“R-Roxi, how are you here?” Baron cried in disbelief.

“Oh, hi. I'm not Roxi. I'm in this form because people tend to not argue with the person they care for most, and that makes all the difference when you work for one-year, nonstop shifts. Please sit down and place your hands on this crystal ball. Please hurry, you’re the last person I need to process until my shift is finally over!” The worker said ecstatically.

“Yes, uh. Ok. “Baron snapped out of his daydream, sat down, then placed his hands on the crystal ball. The ball glowed a bright blue for a split second then died down to reveal a blood-red ‘four’ on its glassy surface. “Four? Is that good or bad?”

“Oh, dear. In a nutshell, there are over fifty thousand planets that one can be assigned to. Generally speaking, the lower its number, the more competitive the planet. You’ve been assigned to planet four, the planet of military strategists. The people there are those who lived on the battlefield, experienced troop commanders. It’s hard to prosper in any of the first twenty worlds, but planet four is especially, how should I say… manipulative?”

Baron thought for a bit, then responded. “Is it possible for me to return to Earth, now that I’ve died?”

The counter worker looked through their documents. “Is that what you want? Well, you’re fairly lucky, then. Only the first five planets are allowed to send people back to Earth. Furthermore, you’re Chinese, yeah? The Chinese communities on these planets are quite powerful, already. But, it will be difficult for you to convince them to provide you with enough resources to win the Death Match Tournament. Of course, if you win, you can choose to return to Earth.

“Very few choose to, though, since winning the tournament means winning the recognition and admiration of all others in your world. If you return to Earth, you’d lose all of that.”

Baron nodded. “As long as it’s possible. Could we get started then, please?” He looked at her imploringly.

“Still so polite, even after dying? Well, you’re not the first, but being polite to us workers does have its privileges. You’re hereby granted one simple request before being sent to planet four. Most people tend to want to see how their loved ones cope with their deaths. Would you like that?”

“I see… then, could you show me what happened to Roxi after I died?”

“But of course. Actually, since my shift is ending, I’ll accompany you until you’re transported to planet four. Follow me.” She smiled and led Baron to another large hall that contained countless screens, like televisions.

“Can I get service over here?” She yelled into the void. A monitor floated over and after playing around with it a bit she turned to Baron and said, “Here you go.”

“Thank you very much.” Baron focused on the television in front of him. As the screen focused, he saw Roxi hugging his corpse, tears on her face… and the many bullets that pierced her body.

His body shook with anxiety and worry.

“Fast forward a bit.”

The screen skipped forward, then showed Roxi in a hospital room looking absentmindedly out a window. Clearly, she was no longer behind enemy lines and was most likely in a military hospital somewhere. A doctor walked into the room and approached Roxi.

“How are you today, Roxi?”

“I’m alright.”

“I’m sure this doesn’t come as a surprise, but I’m sad to inform you that you’ve been deemed unfit for field duty. You’ll be taken back to China once the next supply vessels arrive. Once there…"

Doctor Steve continued to speak, but Roxi Blaze no longer listened as she stared blankly into the distance.

-------------------

“That's as much as I'm allowed to show you, unfortunately.” The worker said to Baron as he blankly stared at the equally blank screen.

“No, no. You've done more than enough. Thank you very much, ma’am.”

“Aww, I can see why your lady friend misses you so much. I bet you appreciated her well, heh?” She smirked.

“Please don't say that with her face.” He solemnly requested.

“Haha, alright, alright. Whatever you say. Now that that’s out of the way, it's finally time for you to continue to planet four. Follow me.”

She led Baron to another large hall. This one housed five large portal-like constructs, each with a sign overhead. From left to right, the signs read: 1-5, 6-100, 101- 1,000, 1,000-50,000, and 50,001+.

“Wow!” Baron exclaimed. He’d never seen such things before.

“Since you’re heading to planet four, step into the portal to the left. Before you go in, though, make sure to talk to the portal master.” She pointed to a figure standing in front of the portal.

“Is it possible for me to request something else before I leave?” He asked the Roxi lookalike.

That depends, what is your request?”

“C-could I hug you? I was never able to hold the real Roxi in my embrace, and I feel that I’ll need the motivation to take on my future challenges.” He said slowly.

“Hmmm. Well, it’s certainly out of the norm, but I'm in a good mood, so why not.” She smiled at Baron and went in for a hug. Baron received her embrace and after a few seconds he reluctantly let go and moved toward the portal.

“Thank you for everything.” He affectionately said. “Truly, thank you.”

“I'll wait for you to go into the portal before I leave.” She said while waving him off.

Baron continued to the portal until he stopped before the man standing in front of the portal.

“Name?”

“Baron Magellan.”

“I see, planet four eh?”

“Yes, that's what I've been told.”

“Good luck, then. This planet is amongst the most savage. The few who climb to the top are absolute overlords on this planet.” He warned.

“I'll do my best.” He said, heeding the other's warning.

“Good, now give me your left hand.” Baron reached out his left hand and the portal worker grabbed it and stamped a large "4” onto it.

“Alright, off you go.”

Baron stared into the depths of the portal.

“Wait for me, Roxi.” He silently said to himself as he slowly stepped into the portal and disappeared into the light.

“God save his soul.” The counter worker’s smile disappeared as soon as Baron was out of sight. She muttered under her breath as she left the hall. “A bad man will be born from the death of a good man.”