Rebel Star - The Scarlet Insurgent

Chapter 0 - The End of the World

The warm glow of the waning sun shown softly over the landscape filling the cool and darkened skies in hues of orange and gold. Black shapes covered the valley below, the silhouette of the great city stretching endlessly in every direction in infinite defiance of the boundaries imposed by nature. Young Maeve perched upon the rocks and gazed past the city and out towards the horizon. A storm of pitch black was moving in. It grew thicker and more sinister with each passing moment. Sharp wind pierced through the gaps in Maeve's tattered  cloak threatening to rip away the coverings she wore to shield her face from the dust and wintry breeze.

The rain drenched her as the skies above turned a deep grey in an instant. The storm, however was not her primary concern. As the wind blew harder and the black clouds settled in over the city, she pulled the cloak in tight around her torso and braced against the winds. She could not leave this perch, not yet.

She watched the evacuation shuttles as they rose up from their bays , their hulls reflecting the light as they ascended into the painted sky. There were so few launches now. In the days before, hundreds of ships of every size and shape ascended up and away from the Capitol, their hulls filled to the last crevice with passengers and supplies for the long journey. Anyone who could get a flight to the colonies evacuated at their first opportunity. Today was the day when Maeve and her family would leave the dying world behind and begin a new life somewhere among the stars. It was hard for her to accept.

The black sky took hold over the light, pressing the warmth and color below the horizon. The world that she had known since birth, that had sustained and mothered the human race, and had stood at the very center of her universe, would very soon be unable to support life.

This is my last sunset.

The sun touched the horizon as the black of night took hold. She wanted so much to hold on to just a small piece of her world, anything to remind her of the place she grew up. Quickly, she struggled to undo the clasp of her cloak as the sun touched the skyline. The cold, dry air blew across her face. She pulled her kit from her pocket and held it up to the last bit of light. With a silent thought, she stole an image of the sunset and the smoky sky, the last of the orange and gold streaking through the city buildings and into her memory.

She cherished her victory! It was only a small image, but somehow, for her, it felt good. Everything had happened so fast and not even her father knew how long she would be locked away inside that ship. Now she had something to remind her of the outside world. She would look at the picture every day and remember what it was like to run across the fields, to swim in the springs near their family home, and to sit under the shade of her favorite tree that had lost nearly all it's leaves.

As long as I have the picture of the sunset, I can remember what it looks like. And if I can remember it, then it can't ever be taken away!

The idea gave her little, but enough comfort. Maeve picked up her cloak, threw it over herself, and climbed down the hillside to the city below. Her father, no doubt, would be wondering where she was. Everything looked so different now. The streets usually filled with life were empty. She shivered as the breeze and dust blew across her body. She looked up at the night sky, barely able to make out the white specs of light through the clouds. She thought of her brother, her mother and her father. They would have to find a new home somewhere out there,on some distant world so far away from everything she's ever known. They said it would be ten thousand years for the Earth to become habitable again, that some sort of disaster had thrown off the balance so terribly that few could survive here for much longer. The reality of the situation loomed over her like a nightmare and made her heart sink into her stomach. She wanted to crying. She picked up her pace.

Maeve looked up into the dark cloudy sky and could vaguely make out the pale moving vessel which had launched moments ago.

Who's on that ship? Is it anyone I know?

The colony on Scarlet IV was the closest to the Earth, an icy world with a red sun. Maeve knew it from her history lessons. It was one of the first colonies established after the second expansion. The pictures of the distant planet showed beautiful glass buildings sitting majestically on beds of snow. Maeve had never seen snow except in pictures. She thought it would be strange to see it beneath her feet when she went outside.

What is it like to live on another planet? What are the people like?

It was completely dark now. Maeve made her way to the end of her street where she saw the long silver transport vessel parked neatly in front of their home under the soft white glow of the street lights. She could see her father helping a woman carry her belongings through the opening of the cargo bay. There were dozens of people, huddled together on the dried yellow grass. Most were groups of two standing side by side with as many of their personal items as they could carry. A few groups had children with them and there were larger groups with as many as six people waiting for their turn to go inside, hoping the small ship would not fill up before they could get all of their stuff on board .

Maeve looked around for her mother and brother. She didn't see them.

"Where have you been? I was about to go looking for you," her father said as she approached.

She sent the image of the sunset to her kit and showed it to her father.

"I had to see it one last time," she said.

Her father hugged her.

"Are you ready for adventure?" Maeve's father asked playfully as he loaded a stack of supplies onto the cargo lift.

"It's a bit small isn't it?" Maeve asked looking up at the strange little ship. She was terrified and excited all at the same time, but she tried her best to keep her cool.

"We'll take what we can get," he said. "She's a good ship, very sturdy."

She examined the shuttle, in both curiosity and fear. The ship was a dull yellow, some spots covered in dirt, others worn away exposing the rusted structure below. She lay her hand against the cold metal surface, sliding her palm against the grainy layer of dirt which covered the hull. As she moved her hand across, she saw in thin white letters, a single word painted near the window.

"Halastjörnur," she read aloud.

"It means Starchaser," her father confirmed. She nodded in acknowledgement.

Steadily, the night got darker and the wind blew colder. By the time her father and some of the other men had finished loading the cargo, Maeve's hands had gone completely numb, still holding on to the kit containing the precious sunset.

Maeve's father waved the passengers on and they hurried aboard. She stepped into the dimly lit vessel with the rest of the group and watched as they took their seats. They shuffled around the boxes of supplies and cargo that filled the room to the ceiling. She saw her mother sitting near the front of the ship, holding Sterling, Maeve's baby brother, in her arms. Maeve shuffled her way through the crowded transport and joined them. She took a seat next to her mother and tried to look outside at the world she was leaving behind, but the light of the ship drowned out the darkness outside, leaving only her dirty reflection looking back at her. Her father took a seat in the pilot's chair at the front of the cabin and prepared their final departure.

Maeve took the scarf from her face and wrapped it around Sterling so he wouldn't be cold. Her mother was fast asleep. She tightened her seatbelt around her waist and looked back at her reflection. And over her shoulder, in the dark shadow of the hanging food sacks, she met the eyes of a small blonde child tucked away below the containers. Maeve's throat clenched as she spun around in her seat. Tears ran down the girl's face, her fists clenched tightly as her arms wrapped around her knees. The gaze of the child made her uncomfortable. She wasn't sure why.

"Hey," she called. It was not soon enough.

The engines roared as Maeve's father pulled up on the throttle as the shuttle struggled to overcome gravity's persistence. The panicked child fell to the ground and disappeared in the containers. Slowly at first, the small vessel pulled away from the splintered road. The vibrations were violent. Maeve squeezed her eyes closed as her baby brother began to scream. She tried to forget them. She tried to imagine herself sitting under an old tree, a blanket of snow below her extending as far as she could see. She pictured a brand new world, with a brand new sky, where she and her family could finally be safe under the glow of a red sun. The thought comforted her, though not nearly enough, as the Halastjörnur groaned with the weight of her passengers. It was hard for her to see her future, but she trusted her father. Only time would tell if that would be enough.

"Here!" Her mother screamed as she shoved the whaling Sterling into Maeve's arms.

"Shh. It's ok." She whispered. She pulled him in and held him against the soft wool of her cloak. "We're going to be ok" she said. She looked out the window again and gazed down at the dark grey clouds below.

"We're going to be just fine," she said.

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