The Eternal Trials - Part 1

Invitation

Rachel Lance was lounging around her apartment above the busy streets of the Sa’saharahas Spaceport when her communicator went off. She fished it out of her pocket, and was surprised to see that M’i of all people was calling her. Curious, she swung her feet to the floor and sat herself up, running a hand through her hair and answering the call. She waited until the Parcelinian’s grainy hologram materialized above the comm before greeting him. “Hey, M’i. What’s up?”

“Greetingsss, Rachel,” M’i said, the low quality speakers accentuating his Parcelinian lisp. He paused for a moment, running his eyes over her figure. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

Rachel felt herself redden. Did she really look that disheveled? She ran a hand through her hair again and smiled, suddenly glad that her comm didn’t transmit color very well. “No, no, I wasn’t sleeping. So what’s up?”

“Excccellent,” he said, tapping the tips of his mechanical hands together. “To get down to businesssss, sssomething important hasss come up, and I’ll need you to come down to my officcce asssoon asss you can.”

Rachel raised an eyebrow. Important? “Well, Cass is running some errands for you right now, so should I wait for her to get done with that or will I be meeting her there?”

“Oh, no, no, that won’t be necccesssssary. Jussst come down to my officcce, and I can give you the detailsss.”

Rachel frowned. That’s just a bit sketchy. “Alright. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“I look forward to ssseeing you.” With that, M’i’s hologram faded, and she slipped her comm back into her pocket. She stood and made her way to her and Cass’s bedroom, finding her cargo pants and maroon shirt and changing into them; all the while filled with a looming sense of dread. M’i was known for never having the same people working directly under him for more than a few months at a time, and her and Cass had been doing his dirty work for almost four months now. Was it their time to be cycled out?

But as she finished dressing and strapped her sidearm to her belt, she forced herself to bury those feelings. Surely if it was their time, he’d have had her bring Cass along as well. But even then, she still couldn’t shake the sense that something was off.

She finished getting ready by tying up her hair into a ponytail, and then headed off across the apartment, sending a quick text message to Cass as she went. M’i called me 2 the office, said it was important. I’m taking the speeder. I’ll let you know what happens. She hit send and pocketed the comm, reaching the far end of the apartment and stepping out onto the balcony.

She slid the glass door that led back in the apartment closed, then entered a code onto the keypad that appeared in the center to lock it. The sounds of the bustling spaceport beneath her drifted up to her ears as she made her way to where the speeder was parked on the edge of the balcony, while the lights from all the stores and bars served to make the night as bright as day. She hopped in the open-air cockpit and slid into the driver’s seat, disengaging the parking brake and making her way downtown to M’i’s office.

---

A few minutes later, she set the speeder down on the street across from the storefront that served as M’i’s office. She set the parking brake and hopped out, crossing the empty street of the manufacturing district and stepping into the store. As expected, the store was as empty as the street outside, save for the clerk seated behind the counter at the back; a massive, blue-skinned Taurousian who looked decidedly bored. Rachel gave the Taurousian a small wave. “Hey Kay’tee.”

“Hey, Rach’,” Kay’tee said, in a surprisingly high-pitched voice for her stature. She gave Rachel a slight nod. “M’i’s waiting in the back. Door should be open.”
“Thanks,” Rachel said, heading for the door next to the counter. It slid open as she approached, revealing a hallway lined on either side with more doors. She continued on without pause, seeing the open door on the right and heading through.

M’i was already situated behind his desk, his amber eyes scanning a hologram being projected by his data tablet. He looked up as Rachel approached, and raised his arms in greeting. “Ah, Rachel, there you are. Come in, come in.”

Rachel obliged, coming to a stop in front of the wooden desk. M’i dismissed the hologram and slid the tablet to the side, resting the elbows of his mechanical arms on the desk. Rachel noted that he was wearing a blue bowtie today; an unusual color for sure. “So what’s this important business you told me about?” She said, shifting her weight onto one foot, as there really wasn’t a place to sit.

M’i tapped the tips of his hands together. “Well, I’ll ssstart of by sssaying that it ssseemsss you’ve managed to make quite a name for yourssself, even dissspite your...unsssavory choice of career.”

Rachel paused, caught off guard. M’i continued, not seeming to notice her confusion. “Ssso much of a name, in fact, you’ve received an invitation to particccipate in the Eternal Trialsss.”

Rachel shook her head, trying to get her thoughts in order. She had a million questions she wanted to ask, but one jumped to the front of her mind. “The Eternal Trials?”

M’i feigned a look of shock. “You mean you’ve never heard?”

Rachel shook her head. “Guess not.”

“Well, it’sss only the most prestigiousss game in the entire galaxy. To be invited isss an honor all on itsss own. Each trial will tessst your every assspect, and should you sssucceed, you will be showered with more wealth and fame than you could ever dream.”

Rachel put a hand over her mouth as M’i reached down and began rummaging through his desk. This was too much. “Why me?” She said after a moment.

M’i found what he was looking for and straightened himself, setting a small, envelope-sized data tablet on his desk and sliding it toward her. “It ssseemsss that, on your travelsss, you mussst have encountered one of the Trial’sss many talent ssscoutsss. Whatever you were doing, you must have caught hisss eye, asss only a ssselect few are invited each year to particccipate.”

Rachel picked up the small tablet, tapping on the screen to wake it up. A message displayed in plain looking text: “Congratulations, RACHEL LANCE. You have been selected to participate in the Eternal Trials! Tap the screen to continue.”

“That arrived by courier only a few hoursss ago,” M’i continued. “You’ll ussse it to RSssVP your decisssion to accccept or not. You’ll have three daysss to consssider.”

Rachel folded her arms across her chest, looking back between M’i and the invitation in her hand. “I-I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to sssay anything jussst yet. Go home. Think about it. Do sssome resssearch. Should you accccept, a transssport will arrive to take you to the Pakati system, where the trialsss are held.”

Rachel stared at the invitation for a moment longer, then slipped it into her jacket pocket. She still had a million other questions she wanted to ask, but she doubted M’i could give her the answers she wanted. So instead, she shuffled a few steps toward the door, casting an unsure glance at M’i. “Th-thank you, M’i.”

“No need to thank me, Rachel. I jussst delivered your mail.” With that, he reopened the hologram on his tablet and began scanning it again. Now having been clearly dismissed, she made her way back out of the store and to her speeder, the weight of the implications of what she was just handed forcing her to look at her feet the whole way.