The Line of the Sol Empress

Chapter 7.4

Celeste bit her lip. "Do you think I could go out to the markets? I could really use some new clothes." She tugged at her loose t-shirt. "I mean no offence, Moon, but I am tired of wearing your clothing."

"Hmm, that should be okay. But go later in the day when the crowds thin and make sure you cover your face. Oh, and take your viewer so Sai can track you. Be careful, okay?"

*****

If drab was a decorating scheme, the commissary achieved it. Set in a long dingy hall with a low ceiling, it was intended solely for provisioning miners and haulers, not to appeal to the eye. A single wide aisle down the center separated shelves that displayed cluttered wares. Several people stood at gray counters either placing orders with the blue shirted attendants, or bickering loudly over prices. Some customers looked and smelled like they had not bathed in weeks. Intent on their business, they took no notice of the pregnant woman who strode through, exiting out the other side.

In contrast, the market teased the eyes with color and vibrancy. People of all ages moved about the shops, but as Moon predicted, the crowds were relatively thin.

Celeste smiled under the blue scarf that hid her face as she ambled through the market, reveling in a flood of sensory experiences after so long on the ship. Sellers displayed bright banners and signs from open stalls or wheeled carts. The songs of minstrels and the hawking of merchants ebbed among the murmurs of the shoppers. Food vendors wafted out mouth-watering aromas to tempt the nose, mixing with the subtler scents from the spice and perfume sellers.

She stopped at the open-ended stall of a clothing vendor, lifting a colored skirt from a rack.

A smiling gray-haired woman came up to her. "May I help you find something?"

Celeste extended her arms down to her borrowed clothes. "I need something better to wear."

The woman grinned. "I see." She pointed toward the back of the stall. "I may have just what you need."

Celeste turned side to side in the small curtained change room, viewing her image in a mirror. The blue patterned top and black leggings fit well now, and removable stretchy panels made it wearable even after delivery.

Perfect.

As she picked up her scarf to re-wrap her head, the curtain ripped open. Shocked at the intrusion, she gasped and her heart raced, taking a step back.

A dark-faced bearded man turned up his lip at her. "You are coming with us!"

I am not!

The man shot a hand forward and clamped down on her wrist. With a defiant low growl, Celeste lifted and swung her elbow toward the man. Taking advantage of the leverage, she dropped her elbow against his forearm and peeled her wrist from his grip. Her other hand delivered a punch to the throat. The man stumbled back, gasping.

Celeste dashed past the man only to find another blocking her path. Before she could react, the tall, muscular man delivered a backhand smash to the side of her cheek. Her head snapped to the side, and she crashed into a clothing display rack, then down to the floor. Dazed on her back, she could not resist as two enormous hands yanked her to her feet. Cuffs restrained her wrists. Darkness came as a thick black hood slid down over her head.

Still reeling from the blow, she barely remembered the arms that drug her away nor the wavering ride on the floor in some kind of vehicle. They carried her again. Dropped roughly on a hard surface, she yelped. Celeste grimaced as a heavy boot pinned her neck down. The cuffs came off and, with a yank, so did the hood. Lying on her side, Celeste shuddered as she squinted at a bright light. The muscular man backed away. A wire meshed door squealed as it slammed shut, locking her within a small enclosure, barely wider than she was tall and empty save for a bucket in one corner.

The man stepped aside to reveal a familiar face. Celeste raised herself up on an elbow and hissed, "Silver, no! Do you know what you are doing? They will kill me and the babies!"

His jacket matched his hair and eyes, all silver. He folded his arms across his chest. "Not my concern, Priestess. You have a large bounty on your head and I aim to collect."

"You will not get away with this!"

He grinned, showing jagged metallic teeth. "Do you think Moon will rescue you? I think not. My men are on their way to take him now. It turns out he has a price on his head too. And they won't be as gentle with him as they were with you."

Sliver turned and walked away. Celeste pleaded with a strangled voice, "Please, no..."

He paid no heed, instead shoving closed the latch of a heavy metal door behind him. The echoing clank sounded like a shovel striking a gravestone. Then the lights went out, immersing her in complete darkness.

Celeste crawled across the dirty floor to the corner, feeling her way through the desolation inducing darkness with an extended hand. Leaning back against the gritty corner, she drew her knees up and hugged her belly. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she whispered to the unborn lives within her. "I am so sorry."

I've failed everyone.