As the week ended, everyone on Crux was preparing for the Millennium Galaxy Race. The planet grew crowded as various species from all over the universe gathered here. Good thing it was a huge planet: at least twice the size of Sola according to Tammy—and Sola was no small planet.
The race only happened once every thousand years, so yeah, it was a big deal. Everyone was talking about it. I was mildly surprised we weren't going to participate. The Jago crew did seem to live for adventure, but the only one who seemed interested was Rei. She was thrilled about it, reading as much race-related gossip as she could.
The other crewmembers, however, had little to no interest in it.
"No need to be flashy," Cashel said.
"Not worth the risk," Tammy said.
And Kiko said nothing because she still wasn't around.
Then, out of nowhere, we were summoned to the Inner City the day before the Millennium Galaxy Race was scheduled to begin. The only good thing about this trip was that the entire Jago crew was summoned, so Kiko was obligated to come along. I hadn't seen her in days, but she still had no problem pretending I didn't exist. I didn't mind too much; it was just nice to finally see her again.
"What's in the Inner City?" I asked Tammy in the shuttle on the way there.
"The Crux Council and the King of the entire Vo Galaxy."
"Well, surely we're not going there for them, so why are we being summoned?"
She responded with a blank stare.
"You mean … they did summon us?"
"No."
Another Tammy joke. I relaxed.
"Only the King summoned us."
I laughed, but no one else did.
#
The Inner City was beautiful, majestic, and … empty. It was strange coming out of the shuttle and not being pushed and shoved as you tried to get to your destination. Only certain higher ranking people—and, somehow, us—were allowed in this area.
We walked through a garden of strange plants that gave off a sweet, soothing fragrance and entered an enormous white marble building. I kept thinking we were going to stop soon, but we were ushered deeper and higher into the mansion until finally reaching a large circular office. The walls were lined with a multitude of stored data chips, and a single desk overlooked the city through a window below. There was only one other pathway besides the one we came through, a red-carpet that led to another part of the building. We stood there, waiting, not knowing what to do.
We didn't have to wait long, however.
A male voice echoed from across the room, where the red-carpet entered the room. "Welcome."
A normal-looking human man, about the same age as Cashel and wearing simple but elegant robes, appeared from the red-carpet doorway. Unlike Cashel, he had hair, which was short and white. I seemed to be the only one caught by surprise. Everyone lowered their heads, and I followed suit.
He walked up to us. "There's no need for that."
It was not every day you met a thousand-year-old man who ruled the entire galaxy and for someone with that much power and prestige; he sure was casual about his entrance.
His gaze landed on our captain. "It's been a long time, Cashel."
I wondered why the king personally knew a bounty hunter, even if he was Class 1.
"Not too long," Cashel retorted.
"I hear your crew is still destructive as always." He chuckled.
Wow, they really must break a lot of stuff if it caught the king's attention.
Kiko fidgeted.
"Why did you summon us here, Tiberius?" Cashel jumped straight to the point. He must have known the king well, and for some reason he wasn't looking forward to this meeting. I'd seen the discontent on his face when we received the invitation.
"I need you to finish what we started a thousand years ago," Tiberius stated.
Did he just say a thousand years? Were they talking about the last Millennium Galaxy Race? How could Cashel have been alive then?
"We didn't have the power to destroy Vo back then, but you have it now."
Cashel shook his head. "Do you not remember what happened then? What I did?"
"That was the past. I can see who you are right now; what you currently live for and believe in."
Cashel continued to shake his head. "I can't risk the lives of my crew. It would be dragging them into our problems."
Tiberius pleaded, "It's not just our problem. This affects everyone in the galaxy. You haven't seen what I've seen." His eyes shifted to the rotating holographic planet at the corner of his desk. "Do you know what would happen if Vo fell into the wrong hands? The power is incomprehensible; they'd be capable of destroying everything I've tried so hard to build and protect—that we have tried to protect."
Our captain stood there for a moment, taking it all in. So did I. Or at least I was trying to.
"I'm sorry," he finally said, giving a final shake of his head.
Tiberius gave a heavy sigh and turned to leave. "I am too. I've already entered the Jago in the race."
"We will not race for you," Cashel said with unyielding authority.
Tiberius turned back around. "I can't force you to race, but I'm hoping in time you will come to realize what I have." He gave Cashel a weak smile. "I guess this is goodbye, my friend." He walked away, following the red carpet. "I hope you stay true to yourself, and I wish you luck, for the future of our world."
We watched as the most powerful man in the galaxy disappeared into the dark.
#
"How do you know the king of the galaxy?" Rei asked Cashel back at the apartment.
All eyes were on him (except Kiko's; she had immediately retreated to her room), and he met each of our gazes before launching into his story. He couldn't hide it any longer.
"You all obviously know that I'm not human. My species is an ancient and dying one. Tiberius is the only other one I know of still alive, now. We don't know or remember how we came to be, only that we live for thousands of years. We also have a unique power: we're able to contain or suppress other species' powers or special abilities." He sighed. "A little over a thousand years ago we decided to compete in the race together to build a unified, peaceful galaxy. One that wouldn't have to fear any threats." He took a deep breath. "We were winning the race, and we had decided that Tiberius should be the wielder of Vo, but when it appeared before us I betrayed my friends. I tried to take it for myself. Tiberius and I fought over it, and he was the victor, but instead of killing me he let me live, and here I am today."
It was silent as we processed this. The story Tammy had told us when we first arrived was about the man we lived and worked with every day. It didn't seem real.
The first question came from Rei. "So you're thousands of years old?"
Really?
"Yep, and I'll tell you one thing, the galaxy is a much better place than it was before Tiberius ruled."
"You're so old," Rei said. That seemed to be the only thing she couldn't get over.
Cashel just chuckled.
It was incomprehensible to think he could ever betray his friends. I remembered when he threw himself on the Quwallie so I wouldn't get sucked off the Sola battleship. He cared more about us than himself. Could time truly change a person that much?
"What are we going to do?" Rei asked.
"What we've always done." Cashel nodded. "Bounty hunting."
A beep went off in the room, signifying that we had a visitor. Tammy opened the entryway, and Breccan and Lux strolled inside. Outside, his massive ship was so large it took up half the building's platforms.
"Aki, it's for you," Rei announced in a distasteful tone as she rolled her eyes.
Kiko sauntered out of her room with as much enthusiasm as Rei.
Breccan's face lit up. "Akiko, you're looking stunning as usual today!" He radiated gooey happiness when he spoke to her.
Kiko wasn't amused, and neither was I. "What do you want?" she said simply.
"To wish you farewell." He came close to stroking her cheek but never touched her. "When I come back with Vo I'll sweep you off your feet, and we can rule the galaxy together."
Rei giggled and whispered to me, "Last time he touched her she put him in the medical bay for a few months."
Breccan heard her and snapped back, "Don't you have something to destroy?"
Kiko ignored him and scowled at Lux who was still standing at Breccan's side.
"What are you doing here?"
"Just making sure our ship stays in one piece around you," Lux sassed back.
Kiko took a threatening step forward, and Lux casually put her hand to the pistol blaster on her hip.
Breccan put his hand between them. "My apologies, Akiko."
Lux scoffed and turned to go back to their ship, but not before smiling at me.
Kiko was holding back tight fists. It looked like it took all her strength not to go on another rampage.
Breccan waved to us as he left. "I bid you all farewell! We most likely won't be seeing you for a while." They boarded his large ship and took off toward the vast blue sky.
#
The next morning was the start of the race.
Since we were technically competing Rei and I were able to watch the informational holograms that were transmitted to every racer or team.
Rei read aloud: "It says at the start of the race the Vo stone will split into four pieces. The race consists of finding those stones and bringing them back together to make Vo reappear for the taking."
"Sounds easy enough," I said, slouching on the couch next to her.
She minimized the hologram and asked Cashel, "What will happen to Tiberius?"
"When you become the vessel for Vo, you become one with it."
So, Tiberius was going to split into four pieces. No wonder he looked so gloomy on the Crux Informational Holograms.
Rei and I spent the rest of the day staring at the countdown clock. Outside you could hear the excitement brewing. Very few knew what to expect because most species didn't live long enough to have ever witnessed this momentous event. Eventually Tammy joined in our clock watching.
One hour.
Thirty minutes.
Ten minutes.
One minute.
My heart was racing like we were readying ourselves at the many start lines scattered throughout the planet.
Three … two … one.
Crowds cheered as a large flash came from within the Inner City. We ran to look outside; even Kiko followed us out. A pillar of light beamed up from the Inner City, and it was powerful enough to extend all the way up to the stars hidden behind a gray sky. A low sound rumbled like thunder, reverberating everywhere and shaking the glass on all the buildings, even at this distance.
Thousands of people could now be seen outside on their entry platforms watching the spectacle.
The light began to crackle and break into four smaller, distinct pillars. They disappeared, leaving me blinking, until suddenly four bright streaks of light flew up and veered away from each other, picking up speed with each second. As soon as they hit the planet's atmosphere, four roaring sonic booms echoed from different locations as the stones took off into space faster than the human eye could follow, leaving behind large rings of smoke in the sky.
At the same time, hundreds of thousands of ships from everywhere on the planet, all different shapes and sizes, began taking off, following the pieces of the stone.
It was an amazing thing to see. Too bad we weren't participating.
As we were about to walk back inside we heard a distant boom and then another. We looked up to see ships firing at each other, their debris falling to the ground. Then, BOOM! The sound came from right above us, and jagged pieces of metal rained down. People began screaming and fleeing into the buildings, and it grew louder and louder until I was convinced the entire planet was consumed in a massive maelstrom.
Soon a blaring alarm rang throughout the entire planet as anarchy and pandemonium began to overthrow the usual order that had been sustained by the king of the galaxy. We were suddenly in the middle of a battlefield.
What is this? What's going on?
"Grab your stuff!" Cashel shouted, his face strained with the seriousness of the situation. "We're leaving right now!"