[Moon]

They found Liam Glynn in the space control center, gazing at a control panel over the shoulder of a seated technician. Normally sedate, the room now buzzed with nervous activity. With the overhead lighting turned low, most of the illumination came from the panels and view-screens, giving the round room a surreal feeling. Four seated technicians faced the translucent control panels. An overhead holographic display showed the planet and any nearby objects in space, each with associated telemetry text boxes.

Liam caught Moon's eye and pointed at objects in the holographic display. "Three Commonwealth frigates and a heavy cruiser."

The frigates were designed for speed, stealth, and close range fighting, but it was the larger cruiser that brought a lump to Moon's throat. They specialized in planet invasion, able to deploy landing craft carrying well trained marines and fire kinetic weapons in orbital bombardment. 

"Have they made contact yet?"

Liam shook his head. "No. My guess is that more ships are coming. These were meant for containment."

Celeste leaned against Moon's arm with a tight grip on his hand. She blew out a breath. It was obvious to both of them why the Commonwealth ships had come so far. For her.

A technician turned his head toward Liam. "Sir, we are being hailed."

"I spoke too soon." Liam stood up straight and adjusted his uniform. "Patch them through, tight view on me only. And mute all other sound."

A stern-faced woman appeared on the screen, her white hair pulled back tightly in a short ponytail. Four gold bars decorated the collar of her crisp blue uniform. Liam's expression matched hers. He said, "Captain, this is the Speterra Space Control Center. Identify yourself and state your purpose."

She leaned forward with narrowed her eyes. "This is Captain Jamus of the Commonwealth Cruiser Sparta. We have a warrant for the arrest of Celeste Ciel on charges of murder and terrorism."

"Captain, you are not in Commonwealth space. Even if she was here, you have no enforcement rights."

"The Commonwealth has jurisdiction anywhere we please." She leaned back and folded her hands under her chin, elbows resting on chair arms. "Let us dispense with the usual denials and legal maneuvering. We know she is there. You have one of your days to deliver her and any known associate to us. Or we will come down and take her. Believe me, you do not want that." With a wave of her hand, the transmission abruptly ended.

Liam grumbled under his breath, "Bitch."

Moon asked in a quiet voice, "How did they find out she was here?"

Celeste answered before Liam could. "That does not matter now. It was inevitable, even out here." She shook her head. "But I had thought we had more time."

A man stepped forward, one who Moon recognized as a colony councilman. He shook a fist and exclaimed, "Most of us came here to escape heavy-handed tactics like this. It is time we made a stand!"

A uniformed woman, a magistrate, followed him, her eyes wide. "They have the firepower to wipe us out! We do not have the forces to repel them." She cast a suspicious eye at Celeste. "We have no choice. If she is a terrorist--"

Liam bristled, his face reddened. "The charges against her were all fabricated! We--"

A technician turned, interrupting him. "Sir, three more Commonwealth ships are approaching the system." The ships appeared as red triangular icons at the edge of the holographic display.

Liam frowned. "I called in Confederacy warships. At least four will arrive within a day."

The woman came up into his face. "That will just provoke them! Think about the families--"

The arguments escalated, becoming heated as they shouted over each other with exaggerated arm motions. Two more colony officials joined the fray.

Celeste pinched her lips together and clenched her fist, then jumped into the quarrel, raising her arms. She shouted over the others. "Enough!" They quieted, turning eyes toward her. "Know this! I shall not be the cause of war."

A chill came over Moon. "Celeste, what are you saying?"

Her eyes projected a sadness, taking in his. "You know what I am saying."

Liam held out his hands. "Wait! Don't do anything irreversible yet. I'll talk to Chancellor Patel and see what diplomatic pressure the Confederacy might bear." He turned to the councilman. "Call an emergency council meeting. Whatever course we take, it must be unified." He turned back to Celeste, his eyes pleading. "With the presence of our ships, they might back down. Give it a chance to work. Please."

Moon nodded to her. She dipped her head and took a deep breath. "Okay." 

The crowd dispersed. Moon draped an arm over Celeste's shoulder as she leaned against him. He whispered, "We'll get through this somehow."

*****

Celeste lingered inside the bedroom door, gazing at the sleeping children in the dim light. She wiped moisture from her eyes as Moon put his arm around her.

They are so innocent. So precious. Would she really leave them?

Tiptoeing out of the bedroom, she closed the door slowly, taking care not to wake the little ones. Turning to Moon, she said, "She was right, you know."

"Who?"

"The woman at the control center, the magistrate. Do you see how close we are to war? A battle here would wipe out these good people. And the Confederate starships would only escalate the tensions." She paused. "All because of me."

Moon put his arms around her. "No! Don't put this on yourself. There is much more to this than you, than us."

A tear traced her cheek. "But I can stop this, here." She pointed to the closed bedroom door. "Those three... They are the true path to peace. My presence endangers them. I have to leave."

He raised his voice and grasped her shoulders. "No, Celeste! The children need you! I need you! We will find a way."

She lifted her moist eyes to his. "Do you have another plan?"

Moon opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. He did not have a way out. And he knew that she knew that. An ache overtook his heart.

Celeste pulled out of his arms and turned her back to him. "Moon... I love the children with all my heart. And I love you. I want nothing more than to be with you all." She paused, wrapping her arms around her chest. "But don't you see? I cannot allow harm to come to any of you. And I have my duty to the Line of the Empress, and all of humanity."

Moon turned her around, putting his hands on her shoulders, pleading, "Please don't do this. Let the Confederacy diplomats have their chance." He put on a forced grin. "And who knows? I may yet come up with another wild-ass plan. So, forget about leaving us."

Celeste pushed Moon up against the wall and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled his lips down to hers while forming her body against his. Moon embraced her. His heart raced as the kiss lingered.

She broke the kiss and whispered in a breathless voice, "Help me forget."

*****

Moon stirred from a short but blissful sleep. The gentle reddish light of sunrise filtered through the window. A warmness rose within his core as he recalled the love-making, each pouring their heart into it. With a contented sigh, he reached across the bed to her, but came up empty. He snapped his eyes open. On her side of the bed, only a faint scent remained. 

A sudden terror gripped Moon's heart. Celeste, no!

He jumped up and rushed out of the bedroom, checking first the children's bedroom, then the rest of the cabin. This only confirmed his fears - she was not here.

He turned to Nanny-bot, who stood motionless at one side of the living room. "Sai, where is Celeste?"

Sai answered through Nanny-bot with an even voice. "She is onboard the Phoenix Star, sir."

"Lock it down, Sai. Don't let her take off!"

"I cannot, sir. The Priestess has blocked higher level AI functions."

Moon muttered to himself. "Damn you, Celeste..."

He threw on a set of clothes and shoes, telling Nanny-bot before sprinting out the front door, "Watch after the little ones, Sai!" As he ran, the familiar rumble of the fusion thrusters came to his ears.

At the space control center, a visual view-screen showed the Phoenix Star had just cleared the repair dome, rising slowly. Moon came to a seated technician. He said between deep draws of breath. "Put me through."

The technician glanced over to Liam Glynn, who stood with arms folded at the back of the room. His ruffled shirt and mussed hair showed that he had also hurried to the center. Liam nodded. As the technician touched a button, Celeste's face appeared on a view-screen. She looked up from the captain's chair with red swollen eyes, tears tracing both of her cheeks.

Moon held his breath. He tried to speak, but only one word came out. "Celeste..."

She wiped her eyes. "I love you, Moon. I am so glad to have met you. You are a good father, raise the children well. Tell them... Tell them I loved them too." She touched a button on the chair arm, terminating the transmission.

"Celeste!" he called out to a blank display screen. Moon swung his head around to Liam. "Can you stop her?"

Liam firmed his lips and shook his head.

Moon paced back and forth with a hand on his forehead. His mind raced to find a solution, but came up empty. His heart pounded at a terrifying realization, that putting Celeste on trial would reveal things too damaging for the Commonwealth and the Trade Consortium, that they did not intend to bring her in alive.

On the visual screen, the Phoenix Star lifted higher. The technician increased the magnification to keep the ship within clear view. Responding, the Commonwealth cruiser shifted to intercept as shown on the holographic near-space display.

Another technician said, "The cruiser is powering up a rail gun."

A white-hot panic flooded through Moon and his heart pounded. Please, no...

The white streak of a hypersonic kinetic slug ripped the Phoenix Star apart, cracking the ship open like an egg, splitting the bow section from the stern. Ruptured fusion reactors finished the job, the bright blast shredding the ship. Smoke trailed from the pieces as they tumbled back down to the ground. A stilled silence filled the control center. 

No. This can't be. Stunned and breathless, Moon stood motionless as his heart ripped into shreds. A single tear traced a frozen face.

Liam put a hand on his shoulder. He spoke in a gentle voice. "I am sorry, Moon." After a moment, he continued. "Celeste had arranged for you to have another starship, the Firebird Rise. When it is safe, you and your children may leave this place."

Moon turned his head, dropping his jaw. "You knew about this?"

"Not this..." Liam pointed at the dwindling trails of smoke on the view-screen. "Only that she planned to leave to protect you and the children. Again, I am sorry."

In dead silence, Moon trudged out of the control center with his head bowed, barely noticing the eyes that followed him. The short walk back to his cabin seemed to take forever. He looked up at the sky, but the colors of the sunrise held no beauty to him this morning. Tears fell like rain and wrenching sobs overtook him.

Celeste, why? We would have found a way.

He left the front door open. Seeing Nanny-bot standing in the living room brought another heart wrenching thought. The android was semi-autonomous, and it would operate without AI oversight, but it wouldn't be Sai. He said, "Sai? Are you gone too?"

Nanny-bot responded, "No, sir. I am still functioning. The Priestess had my core moved to the Firebird Rise."

Anger gripped him. She had planned this for some time!

"And you didn't tell me?"

"No, sir. At the Priestess' request."

He walked into the children's bedroom. Celeste's favorite blue scarf, a gift from Sol Empress Iona, laid folded on a chair, beside it her worn copy of the Writings. All three babies stood side by side in the crib, grasping the top rail with little hands. With little wrinkled brows and little widened eyes, they seemed to know that something was very wrong.

Moon's heart broke again. So innocent... They don't deserve this.

He gathered them into his arms and sunk to the floor, leaning against a wall, and tears flowed again as he held them against his chest. Kissing each little forehead, he whispered, "I'm sorry, little ones. She is gone. It is just us now."

**** End of Part One - Phoenix Star ****