Kartega

Sid tugged at her finger, trying to rip off the dead layer of skin that had formed on top of one of her calluses. She had been sitting in the upper deck of the ship for seven minutes, eagerly awaiting Colton’s call. He was late and Colton was never late to anything. In fact, the last time Sid lost track of time and kept him waiting, he’d scolded her on the importance of punctuality. Your word is the only thing that matters in this world, he said when she asked why she needed to be punctual in the ghost town that was her home.

“Where’s your word now, Colton?” She scoffed and averted her gaze from the blank screen. “I thought your people were all about good timing?”

The ship’s manual controls flashed green, red and yellow; casting a kaleidoscope of lights over Sid’s small frame. Though she hadn’t met anyone of her own species, she assumed that she must have been the smallest of her kind. All the visuals of the Domer population portrayed in the telescreens had been of tall, brute people and Sid was nowhere close to that. At just over a meter sixty, the only thing that showed her resemblance to the native population of the star her ship orbited were her unnaturally large eyes. Her gaze trailed the vast darkness beyond the observation windows, landing immediately on Neostar. The current orbit position of the ship was at such an angle that the star looked like a red ball floating in space. Sid had never seen a beach ball in real life but she imagined it would look exactly like this, covered in red leaf trees and decisively peaceful. She was too far to make out any detail but on particularly dark nights, Sid was certain she was able to make out the star’s jungle to the smallest leaf; a lonely imagination was good for finding life where there was none. Within a blink, she saw the Circulum System power up and the ring began to spin around the star. The bright yellow light of energy reflected off the stars surface, coating it in a warm shade of orange as it passed that made Sid wonder how exquisite it must look from the surface. A star-sized energy ring that shone the color of gold would be hard to miss. She wondered if it shone extra bright when it was right above one’s head, if it was so bright it obscured the two moons entirely? There were no images of the Circulum System in action from the surface of the star so Sid often had to rely on her own assumptions based on what she could see from her ship’s windows. And what she saw was beautiful. Beautiful and so very timely.

The ring’s movement could only mean one thing; it was Starset.

There were only two rotations scheduled for the Circulum System daily; one at Starise and the other at Starset. The ring’s own movements mirrored those of the white sun and two moons that shared Neostar’s orbit, as one slept the other two awakened. When Sid was a kid, Colton once told her that the ring made two passes because it didn’t want to miss out on anyone’s company. She actually believed the story until she found the common sense to ask for astrology texts. Though to this day, she still had to admit that she liked Colton’s version much better. It was poetic somehow and Sid loved a good story!

Something glimmered in her sightline and Sid jerked her head to the opposite side of the observation deck, spotting the bright, white light of the Jericho sun in the distance. Yep, definitely Starset.

“Oh, he’s definitely late now!” She chirped just as the holographic display flashed on in front of her.

“I’m so sorry, Sid.” Colton said, still settling into his chair. “There were some urgent NSO matters that ran longer than anticipated.”

“It’s fine. Neostar Order always wins out in the end,” she shot back with a sigh and slouched into the plush command chair, allowing the fabric to almost swallow her whole.

Colton’s face contorted and he brushed back his thin grey hair in defeat. “Don’t pout, no one likes a pouter,” he joked, raising a bushy white brow in her direction. Why did he always know how to make her smile when she was upset? It was infuriating.

“Fine,” she perked up in the chair, “so what happened? Not the droids again?”

“No, no, we repaired those last week.” Colton rubbed the bridge of his nose and she traced her eyes along the shape of it. It looked so much like her own. Same slant, same bone structure, even almost the same length. Sid knew he was not her biological father but sometimes she wondered if they were somehow related, at least she had hoped they might be. After all, he was the only family she actually had. An impossible dream since they weren’t the same species. Colton was Colton and Sid was Sid. That was the end of it.

“So, what is it? The Starblades? The Magistras?” She guessed, naming every faction she could think of, “Stardaughter! Not the queen?”

“Hey! Language!”

“Sorry.”

Static coated the hologram for a moment and Sid sat forward in her chair, her heart beating faster in fear of losing the connection. Their call had only been severed once in the thirteen years they’d been communicating but it was enough to ruin her entire night. She let out a relieved breath when Colton’s blue eyes appeared again on the screen.

“Leona is fine. Better than fine, really. She’s taken on a new Magistra and the training is progressing splendidly. This girl is quite the bright, little student!”

There was a pang of jealousy settling in the base of Sid’s stomach. To be a Magistra had been a lifelong dream for her. As far as she was concerned, the queen’s ladies in waiting had the most glamorous job in Neostar. Sure, the guards and Starblades guarded the city and domes, and The Arcane held the keys to the ring and the stars entire existence — but to be that close the queen at all hours? Nothing could be better.

“That’s nice,” she said and forced a meek smile that barely reached her eyes. “But why are you avoiding my question?”

Sid squinted her eyes and trained her gaze on Colton. Either the static was infringing again or there was sweat pooling at the top of his brow. Was he nervous to tell her what happened? What was he hiding?

“Not at all!” Colton finally said, “There was a disturbance in one of the domes but it is all taken care of now.”

“A disturbance? What kind of disturbance?” She yelled.

Colton jumped back in his seat and rubbed his ears, “For the love of the Star, Sid! There’s no need to yell. It was nothing and it’s handled now.”

Her bottom lip quivered and her nostrils flared lightly. She hated being lied to and Colton was most definitely lying. As soon as their call was done, she was going to get to the bottom of this. If something happened in the domes, there’d be coverage of it on the telescreens. Just because he wasn’t going to tell her about it, didn’t mean she wouldn’t still find out. She was nothing if not resourceful.

“I’ve gotten through all my lessons,” she boasted, hoping to change the subject. “I’m all the way through to the end of the Metal Years now. I had no idea how much your people did for the star.”

“That’s wonderful, Sid! You’re really getting through this. I’ll make sure to send you extra plans this shipment. And a few small gifts,” he winked.

Sid knew exactly what that meant: sweets, her favorite. She was hoping for soy puffs, a combination of a bean paste and sugary molasses. Sid could eat those for the rest of her life without wanting anything else. There was one time when Colton had sent an entire box of them and she managed to gorge herself on the treats for a few hours straight. Needless to say, she was not exactly well the next morning but as far as Sid was concerned, it was worth it! An overdose on soy puffs was a blessing and not to be taken lightly.

“Colton?” She asked sheepishly.

“Yes?”

“When can I come to Neostar?”

He cleared his throat and sat up taller, leaning into the screen slightly. “Sid, we’ve already talked about this. It’s not safe right now.”

“I know. But when will it be safe? I’m strong, Colton! I can handle it!”

“Oh darling, I know you’re strong. You’re the strongest kid I know! It isn’t you I’m worried about.”

“Then what? The Domers? My parents? You said it yourself, they ran off into the jungles and the Al’iil probably killed them by now. They won’t come looking for me. They didn’t want me in the first place.” She cried.

“The NSO is in the middle of a very intricate situation. I can’t say much but let’s just say that we have had a few,” he paused to think of the right words, “indiscretions within the domes that we are currently investigating.”

“What kind of indiscretions?”

“Nothing too serious right now but threats have been made. Threats against the ring.”

“The ring? Why? Why would someone threaten the one thing that holds the entire star together?”

“Sid,” Colton said in his usual deep voice, “I’m certain you’ve come across mentions of the Domer resistance in your studies. Not everyone we saved wanted help. Some were quite happy going down with a dying planet. When Leona’s mother,” he paused to collect himself, “when the queen’s mother brought forth the concept of the chips, of using them to power the ring, it didn’t exactly go over smoothly with some of the star’s native population. Some of the inhabitants were weary of the idea, some were even violent.”

Her mind raced through history lessons, landing on the texts she’d read about the creation of the Circulum System. From what she was able to gather, the queen’s mother was part of the original landing that delivered Colton’s people to the star. When they arrived, they had realized that the electrical magic the native population possessed was overpowering the star’s resources. The queen’s mother was a brilliant mind and began to work out the plans for a ring system, a system that could use the magic of the natives as a means of producing power. Power they could use to sustain the technology they brought with them. Power that could save the star and offer a means for both races to live together without putting strain on the star’s Eco-system. They developed chips that could access the magic of the native residents and feed into the ring, which then redistributed the power to a generator. That generator powered Tower City, the three towers that housed the Citizens, and the domes; assuring that all of the resources needed for survival were self-sufficient. They took nothing from the star and in return, the star allowed them to live.

“But I thought everyone who was against the chips ran off into the jungles?”

Sid never understood this part. If she could get some dumb chip installed into her neck and have it save the entire star, she’d never dream of saying no. Sid held an immense amount of anger for the deserters. Running off simply because they didn’t like being chipped or living in the domes or some other such nonsense. Selfish savages, that’s all they were. What was the point of having any magic at all if they wouldn’t use it to help bring peace and life to their home? Idiots. She was glad they ran, hopeful that the wild jungle swallowed them whole for their cowardliness. Sid would take their place without a question and she wished Colton could see that. She wished he could understand what being un-chipped made her feel like she was the same as the deserters. A coward just like them.

“Ah! Looks like you have been doing well in your studies!” Colton yelled, impressed by her ability to retain information. “And yes, you are correct. Most of them did but some of them stayed. Maybe to give the new ways a try or maybe to revolt from within. We’re not certain what their reasons were but what we do know without exception is that the Circulum System must be protected at all costs. If it falls, we all fall.”

“But it won’t fall, right? You and the Starblades will protect it?”

“Of course we will. Queen Leona would never let anyone jeopardize the life she has built here.”

Something about the way he emphasized her name made Sid feel uncomfortable. Like he was trying to tell her something without actually saying it. She shrugged the feeling off, convinced that she was probably just hungry and trying to find a mystery where there was none.

“Besides,” he continued, “there is no way we’d let anyone near the Arcane and without them, access to the ring is as good as buried.”

“So, when can I come down then?”

He sighed, “Not yet, Sid. Soon, I promise, just not yet. Not until we figure out who’s making the threats and stabilize the situation.”

“But you’ll bring me down? Soon?”

“Yes, Sid, soon. As soon as I can.”

That didn’t sound like very soon at all. He was lying again. She wasn’t sure when it happened but lately, Colton had been keeping quite a few things from her. It’s not fair. How come he can lie, and I have to tell him everything? She wanted to yell at him, to throw something at the screen, to send a wave of her powers all the way down to Neostar to strike him in his seat. “Ok,” she said instead and lowered her head.

“I have to go now,” Colton announced. Then, as if sensing her turmoil, “What’s the number one rule, Sid?”

“Never use your magic. Especially if you’re not alone.”

“Good girl.”

Sid reached to disconnect the screen when she saw Colton shift in his seat.

“Oh, and Sid?” He said, leaning in again. “You need all three.”

Then the screen went dark.

“What?” She shouted, “Colton! I need all three what?”

He couldn’t hear her, she knew that, but her bewilderment overtook her sense of logic. Sid’s breaths grew shallow, the air catching in her throat and tickling her tonsils. She wanted to scream — or to cry — anything but sit here in front of a blank holographic display. Anything but be completely alone again.

“Rusty?” She swiped the tears forming in her eyes and looked up, “Pull up Neostar’s telescreens. Look for a disturbance in one of the domes from earlier this evening.”

“THERE WAS ONE SOCIAL DISTURBANCE FOUND IN THE SYSTEM’S CATALOGUE. AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO DESTROY ONE OF THE WORKER PODS HEADED INTO THE TOWERS. THE SUSPECT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED BUT NOT YET CAPTURED.”

“Pull up the suspect’s image please.”

She slumped her chin in her hand and stared at the face on the screen, chewing the edges of her fingernails. Something about the green eyes that stared at her seemed so familiar. They looked like hers. Wide set with the same thin pupil. But there was nothing strange about that, all natives of the star had the same eye shape. Colton said they look like feline eyes which led to even more of her questions about what felines were. Turns out they were a sort of animal from Colton’s home planet. From everything Colton had told her about felines, they seemed like an entirely useless creature that contributed in no way to a person’s life. She supposed people liked them because they were soft and small enough to fit under crevices. A useful trait to have if one was to lose something in a tight space.

So, what was it about this woman that made Sid feel like she had seen her before?

“Rusty, any information on the suspect?”

“THE SUSPECTS NAME OR LOCATION HAVE NOT BEEN DISCOVERED.”

“Or announced,” she retorted. “We both know the telescreens don’t post every detail.”

“WOULD YOU LIKE TO RUN A SEARCH ON ALL MISSING DETAILS FROM TODAY’S SCREENINGS?”

“Stars no! I want to eat.”

She hopped off the seat and waved her palm to shut off the projection, eager to get some food into her stomach. Whoever this woman was, she was not more important than the steaming bowl of broth waiting for Sid in the diner.

“What do you think he meant, Rusty?” Sid asked, her hands tenderly massaging the yellowing leaf of a nearby plant. She loved spending time in the greenroom, especially when her mind was racing with thoughts. Something about the soft sound of rustling leaves and the scent of fresh oxygen made her feel like she was safe. Even the loud clanking of the carbon dioxide tanks brought a sense of meditative peace that she could not find anywhere else on the ship.

“PLEASE CLARIFY THE INTENT OF THE QUESTION.”

“Ugh! You’re really useless sometimes. Isn’t he, Beanie?” She patted the spreading leaves of the soybean plant in her palm. “That I need all three. Obviously! Do you even listen to the calls? Aren’t you supposed to be recording them? And everything else for that matter.”

“I AM UNCERTAIN OF THE NATURE OF THE COMMENT. THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT COME IN THREES. STAR ATOMS, FRIGGER EGGS, SOYBEAN LEAVES.” The ship listed off without pausing. “YOU WILL NEED TO CLARIFY THE INTENT OF YOUR QUESTION SO THAT I CAN CALCULATE THE MOST LOGICAL RESPONSE.”

“Forget it. And I obviously know that many things come in threes. Are you going to stand for that, Beanie?” She poked the plant and laughed as it bounced back, hitting the small bush next to it. “Hey! Do I need to separate you two? No fighting in the greenroom!”

She picked up a watering hose and waved it in front of the plants. “If you keep this up, you’re going to bed without dinner!”

Sid let a few drops of water pour into the feeding tubes, mesmerized by the trickle of liquid as it pumped into the pipes before being absorbed by the soil at the bottom of the plant trays. The soil darkened from the moisture but turned an ashy grey again within moments. She let out a frustrated sigh; these plants were eating up water by the gallons lately. It wasn’t long ago that she used to be able to water them once a week and have new sprouts pop up each month. These days, no matter how much water she gave them, the soil remained dry and inconsistent while the leaves yellowed and dried. Sid hated when her plants suffered. They weren’t just a food source; they were the closest thing to friends she had on the ship. And she’d hate to lose her friends to poor air circulation, especially since they were such great listeners.

“Rusty, when is the next shipment due to arrive?”

“THE SHIPMENT DEPARTED FROM NEOSTAR EARLY THIS MORNING AND IS SCHEDULED FOR RECEIVING IN APPROXIMATELY ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FOUR MINUTES. WOULD YOU LIKE FOR ME TO SET A TIMER FOR ITS ARRIVAL?”

“For a hundred and eighty-four minutes? No, thank you!”

Hopefully, Colton had packed a spare carbon dioxide valve for her this time around. She had asked for one repeatedly and he promised he would send it with this shipment. She wasn’t sure how long her makeshift repairs were going to hold and judging by the state of these plants, the entire air pump could be in trouble.

Sid rubbed her dry eyes with fisted hands and walked over to the system control station.

“Run an air control diagnostic report,” she commanded, swiping her palm in front of the sensor.

The station buzzed, flashing a projection of codes from the center of the base. Sid watched the numbers roll through until she caught sight of what she was looking for. “Stop there!”

Using the tip of her finger she flicked at the display, scattering the codes she had no interest for in all directions. She squeezed two fingers together to expand the number sequence on the screen. All the saliva in her in her mouth evaporated.

“This can’t be right! Five thousand and fifty minutes of air remaining? But that’s only one week!” Sid tapped the screen ferociously, “Run it again!”

The code flashed before her eyes and rolled to a stop on the same number sequence. Her heart raced and her head felt lighter than a neutrino in a zero-gravity chamber. “Rusty! How did you miss this in the last systems check?” She yelled, steadying her shaking body on the metal table.

“THE SYSTEMS CHECK INDICATED A CONSIDERABLE DROP IN OXYGEN PRODUCTION BUT IT HAD NOT YET REACHED CATASTROPHIC LEVELS.”

“And it didn’t occur to you to warn me?” She howled.

“MY COLLECTION OF DATA SHOWS NO SIGNS OF LIFE-THREATENING DAMAGE TO THE SHIP’S ATMOSPHERE.”

“Use your head, Rusty!”

“WOULD YOU LIKE FOR ME TO RUN A SYSTEMS CHECK ON THE SHIP’S STARBOARD?”

“Not that head! I meant think, Rusty! Think!”

“I HAVE NO PROGRAMMING FOR THAT COMMAND. SHOULD I RUN THE SYSTEMS CHECK NOW?”

Sid looked over her shoulder, her eyes widening. How did she not notice the state of the greenhouse? How did she let it get this far? She rubbed her eyes again until she could feel the grey in them turn to a frosty pink from the pressure. The shipment was due to arrive in a few hours and she needed to keep a cool head. Colton would send the valve; she was certain of it. It should only take her twenty minutes to replace it and once that’s done, she could forget about this entire ugly turn of events.

Her palms clammed up and she rubbed them on her suit leg to wipe the dirt-caked sweat off. She raised one hand in front of her face and let the energy particles ripple off her skin. They danced in front of her in a harmonious symphony of lights; red and yellow like the blissful shine of the ring itself.

Sid shut her palm, letting the energy of her magic settle back into her body. There was no point getting upset over something as silly as a faulty valve. She straightened her back and petted the dying leaves of the soybean plant. “Don’t worry, Beanie. I got this.”

Then looking up at the camera lens, “You better hope that valve is on the shipment, Rusty.”

The ship did not respond, leaving her in a void of nerves and panic and a feeling she had become much too accustomed to. The feeling of being stranded in the dark — lost, scared and so utterly alone.