Kartega

Stopping her mouth from gaping open as she walked through the dark streets of dome nine was a more difficult task than Sid originally imagined. With Ashlan walking next to her and Abbot watching her every move, she needed to act the part more than ever now. A Domer wouldn’t be impressed by a dome. No matter how unbelievable it was.

She expected the same dark and solid environment she had on the Arcturus but this place was something else entirely. For starters, it was taller than she expected. The circular structure spanned about ten stories up with a large, gaping opening at its core. The windows that ran along the top floor were there for decoration — some almost entirely overgrown with vines — more than to provide any real light, not that the dome needed it. There were neon-lit signs of every size and color surrounding the shops that littered the base of the dome in no distinguishable pattern. Each shop was housed in a tent, some small and some large enough to fill a transit pod. Around her, voices rose in alternating decibels as patrons shouted over each other. Some bargained for goods while others yelled out orders and directions. The dome was the most chaotic place Sid had ever stepped foot in and she tried to settle her racing mind. Her eyes caught sight of a row of tents that boasted long, floating table tops full to the brim with puff pastry, bowls of broth and a million other foods that Sid couldn’t name. Her stomach growled loud enough to catch Ashlan’s attention but she waved him off and sped up. Her shoulder hit the heavy fabric of a tent beside them and it sent a whiff of fried pastry through the air, making Sid’s stomach sing with anticipation. A light flashed from further within the web of shops and Sid glanced around to try and find some semblance of organisation. Though without street signs, or streets for that matter, it was nearly impossible to tell which way was which. The only thing she knew with certainty were the small flats that stacked back to back along the top floors of the dome.

So they live up there and socialize down here. That makes sense.

Sid stretched her gaze to the dome’s ceiling and admired the bright blue sky above her. The clouds drifted slowly, forming and reforming unintelligible shapes with their puffs. Every once in a while, the screen that projected the sky glitched and she found herself disappointed in the mirage.

Unlike Tower City, there were no timers counting down the hours and the only thing that alluded to the time of day was the projection of the ring across the clouds above her. She listened intently, trying to find another sound that might allude to wildlife inside the dome. There was nothing of the sort. No sound of waters in the background, no rustle of winds. Just the projection of the sky, a gazillion signs, and an automated trash disposal every ten steps. Which surprised Sid because dome nine was likely the filthiest place she’d ever stepped foot inside.

Garbage lined the streets as though it was put out on display and she had to watch her step to avoid stepping in disposed frigger stew that someone just tossed on the street. Coupled with the nearly unbearable heat, the smell that wafted past her periodically was enough to make her gag. Though she wanted to like the domes, this place wasn’t really giving her the best impression of the residents. Sid coughed as she almost tripped over a pile of papers covered in what she hoped was mud.

Ashlan yanked her out of the way just in time. “Watch your step. Or you’ll be covered in street junk before Starset,” he said and shook a loose piece of paper from the bottom of his shoe. His eyebrows danced as if he’d just proved a theory he’d been working on for years. “I don’t know how you live like this, to be honest.”

“Hey! I don’t live like this!” She slapped him on the shoulder and the droid behind them mimicked her action. Ashlan winced from the second slap and rubbed the pained spot.

“You’re telling me your dome, is what? Clean? I thought they were all like this.”

“Well, you thought wrong.” She said. Time to deflect the subject. “Wait, you haven’t been to all the domes?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, “Not really. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see them all but most of the NSO’s patrols are closer to the city.”

“But what if something happens further away? Shouldn’t you be there to help?”

“We really should be. But the queen is in the city. And she comes first.”

Sid scrunched her nose and motioned for the droid to come around her other side, putting a distance between herself and Abbot. She could see him sneak glances at her every few minutes and it was beginning to annoy the stars out of her. “So if something happens in say, my dome, there’s no one there to help?” She whispered.

“Not really.”

“That’s disgusting.”

“I agree,” Ashlan said, his voice coarse in a way that made her actually believe him.

A group of Domer kids who were walking in their path caught sight of their group and turned away, making their way down a darkened alley created by the tents of shops. The Starblades laughed and carried on their conversation, walking with their chests bulked even more than Sid thought was humanly possible. She tried to see who the Domers were that ran off to avoid them but they had either hidden in one of the shops or disappeared entirely. When she looked into the eyes of the Domers around them, she realized it wasn’t just the groups of kids that wanted to avoid them. Everyone they passed either looked down, looked away or pretended to be busy with something else that required their immediate attention. Hands exchanged Domer dockets for goods, mothers straightened their children’s clothing; anything to stay otherwise engaged and out of sight.

Sid watched one of the Starblades knock something off a display shelf in front of a tent shop selling glass sculptures. The sculpture shattered on the floor at his boots and he laughed, stomping over the pieces as he walked past.

“That’s enough, Connor!” Abbot yelled from behind her and smacked the Starblade across the back of his head. “If you can’t behave, you’re off the team.”

“I thought this was Ash’s team,” Connor huffed in an arrogant tone that made Sid dislike him immediately.

Abbot glanced back at Ashlan who nodded. “Looks like he agrees. Now keep it moving and keep your hands to yourself.”

As they passed by the shop, Sid peeked in and saw a young girl half her age scrambling to pick up the remnants of the sculpture from the floor. Her eyes narrowed in Connor’s direction and turned back to the girl.

“I’m sorry for that,” she said and bent down to help her pick up the shards of glass.

The girl was startled, but her shoulders relaxed when her gaze finally reached Sid’s eyes. “Oh, it’s alright, you know how they are.”

Sid wanted to say that she didn’t. That she had no idea how they are and why they were like that. She wanted to ask this girl so many questions that she had trouble pinpointing even one of them. More than anything, she wanted to wipe the tears that were creeping to the edges of the girl’s lids and tell her that Connor will pay for breaking her things. That she will make sure of it. Instead, she nodded silently and scraped the rest of the broken glass into the sleeve of her suit and tossed it on the display counter.

“Thank you,” the girl said. “You really didn’t have to help.”

Sid looked around at the tents that lined the center of the dome, forming a maze of shops and street vendors that yelled at everyone that passed to get their attention. Her gaze drifted up to the rows of flats above her, their residents hanging out of the windows that faced the marketplace to talk to each other. She watched a family of Domers fussing around a newborn that was louder than any alarm her ship had ever screeched, and the shop owner that came out with a bottle of warm soy-milk to calm him. She noted the delectable smells of foods and the sounds of laughter coming from the hub of activity that was the center of dome nine and smiled.

“Yes,” she said calmly and patted the girl on the shoulder, “I really did. I really, really did.”

* * *

Connor’s grip loosened around the Domer he was holding over the railing and she held furiously to the metal. Her fingers clutched at the edge as her back twisted over the metal balcony until she looked like she was almost bent in half. The Domer’s wild hair, half loose and half braided, hung over the rail and the gravity made it look like a heavy anchor pulling her down. With a smirk, Connor poked a fat finger to the woman’s shoulder and she tumbled back further. Another poke, and she would fly over the railing and splatter the ground five stories down. The beads of sweat that had gathered on her brow dripped to the street below, a crowd already starting to form at the bottom. Some outstretched hands, hoping to catch the woman when she fell but Sid knew it would be no use. From this height, she was as good as dead.

“Tell us who you’re working with!” Connor shouted over the screams of the Domers below.

The woman shook her head, fear so sewn into her being that Sid could see it crawl over her skin. She was made of fear entirely it seemed. Connor raised his finger again, readying to shove the Domer to her death. Before he could make contact, Sid took a step toward them. She didn’t care if Abbot was watching, she didn’t care if it would blow her cover. There was no stardamned way she was going to stand by while this self-righteous imbecile murder someone in cold blood. The queen demanded they collect rebellion members and bring them in for a trial. As far as she could tell, Connor was not one who should be deemed fit to pass judgement.

She walked faster, the droid keeping up with her at her side but before she could grab for Connor’s arm and twist him around, Ashlan stepped in. His muscled chest rigid with power as he lunged himself between Connor and the Domer, one hand latching onto the woman to keep her from falling and one palm shoving the Starblade away.

“Enough, Connor!” He hissed, “This is not what we are here to do.”

“She is one of them! How are you protecting her right now?” Connor yelled, his face red with fury, making him look like a bowl of mashed pot-belly fruit.

“We were tasked with securing the members and returning them to the queen. Nothing less, nothing more. You are not to kill this woman or anyone else in your misguided solution for interrogation.”

Ashlan’s voice was calm, though Sid could sense a touch of anger beneath his words. Each syllable was cut a little too short when he spoke which made his words slice through the air like flying knives. She glanced in Abbot’s direction who looked to be neither impressed nor amused. Instead, the brawny man watched Sid with trained eyes and she felt her cheeks redden from the attention. She looked back to Connor and Ashlan but the general’s gaze was still searing through her back. Stardaughter! This guy just won’t give up, will he?

“We should be taking them out as we find them! Before one of these animals plots another attack.” Connor’s eyes were full of more hate than Sid could ever imagine a person being able to possess. How could someone so young have so much animosity toward an entire race? It was such a ridiculous notion to her, to decide you know someone even though you’ve never truly met them. Connor had never spoken to this woman before today. Had never gone to school with her. Never asked her to a dance. Never had her break his heart into pieces and leave him for another man. He never had so much as shared a portion of a life with her, let alone enough time to make him despise her so.

“And then what? What will that accomplish, Connor? Please enlighten me on your brilliant idea!” Ashlan pushed him further away from the railing and the Domer who cowered behind him. “You’re going to go around killing people in front of everyone and you think that’s going to what? Help the situation? Right. Because if the rebellion is building, murdering a Domer in cold blood is what’s going to make them stop.”

“I,” Connor gasped, trying to rebut his point, “I just think we should do something.”

Ashlan patted the Starblade on the back and walked him away from the crowd. “We are doing something. We’re doing what the queen has requested us to do. And we’re going to do it so stardamned well, she’ll promote the whole lot of us! Right?”

He looked at Connor who nodded and scuttled away, his eyes refusing to meet anyones in his hurry to leave. Sid couldn’t be sure but from where she was standing, it almost looked like the general was smiling. He caught her staring and if there was a smile on his face before, it was definitely nowhere to be seen now. In fact, he looked like he was scowling at her. She rolled her eyes and motioned for the droid to follow.

The Domer was still huddled on the floor of the small balcony in front of a flat. Sid wondered if it was her own but as she looked down the long corridor, she realized each and every flat looked exactly the same. The woman could have lived anywhere. When she asked Colton about the design of the domes, he said it was made to mimic the living spaces of motels on his home planet. He didn’t do much in ways of explaining to her what a motel was, stating only that it was a collection of living quarters that people paid for to spend the night. The explanation did not exactly help Sid make sense of the architecture but it was all she had to go by. And she liked having small bits of information on Colton’s home planet; it made her feel closer to him somehow. How she wished he was here right now. He would know what to do and what to say to this petrified mess of a woman on the floor. Sid, on the other hand, was completely lost.

She could see people start to pile out of their flats, eager to take a look at the disruption and decided the added attention was not going to make the woman feel better. She crouched next to her, blocking the view from the onlookers and gestured for the droid to do the same on the opposite side. Together, they formed small walls around the Domer’s shaking body and she had hoped it was enough for now.

“Are you alright?” She asked. A stupid question, all things considering.

The woman nodded, looking up at Sid’s eyes. “You’re-”

“A Domer? Sure am!” She rubbed the back of her neck, “You’re probably wondering what I’m doing with this lot, huh?”

Another nod.

“It’s a really long story. Let’s just say they have something I need and I can’t get it until all of this over.”

The Domer laughed, “Well, it’s about time someone used them for a change!”

“Why didn’t you tell them what they wanted to know? To save yourself, I mean. If Ash hadn’t come through, you would have…” she couldn’t finish the sentence.

“Died?” The woman said it for her, “I know. But I would have died knowing I protected the ones that matter. The ones that will save us all from this.”

“I thought Neostar was at peace.”

“Darling, what Neostar do you live on? The one the rest of us are on has us being sucked dry of our magic so the Citizens can continue their reign on the star! They even make us speak their stardamned language!” Her voice raised, words defiant and strong and Sid slinked back, shadowed by the power in them. Something about her felt so familiar, not the same as she felt with the woman on the telescreens or the man that was executed by Leona yesterday. Yet something about the way she moved her mouth when she spoke, the dialect of her language. Sid was certain she’d heard it before. The way the word ‘magic’ fell off the lips of a Domer. It was as if she had dreamt about it before — the domes, the Domers, magic.

“What Dome are you from?” The woman asked.

Sid readied herself to lie but a strong hand gripped her shoulder and she spun around to see Ashlan next to her. The woman’s shoulders tensed and she went back to cowering as soon as her gaze met Ashlan’s blue-suited form.

Sid put a palm on the woman’s knee, “Don’t worry. He’s alright, surprisingly. What do you want, Ash?”

“We need to go. It’s almost Starset. We should get back to our accommodations for the night, let everyone here get some rest.” He gestured to the heads bobbing out from their flat doors.

“Our accommodations? Where exactly?”

“We have some tents set up in the center of the dome. The Starblades usually stay there if they’ve been patrolling too long and are too tired to make the journey back to the city. Don’t worry, it’s safe. You’ll be sharing a tent with me.”

“You’re joking, right?” She scoffed, “You think I’m going to share a tent with you? All night? How convenient, Ash! How long have you been planning this little scheme, huh?”

“Calm down. You’re a last-minute addition to the team. No one planned anything.” He looked back to the group, “If you’d prefer, you can bunk with Connor. Or Abbot.”

She sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. She’d never be able to get away with him around. Not that she knew where she would try to get away to but it was still nice to have options. Great! Just great.

“Don’t worry, if it makes you feel better, you can code your droid to kill me if I try anything funny.”

“His name is Fred. And don’t think I won’t.”

The group marched in unison, the Starblades’ boots shaking the ground each time they landed. As they passed by the flats, people peered out of the doors and small, circular windows to see what the commotion was about. As soon as they caught glimpse of the Starblades, they went back inside, sheltering their children as they did. Fear and anger drenched the walls of the dome and she could see it drip down the metal panels. There was no peace here. Whatever story Colton had sold her was a lie. These people were afraid and they were afraid of his people. And of her now that she was walking alongside them, about to spend the night bunking with one of them. She didn’t know what to believe anymore. On the one hand, she was on the side she wanted to be for so long, finally walking amongst the Starblades like she belonged. Sure, they didn’t trust her yet but she was still near them. Close enough to listen to their conversations and not just watch them from telescreen recordings on her ship. On the other hand, they were nothing like what she thought they would be. They were cruel, and heartless, and driven by power and control. What did that make Colton? What did that make her now?

The Starblades dragged the Domer woman behind them and Sid slowed her pace to walk alongside her. With the Domer on one side, a Starblade on the other and the droid right behind them — Sid had no idea who she was anymore.