Kartega

The vibration of the transit pod on take-off would have made Sid nauseous if it wasn’t for the absolute emptiness of her stomach. She probably should have taken Ashlan up on his offer to eat but there was no time to waste. She wanted to get off this star immediately. The stench of Colton’s death seemed to coat the city in waves only she could see. She wondered if Ashlan felt the same when he first heard of his father’s passing. Could he be mourning his loss as much as her? Sid doubted that was possible. No one loved Colton like she did. No one owed him their life like her.

A projection zipped into sight on the pod’s windowed wall. The words trickled over the glass, sliding in from one side to hover in the center for a brief moment before sliding away. A trail of blue light skidded across the surface and stayed on the screen like a ghostly reminder of the announcement.

“Now passing district twelve,” Sid read aloud.

She pressed her hands against the glass, careful not to seem bewildered by the rush of the city below them. The other passengers in the pod seemed oblivious to the beauty stretched beneath their feet. All Citizens with the exception of a Starblade, two Starblades if she counted Ashlan. She didn’t. Sid glanced back at him, noting the nonchalant way he inspected his fingernails while reclining on the squeaky white lounge seat. Pointing his chiseled jaw upward in an air of superiority. This is who Colton made? This brilliantly self-adoring sack of skin? He’s lucky they’re surrounded by watchful eyes and Sid was on a mission, otherwise she would have thrown him off the pod already. She rubbed a finger against the screwdriver in her pocket and gave a sigh of relief. Soon, she’ll use it soon.

A hush fell over the pod as even the least interested of passengers looked down. The sound of water falling reached her ears and Sid let her hatred for Ashlan dissipate to take in the awe-inspiring view of the falls below. Water pounded from a building rooftop, threatening to collapse it beneath its weight before plummeting off the edge and into the abyss below. She watched the waterfalls, mesmerized. From their current viewpoint, it looked limitless and Sid wondered how anyone could brave hurdling off the edge and into the dark stream of water. Colton must have lied, she thought. He must have!

“Beautiful, aren’t they?” Ashlan’s voice rang in her ear, closer than she would have liked. She jerked herself away from him, tearing her gaze briefly from the falls.

“They’re alright.”

“Alright? They’re magnificent! You know, it took them about five years to get the layout just right. I heard that they almost wiped out the entire district during the construction.”

“So why keep going?”

“You really need to ask?” He said, gesturing to the view.

“So that’s all they are? Something pretty to look at?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Because it’s a waste. That’s why. That water could be used to grow things. To feed people.”

He cocked his head in confusion. Stardaughter! So dumb! She cursed herself. Of course, he had no idea what she meant. No one starved in Neostar, at least no one important. The ring made sure of it. A limitless energy source meant an unlimited supply of food harvesting. She had better be careful with her remarks or else she’d be trapped in a rapid fire of questions from him that would all lead to her truth being found out.

“I mean, you could grow more plants. For your gardens and stuff.”

“Trust me, they don’t need more plants.” He said, confusion still coating his eyes.

“So how long have you been a Starblade?” She asked in hopes of changing the subject. Relieved when she saw a glimmer of excitement in his gaze. Her relief faded as soon as he spoke again.

“Since I was a kid. My dad insisted on it.”

His dad. Colton. She hated hearing the word on his lips. He’s not just your dad! She wanted to yell. He’s my everything! He saved me! “You were a kid Starblade? Isn’t that dangerous? And dumb?” She said instead.

“Well, I obviously wasn’t in the guard when I was a kid. I just started preparing for it, training and such. Every day for as long as I can remember. Until I was big enough to hold the blade. Then every day after that.”

“That sounds-” she faltered, “really boring.”

“It wasn’t all bad. Not more boring than anything else really.”

Not more boring than being trapped in a rotting spaceship without anyone to talk to for days?

“So, you like it? Being a Starblade?”

“It is what it is. I’m not sure what else I could be.”

“You’d make a lovely Magistra, I think. I can see it right now! Flowing, billowing skirts and laces the color of stars! They’d really bring out the blue in your eyes.”

Ashlan bolstered a laugh loud enough to knock the pod off course if it hadn’t been following the invisible transit rail system. “So, you noticed my eyes, huh?”

“What? No! I’m telling you you’d make a fine lady!”

“Sure. Whatever you need to tell yourself to get your mind off me,” he chuckled.

“Believe me when I tell, you’re the last thing on my mind!”

“So what’s the first thing? On your mind that is.”

Your dad. My ship. My magic. Death.

“Nothing. Just thinking of how we can fix your blade so the queen doesn’t throw you off the guard.”

“That won’t happen.” His eyes narrowed and he looked down to inspect his shoes. “I’m a Starblade for life.”

“Isn’t that a good thing? To serve the queen?”

His voice lowered to a hush, “It would be a good thing to have a choice.”

“Why don’t you have a choice?” Sid asked, bringing her own voice down a few octaves to match his.

“No one has choices in Neostar. Me most of all.”

Blue illuminated his face and Sid looked up to see another projection scroll across the wall. They were in district six, close enough to the towers that she could make out their base through the buildings ahead. Almost there, she hummed.

“Right. Your life is just so awful. It must be terrible to get everything you want whenever you want it. To see the queen every day. To never run out of food. Or air. You’re right. Your life is starspit. You should probably just end it all.”

“Run out of air?” He asked, “What?”

Muck.

“Nothing. It’s just annoying that you seem to hate your life when you have it so good,” she recovered quickly.

“I have it good? Are you joking?” He flailed his arms in shock, “I get told what to do all day, every day. My entire life has been decided for me since I was born. I have to clock in on the hour and never have any privacy and my dad just died! How great could I possibly have it? At this point, I wish I was born to a random Citizen or even a Domer. Anything could be better than this!”

Sid placed her hand on his shoulder then quickly jerked it back. “You don’t mean that.”

“Which part?”

“All of it. That part about being born to someone else. Your dad was-” she paused, “your dad was probably great. And trust me, you don’t want to be some worker. You get to serve the queen! That’s pretty amazing! She’s amazing!”

“Oh, yeah. You’re definitely new.”

Sid’s eyes narrowed, “What does that mean?”

“You idolize her. Why, I don’t understand. You’re a Domer. You should hate her, want to kill her in fact. Not drool over her like she’s some savior.”

“She is a savior! She saved this entire star!”

Ashlan looked at her, really looked at her, dumbfounded. “Her mother built the ring. She doomed your entire race. Are you serious?”

“What the muck are you talking about? Without the ring, the entire star would die.”

“Without your chips, there would be no ring. And without her mother, there would have been no chips,” his eyes narrowed again, this time to slits so thin she doubted he could see her at all. “Don’t tell me you’re happy you’re chipped?”

Sid felt the back of her neck and pulled up the collar of her suit to cover a non-existent scar. “Of course. I help power the ring. I’m helping keep the star alive. You should probably thank me, you know.”

“Thank you…” Ashlan said in more of a question.

Another projection flashed in front of them. District three.

“We’re close,” Sid noted. “Remember that silence we talked about before? How about we try it out now?”

“Fine by me,” Ashlan scoffed and returned to the lounge seat.

The way he crossed his legs made Sid furious but she couldn’t help but notice the bulge of muscle in his legs nonetheless. The thought made her anger rise to new heights and she looked away, training her sight on the towers ahead. They were clearer now and so much taller than they seemed from her first impression in the jungle. Three clear spikes spanning all the way into the sky, almost into eternity.

I made it, Colton, she thought and hoped that, wherever he was now, he could hear her. And that he was proud.