took a slice.

After they finished eating Brian sat back in his
chair.

“How did you figure out how to make a pizza?” he
asked.

She smiled. “You may not believe this, but I was the
best chef in the palace. I often wonder if my mother misses me or my cooking
more.”

“I’m sure she misses both,” he said.

His com flashed. “Brian, please report to the captain
as soon as possible,” Zae said.

He sighed and picked it up. “I’ll be there shortly,”
he answered. Brian put on his armor and headed for the door. Before leaving, he
turned back to Seles. “I’m glad we did this.”

“Me to,” she said.

* * *

Brian walked into the captain’s room and saw Valis and
Mira talking. They stopped and looked at him.

“I have a different request Brian, something both
Captain Esra and I would like for you to do,” Valis said.

“They want us to perform a blade dance for both
crews,” Mira said. “They’ve even gone so far as to rent out a concert hall for
us to perform.”

“Don’t you think it’s dangerous to have me perform in
the open like this?” he asked, looking to Valis.

“It’s not something you should concern yourself with,”
Valis said. “We’ll have security.”

“Alright, I trust you,” he said, nodding in agreement.

“I expect a great show,” Valis said. “Your first
performance set a high standard and we expect nothing less.”

“How long do we have to prepare?” he asked.

“Ten days,” Valis answered.

* * *

Seles walked into the mess hall, oblivious of the
stares heading her way. She got her meal and looked for a place to sit. She saw
Baed sitting alone in the corner. As she made her way towards Baed, she finally
noticed the stares and giggles from the others. She blushed as she sat down and
tried to ignore the attention by eating her meal.

“So where were you last night?” Baed asked with a
crooked smile.

She tried avoiding the question by eating.

Baed stared at her. “Come on Seles, be honest this
time. I didn’t say a word the first time you didn’t come back, but this time I
know where you went.”

“And where was that?” she asked while still trying to
hide behind her lunch.

“Brian?”

Seles choked, and then coughed.

“Seems I was right,” Baed said. “I can tell because of
the way you look at each other. His eyes follow your every move.” She watched
Seles eat frantically while blushing. “I have a question for you Seles.”

“And what’s that?” Seles asked irritably.

“What’s it like with a Terran?”

It was a cool rainy day on Dega Jul as fog covered
this sector of the city planet. Zae paced the perimeter of a huge stone
building. With her were three guards, fully armed and ready. As she neared the
entrance, a massive double door, she saw a number of Kalaidians coming into
view. Many of the other alien races gathered as well, though not for the same
purpose as the crews of the Avoni and Daevoni. Zae entered the building. The
first room was a massive greeting hall. At the far end was the entrance to the
musical hall. She moved deeper into the room until she found Valis and Esra
talking.

“So what style of music does your
Maigar
specialize in?” Esra asked.

“He doesn’t specialize in any of our musical
disciplines,” Valis answered. “Mira told me it would be a mix our style and
his.”

Zae went to Valis. “We’ve secured the perimeter. We
have guards posted at every entrance and set up a dampening field around the
music hall.”

Valis smiled. “Thank you Zae.”

Zae saluted and went back outside to check the perimeter
one more time. Valis turned back to Esra.

“From what I’ve heard, his blade dance is a wonder to
see,” Esra said.

Valis laughed. “He’s going to have a hard time topping
his first performance.”

* * *

Mira smiled and took his hand as they went out onto
the darkened stage. Both walked to their starting positions, with Brian
kneeling behind her. As the entry doors closed and the last Kalaidians took
their seats, Mira turned on the surround system. A pair of lights shined on
them as the crowd went silent. She wore her white dress while Brian wore his
armor and cape again.

Mira addressed the crowd. “Welcome everyone. I am
Mira, the
Reiniere
of the Avoni. My partner today is
Rakna Maigar
Brian Peterson. Today, we’ve prepared a special concert for you. The first song
shall be led by Brian.”

He stood up and walked forward. He drew his blades
with lightning speed and dazzled the crowd with a musical scales before
changing the
rakna
blade sound over to an electric guitar. He and Mira
took their stances once more and began the concert. They alternated between her
songs and his favorite classic rock songs. The crowd was fascinated by his
alien music. At the end, he replayed his rendition of “Stairway to Heaven”.
After thirteen songs, he and Mira bowed to a rabid crowd. She took out a white
rose again and handed it to Brian. He scanned the crowd of lovely alien ladies.
Smiling, he closed his eyes and kissed the rose. With a spin he threw it into
the crowd not knowing who would be the lucky lady. The crowd went silent. He
opened his eyes and saw Celi jumping up and down with the flower. He sighed
with relief as he stepped off the stage and went to Celi.

He knelt on one knee. “Lieutenant Commander Celi, as
the Lady of the Rose, I am to serve you for the night.”

After jumping up and down, Celi noticed the others
stared at her. Embarrassed, she went to him and whispered into his ear. “Why
are they looking at me like that?”

“Because most of them don’t have any idea why you’re
so happy,” he said.

Brian woke the next morning and saw Celi checking
herself in the mirror. He stood up and surprised her.

“I didn’t mean to wake you up,” she said.

He started putting his clothes on. “It wasn’t you,” he
said. He noticed she was staring at him. “What is it?”

“You’ve changed a lot,” she said. “All of your
training’s made you more attractive.”

He laughed. “I was really out of shape.” He walked
over to her. “Do you know the reason the
Maigar
spends a night of
passion with the Lady of the Rose?”

She looked to the side, blushing. “A
Maigar’s
genes are superior. The premise of is to spread the best genes amongst us.” She
turned her gaze back to his. “But since you’re Terran, the genes can’t be
transferred properly.”

He went to the computer monitor and pressed a button.
A small drawer opened. “You’ve been waiting for this for,” he said as he
produced the metal container she gave him prior. “This contains the sample you
wanted.”

She took it and went to the door. “Thanks.”

* * *

Seles was getting ready to go out when a knock came
from the door. Baed stood opposite her, doing the same.

“That’s probably Mira and Jesela,” Baed said. She went
to the door and opened it, Mira and Jesela waited.

“What’s taking you two so long?” Mira asked.

Seles finished up and joined them. “Sorry, I woke up
late this morning. Let’s go!”

The four headed excitedly towards the Avoni’s exit,
for a day of fun, food, and shopping. On the way, Brian passed them as they
went down the hall. Seles ran over to him with irritation in her eyes.

“Something’s bothering you,” he said, shifting his
feet uncomfortably.

“Thanks to you I’m getting funny looks all over the
ship,” Seles said.

He glanced at the three with her and noticed they
stared intently. “Oh…I get it,” he said, leaning and surprising her with a
kiss. “Let them talk about that for a while,” he said with a smile.

Blushing, she turned and saw her friends gawking. She
turned back to Brian. “I’ll be staying in your room sometime soon.”

“I’ll look forward to then,” he said, resuming his
trip to the bridge. “Don’t let me hold you up any longer ladies. I know how
precious little time you get outside,” he said as he passed Mira, Baed, and
Jesela.

Seles stood silent for a moment, and then turned to
her friends. “Come on, let’s go!”

As they resumed their way to the exit, Baed walked up
next to Seles. “You still haven’t answered my question Seles.”

Seles turned red. “It’s fun, alright.”

Mira and Jesela looked at each other funny.

“What question did you ask her?” Mira asked.

* * *

Brian pressed the door com for the captain’s room
adjacent to the bridge. “Valis, I need to talk.”

She opened the door, noticing troubled look in his
eyes. “Come in,” she said. He went inside and let the door close behind him.

“I have an issue dealing with combat situations,” he
said. He put his hand up. “Wait, first answer this question. How’s Kivi?”

“She’s doing fine. We heal really fast these days
because of the technology,” Valis said.

Relief appeared on his face. “That’s good to hear.
I’ll go see her in a little while.”

“So what is the problem?” she asked.

“Celi believes I’m experiencing the berserk state in
battle,” he answered.