Kartega

Ten thousand volts of electrically charged particles blasted into Sid’s blood as she pulled the energy from the bottom two floors of the tower into her. The electricity crackled in the air, so loud that she couldn’t even hear her own scream as she inhaled it. Her skin bubbled from the hit as the energy settled into her body and mingled with her own magic. She felt charged up. Not overloaded like her days spent with Tazmin. Instead, Sid felt like she had slept for days and ate a few large meals right after. She felt complete.

As soon as she’d drained the last of the power, the floors went dark. All doors slid open and the security system echoed a feeble alarm. Sid doubted it had ever been used before that very moment.

Red painted every surface; the glow of the emergency system lighting the way. Her own fervent glow was impossible to hide now and she walked proudly down the corridor to the towers exit with her friends and fourteen freed Domers in tow. Every few minutes, she glanced back to see Edek trailing the group, his eyes darting away when he saw her watching. She wasn’t comfortable with the idea of having him there but Tann refused to leave without his father, despite his actions against them. Sid understood him all too well. She still loved Colton despite his lies.

Citizens hid in darkened rooms and hallways as they passed. Some tried to set their droids and Droidhounds on the group but Sid and Dalrak shut them down without much effort. Sucking the energy out of a droid was child’s play after shutting down all of the Queen’s Tower floor by floor.

She knew it wouldn’t be long until Leona made sense of their escape and restored power. The ring was good for times like this; an unlimited source of energy at the Domer’s expense. She could see the warm glow of it outside the glass exit doors, so bright it almost overpowered the light of Jericho itself. So beautiful and frightening at the same time. An anomaly in every way.

They marched in silence through the city, not bothering to run. There was no one to run from really. The guards and Starblades were still in the towers, surrounding the queen in case of an attack, and the city was nothing but a boneyard of scared Citizens. Sid felt like all of Tower City was theirs. Back on the ship, she would have done anything to feel this way. Now, looking around at the cold, flawless streets, all she wanted was to get the muck out as soon as possible.

She looked back on the city when they had finally crossed the bridge. It felt smaller somehow, less wondrous. So different from what she saw in projections and telescreens and such a stark opposite to her own dreams. This wasn’t the last time she would see it, of that she was certain, but something about this moment seemed finite. Like she was saying goodbye to an old friend.

Dalrak tugged at her suit and she followed him into the transport pod left over from that morning’s worker shuttle. Sid pressed her nose to the glass, watching as the pod took flight. This changes everything.

* * *

“Ash?” She yelled out, pushing her way past Mannar and Lexia who were still lost in conversation with Tann. They hadn’t seen him since he took off after her and the Freedom Runners crowded around him, poking and prodding and pulling him in for extended hugs. Many offered condolences for the loss, Nyala’s death still flowing freely from their tear stained faces and Sid wondered how long it would be until her own heart healed, or if she would forever carry the death with her like a mark. Her own version of Kartegan symbols under her skin. Tann’s discomfort was written all over his face, she’d have to make sure to tease him about this later. “Ash, is that you?”

The small flat was overrun with Domers and Sid had to flatten herself out just to squeeze through the bodies.

“Oh, hey, Sid!” Ashlan said, rubbing his neck. “How goes it?”

“How goes it? Seriously? What are you doing here?”

“Oh, you know. Fred wanted to see you so…” He smiled sheepishly.

“Fred? Fred’s here?”

“Aha! Right over there, Dee’s got him.”

She looked over Ashlan’s shoulder at the droid who, if she didn’t know any better, looked like he was actually smiling. Sid waved and watched as Ashlan entered code into the screen to make the droid wave back. A nice enough gesture for someone who left her to rot in a hole.

“Why are you here?”

“Wow, straight to the point. Nice!”

“I’m not kidding around,” she said and pulled him away from the crowd. “You need to leave.”

Ashlan ripped his arm from her grip and pulled back. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Why? I lied to you, remember? I’m the reason your dad died!”

“And I’m the reason you got thrown in a hole so maybe we’re even.”

“That doesn’t even begin to sound like even to me,” she sighed.

“No, but I shouldn’t have left you there. Just like you shouldn’t have lied,” he said. “I get why you did it, you know. I’m not a complete imbecile.”

Could have fooled me!

“So that’s why you came to see me?”

“Well, that and to tell you about Abbot. Surprise!” He threw his arms up but the awkwardness of the gesture made her squeamish. “Who knew dad told him everything.”

“Right. Who knew,” she said.

“Anyway, I’m not leaving. So looks like you’re stuck with me again.”

“Maybe I’m not the only one stuck with you,” she smirked.

“What are you talking about now?” He followed her gaze to Tann who was still squirming out of an unwanted embrace. “Let’s not, alright?”

“Sure,” she nodded. “Have you talked to him? Since…”

“No. Nyala and him were close; she was like a second mom to him,” Ashlan said and looked at his boots. “I guess that’s something we have in common now.”

“Ash, I’m so sorry.”

She reached for him but he shrugged her off. “It’s fine. Don’t start getting all emotional on me now. It’s not a good look for you.” He forced a smile and looked away, signaling for a change of topic.

Sid looked around the flat and stifled a laugh.

“What?” Ashlan asked.

“Nothing. Just this place. A Starblade, Freedom Runners and an Al’iil warrior. Sounds like a bad start to joke.”

Ashlan rubbed the back of his neck again. “Doesn’t seem that funny to me.”

“Huh?”

“All these people, Sid,” he said, “we’re all here because of you, one way or another.”

He wasn’t wrong. If it wasn’t for her, this flat would still be as empty as when she’d first seen it. A few Freedom Runners waiting for some magical girl to fall from the sky. Whether she liked it or not, this was her reality now. It wasn’t perfect and it definitely wasn’t what she thought she’d get when she finally made it down to the star, but somehow it was better. Because it was hers and it was as real as she could make it.

“We should talk,” she said. “All of us. There isn’t much time.”

“Time for what?” Ashlan asked.

“To make everything right again.”

* * *

Cross-legged, Sid sat on the single cot in the flat. Breathless.

“And you think you can do it?”

“Do I think I can persuade the Arcane to help us shut down the ring?” She asked with an exaggerated laugh. “Of course I don’t! But I can try. Right, Dee?”

The warrior nodded and she could see some of the Freedom Runners exchange fearful glances. Despite his help in the escape of their loved ones, they still didn’t trust the Al’iil. She couldn’t blame them really; she still wasn’t sure if she trusted Abbot, and he’d basically carried her out of there.

“Right now, I’m more worried about getting past the guards and Starblades without getting caught.” She added.

“And the Magistras,” Ashlan said.

“And the– wait, what?”

“You should be worried about them too,” he continued. “They don’t look like much but every lady in waiting is trained in the art of combat. They are the last level of protection for the queen in case of an attack.”

“Wow.”

“I can handle that part,” he said and shot an assured look in Tann’s direction that didn’t go unnoticed by her.

“You’ll handle the girls. Great,” she scoffed.

“No, I meant I can get you through all of them.”

Sid’s eyes widened and from the corner of her eye, she could see Tann perk up with interest. Well done, Starblade.

“Did you forget about Fred already?”

“The droid? What about him?” Lexia asked.

“Droids. Plural,” Ashlan said.

Ashlan, you brilliant stardamned mucker. “Yes! We use all the droids in the city! You think you can run that code?”

“I think I can try,” he cracked his knuckles and flipped his hair. Too far, Ash. Too far.

“Good enough for me,” she said. “Everyone else on board?”

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Edek said from the back of the room.

“No one cares what you think, dad,” Tann snapped and looked away. “Sid’s leading this, take it or leave it.”

Some of the others nodded in agreement, the rest were still trying to piece together their part in the coming days. She wished she could give them an answer but the truth was that no one had a true part in any of it. Not until she knew she could persuade the Arcane to help. She had a very rudimentary understanding of the Arcane in general, let alone how connected they were to the ring. Sid assumed it was symbiotic somehow, a more technologically advanced version of what the Al’iil did to exchange power with Kartega. Their magic was the key receptor for the ring which explained why the queen kept them under lock and key and protected at all times. Kill one and you kill the entire Circulum System. Without the Arcane, the city didn’t exist. But did they care for Leona? Whose side were they on? All questions that Sid needed answers to and there was no one in the room that could help her get those answers. The domes were kept so isolated from the city and towers that any information on the Arcane was either hearsay or speculation based on stories parents told their children. Even Abbot knew nothing except where the Arcane resided in the Queen’s Tower, which might have helped them strategically if not for the fact that strategy was the last thing Sid needed. What she needed most of all was hope. Hope that the Arcane would help their cause. Hope that they cared enough for Kartega and its native population to choose the right side.

“So what do the rest of us do?” Mannar asked from the cot in the far end of the flat.

“We fight,” Dalrak said.

A stifled hush lowered over them mixed with surprise from those that heard the warrior speak human for the first time. Even Ashlan looked confused by it and Sid couldn’t help but laugh. She probably should have filled them in on Dalrak’s hidden talent as soon as they were free of the holes.

Sid took a moment to run through their plan, as well as everything that was going to be at stake and every part of the possible consequences. The Freedom Runners stared at her, wide eyed and anticipatory — like they were waiting for her to stand up, raise a fist and yell a battle cry. Colton had told her of a telescreening from his home planet where a leader of a resisting army painted his face in blues to lead a charge. Should she be doing that? She looked down at her dirty hands and wondered if a filthy grey would inspire the same loyalty.

Her thoughts were still racing when Tann spoke up beside her. “When do we go?”

Nice, Tann. Straight and to the point. Very poetic.

“Starset. After the rotation is done.”

The group dispersed. Some stayed behind but broke off into smaller groups, some went home to their families. Sid stayed on the cot, her legs nearly numb from the weight of her body on top of them and her eyes staring at nothing in particular. She felt a nudge at her side and turned to see Dalrak on the floor next to her.

“Lep ta il ta troken?” He asked.

“We fight, Dee. Now we fight.”