Brian parted ways with Kivi as she went into her apartment. “Take care,” she said as she went inside.
“You too,” he said before going to his apartment.
He flipped out his key card and inserted it in the slot next to the door. It opened. The interior was dark. He stumbled in a few steps and promptly passed out on the floor in front of the door. The lights came on to reveal Mira, Seles, Baed, and Jesela. The four walked over to the unconscious Terran, looking annoyed.
“Did he drink more on the way back?” Mira asked.
Seles knelt down and brushed his face. “No, he was this drunk during the fight.”
“What are we going to do now?” Baed asked.
“Maybe we should get him to his bed. I don’t think he’d like to sleep on the floor all night,” Jesela suggested.
Seles motioned for Mira to go to his feet. “Let’s roll him over and get this armor off.”
Mira did as Seles asked and the pair rolled him onto his back.
Seles reached under the chest plate and pressed a switch. The exoskeleton folded out a little bit and gave them a chance to slide him out of the frame.
“He’s heavy,” Mira said to Seles as they carried him to his bed. Afterwards she and Mira went back into the other room.
“I think we’ll have to do this tomorrow,” Seles said to the other three.
“Well, the Char Dom is a two night tradition,” Mira said.
“We’ll just have to tell twice as many stories tomorrow evening,” Jesela added.
“Or we could just start when he wakes up,” Baed suggested.
“Let’s get some sleep,” Seles said. “We can discuss what we’re going to do tomorrow.”
Chapter 7 - Char Dom
Man, I don’t feel sick at all. Technology is great. Brian thought to himself. He wore the brown pants from the day before, but his shirt and other clothes were gone. He opened his eyes and found himself on top of the bed, covered with black sheets and matching pillows. The bedroom had white walls and a white ceiling. To his left was a wall of windows. The morning sun shined through brightly. He sat up cross-legged and noticed he wasn’t alone. Starting from the right to left at the foot of his bed stood Seles, Baed, Jesela, and Mira. Each wore a translucent dress matching their respective hair colors.
“Good morning,” the four said in unison with smiles.
He ran his hand through his hair. “Good morning to all of you.”
They moved around the bed. Seles stood to his right with Mira to his left. Baed and Jesela stood at the corners. After a moment each took a deep breath and chanted: “Char Dom, se jent ko.”
“Alright, not that it’s not a bad thing to see all of you first thing in the morning like this, but what are you doing?” he asked.
Mira stepped forward. “This ritual is called the Char Dom. Since you’ve only had a room on the Avoni up until now we haven’t been able to hold a proper ritual.”
“How does this ritual work?” he asked.
“Basically, when a Rakna Maigar is newly anointed the Char Dom takes place,” Seles explained. “Traditionally it begins on the first evening the Maigar returns home. Unfortunately you were too drunk last night.”
“Sorry about that,” he said.
Baed and Jesela bowed. “We’re going to start breakfast,” Jesela said as the pair left.
Brian ran his hand through his hair again before standing up. “Could either of you tell me more about this?”
“To put it simply, the Char Dom is a greeting ceremony consisting of storytelling. Each guest tells a story, including the Maigar,” Mira explained.
“What kind of stories?” he asked.
Seles tapped his shoulder. “Any kind of story is usable. To tell you the truth, I haven’t heard much of your homeworld since you came to us.”
“She’s right Brian,” Mira added. “Despite being in close contact with a Terran we haven’t learned much about your history or myths. As Kalaidians, many of our myths and stories tell of songs and performances that changed history. That’s what we seek from you.”
He sighed before closing his eyes. “The reason I haven’t said much about human history is because of the wars we’ve fought.” He looked at them. “Terran history is filled with more bloodshed and despair than the Shandi, or even the Ick-Tckt. In the twenty years I lived on Earth there wasn’t one day of true peace.”
Mira turned to Seles. “Is he telling the truth?”
Seles nodded. “When I first met Brian he told me so. Our own history pales in comparison when it comes to warfare.”
* * *
After a feast for breakfast the girls all sat on the couches in the apartment’s front room. He sat in the chair wearing the brown pants and white shirt he usually wore.
“So how does this work?” Brian asked.
“We start with the first guest and move in order around the table. You tell your stories last in the order Brian, so think up a good one,” Mira explained. “The first one to tell her story is Seles.”
“I don’t know which one to tell,” Seles said.
“Why not your time with Brian on the frozen moon,” Baed suggested.
“Yeah, we haven’t heard what happened at all,” Jesela added.
She looked to Brian. “Is it alright?”
“Sure.”
Seles composed herself. “I was guarding Brian before we even knew his name or anything,” she said. “The look on his face when he couldn’t understand our language was priceless. At first, I didn’t know what to think about him. Then I learned he was a Terran shortly before the Avoni was attacked by the Greys. Everything was a new experience when I first worked with him. When we crashed he said that the cold and snow were normal for his homeland.”
“Is it really?” Mira asked.
“It’s true,” Brian answered. “In the part of the world I come from it snows for about a third of the year.”
“That’s cold,” Baed said.
“Not my kind of place to live,” Jesela added.
The others turned to Seles when she was ready to continue. “On the way to the cave where we took up shelter for the twelve day ordeal, I succumbed to the cold. When I woke I was being embraced rather warmly by Brian, who was sleeping soundly.”
“What?” the other three asked.
Seles smiled. “He used his own body heat to help me warm up.”
Mira closed her eyes. “It’s a known fact embracing helps against the cold.” She opened her eyes and glared at Brian. “You weren’t naked, were you?”
He waved her off. “No, I didn’t do that.”
“Well anyway, when I woke up, all I remember was how warm he was.” Seles smiled again. “No matter how scared I was he always calmed me down. He said that no matter what, he was going to get me off that icy rock. His strength gave me strength. I don’t know what I would have done if I was alone.”
Brian leaned forward. “Remember Seles, it was the same for me. Without what you taught me I wouldn’t have been able to do anything.”
“So what happened in the cave?” Jesela asked.
“There were a lot of strange questions,” Seles looked at Brian again, “I was quite scared at first, to be all alone with a Terran. But as the days passed I saw he wasn’t much different than us.” She motioned to her left. “It’s your turn Baed.”
Baed thought for a moment. “When Seles and I lived in the royal palace, we had a lot of fun annoying the adults. Especially our instructors, but I think we also had a knack for annoying Celestia.”
Seles laughed. “Oh, my mother would get so mad at us. So which story have you chosen my dear cousin?”
“When you were twelve and I was eleven we were the same height and weight. Seles had a fun idea: let’s change our hair colors and switch places. Because we’re practically identical the plan worked.”
Brian looked at Baed, causing her to blush. “You know, your hair color makes you look different.” He looked at Seles and then back at Baed. “But
to be honest you look just like Seles in every other way.”
“Including my radiant beauty?” Seles asked sarcastically.
He sat back. “That’s what makes you look alike.”
Seles elbowed Baed. “Get back to the story.”
“Well, I was to take Seles’s place for a day. At mealtime her mother kept staring at me, saying: What’s wrong my daughter? What got me caught was when it was time to recite the religious prayers to Kali. The princess is trained for the role of high priestess. Unfortunately, I wasn’t so studied and her mother figured it out after half a day.”
“What about you Seles?’ Mira asked. “Surely something came up that hindered your guise.”
“I thought posing as Baed would be easy,” Seles said. “After all, she’s only a duchess, not a princess.” She looked at her cousin. “Despite our similarities, I have to give the superior brain to Baed. Her instructors were shocked at how unlearned I was and insisted that I must be ill. What got me caught though was when the language teacher came.”
“That doesn’t sound hard Seles,” Mira said.
“Oh yes it is Mira,” Baed said. “One of the reasons I fled Kalaidia is because I was being groomed as the ambassador to Ick-Tckt Prime.”
“Yes, and I didn’t know anything about the language,” Seles said. “How a mammal like us can speak it is beyond me.”
“That explains why you were my sniper last night,” Brian said. “Thank you Baed.”
“I did what I was supposed to,” Baed said. “Besides, I have to use the ability to understand their language for something.”
“So what happened after both of you was found out?” Mira asked.
“I remember we got yelled at, a lot. First our instructors did it, and later Celestia took her turn. She forced us to change our hair back to the right color and made both of us to clean the roof of the palace.”
“That’s pretty harsh,” Brian said. “I’ve seen how much roof that place has.”
“It took us two weeks,” Seles said.
Baed motioned to Jesela. “Now it’s your turn.”
Jesela looked to Mira. “Do you mind if I tell them how we met?”
Mira sat back. “Only Baed doesn’t know the truth about me. It’s about time someone lets her in on it.”
“Know what?” Baed asked.
Seles put her hand on Baed’s. “Mira’s real name is Mira Kein, the famous musical prodigy and only daughter of Gaelic Kein.”
Looking rather confused, Baed turned to Mira. “How is that possible?”
Mira turned to Jesela. “Let me explain and then you can tell the story.” Jesela nodded. Mira took a deep breath. “I guess this will be my story then. A hundred and fifty five years ago I was in between Kalaidia Prime and the Rigas system, one of our people’s largest colony systems. I was to perform for the first time off the homeworld. As we approached Rigas Four, the main inhabited planet, the ship I was on collided with a wrecked ship. I was severely injured, and my father had me put into a regeneration machine.”
“How long were you supposed to stay in there?” Baed asked.
“Like I said, I was severely injured, so it required that I stay in for at least seven years. Unfortunately, the Grey Plague killed my father and all the other males our people had, so I was left in hiding, sleeping calmly. By chance a Reiki research vessel found the asteroid I was sleeping on. They had no idea who I was and woke me little over four years ago. I escaped from their facility here on Dega Jul.”
“How famous were you?” Baed asked.
“If you research her you’ll see how much your people adored Mira back then,” Brian said.
“Well, now that my story is out, I think Jesela should tell hers.” Mira said, turning to her friend.
Jesela took a sip from a glass of wine. “It was four years ago when I first met Mira. I was attending science courses at the Kein Academy. I was shopping alone near Mya’s place when I saw a very confused girl walking the streets. Her clothes looked ancient, like something out of history rather than reality. I could tell she was scared by how many aliens walked the streets, so I went to talk to her. Seeing another Kalaidian, she ran over to me.”
Mira shook her head. “I must have looked like an insane person.”
Jesela laughed. “You did! I introduced myself to her and she did likewise back to me. That was when she peppered me with questions. Where am I? What year is it? Why am I here? Questions like that. I took her aside and told her everything I could. The look on your face was priceless Mira. I’ve never seen someone so shocked at her surroundings. So I bought her a few pairs of clothes and asked her where she was staying.”
“As you can imagine I had nowhere to go. I wasn’t going to go back to the Reiki. So I asked if I could stay with her,” Mira explained. “Also, from the looks I was getting from Jesela at the time I figured it would be best if I tried to blend in.”
“I was staying at the academy’s dorm at the time. Since I didn’t have a roommate, it wasn’t a problem taking her in. She started classes the next term to learn medicine. After three years the two of us hooked on with the Avoni.”
“I have one question. Do you still have those clothes Mira?” Brian asked.
Mira laughed before looking around the table. “You’ve seen me in them a number of times. It’s the white dress I wear when for performances.”
“That explains why it looks so different than the clothes I see you wearing today,” Brian said.
“Those were normal clothes when you went to sleep?” Seles asked.
Mira nodded. “Remember, in those days males existed. I broke it out when I first saw Brian. I figured he’d rather see a dress like that then what most Reiniere wear today.”
“What do they wear?” Brian looked puzzled.
“Usually they wear a very conservative covering dress.” Mira winked at him. “Like I said, I figured a man would rather see skin than dress.”
He noticed that they were staring at him. “I think that’s the queue for a story. But first, I should go get my armor.” He left the room for a moment then returned with his armor on. With the snap of his fingers holograms started appearing. “For my first story for you afternoon is actually a pair called the Iliad and the Odyssey. Later tonight, I think the Arthurian Legends will do fine.”
“What stories are these?” Seles asked.
“All of these are fictional in nature, but you’ll notice many moral questions and tests. These are two of the ancient stories of fantasy from my world. I hope they don’t bore you.”
Chapter 8 - Matron Veda Kein
Valis stood outside the Avoni, stopping to gaze up at her ship. I’ll be back in a few days girl. She thought as she walked over to a transport ship. Zae sat in the front programming their flight route. Valis sat next to Zae and sighed with resignation.
“You look tired,” Zae remarked as she flew the transport off the ground.
Valis stared out at the city. “I hate leaving my ship. By the way, why are you my pilot?”
Zae flew the craft towards the Kein estate. “You probably don’t know this Valis, but I have no family on Dega Jul. Nor do I have many friends. Since I have nothing else to do I thought I’d fly you home.”
“You never were the type to have many friends,” Valis said.
Zae shrugged her shoulders. “It’s the same with you. But that may have changed lately with the addition of a certain second officer on the Avoni.”
“You’re talking about Brian,” Valis said. “You should get to know him better, I’m sure you’d like him a lot.”
“I know him well enough,” Zae said. “He said I could play around on the Mjolnir while he’s on leave. I figured that would be a good way to spend my time off.”
“Sounds better than what I have to do,” Valis said, shrugging her shoulders. “Not only do I have to line up our next job but I have to meet with my incorrigible grandmother.”
“You’ve never spoken of Veda in an endearing way.”
Valis stared out the window. “Tell me, have you ever gotten angry about Brian taking your position on the Avoni?”
“In the beginning I was. But after seeing him in battle I can tell why you took him in. My plans for the future will be put off for a few years, but not many. Kivi will have enough money in a few years to buy her own ship. When the time comes Brian and I will slide into first and second officer roles respectively.” Zae flew the transport towards a set of white palatial estates with greenery all around it.
“Looks like after six years everything’s completed,” Valis said.
Zae landed the shuttle in an open field near the palace. Around them were many servants as well as a number of guards. Valis noticed the finely dressed matron heading towards the transport. Veda was of similar build to Valis, with long dark blue hair and aquamarine eyes. Her face showed a little bit of age. She wore a blue dress that lightly covered her near perfect figure.
“Zae, take care of the ship while I’m gone,” Valis said as she got up to go outside.
“I will,” Zae said as the door closed behind Valis.
Veda walked slowly to her granddaughter, smiling at the sight of Valis. When she got close she hugged Valis.
“It’s been far too long since we last saw each other Valis,” Veda said, clasping Valis’s hands and looking into her eyes.
“Two years. Being the captain of a star ship tends to take up most of one’s time,” Valis said as the two broke hands and started walking towards the palace. The guards left the area as the transport took off, leaving the two alone.
“I remember,” Veda said. “I was once an admiral myself.”
Valis looked around at the gardens, fountains, and buildings. “It looks like the estate is complete.”
“Indeed,” Veda said. “It’s taken us six years but now it’s finished.” The pair stopped in a garden, surrounded by palm trees and flowers, with a large white water fountain at the center. “So tell me Valis, what’s he like?”
“Are you talking about Brian?”
Veda laughed. “Who else would I be speaking of? Unless you’ve taken to liking Minans or Malcovin what else would I be talking about?”
Heaven Saga 2: Sands of Aquarius Page 5
