Stella Urbem

Chapter 2: Part 4

Everyone gathered in the SkyRacing Headquarters observatory auditorium as a group of men and women in business suits discussed their presentation. They sat down in a panel as racers and mechanics and celebrities and the press bustled inside, looking for good seats. Glow walked inside, mesmerized by how heavenly the auditorium looked. There was a glass chandelier in the shape of diamonds that shimmered in a blue and purple light. The stage was lit but the rest of the room was fairly dark. She decided to grab some seats in the balcony since most people wanted to sit up close. When the rest of the team came in, some wearing their suits and others wearing their regular clothes, Glow waved at them and pointed to the seats she had saved for them. They began to chat as they sat down. "Man this really looks like big deal. I wonder if it will be broadcasted," Jace said. "I doubt SRH wants the whole sky world knowing about this," Drey noted. Tack nudged Jey. "There are some top-of-the-line folks here. Maybe we can talk to them after." "They probably won't want to be bombarded with questions while they're trying to save the world," RC chimed in. CEO Thomas Harley tapped on his microphone to silence everyone. "Alright we're going to get started if you'll all please take your seats. I want to thank you for joining us here today. Most of you came from very far on short notice, and for that, we thank you." "Look there's Mr. Harley!" Chess exclaimed, pointing to the CEO's son, who was seated next to him. RC silenced her. "I'm sure you're wondering why you have been summoned here and how urgent the situation is. In truth, we would not have taken such extreme measures as to bring you all here if the matter were not of great importance. Stella Urbem is in danger." No one really called the sky world "Stella Urbem" anymore, as it was an outdated term. They mostly said "sky city" or "sky world." That had become a popular slang for it. Hearing the official name followed by such horrifying words made everyone uneasy. Some people began to whisper amongst each other. "Please refer to our presentation as my good friend and colleague, Dr. Rosa Shernley, continues." The CEO sat down as Dr. Shernley stood up, holding her iPad and addressing the crowd. She tapped on her tablet and images and diagrams appeared on the screen. "As you know, Stella Urbem is powered by an external source. This source is located within a star that is known to us as the Stella Urbem Industria. It has been with us since we first built Stella Urbem hundreds of years ago. But our star is reaching the end of its life. Our renowned astrologists have concluded that the star will reach a state of supernova in just a few days." The team looked around at each other and the others in the audience, all fearing the worst. "This discovery was made much later than we would have liked, which is why our message to you was so urgent. After the star goes supernova, we will have little energy left before all of Stella Urbem powers down completely, and begins to fall." A disturbing clip of B1 and other bases tilting and slowly falling out of the sky burns in everyone's head as it plays on the screen. Glow, though horrified, cannot look away. Chess covers her ears to block out the screams of people in the video. Jey can hardly breathe. Some of the audience members cry out in horror. Lizz can see tears streaming down some of their faces. Drey catches his shaky breath. "Our mission," Dr. Shernley continues despite the terrified cries, "is to send our best racers to Stella Urbem Industria to retrieve the last of the star's energy using a tool we will provide for you. Once you return with the last of the energy, our chemists and engineers will create a formula that recycles the energy into a reusable source that will power our bases for more generations than you can count. The good news is that once this is done, you will have secured Stella Urbem's future forever." The CEO stands back up and thanks Dr. Shernley for her presentation. "We understand how difficult this must be to hear, but we have examined every outcome of this mission and have ensured only the best technology and equipment for our racers. The mechanics will assist the engineers in preparing for the mission while the racers practice using our newest model of race cars, the 777 Hypercars." An image of the cars shows up on the screen. "The cars have been tested and verified by the finest engineers, as have the tools we will provide to complete the mission. Our chemists and astrologists are finalizing the formula for the reusable energy source as we speak. There is nothing to fear. Stella Urbem could not be in better hands. Our future is secure thanks to everyone in this room who is volunteering to ensure a long and safe future for our beloved sky city. Any press questions may be directed to Dr. Shernley and any questions the racers or mechanics may have can be addressed to my son, James Harley. Please enjoy some complimentary food and drink in our world-renowned cafeteria. And please get some rest tonight as training for both the racers and mechanics begins early tomorrow. Your schedule will be posted on your door when you return to your rooms. Thank you for your time and thank you for your service to Stella Urbem." The CEO left the stage without another word and the room erupted with questions and concerns and comments and some curse words. "I have to get out of here, it's too noisy." Everyone agreed with Glow and followed her out. They silently rode the elevator to the indoor park on the 20th floor. Though the stars twinkled in the night sky, no one was in the mood to enjoy them. They all sat down on the benches surrounding a massive water fountain. No one spoke. They thought about their parents, their friends, each other. "It's...not that hard," Jace finally spoke up. "What are you talking about," Drey asked impatiently. "It's really not more than doing a pizza delivery." Everyone stared at him. "Think about it, we go pick up some energy from a star, then come back and hand it to the SRH, and they take it from there and we go home." Oddly enough, that seemed to relax most of them. "You missed the part where we could all die," Drey said, ruining the mood. "If everything goes right, that really doesn't even factor in," Tack noted. "If everything goes right..." RC corrected. "What could go wrong?" Tack asked. "Nooo you just jinxed it!" Venice exclaimed. Jey shoved him. "Knock it off." "Maybe Jace is right though, it's not much more than going for a ride to grab something and give it to someone," Lizz encouraged. "Except we are riding across a galaxy to grab a life-saving energy source from an exploding star and give it to the people who are the only thing standing between us and certain death," Aura chimed in. "I'm going to my room, I don't feel good. Goodnight," Chess announced, not giving anyone time to go with her. Venice and Aura eventually left as well. RC got up to leave and Jace accompanied her. Drey got up, giving Jey a look, then headed to the elevator himself. Tack escorted Lydia to her room as well. The only two left in the park were Glow and Jey. He noticed Glow twiddling her fingers nervously. "Are you ok?" He asked her. "I...I'm scared." "No one isn't scared. But we're turning that fear into power by going on this mission. And maybe Jace is right. Maybe all it is is a quick trip and back. Look, there's the star right now." Jey pointed up to a tiny speck that seemed to give off an orangey-purple glow. "I can tell it's not even that far. We'll be back in no time and everything will be fine. Don't make it more than it is." Jey smiled at Glow and she looked into his eyes. Somehow, they always seemed to calm her. "And then...maybe..." Jey squeezed Glow's hand as he continued. "We could try another adventure, just the two of us." Glow looked longingly at him as he smiled at her. She took a deep breath, relaxed, and laid her head on his shoulder. They both looked up at the Stella Urbem Industria. "That poor star...I hope it enjoyed its life." "Taking his energy and powering our sky world is how we're going to keep him alive." Glow chuckled. Jey loved looking at her smile.