Heaven Saga 1: The Lost Hero (7 page)

She blushed, lost in thought for a moment. “Um…fetuses
are born in birthing facilities. Sexuality is…something each Kalaidian must
learn on her own.”

He laughed. “Really, they don’t teach you anything at
all about sex, do they?”

“What’s so funny Brian? Are my people’s practices so
strange you would mock them with laughter?”

He stopped laughing. “You probably don’t know this,
but sex is all a man can think about. I’m dirty minded like most and trying to
make light of the situation. Why do you think I’m so interested in your
people’s physiology?”

Seles looked a little concerned. “What do you mean?”

He smiled. “Don’t worry; I’m not going to try to do
anything to you. Anyways, you look too much like an innocent little girl to
me.”

“I am not a little girl. I’m eighteen,” Seles said,
appearing put off.

“I know, but size does make a difference. I’m a giant
compared you. Your height is your age to my human eyes.” he shrugged. “I’m sure
that will change with time.”

“Am I attractive to you?” she asked as she leaned
forward, blushing.

“Yes, you’re very beautiful. But you still look small
when I’m next to you. Saying that, you don‘t look much different than a short
human woman,” he answered, feeling embarrassed.

She hugged him. “It feels so natural to do this when
I’m near you. I don’t know why.”

Brian turned red again. “I know why Seles. A hundred
and fifty years can’t erase what millions of years of evolution makes.”

“What’s the situation?” Valis asked as she entered the
bridge.

“We’re picking up a Malcovin warship headed for the
moon Seles and Brian are stranded on. They must have picked up the emergency
beacon,” Zae said as Valis took her seat.

“Send an encoded message to Seles and warn her of the
incoming vessel,” Valis ordered.

Zae input the message and sent it. Kivi turned to
Valis. “Do you think they know who she is?”

“We have to assume as much by their speed.” Valis
turned to Zae. “How close are we to being able to do anything?”

Zae turned to her console. “The repairs are at about
75%. The gravity drive is still out of commission. We have 90% of weapon use
and full pulse cannon capability. Our magnetic shields are only at 60%.”

“Zae, what are our chances if we enter combat against
the Malcovin ship?” Valis asked.

“42%. That’s assuming the Malcovin ship is a fully
loaded and undamaged Geld class ship,” Zae answered.

Valis looked at the monitor next to her intently.
“Daes, can you put the image of the Malcovin vessel on the main monitor?”

“Yes captain.” The image of the Malcovin ship
appeared.

Valis began running battle simulations at her chair.
“Daes, I want you to scan them thoroughly. I’d like to improve our chance of
victory if possible. Baed, chart the fastest route through normal space and get
us to the moon as quickly as possible.”

“Yes captain,” Baed said.

* * *

Brian awoke and saw Seles preparing breakfast. She’d
removed more of the equipment from the emergency supplies and sat next to the
water with what looked like a covered frying pan

“What are you making?” he asked as he sat up.

“It’s a vegetable stir fry from the emergency kit. I
thought this would taste a lot better than standard rations.” Seles opened the
lid for a moment to look inside. Some steam came out and the smell of vegetables
filled the air. “It looks like it will be done in a few more minutes. I’m just
going to leave it here next to the water.” She placed the pan on a stone beside
the water.

Brian sniffed the air. “It smells pretty good, but I
wish your people had something like a burger, or even a pizza.”

“What’s that?” she asked.

“A burger is basically a piece of ground meat, usually
from cow. You mash it together and fry it on a pan like the one you’re using.
After it’s cooked, you eat it by itself, or on a couple of pieces of bread.”

“Your people eat meat?” she asked with disgust.

“You’re looking at me is like I just said something
awful. What’s your definition of meat?”

“The only creatures large enough for meat on Kalaidia
are rodents or large insects. To us it’s disgusting to eat such food,” she
said.

He shook his head. “Meat on Earth comes from large
land mammals and fish, not rodents or insects. A cow is a large furry creature
that eats grass.”

She made a face and shook her head. “I still think
it’s disgusting to eat meat. Kalaidians are vegetarians. We’ve never had such
land creatures to feed on. We used to eat fish and birds, but it isn’t done
anymore. My people nearly fished the oceans clean and barely stopping before it
was too late. Unfortunately, I can‘t say the same for most birds on Kalaidia,
they‘re almost extinct these days.” A beeping noise came from the pan.
“Breakfast is served,” she said as she opened the lid and placed an equal
amount on two metal plates.

* * *

An hour passed as Brian and Seles readied for another
day of repair work. As they left the cave they noticed storm clouds rolling in.

Brian pointed to the sky. “I suggest we get as much
work done as we can and leave early so we don’t get stuck in a blizzard.”

“You can tell how bad it’s going to get, right?” Seles
asked.

“A little bit. Any sign we could get stuck and I’m
getting us out of there,” he said.

After a long walk the two came upon the shuttle, still
stuck in the ice. Both went inside.

“Looks like the Avoni sent us another message Brian,”
Seles said as she went to the console. “Strange, looks like the message is
encoded.”

Daes’s voice relayed the message: “A Malcovin Geld
class ship is headed to your location. We assume they intend to capture you.
You’re advised to escape as soon as possible. The Avoni is headed to your
position.”

Seles looked really worried. He walked over. “What are
Malcovin and why would they be so interested in us?”

She sighed before calling up the information encoded
with the audio file. It displayed the position of the Avoni, the Malcovin ship,
and the moon they were stuck on. “The Malcovin evolved from large land based
birds. They’re a race of mercenaries and pirates who hire themselves out to the
highest bidder. They must have intercepted our transmission to the Avoni.”

“That answers my first question Seles. Do you know why
they would be so interested in us?” he asked.

She looked him in the eye.  “You used my name when you
activated the emergency beacon, right?”

“Yeah, was I wrong to do so?”

“It’s not your fault Brian,” she said, pausing. “I was
trying to keep this from you, but I guess it’s time I tell you all about my
past.”

“I’m listening.”

“My full name is Seles Daevon, of the Daevon royal
family. I escaped from the life of nobility almost two years ago with my cousin
Baed, who serves as the navigator for the Avoni. I’m the crown princess of
Kalaidia Prime and stand to inherit the throne.”

He stood silent for a moment before laughing in
disbelief. “Are you serious?”

She sighed again. “Unfortunately, yes, I’m serious.”

He saw fear in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I can guess the
reason why you wouldn’t broadcast such a thing.”

“I don’t like telling others because they treat me
differently. Baed was the only friend I had until I went to the Avoni. The life
of a noble doesn’t allow for such things. Even now, the crew still treats me
differently.”

Brian put his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry
Seles; I won’t treat you any different. From the world I come from we’re taught
everyone is equal. Earth’s not perfect, but I like to think everyone born there
has a chance. Your title means nothing to me Seles,” he said, smiling.

She touched his hand, smiling in return. “Thank you.”

“So what’s the plan?” he asked.

“The Malcovin are looking to cash in by capturing and
returning me to Kalaidia Prime.”

“I won’t let them Seles. Even if all I have are my
fists and resolve, I’ll take care of you,” he boasted.

“Are you sure? The Malcovin are trained mercenaries.
Have you ever been in combat?”

He thought for moment before answering. “No. But I’m a
fast learner. Also, I’m good at moving around in this terrain.”

“You’re going to need a lot more than that to
survive.” Seles started searching the shuttle. “There should be three pulse
grenades in here. We don’t have a lot of fire power, but at least we can use a
few more weapons.” She found the three pulse grenades.

He shook his head in defeat. “I’ll get to work on the
repairs outside.”

* * *

The two worked feverishly for six hours. Brian looked
up at the dark and cloudy sky as snow fell. He pulled the thermal cloak tight
and went inside the shuttle.

“The weather’s getting bad. We should get going,” he
said.

“From what I can tell, it’s going to take us a few
more days to finish repairs,” Seles said as they left the shuttle headed back
to the cave.

“Seles, I need you to teach me how to fight,” he said.
“You’re a trained pilot and I know nothing. So please, help me so I can help
you.”

Seles nodded. “I’ll start training you once we’re back
in the cave. Given we only have one pulse rifle, a
rakna
blade, and three
pulse grenades, we don’t have much to work with.”

“I’ll use the
rakna
blade; you keep the pulse
rifle and grenades,” he said as they walked in the snow.

Valis, Kivi, and Zae stood in the Avoni’s tactical
room. At the center of the room was a large table covered in buttons with a
pair of consoles at opposing ends. The ceiling was a large dome window that
showed the stars outside. After Zae pressed a few buttons, a holographic copy
of the Malcovin ship appeared above the center table. The ship was shaped like
a massive cube with flattened corners. Valis stood silently and looked over the
image.

“Zae, you’ve done a detailed scan, right?” Valis
asked.

Zae turned to one of the consoles. “Yes. And I’ve
found a few things that would interest you.”

“Like what?” Kivi inquired.

Zae pointed to the image. “It appears their ship has
taken light damage, and it also appears their gravity drive is out of
commission. If you look here,” Zae zoomed in on the aft of the holographic
ship, “You’ll notice a docking bay is sealed off. In their current situation
they could launch only eight Claws.”

“That’s good news for us,” Valis said. “We can launch
all forty four Novas if needed.”

Zae input the data into the computer. “Our chance of
victory improves to 68%.”

Valis grinned. “I much prefer our chances now. How
long will it be until we reach the moon?”

“Three days,” Zae said.

* * *

Brian sat with the scanner and studied. Seles paced
around the room with the pulse rifle on her back and checked the walls of the
cave. He was transfixed as he read everything he could on the Malcovin species.

“The funny thing is the average Malcovin looks like a
crow. The only difference is size and being bipedal,” Brian said. He rubbed his
eyes and put the scanner down.

She finished pacing and turned to him. “On Kalaidia
there’s a black feathered bird we call
Jaedis
that also looks a lot like
them. Do you think you know enough now?”

He stood up and stretched. “Basically, don’t let them
surround us on the ground. What I find strange is their females aren’t allowed
to travel.”

“That’s because the Malcovin are fiercely patriarchal.
They value their females only for procreation and teaching, and little else,”
she said.

“But your own people held such views about men until
only a few centuries ago, right?” he asked.

“True, until my grandmother’s time,” Seles said. “But,
enough of this subject. Let’s focus on the challenge right in front of us.”

“Alright,” he took a pulse grenade and showed it to
Seles. “How do I use these?”

She took the grenade from him. “This is how you
activate it,” she said, miming the buttons and sequence used to activate the
weapon.

“How long is the delay?” he asked.

“Five seconds,” she said as she handed the grenade
back to him. She took the pulse rifle from her back and placed it on the floor.
“Tell me Brian, do you have any martial arts training?”

“No,” he said, putting the grenade down.

She sighed. “If only we had more time. Well, we must
do with what we’ve got.” Seles rolled around him and jumped onto his back. He
tried prying her off.