Sable's room was dark in the early morning hours as she adjusted her posture, getting ready to bring her cello into position. Playing her cello before work had become a sort of a ritual for Sable. She had been playing for as long as she could remember, and it had always been something Sable loved, but in the last couple of years, it had come to mean a lot more to her. The cello was the only thing that made her feel complete since her mom had passed away. When Sable had the cello where it belonged, the strings appeared as a soft blue light, illuminating her small bedroom. A small bed with a metal frame, a desk, and a chair are all that filled her tiny room. She took in the calm and peace of the blue light before she began. If only life could be this peaceful all the time.
Sable raised her bow and let out her emotions through her cello. As she played the hauntingly sad intro of her song, the room lit up with shades of blue and purple as the light strings reacted to the notes and her feelings. The instrument not only connected to the notes played but the soul of the musician as well, which created unique displays for the same piece of music depending on who was playing the song. The song started to evolve into the verse. The colors changed to have red flashes that intensified as she built into the chorus. When Sable reached it, the blues and purples were gone, and yellow started to tangle wildly with the red as the song's momentum increased. Her room looked like a fiery volcano of reds and yellows as she shredded out the hot-blooded chorus. Her emotions were pouring through her into the cello. All the pain and anger she had been feeling illuminated the room. As she headed into the bridge of the song, greens intruded and calmed down the fire raging in her soul. She slid into the outro, or conclusion of the song, with purple and green that faded back to the calming blue of the sweet final note. Sable sat there like a statue for a minute with her bow suspended in the air before letting out a deep breath and lowering her arm.
Sable hung her head as she thought about how much her mother would have loved that song. It was full of passion which is what her mother always told her that she needed.
A little over two years ago, Sable's mom was escorted on a military ship to play for the Emperor of the Earth Planetary Order, or EPO as most referred to it. On the way to Planet 348, her ship was attacked by the rouge resistance. There were no survivors. Sable's mother was the one that encouraged Sable to play the cello when she was young. Megan loved music, and she passed that on to her daughter. They would spend hours together making beautiful music, Sable on her cello and Megan on her harp. Megan's harp was also a light instrument, so their home was usually filled with glorious colors and sounds. That was until she passed away. Sable's Dad, Eric, took his wife's death very hard and blamed music for her demise. That was why Sable would awaken long before her father so she could play her music without seeing the pain reflected in her father's eyes.
Sable checked the time. She might be able to squeeze one more song in before her father woke up. She repositioned the cello, lighting up the room in blue once again. Her second song was more light and jaunty. The room was radiant with shades of lavender and turquoise when her father entered the room.
Startled, Sable stopped playing, and the room plunged back into darkness.
"Lights," Eric said, and the room lit up with bright white light, a stark contrast to the whirling colors from just moments ago. "Sable, what have I told you about that damn thing? You have more important things to do than waste your time with music. Look where it got your mom?" The words Eric said were full of anger, but Sable could see the anguish in his eyes.
"The rouges killed mom, not music." Sable immediately regretted her words as her father's face flushed red.
"If she hadn't wasted her time with that stupid music, she would not have been on that ship, and you know it. Now get ready for work and put that damn thing away," her father said before he left the room.
Sable sighed and put her cello away.
***
"Sable!" Sable's best friend, Aria, called out to her as she left the housing complex for work. Sableble rushed over to Aria, her lunch pack clutched in her hand. In Sable's opinion, Aria was gorgeous and did not belong on Planet 981. Dirt, grime, grease, and filth just did not go with the small delicate blond girl.
"Where have you been? I have been waiting for you. We are going to be late to work!" Aria scolded Sable before marching off in the factory's direction. Sable scrambled to keep up with her.
"Sorry, I got a little carried away with my cello this morning. My Dad caught me," Sable grimaced in regret as she told her friend.
"Oh no," Aria exclaimed as she covered her mouth in dismay. "Was he mad?"
"Yeah, a little, but the worst part is I opened my fat mouth and told him that the rouges killed mom, not music."
"I know how he feels about music now, but honestly, his anger is misplaced."
"I think that is because he feels like he cannot be mad at the rouges. Why? I don't know. They are just a bunch of anarchists that cause trouble and kill people." Aria got a funny look at these words, but it quickly disappeared, making Sable question if she imagined it.
"Come on, let's hurry, or we are going to be late." Aria picked up her speed, forcing Sable to rush after her.
***
"Hey girl, how was your day?" asked Aria as they met up at the one tree on the factory's property like they did every day after work. Although they worked at the same factory, they rarely worked together. Aria was in the chemistry department making the fuel for the ships while Sable worked a metal forge making seats. Sable always wished her job was more exciting like Aria's, or challenging like Kendell's. She could be metal forging propulsion systems, but she got stuck with boring old seats.
"Horrible. How was yours?"
"Oh no, what happened?"
"First off, I don't know if you noticed, but Burgess was a total jerk today. He kept harassing me about us "almost" being late. If we were late, I could understand, but we were one minute early," Sable rolled her eyes. "Then the stupid forge malfunctions, and of course that is my fault, not Burgess who has laid off all but one maintenance man just so he could stay under budget. If the damn thing was serviced like it is supposed to be, then it never would have broke."
"Well, I have something that might cheer you up," Aria announced with a mischievous smile.
Sable's curiosity was definitely piqued. "Oh yeah, and what is that?"
Aria held up a flier she was concealing behind her back. In large bold letters on top of the flier, it said:
Galactic Music Competition
$1,000,000,000
First Place Reward
Sable's jaw dropped at the obscene amount of money they were giving out for the first-place prize. Sable could live anywhere she wanted to in the galaxy with that kind of money. She wouldn't have to work in a stupid factory ever again. She could be free to do whatever she wanted and pursue her love of music like she wanted to do. The excitement was quickly replaced with despondency. There were numerous reasons why this was just a dream. Sable could not leave her Dad alone for something that was not a guarantee. Sable was sure there would be musicians way better than her competing. Planet 124, or Crescendo as people liked to call it, was dedicated entirely to music research and creation. Light instruments were invented there about two hundred years ago, making it the home of the most remarkable musical instrument ever designed. Another massive achievement of there's was the olfaction band instruments. Instead of the light shows that the string instruments created, the band instruments made smells. A musical show was a whole explosion of sensory experiences. The locals there spent every waking moment in dedication to their craft. No way could Sable win against someone like that.
Aria picked up on Sable's change in mood and asked her, "What is the matter? This is the answer to all your prayers, and you can finally show off to the Galaxy how amazing you are apart from your little underground shows."
"Aria, I can't go. I can't leave Dad, and I am really not that good. If I went, chances are I would not win."
"What are you talking about, Sable? I used to think your mom was the best musician in the Galaxy, but you have way surpassed even her. I know you can win this! People travel across the Milky Way to see you play."
"Aria, just let it go."
Aria stayed silent as they made their way back to the housing complex. Sable barely noticed because she was lost in thought. She was daydreaming about going to the competition. Sable had never played on an actual stage before. In her imagination, she saw herself in an elegant black gown, her raven hair done up in an intricate updo with wisps of curls framing her face. A large blue sapphire rested above her breasts, bringing out her blue eyes. She walked onto the stage with confidence and took her place in her seat. She adjusted her cello until the strings appeared, eliciting a gasp from the audience even though they knew it is coming. As she performed her heart out in her daydream, and the audience ate it up. Her fantasy song's final note ended in a soft gray that left the audience breathless for a moment before erupting in praise.
"Sable?" Aria interrupted Sable's thoughts when they were almost to the housing complex. "I'm sorry I tried to push you, but I really think that you can do this. I won't push you anymore, but if you change your mind, I know an EPO cargo ship will be leaving here at midnight heading for Earth. It is called the Cerberus. You can catch a ride with them if you want to go, but it has to be tonight. You will never make it in time if you don't go now since it will be another three months until the next launch. But whatever you decide, it is up to you. You know I love you like a sister, and I would miss you dearly, but I really think this is your answer." Aria kissed Sable on the cheek and ran off towards her unit.
Sable's daydream and Aria's words haunted her as she headed to her own unit. When she got close to home, she could hear a commotion coming down the hallway.
Wondering what kind of disturbance could be going on, she rounded the corner and saw a strange man running out of her unit. He bumped into her on the way by, knocking her off balance. He paused when he heard people running towards them, turned around, and shoved a gun into her hand before taking off and disappearing. Sable looked with confusion at the gun in her hand, then looked to her unit and noticed her father lying on the ground in a puddle of blood. She let out a blood-curdling scream just as patrols rounded the corner of the hallway.
They stopped in their tracks and took in the scene. Sable immediately realized that they thought she was responsible for murdering her father. That was a terrifying thought considering Planet 981 was not known for its fair justice. In fact, just the opposite.
Without thinking, Sable took off to her unit, shooting blindly behind her as she ran. She made it into her family's apartment and locked the door. She calculated that she would have about three minutes before they could break into her unit, so she had to work fast.
With a quick glance of regret at her father's body, saddened that she could not grieve for him, she hurried to her room. Sable filled her bag with clothes and gabbed her cello. Thankfully it is the size of a small suitcase when stored instead of the enormous thing they used to lug around. Sable grabbed the laser cutter that she accidentally took home from work one day and cut a hole through the steel wall into her neighbors unit. She knew that it exited into a different hallway.
"Stop right there!" the patrol yelled from the unit Sable had just exited. Taking that as her cue, she picked up her speed and hightailed it for the exit. Sable was almost there. If she could get out of this rat trap, she knew that she would be able to lose them in the streets. They were gaining on her. She could hear them behind her.
"We will shoot! Stop now!" the patrol yelled.
Sable hit the exit and took off running. Just as she rounded the corner of a building, shots rang out. Pain erupted in Sable's upper arm, but she kept pushing. A few more turns and she had lost them, finally coming to a stop in an ally. Hunkering down to investigate the pain in her arm. Sable had definitely been shot but thankfully with a light gun, so she wasn't bleeding. It just hurt like hell. Wondering what she was going to do now, Sable checked her supplies as she waited for the streets to calm down.