A Stellan soldier came running down the hallway after sounding the alarm. Everyone in the Central building came out of the boarding rooms to see what the commotion was. Cashius saw the soldier running towards him and decided to intervene. “What’s going on? Are we in danger?” The Stellan soldier stopped in front of Cashius then dropped his hands down to his knees to catch his breath. The flashing lights in the hallway reflected off of his shiny silver armor and his bald sweating head. His black and gold cape draped to one side as he was hunched over.

Still breathing hard, the soldier replied, “No sir… It’s Star Lord Tyannitus. He’s dead. When I went to go check on him like I usually do, he didn’t answer me. I went into his room and there he was stone cold as a rock.” The soldier started sobbing like the Star Lord’s death was his fault. “I have to go alert the Star Council…” He put his head down then looked up at Cashius. “I guess sir, this means you the new Star Lord.”

The soldier bowed with his head so low his chin almost touched his chest before returning upright. He nodded at Cashius before dashing down the hallway towards the quarters of the Head Queen of the Star Council, Queen Mesha. Cashius watched the soldier run down the long bricked hallway. His expression of concern slowly started changing into a smirk. No one was around to see the new Star Lord’s excitement as he turned around to return to his private room. It’s about time, he whispered to himself.

One day ago…

Cashius rolled his eyes at another meeting he had to attend. Ever since he arrived on Stella he’s been in countless trainings and meetings with the Star Council and Star Lord. The current Star Lord Tyannitus sat the head of these lengthy meetings. He listened to the needs of people around the universe. Cashius was under the impression when he arrived he was going to be crowned Star Lord and he would go about his merry way. It had already been three weeks and he was starting to feel impatient. He still had plans to carry out, after all.

It wasn’t until the Council started talking about the sabotaged terminals that perked his interests. He noticed the computer virus Cashius put on the terminals didn’t affect the computers on Stella. Their systems and computer mainframes were far more advanced then any computers Cashius had ever seen. They all sat around a large circular table that had a hologram in the middle. It was a map of the universe and how it was split up into the sectors. This was how each queen was able to keep an eye on the parts they’re responsible for.

Certain planets were highlighted yellow while others were a light blue like the rest of the holograms. The planets highlighted were the planets that were affected the computer virus. One queen held up the remote to the 3D map and magnified the planet Lotus. The second queen who sat next to Queen Mesha began to give her updates. “The Sagens are almost finished fixing all of the sabotaged terminals. They will be leaving for Toko soon. I have put in a request to our Star Lord Tyannitus for the Sagens to receive reinforcements of other armies at our disposal. The Sagens have been getting ambushed quite often lately and we believe it could be with the help of the Barbarian leader, Gerok. This information of course was found to be true after Queen Shakiya of Sage brought this to light.” The Sagen queen bowed her head towards the Council before the grief hit her. They were speaking about her twin brother. “Gerok is recruiting and not just other Barbarian clans that have been hiding in the shadows. He’s recruiting kings of whole planets, other leaders of ally countries as well as creature folk. Gerok is building an army and when the terminals were destroyed it gave him free reign to move around without being seen. No one could call for help or make any reports to us because no one could communicate.”

Another queen spoke up. She was heavy set and could barely fit in her chair. She asked the question, “Have they found who sabotaged the terminals in the first place? The reports state they came from Sage. There has been an investigation ever since the virus was discovered.”

Queen Shakiya cleared her throat before answering, “No… but we are getting close to figuring out who it may be.” Cashius sprung his head up straight to listen very closely. “I also asked for the request the Sagens to receive reinforcements from local or neighboring armies. They will assist in adding numbers to the Sagen army regardless if the Sagens need them or not. Toko is the last terminal that needs to be fixed and that will lure the Barbarians clans right to them. If we can out number Gerok and his filthy Barbarians, the Sagens can end this war once and for all. Gerok has officially became the number one enemy of the Star Council and it’s Star Lord.”

Cashius did not like what he was hearing from the Star Council. He had to find a way to warn Gerok otherwise his plans were ruined. Nothing was going to get in his way. He tried to hide his expression of disappointment but it was too late. Star Lord Tyannitus was staring directly at him studying his expression of anger towards their enemy Gerok. He could tell Cashius did not feel the same way.

The planet Stella was an interesting place for Cashius. It was well protected by many armored guards that patrolled the Central City. The small planet was made up a many different islands that varied in sizes. The larger islands housed the workers. Small communities of homes filled the land all the way to the beaches. Each queen lived on their own private island. They traveled back and further to the mainland either by boat or small carrier. On the mainland the Council came together to complete their duties. Stella didn’t operate like a normal planet, it functioned like one gigantic computer. Its mainframe was set up to collect information from all around the universe. Any and all information was used to help the queens monitor its habitants. Libraries were as tall as sky scrappers, along with other large dome buildings used that housed super computers and generators.

The largest dome which was in the middle of Central City was called the Magnus. In the center of Magnus was where the Twelve sat around the hologram map. Each queen had their own set of workers, both people and creatures. They represent their home planet by wearing their native attire and crowns. Together they brought different cultures and traditions they shared with everyone and celebrated the diversity. That was the purpose of the Star Council, to help bring unity and peace. The neighboring planets joined the cause of the queens and became known as the Allies. Together they were linked and communicated among one another if problems occurred.

At night Stella was very beautiful. The lights filled the night sky from the all the buildings that remained opened in the late hour. The Central City lit up street to street and it was a sight Cashius had never seen before. He thought it was breath taking see a city so lively every night and not just for festivals or special occasions.

Cashius had never seen so many types of creatures before as well. Animals that looked like they belonged in the forest were walking on two legs instead of four. For some their tails would stick out through holes specially tailored to fit well. Other creatures were tall with thin layers of skin. Any one could see through their bodies and how it functioned. For the rest he saw, Cashius didn’t know how to make sense of them. The workers were split up according to which sector they helped to monitor. They gathered up information reported in new changes. New planets were added to list all the time because different planets evolved at their own times. If the planet had potential to be habitable, it was recorded and monitored.

The Star Lord however was a different story. Tyannitus had been the Star Lord for over five hundred years. He was the first Star Lord the Stars created to help bring peace for everyone. He was granted with longevity and wisdom. Throughout the years the eight- foot, skinny and tall, bald monk felt his light was fading. He was from a small pink planet named Woona. Everyone admired Tyannitus for his firm rule but caring heart. The Star Lord never thought about anything except how to make the universe better. He didn’t want to retire but knew he had to make his announcement soon. The universe could not go without someone keeping the equilibrium. He truly believed without the role of the Star Lord everything would turn to chaos.

When Cashius first arrived, he charmed the Twelve Queens right away. They were impressed with Cashius’s ability to learn new technologies at a fast rate. The Council admired how smart the successor was in mathematics and science. The Council was relieved and happy with the Star Child that was chosen from Sage, everyone but one. Within a few days of getting to know Cashius, Tyannitus could see right through the charm. The Star Lord tried to take his successor under his wing but cannot ignore the negative energy Cashius was hiding.

Tyannitus’s long blue and silver robes touched his feet as he sat down at a table. He looked over at Cashius as he studied the material, he gave to him. He watched his student closely as an unsettling feeling kept taking over. There was something about his successor that didn’t sit well with the Star Lord. Tyannitus also had a strong intuition that Cashius wasn’t being truthful about who he was. He wanted to give Cashius his own set of tests. Something only Tyannitus thought he was aware of, Cashius failed majority of them. With little effort his successor passed all the mathematical and physical tests but hardly any of the moral tests. The tests that truly mattered to Tyannitus. For the pass few weeks he got the chance to get to know Cashius. In the last week before the ceremony, his gut was telling him Sage had chosen the wrong Star Child. That feeling wasn’t confirmed until the last round table meeting earlier in the day. Tyannitus saw Cashius’s reaction when they talked about their main public enemy Gerok. He saw his successor getting upset in the wrong way…

The Star Lord rubbed his bald head down to his chin as he thought about his next move. He had to tell the Council about needing more time. Tyannitus would make his announcement tomorrow. He didn’t know how Cashius would react so it was best to keep discreet for now. The Star Lord was making a tough decision based off his gut feeling. He walked across the shiny wooden floors of the main library and hunched over Cashius. He paced back and forth before saying, “You should make time to meet with each of the Twelve Queens. Each bring a unique and special quality to the table.”

Cashius looked up over his shoulder and replied, “Yes my Star Lord.” He couldn’t stand how Tyannitus was hoover over him. One thing the Star Lord was not anticipating about his student was how desperate he was to gain the Star Lord title. Cashius felt it was time to move this initiation process a little faster. He didn’t want to wait until the Council and Tyannitus made their decision whether he was ready or not. It was time for the student to upgrade to the master.

Deep down Cashius could feel Tyannitus’s uncertainty about him. He could feel how the Star Lord wanted to hold on this his position as long as he could. Cashius was not okay with that… Every night he noticed around the same time the serving maid would come to the library and serve Tyannitus his tea. Cashius observed the maid as she carefully prepared the tea with certain herbs mixed with a special liquid. Earlier last week Cashius ran into the maid and asked her what was in the unique vile. The maid explained how Tyannitus had trouble sleeping at night and sometimes would never rest. The custom-made sleeping aid came from the planet Lotus. The medicinal planet was native to the Council member Queen Molly, grandmother to the current ruler Queen Amara.

He saw how precise the maid was the concoction as she only put two drops of the liquid in the Star Lord’s tea. Cashius had a plan… it would leave no traces back to him. He also needed an opportunity to send Gerok the warning message. There were only a few communication devices in his surroundings. One of them being in Tyannitus’s room. There had to be a way to get in Tyannitus’s room without it being suspicious. First the distraction, he thought. Cashius turned to Tyannitus and asked, “My Lord, I need help finding a book on a planet in the third sector. It’s a red book and I’ve seemed to forgot the location. Can you help me find it?” Cashius grinned at his Star Lord as Tyannitus slowly stood up and walked in between the rows of bookshelves. He huffed and said a few words under his breath, clearly irritated. Cashius didn’t care…

Before the maid served Tyannitus Cashius quickly got up from his seat and intervened. He needed to distract her as well while Tyannitus was occupied. Cashius gently grabbed the maid by her wrist which startled her a bit. He smirked at the blushing maid as she took a step back. He leaned down a bit so he can whisper, “Excuse me ma’am. I was wondering if you could bring me a sandwich. I’m famished from working so hard. Do you mind bringing me one?”

The young maid blinked twice at Cashius before replying, “You mean right now?”

Again, he smiled at her this time in a flirtatious way, “Yes right now… if you don’t mind of course.” Cashius charmed the young maid so well he had her wrapped around his finger. She nodded at his request and quickly dashed away towards the kitchen. He grabbed the vile of the sleeping aid and poured majority of it into Tyannitus’s tea. He was under the assumption the special sleep aid had no smell or taste. Cashius believed he wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

Tyannitus didn’t notice the maid had stepped out before serving him his tea. When he returned to tables, he looked around for the maid and got confused. He turned and looked at Cashius who was sitting in his chair like nothing happened. “What happened to Claire? The maid… where did she go?”

Cashius looked up and shrugged his shoulders, “I’m not sure, maybe the kitchen.” He returned his attention back down the red book Tyannitus found for him. The Star Lord also shrugged his shoulders as he grabbed the small glass mug after the maid’s tray. As Tyannitus sat down at the other end of the long wooden table, Cashius watched as he sipped his extra spiked tea. He didn’t want Tyannitus to notice he was watching but the anticipation was killing him.

Tyannitus coughed a little and looked down at the hot tea. He looked down in the mug and sniffed its contents. “Um… the tea is a bit stronger tonight then usual. I wonder what Claire did different this time.” He slowly sipped the tea and set it down on the wooden table. Cashius was a little worried Tyannitus wouldn’t drink enough of the sleeping aid to knock him out completely. He thought the special sleeping aid was odorless and tasteless but he guessed wrong.

Luckily, the Star Lord managed to drink almost all of his tea before Claire had returned. The extra spike in his tea quickly started to settle in. When Tyannitus stood up and was wobbly and swaying in small circles. He blinked a few times and looked around confused before trying to sit down again. Cashius knew the Star Lord didn’t have much time before he was out like a light. Tyannitus caught himself on the arm of the chair and turned to look at his maid. “What did you do to my tea Claire? It seems extra strong tonight…” Again, the Star Lord tried to stand up and was falling over just a bit. This was Cashius’s opportunity to get into his room.

Cashius quickly stood up and grabbed the Star Lord before he plopped back down in the chair. “I’ll take him to his room don’t worry Claire.” The young maid looked very confused and worried she had done something wrong. “I’ll handle it from here…” Claire shook her head agreeing with Cashius as he swung the Star Lord’s arm around his neck. He grabbed Tyannitus by the side and guided him out the door down the hallway.

When they reached the Star Lord’s room, Cashius was amazed for how big his room was. Tyannitus had just about everything anyone could think of. From ancient artifacts to old dusty books that was coming apart. There was a person size gold statue made in his image and it stood next to a large computer. Cashius sat Tyannitus down at his dining table and slowly walked over to the computer. Tyannitus was too out of it to notice Cashius’s attention was not focused on helping him. His successor walked up to the large computer and sat down. He typed in a few frequency codes and began writing his message warning Gerok of the ambushed on Toko.

Tyannitus mumbled a few words at Cashius, making him turn around. Cashius had forgot Tyannitus wasn’t completely sleep just yet. “What are you doing with my computer?” His words were slurred like he was drunk. Cashius stood up and walked over to Tyannitus.

He helped the impaired Star Lord lay down his bed before replying, “I’m sending my friend a warning message about Toko. I can’t have Gerok getting killed or worse captured, he’ll rat on me. See my Star Lord Tyannitus, I need you out of my way already. It’s been nice getting to know one another and all but I have much bigger plans for my new found role as Star Lord. Nighty-night…”

His student’s words made Tyannitus open his eyes wide as he tried to sit up. He pushed Cashius away disappointed. He knew was right about him, there was nothing but evil in his successor’s heart. “It was you… You spike my tea. This is treason! You will never be the Star…” Cashius pushed Tyannitus down and placed a pillow over his giant head. Tyannitus struggled for a few seconds grabbing Cashius’s clothes hard trying to fight back. Unfortunately, he didn’t have enough strength to fight him off completely. Cashius held the pillow down hard and firm until his master stopped moving. He gave it a few more seconds just in case.

After killing the Star Lord, Cashius succeed in sending Gerok the warning message. He quickly deleted any trace he was on Tyannitus’s computer. The only person who knew Cashius was in Tyannitus’s room was the maid but she was too busy thinking she had done something wrong. By the time the guards found Tyannitus’s body they’ll believed he died in his sleep. When Cashius finished he slowly opened the door and peeked outside. The coast was clear from him to quickly return to his room without being noticed… A few hours later, the alarms went off and Cashius sees the guard running his way. The guards didn’t find Tyannitus till almost dusk. Either way the job was finished and now the title belonged to him.

Cashius heard a gentle knock on his bedroom door. He was sitting at in the window seal looking up at the night sky. The room was small but cozy. He lit candles and placed them all around giving the room a light glow. The room the Star Council placed him were for students but Cashius was used to small spaces, he preferred them. The person at the door knocked again. He wasn’t expecting anyone at this hour to visit him. “Come in.” He said to the mystery visitor. When the door opened it was Queen Shakiya, the queen of Sage and Iya’s mother.

Cashius was not expecting her to pay him visit especially so late at night but he knew why she was here. “My queen…” He stood to his feet and bowed his head, “What do I owe this pleasure?”

Queen Shakiya smiled and returned the bow, “I guess I’m the one who has to bow now huh? I hope I’m not disturbing you?”

“No, of course not. Please come in, I have some finger foods and wine the maids left for me” Cashius grabbed a wine glass off the small table and poured the red wine slowly. He turned asked, “Would you like some wine?”

The Sagen Queen nodded her yes, “I would love that, thank you.” Cashius walked over and handled the wine glass to her. He sat down in a near by chair as Queen Shakiya sat on the couch. “I know it’s late in the hour but this news could not wait. The guard patrolling tonight said he ran into you in the hallway. He informed you about finding Tyannitus… I’m sorry to bring further bad news, he passed away in his sleep. It was confirmed by the Head Queen Mesha.”

Cashius tried his very best to be sadden by the news. He honestly couldn’t believe he pulled that off. There were no security cameras catching on anyone. That was the first thing that was going to change when he became Star Lord, he thought. He looked up at Queen Shakiya as she waited for his response. “I don’t know what to say… he was a great man and an even better leader. I’m not sure if I’m ever going to fill his shoes."

“I know Tyannitus was a master at being the Star Lord, he took his job very serious. The role that he had only a small few can follow.” The queen looked at Cashius and smiled, “I was really proud of you when I heard you won the trials. I know your mother would have been proud too. I know of all this came so suddenly but just know I’m here if you ever need anything. Queen Mesha will make the announcement tomorrow about you being sworn in as the new Star Lord.”

He looked up and smiled at his queen. Cashius really admired her and felt a sense of warmth whenever she was around. He knew where Iya got her charm and beauty from. She was just as Cashius remembered. Her dress was long, beautiful and elegant, like it was made for a special occasion. She still wore her Sagen crown representing where she was from. The queen’s complexion was darker now that she constantly in the sun.

Although the planet may be one gigantic library but it didn’t have cold seasons. The queen still wore thick gold bracelets dangled around her wrists and large gold ear rings hung from ears. The gold clips attached to long braids brought about a sense of home almost as if she had never left. It made Cashius really miss Iya.

Cashius and Queen Shakiya finished their glass of wine. Cashius took the empty glasses and placed them back on the food tray. He sighed deeply as he sat back down next to the queen. “There is one more favor I would like to ask?”

Queen Shakiya turned then replied, “What’s that?”

Cashius licked his lips and slowly said, “I would like to return to Sage. The next Warrior’s Solstice is coming and I want to celebrate it with my people. Maybe you would like to accompany me? I know everyone would love to you.”

The queen turned her head and looked away at Cashius’s question. She exhaled as answered him, “Cashius… you know this is own home now.” Queen Shakiya thought carefully about her next statements, “I don’t see it being a problem but we do have to ask the Head Queen. We’d have to be back right after the Warrior’s Solstice ends. Do you understand? I would like to see my home, it’s been…”

“Three years…” Cashius finished her sentence. He smiled at his queen and cupped her hands into his, “Oh, thank you! I know this will make everyone so happy that our queen has returned for a visit. When we return every queen will be allowed yearly visits to the native home planets. This should have already been a rule for the Council.” His comments were impressive to the queen. She was contemplating asking the Head Queen for a home visit anyway. This way she can assure the new Star Lord returns in one piece. Queen Shakiya made her exit for Cashius’s room. He slowly closed the door behind and leaned his arms against the door.

Cashius’s plan was working perfectly. He successfully sent the warning to Gerok not to go to Toko. The new Star Lord had another plan as well. He needed to make sure Iya would be home when her mother was there visiting. He knew that would definitely impress the Commander gifting her with her mother’s return. Cashius was going to summon the Sagen army home. No matter where they were at and what they were doing. The Star Lord’s word is above all others… It was hard for Cashius to keep all the excitement in. He felt his plan was going to work...