Freedom Saga 1: Heaven's Light (4 page)

The Minan troops
ran away from Brian and Kyli as they made their way underneath the Kein estate.
As the rumbling from above lessened, the pair entered a corridor lined with
armed Kalaidian soldiers. One of the officers stepped forward to address them.

“Commander
Peterson, this elevator will take you to Lady Veda,” she said.

“Thank you,”
Brian said.

He and Kyli
stepped on the elevator. Both of them sheathed their blades and removed their
helmets. The door closed as the metal capsule moved to the surface.

“You’re not as
tall as I remember,” Kyli said.

“That’s because
you’re taller,” Brian said. He smiled as he looked at her. “I’m glad things turned
out as well as they have for you.”

“It’s not as
much of a stretch as you’d think,” she said. “A serf born farm girl grows up
and learns how to swing a blade.” She laughed.

“Your story
hasn’t ended,” he said. “You have all the makings of a
Maigar
.”

She blushed.
“Celi warned me you were a sweet talker.”

“I’m not as
sweet as I used to be,” he tapped his head, “Things are messing around in here
at the moment.”

“She warned me
about that as well. Is it true you can speak with spirits?”

“I hear voices
from those who’ve died,” he said. “They tell me things I don’t want to know,
but for some reason, they keep coming around.”

“Is it because
you’ve berserked too many times?” she asked.

“I can’t say for
sure,” he said with a shrug. “But it’s been getting worse since two years ago.”

The lights
flickered as the estate grounds shook from the fighting outside. A number of
Lances were positioned near the palace while a number of Phase Raknas held
their positions around the main building. The elevator door opened into a
strategy room filled with officers under the employ of Veda Kein. She was
dressed in her battle uniform with a
raiga
whip on her belt. The table
display in the center of the room showed the positions of the Confederation
forces around the palace and their units in space. Kyli took Brian’s hand.

“I have to prep
for launch,” she said. “I’ll see you in a few.” She ran outside in haste.

Veda nodded to
her commanders before turning to Brian.

“The stress is
already getting to you,” he remarked as she came over.

“I haven’t
worked this hard in years,” she said. She looked out the window at the
posturing outside. “The High Council made the hasty decision.”

“We thought they
would,” Brian said.

“Are you sure
about this?” Veda asked. “By all rights you should lead us.”

“No, I can’t,”
Brian said. “It’s not because I’m afraid of failure but the political
consequences. Many view my part in the organization’s formation as a move
towards human domination.”

“You could’ve
had that when you freed the people of Kalaidia,” Veda said.

“That’s what I
think,” he said. “If I wanted power so badly I would’ve grabbed for it then.
But the main factor for choosing you as the leader has to do with your
knowledge of the politics. Compared to you I’m quite in the dark about what’s
going on outside of fighting.”

“You’ve passed a
burden to me,” Veda said. “I accept young man, if that’s what you wish.” A
number of Phase Raknas moved into position just outside. “Can you really see
them?”

“You must be
talking about the ghosts,” Brian said.

“Have you seen
him?” Veda asked.

Brian touched
his cheek under his right eye and moved it around the mouth. “He had a scar
like that.”

“So it’s true,”
Veda said. “Perhaps the burden I carry isn’t so great.”

“No Veda, it
is,” Brian said. “Someday I’ll take over…if I live long enough.”

“Don’t talk like
that,” Veda said. “Assuming death as the outcome ensures it.”

“As usual,
you’re right,” he said. The cockpits of all the Phase Raknas outside opened up
before dropping their elevator cords. “That’s my queue.”

“I pray Kali
watches over you,” she said.

He smiled.
“Thanks Veda.”

He placed the
helmet on his head and activated the holographic system in his exoskeleton to
turn invisible. He ran outside and took the elevator cord of Kyli’s mobile
suit. All the other Phase Raknas moved exactly the same before closing their
hatches and taking off. Veda watched as he flew away.

“If that’s your
wish Brian then I won’t back down,” she said.

* *
*

Seles and the
other pilots kept their mobile suits close to their main ships.

“I’d really like
to cut loose,” Meldi said as she appeared on Seles’s monitor again. Myli did
likewise.

“I know how you
feel,” Seles said. “Let’s just stick to the plan until told otherwise.”

“You’re not as
impatient as you used to be,” Myli said.

“She’s right
Seles,” Meldi added. “In the old days you’d be charging in.”

Seles laughed.
“I’m not sure I was that impulsive. But I won’t deny I feel differently about
things today.”

The
Confederation fleet encircled the Avoni and Raulno while bombarding their
shields. The two ships held their position for the moment. The Reinkar appeared
on their flank and launched twenty mobile armors into the horde of Lances. The
strange looking crafts were shaped like a Shandi with the tail acting as the
main canon. The Reinkar itself was of typical Shandi construction. It flew
through space like two four sided pyramids attached together at the base.

“Those must the
new Fang models Daes was talking about,” Meldi said. “She said their output is
twice that of a mobile suit.”

“But the energy
burn is greater as well,” Myli said.

Seles watched
the Fangs as they tore into the line of Lances.

“Their raw power
is greater, but maneuverability is an issue as well,” she said.

Valis appeared
on their monitors. “The final phase of the mission is about to commence. Seles,
it’s time to cut loose and do what you do best.”

“As you command
Valis,” Seles said. “You heard her ladies, time to earn some stars!” She
blinked her eyes. As they glowed blue Seles charged the Confederation fleet.
The other pilots followed close behind.

* *
*

Kyli and three
dozen other pilots flew their Phase Raknas skyward to the battle above them in
space. Brian turned off his armor’s camouflage and stood at the back of the
mobile suit’s cockpit when Kyli turned on her com.

“To all units,
blast a path to the Avoni and Raulno,” she ordered. “The Reinkar will keep the
main force of the enemy occupied.”

“Yes lieutenant,”
her subordinates responded.

Brian watched as
they moved to attack. The Avoni and Raulno remained close together and shared
their shields while the Fangs and Raknas tore through the Confederation fleet.
As the Lances fell, he noticed a Rakna ahead of the rest, flying faster then
he’d ever seen. Kyli took a moment away from firing to watch.

“That must be lieutenant
Seles,” she said.

“She dances much
better then when I last saw,” Brian said.

“She’s
considered the best pilot amongst our people today,” Kyli said. “But the
sojourners are almost as good as her.”

“When death is
the only other option the best comes out in people,” Brian said.

The Rakna spun
and fired a series of pulse blasts into an attack vessel. The Confederation
fleet began withdrawing as all of the Raknas and Fangs met at the center of the
battle area. Brian pressed the com on his helmet.

“Seles, you can
calm down now,” he said.

“Stop that,” she
responded. “I know the trick to not lose control.”

“Alright then
love, I’ll stop bothering you,” he said.

He ended
transmission as Kyli landed on the Avoni.

* *
*

Seles blinked
her eyes a few times before they faded back to their normal purple color. She
sighed in relief as she headed back to the Avoni. The Fangs and Raknas all
returned to their home vessels. As she landed she felt the ship ripple and
gravity jump. Seles let the zip loose on her pilot suit as she stood up and
opened the front hatch before looking around the Phase Zero. Her eyes lingered
for a while as she smiled and tapped the main console.

“Goodbye girl,”
she said.

She stepped onto
the elevator cord and landed on the floor a moment later. She saw the engineers
scramble to check each of the mobile suits over. Daes seemed preoccupied at the
back of the launching bay. Meldi and Myli stopped when they came to Seles.

“Seles, we’d
really like you to join us and the rest of the pilots tomorrow night,” Meldi
said.

“We can’t say
goodbye without the main guest there,” Myli said. A number of the pilots in the
room watched.

Seles touched
the Phase Zero on the leg. “It’s been almost twelve years since I came to the
Avoni,” she said sentimentally. “Don’t worry everyone, I’ll be there.”

“Thanks,” Meldi
said.

“See you Seles,”
Myli said as they left her alone.

Seles walked
over to the darkened part of the launching bay and looked at the silhouette of
the Mjolnir. Brian and Kyli headed over to her.

“Having a hard time
saying goodbye?” Brian asked.

Seles nodded.
“In a way,” she looked at Kyli, “If it wasn’t for your hair I’d mistake you for
Celi.”

“Thank you
lieutenant,” Kyli said with a salute. “It’s an honor to be under your tutelage
from here on.”

“You rate me far
too high,” Seles said. “It’s good to meet you Kyli.” Seles returned the salute
with one of her own.

The Avoni’s com
system turned on. “All senior officers are to report to the command center on
the main base in twelve standard hours,” Baed reported. “That is all.”

Kyli looked at
the other two. “I’m going to visit with Celi for a while,” she said. “It was
good meeting both of you.”

She saluted one
more time before heading for sickbay.

Brian yawned. “I
think I’m going to get some sleep.” He looked to Seles. “Is that alright with
you?”

“Of course,”
Seles said. “You look terrible anyway.”

“I’ll see you
later then,” he said before leaving.

Seles stood in
the launching bay. Although others scrambled about, she felt like she was
alone. She looked to the Mjolnir and then her Zero one last time.
I thought
it was going to last forever. But as time marches forward the song goes with
it.

“Farewell.”

Seles wiped the
tears away as she walked away.

The Avoni,
Raulno, and Reinkar moved near an asteroid in orbit of the Dega Seven, a blue
and green striped gas giant. As each of the ships came close they sent an encoded
message to the base hidden inside. Valis was on the bridge with Baed, Vae, and
Zae. A moment later an encoded line returned the hail. Grigon appeared on the
monitor from the command center on the base.

“It’s good to
see you again,” the old birdman said.

“And to you as
well Grigon,” Valis said. “How’s everything coming along?”

Grigon cawed.
“We’ll need another three months at most.”

“Has there been
any activity in the area?” she asked.

Grigon chuckled.
“Those idiots wouldn’t know a secret base even if we parked it on top of them.
They’re more interested in our decoy bases throughout the system. Even if we
were detected we’d just move to another system and hide there.”

“Has there been
word from Shiken Ka?” El Kar asked from the bridge of the Reinkar.

“I’m sorry, but
no,” Grigon said. The old Malcovin pressed a few buttons. “You’re welcome to
land at any time,” he said before ending the transmission.

The ship’s
navigation went to autopilot as it was drawn into a dock on the interior of the
asteroid. The Raulno and Reinkar set down at separate docks in the base’s
harbor. On the other side of the docking area the Vomada and another ship under
construction rested. The newer ship was twice the size of the Avoni with four
extended rear engines.

“Is that the
Freedom?” Baed asked. “I didn’t think it’d be so big.”

“It’s the first
vessel outside an Original Five to be equipped with four heavy class gravity drives,”
Zae said

“It’s the first
Terran ship to grace the Confederation,” Valis said.

Brian entered
via the elevator and stood at the top of the bridge. “She’s beautiful,” he
said.

“She?” Vae
asked.

Brian nodded.
“Like your people mine refer to their ships in the feminine.”

“Are you sure
about this Brian?” Valis asked. “We could lay low until the Freedom’s ready and
then make our move.”

“No,” he said.
“The Freedom must be left to mature. Unless you order otherwise the plan stands
as is.”

“Alright,” Valis
said.

* *
*

I haven’t felt
this nervous since the night Baed and I made our escape.
Seles thought
as she sat in her quarters. All of her belongings were packed and ready for
departure. A buzz came from the door.

“It’s me,” Mira
said.

Seles opened the
door and stepped outside.

“Are you feeling
weird about this?” she asked as they headed for the main exit of the Avoni.

“It’s been over
ten years,” Mira said. “But to answer your question, yes. This is home, so
leaving isn’t easy.”

“I feel the
same,” Seles said.

“Is Brian staying
with the Avoni?” Mira asked.

“That’s the
plan,” Seles said. “We’re to stay with Jesela and make sure the Freedom
launches on time.”

“You look
nervous,” Mira said.

“I feel just
like I look,” Seles said.

“I know how it
feels,” Mira said. “I’m not on the battlefield like you, but Celi’s been my
teacher the whole time. I’m ready to take lead of a medical staff. That’s what
she keeps telling me. But there’s a bit of doubt still inside me.”

“At least we’ll
suffer together,” Seles said.

“True,” Mira
said as they laughed.

They came to the
exit stairs of the Avoni and headed outside. The base around them turned like a
giant cylinder to simulate gravity. As they touched the platform outside the
ship, both Seles and Mira watched hundreds of Kalaidians, Malcovin, and Shandi
working on the interior of the base. Seles looked at the nearly finished
Freedom.

“I think it
needs a paint job,” she remarked.

“I think you’re
right,” Mira added. “Right now it looks like a silver and black hulk.”

“It’s good to see
you two!” Jesela exclaimed as she ran to Seles and Mira. She stopped to catch
her breath before hugging both of them. “It’s been too long.”

“Over a year,”
Mira said.

“You’re looking
well,” Seles said.

Jesela smiled.
“Thanks.” She looked around the dock area. “Where in Kali’s name is everyone?”

“They’re running
late,” Mira explained. “How’s the old bird holding up?”

“He’s peppy as
baby
Jaedis
,” Jesela said.

From the Avoni
emerged Brian, Valis, Celi, and Zae. From the Raulno Kivi and Dreka made their
way to the center of the dock. From the Reinkar came El Kar with a pair of body
guards. When the group converged the old Malcovin made his appearance from the
entrance to the center of the base. Grigon cawed with impatience while holding
a strange looking metal rod.

“I’m sorry for
being late,” Grigon said to the group as he met them. “Please, follow me.”

He pointed to
the door he came in from and led the group to the interior of the base. Valis
and Kivi took the front with Brian as they walked through halls filled with
workers and monitors, the rest followed.

“Have you
received word from the other bases?” Valis asked.

“A few days ago
a number encoded messages came through the pipeline,” Grigon said. “The Alaska
and Siberia bases are in position at the Confederation border. The Sahara and
Death Valley bases have been stopped short by the Mylor but not detained. It
seems the old cats are taking their time deciding what to do with them.”

“Those names
sound strange,” Kivi said.

“Valis told me
to choose them,” Brian said.

“Given the lack
of knowledge about Terrans here in space the code names sound like nonsense to
those who don’t know anything about his homeworld,” Valis said. “By the way,
what’s the code came for this base?”

“Columbia,”
Brian said.

“How many bases
does Heaven’s Light have?” Seles asked as she moved next to Brian.

“Eight,” Grigon
answered. “The four border bases are strictly for observation of the Grey
forces. The other four are spread throughout Confederation controlled space.”

“Have they
sniffed any of them out?” Kivi asked.

Grigon cawed. “A
year ago they uncovered the Nevada base, but it moved before they could close in
on it. The Sicily and Hong Kong bases are hidden for the moment. All the
supplies and intelligence have been put into place.”

“How’s the
financial front?” Valis asked.

“The Kalaidian
and Shandi governments have been quite generous in their donations,” Grigon
said. “But independently wealthy individuals like me and Veda have contributed
as well.”

The group
entered a large room full of monitors and holographic planning tables. Grigon
waved his hand and the three Malcovin workers took their leave. The old birdman
took the metal rod he carried and placed it inside the center table to activate
the base’s systems. One by one the monitors came on and displayed the position
of various military forces in a hundred different star systems. The monitor
showing the Kein estate on Dega Jul revealed the encirclement had been lifted.

“It seems the
Degan government didn’t like the interference,” Kivi said.

“The riots in
the streets displayed the will of the people,” Valis said. “I know you’ve
briefed us Grigon, but is there anything else we need to know?”

The old Malcovin
looked at Brian. “Are you sticking to the plan?”

“Yes,” Brian
said.

“Very well,”
Grigon said. He called up a number of real time positions of the Confederation
fleets. “Currently, they’ve detained Shiken Ka and his fleet at the
Confederation headquarters. We received word earlier today that Prime Minister
Hopart has arrived there as well.”

“They’ll fight
the best legal battle for the organization,” El Kar added. “But I doubt the
High Council will listen to reason.”

“No, they’re
convinced Heaven’s Light is my personal military,” Brian said. He looked at
fleet positions within the Degan system. “It looks like we won’t have much time
to rest.”

Valis glanced at
the fleet at Dega Six. “They’re desperate,” she said.

“They fear an
end to their time,” El Kar said. “Those who fear the thoughts of rising stars
will try crushing their ideals.”

“It won’t work,”
Kivi said. “Even if we were destroyed today the peoples of the Alden will find
their way.”

“But if we don’t
act there won’t be a Confederation to protect by the time that happens,” Zae
said.