Somewhere, Far beyond Persei, Ymir-22, another galaxy, Helios's Spiral.
2194 was the year of the big turning point. This current year.
The Election had not begun yet.
Not even campaigns.
Yet Nagito Navvarrox was cheering.
Not publicly. Only in his inner group.
The man sat in a crowded café with two members of his inner circle, slowly eating delicious brunch meals while a television placed on the brick wall displayed election dates, early projections and predictions for the upcoming race. Around them, plenty of conversations rose and fell as nearly every customer kept one eye on the screen. Nagito had brought only two people with him. Delilah, his strategist, and Joe, the marketing genius responsible for selling whatever insane ideas the other two created to the general public.
GALACTICA ELECTORAL PROJECTION
Keth'raal Vossuun — 24.8%
Caelum Smithie — 20.6%
Nagito Navvarrox — 17.9%
Rosalind Solen — 12.4%
Raphael Theodorian — 9.1%
Giovanni Lancaster — 6.8%
Victoria Vane II — 5.2%
Ciel Aurentine — 3.2%
When this popped up on the TV, there were major outbursts from the people dining and even the workers.
One of the two people turned back to eat their food after looking backwards at the TV for extended periods.
"Seventeen point nine," mumbled Delilah.
Nagito continued to munch down on his food, looking at the TV after turning to look back at the person who made that comment.
"Mm-hm."
"Third place, Nagito," Joe stated.
"I know how to count."
The three fell silent while outrage continued around them.
"And this is your way of celebrating? Taking us out to brunch?'
Nagito swallowed before looking back at them.
"Of course, Delilah."
"Why?"
They stopped eating and looked at the man across the small table."
"Keth'raal won't make it past the campaign stage."
She lowered her fork.
"You say that like you know that she doesn't have what it takes."
"I know many things."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting right now. I'm busy eating."
She looked back at Nagito, annoyed.
"Keth'raal, she's the main problem."
"She isn't," Nagito stated coldly.
"She's the distraction, in fact."
"Nagito, look at the statistics."
She pointed behind herself, at the TV, while looking at him.
"She banded a rogue galaxy of many dangerous things and people, and the people from other galaxies can see her negotiation skills right now."
Nagito looked up at the irritated woman across from him.
"I did the same thing with ease, yet the rest are celebrating when a new person does it for the first time." A faint laugh escaped his throat.
"Helios's Spiral was eating itself before I went fully in, changing this place. Mismanagement, dying planets, and unintelligent governments that couldn't agree on what to do about billions dying. Look outside, Delilah. They're eating fucking Lobster and Gnarmelsh and arguing about me instead."
Joe looked between them, annoyed.
"Yeah, yeah, Keth'raal's this and that."
Joe stopped eating after swallowing, joining in.
"Your plan for Caelum?"
Nagito turned his head to Joe.
Then grinned confidently and subtly.
"How can he do more than me? I was made for presentation."
"You're nearly seven points behind Keth'raal, Nagito."
The room got quieter when the reporter stated, "Keth'raal Vossuun seems to be the most promising out of the top eight candidates to succeed the Delacroix line, despite the racial and foreign language disputes that come from being a Syntheri-born woman."
Then the people all got louder and started arguing with the medium-sized TV, hanging on the brick wall in that cafe.
"God, shouldn't that reporter be smart enough to know that saying your favour on television won't do any good?"
A man went up to Nagito after that comment from him. Stating, "Nagito, I feel just as disrespected as you are feeling right now!"
Another pushed him out of the way to say, "She should be fired for aggravating people like us!" He screamed this out loud after tapping Nagito on the shoulder, making the room cheer, with waiters and waitresses clapping subtly.
"Yeah, thanks. Just remember, this is a place of eating, not commotion. You can discuss stuff like this, but not if it interrupts my meal."
Realisation crossed the man's face. He immediately changed his body language.
'Oh, my god! Right, my apologies. I'm going to head back to my family now, Mr Nagito! Thank you for all you've done in this galaxy!"
He gave a small hug to the man sitting down, which Nagito accepted calmly. The crowd heard this and started clinking their glasses, giving the hungry man their thanks and gratitude. He'd heard this many times today. The other people who were behind that man started walking back after Nagito shooed them off.
Delilah watched the man return to his family.
"They really love you here."
Nagito continued cutting into his food.
"I gave them a reason to, D."
"Absolutely, you did. Practically opened their minds," stated the marketing expert.
"Exactly, Joe."
The table was silent amongst the commotion after that.
His strategist rubbed both hands down her face.
"You told us we'd be leading by this morning," stated Delilah.
"No, I didn't."
"You absolutely did, dumbass," added Joe.
"I said we'd be winning." Nagito turned his head to face him.
The marketer pointed hard towards the projection.
"We are in third place. Third for predictions."
Nagito looked towards the numbers for several seconds.
Then he grinned heavily, with deep confidence at both.
"According to whom?"
"Everyone in the fucking galaxy."
"That's unfortunate."
"For us?"
Nagito shook his head slightly. People were staring at him.
"For everyone."
Delilah, who was silent until now, spoke again.
"I don't understand." She scratched her head.
Nagito pointed his fork at her with his elbow on the table.
"Someone intelligent."
The strategist dropped her head onto the table.
Nagito continued talking straightaway.
"Tell me something. How many systems have voted?"
"None. Nagito."
"How many debates have happened?"
"None. Nagito."
"How many candidates have withdrawn?"
"Still, None."
"And how many scandals have been revealed?"
Delilah hesitated and picked her head up from the table to glare back at the proud man.
"None?"
Nagito smiled smugly.
"Exactly."
The marketer slowly lifted his head.
"I really don't like where this is going."
"You never do."
"Because your plans usually involve me finding something out literally five minutes before it matters. You want me to anticipate it."
"And guess what? You do."
"That's why I pay you marvellously."
"You don't pay me, good old Nagito."
Nagito stopped chewing and eating from the plate. He leaned back into his chair, turning to look intensely at Joe.
There was a moment of silence.
"I don't?"
"No."
Nagito looked towards Delilah.
"Why aren't we paying him, D?"
"You said not to. Nagito."
"Interesting. Hmm." He jokingly scratched his chin like he was stereotypically thinking.
"You said suffering creates loyalty."
Nagito nodded slowly, as though he'd just heard something he couldn't remember talking about.
"That does sound like me. But I've never said that. I said, Challenges, Delilah!" He said that in a joking tone, like he was actually finding it hilarious.
The marketer stared at him with a semi-disappointed look.
"Man, I really do hate your guts."
"No, you don't. Pfff." He blew air from his lips, like he found it funny.
"I genuinely do." Joe stared back, not breaking eye contact with the man on his right.
"Yet you're still here. Funny turn of events, huh?"
"Because I want to see if what you said to me five years ago still affects the world."
Nagito started munching down on his food, forgetting about his staring contest.
His smile widened while eating.
"There it is, buddy."
"What?"
"Loyalty."
Delilah silently giggled while Joe put a grin back on his face.
"Yeah yeah. I have to finish up with this crazy bagel. I'm nowhere near done compared to the two of you," he smirked.
Joe finally returned to his bagel, now cold from being untouched.
"This is your fault."
Nagito looked confused. "What is?"
"My food's cold. It looks like a dead dog now."
"How is that my fault?"
"You started yapping a speech off the top of your head."
Delilah laughed into her drink. She nearly spat it out.
Nagito looked to his right and front at the two before returning to his own plate.
"And somehow I'm the difficult one," he mumbled with energy.
For the next twenty minutes, the election disappeared from their table, and instead, they talked about five years ago.
Nagito Navvarrox, representing the galaxy of Helios's Spiral, was celebrating a third-place projection.
The man in second wasn't at all.
Nagito Navvarrox believed Caelum Smithie was his real competition.
Caelum Smithie wasn't thinking about Nagito Navvarrox at all.
The young seventeen-year-old sat with his architects, constructors, and engineers, deciding where a hospital should be built and how major war conflicts could be resolved. Inside his office.
They all were chatting loudly at a holographic replica of the busiest city in his galaxy, El Diamante, located on the planet Heralds II. They had a lot to worry about, as the coming tourists are back again for the busy season in December.
"Move the hospital."
The architect beside him blinked.
"Sir?"
Caelum pointed towards the projected new location, with a small area of space to renovate in the big city.
"Thirty-two kilometres north-east. The population is moving towards the spacious districts faster than our projections predicted."
"That would cost—"
"Less than building another one in ten years. It's better and smarter because so much crime happens around these areas, and yes, I saw it firsthand."
AB News continued behind him.
NAGITO NAVVARROX PROJECTED THIRD; LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THIS IS A SUDDEN TURN OF EVENTS! CAELUM SMITHIE HAS OFFICIALLY OVERTAKEN NAGITO IN PUBLIC PERCEPTION!
Caelum never turned around. After that comment was made, a tiny smile crept over his face.
A young engineer congratulated him: "Sir Smithie, this is wonderful news!"
The other twelve people in the room, except Caelum, started clapping while looking and admiring the good Samaritan next to them.
"Y'all, there's a reason why we're in this room right now. To solve the population increase in the coming months." Caelum stated, happily and just as glad as the others.
One by one, they snapped back into focus.
"Sir, this hospital, according to these blueprints, would be around a million square meters…"Said one of the worried engineers.
Another spoke, saying, "Our projected cost is three billion and a half."
"Jeez. Less than expected. This might work out fine, team." Caelum spoke proudly to his close team.
"As you remember, sub-levels will be power supplies of dark matter in case this city fails. Ground to floor three would be species-safe check-ins and the less important rooms.
His team nodded, while the few who had blueprints double-checked them to see if he truly remembered the planning, which he did.
"Floors four through eight will be surgical suites—"
"Six through eight," an architect corrected.
Caelum stopped.
He looked at the blueprint.
"Right. Four and five were changed to quarantine."
"Today, sir."
"Good catch." Caelum looked at the middle-aged architect with confidence.
"Floors four to five will be quarantine sectors. Floors six to eight will be surgical suites and storage for important things like samples, liquids, solids and gases. Am I right?"
"mm Hmm." The group agreed to his question.
"Finally, floors nine to fifteen would be recuperation suites, Alien biome environmental resting spaces, and the rooftop will be filled to the brim with ambulances and all the shuttles we can muster."
Nobody in the room seemed afraid to correct him. Caelum preferred it that way. He wanted to be treated normally.
"How does that sound, Mr Sylvester?"
The man being called replied instantaneously.
"Mr Smithie, everything checked out for the blueprints."
He seemed quite happy about this, as another smile appeared briefly.
"Perfect then, Everyone in this office, take a break. We've been working and sketching blueprints for nearly ten hours today. Get some food in your bellies, people."
Everyone in the room nodded briefly back, then slowly packed up the things they needed for lunch break and, one by one, left the room."
"Oh, Mr Cancuun."
As Caelum sat down on a nearby chair away from the big planning table, he ushered Mr Cancuun back, as he was about to leave last.
He turned around quickly and nervously.
"Don't be so uptight. Relax, please. This is one of your first times here in this big group; we're all chill and friendly." He said with deep honesty; it was written on Caelum's face.
"Oh-um, Sir. I'm extremely nervous. Very nervous for the election."
He stood straight and awkwardly in his suit and tie before Caelum, who was well dressed similarly.
"Is it because of me? Please say. I need new perspectives that don't come from a census."
"U-uh-um. Yeah. You're two years younger than me, and yet you're running for Galactic Chancellor with only your achievements in this galaxy. Y-you haven't even left this galaxy to expand."
Caelum put both of his hands behind his head and leaned back in the metal chair, hitting his head and hands against the wall, thinking.
"Well, first, I shouldn't expand unless I've completed my work. I've already surpassed my dad, John Smithie, by a large margin." He spoke with a laid-back tone that was formal enough to be welcomed in the Senate.
"Yeah?"
"Well, I'm not done yet. You all know I still feel hungry to change the workings of this whole galaxy. Man, I haven't even changed the old ways of the old SOLARR management that Nigel Delacroix did. Corrupt bastard." He whispered that last part to himself.
"Mr Cancuun, get some good food. I know there aren't many shops on the planet; enjoy that part."
The young nineteen-year-old nodded back with a small smile across his stressed face. Then he walked out, counting his Rouve bills in his wallet.
"Gosh damn. I did that."
A few seconds of silence stayed, then erupted when Caelum jumped out of his chair, swinging his right arm through the air and jumping, running around and cheering for his achievement of surpassing the highly acclaimed Nagito Navvarrox in estimated support.
"HOLY SHIT!" He stood on another table that was basically clear except for a few trinkets and old blueprints, posing like a bodybuilder as his choice of celebration.
He then got off the table, sat back down in his chair with a wide grin and used his phone to go on social media.
He got bombarded with love, cheering, a few hateful comments and death threats but mostly positive comments when he searched his name up on the extremely popular app mimicking TikTok. Advent.
His eyes got wider with every hundred positive messages. GIFs, words and emojis that were happy were in every comment section, praising the young man for making it that far.
He nearly choked on a few videos out of happiness, laughed his heart out on another few, and saw mainly his haters were talking shit because he was seventeen and couldn't compare to the other seven top candidates elected in this big race that happens every four years.
Most of his hate comes from Keth'raal or Rosalind supporters. The further he scrolls down the hate chain curiously, one thing remains common. They make disrespectful comments on their video posts, then boost their supporters' beliefs, which mainly consist of Keth'raal, Nagito and Rosalind fans. Sometimes he may even find a hater who supports one of the bottom two, Ciel or Victoria, which is very rare, due to most of the entire advanced species in the empire supporting the top four.
Social media loves its politics. Just like sport. Except during election time, when it becomes the most watched event twice or thrice a decade.
Caelum, as he scrolled on his alternate account to see what the general public thinks. Most of the posts there were flooded with election posts, some doom, some gloom and some joy and glee.
An edit comparing him with Spider-Man for being an all-friendly hero popped up.
"Oh my goodness me. That's me with another edit." He thought to himself.
A clip of Raphael giving a speech, in which the audience roars after his motivational talk ends, showed up soon after.
"What a confident speaker. "Jeez." He spoke in a low tone to himself.
Another clip of his viral argument involving Victoria and her winning that argument was next.
He palmed his forehead out of embarrassment.
More viral footage of Rosalind increasing her business size and service beyond two galaxies appeared again during his phone time.
"Way bigger than what Amazon could ever do." He muttered.
A famous Advent commentator, asking why Keth'raal rarely goes on social media to spread herself across platforms, despite being first in future public favour, kept appearing.
"Yeah, why does she not use social media a lot? It's been like, What? A year?"
Another edit, but of Nagito Navvarrox destroying a horrible planet to pieces during a mission; during that second time, he was trying to run for Galactic Chancellor.
"I don't even like seeing this clip. Sure, the whole place was bad, but it could've been way better resolved if Nagito didn't start that fight with Tom, causing them to eradicate it." He thought grimly in his head.
Giovanni Lancaster's food business and e-commerce are saving the lives of many after one month of lowering his prices, as stated by his most loyal supporters, who appeared after a few more Keth'raal videos.
"His actual account posting this? He's using it right, at least." He commended Giovanni.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed. His brother was calling.
Caelum answered the phone, just to hear his family in the back cheering.
"Oh my god! Caelum!"
"Your mother will still be proud even after this!"
"Dude! How did you beat all those monsters in popularity?"
"You made me happy, Caelum."
Everyone, ranging from his little sister to his father, spoke rapidly and loudly, with the TV still blaring out more news about the politics.
"Thanks, all of you! Maybe tell me more about how you feel after I come back? Got a huge job to do." He questioned politely
His whole family universally agreed that he would succeed and that they would chat more after he finished up for the day.
"Of course we would! Tell us more later!"
"Thank you, Caelum! Give us a raise, you know, bro?"
"You're going to do it! Mark my words, my baby boy!"
"Good job. Caelum, come on, let's leave him back to his work now." Stated his father.
"Yeah, thanks! Have a good one!"
He smiled as the call ended after he said his goodbyes and flipped back to analysing the media.
An edit of Ciel and her opening speech, showing off her astounding achievements of wartime dedication and religious beliefs, which convinced most of the commenters in the comment section that she should win. It took a long time to find a good Ciel video.
"I barely hear enough from Ciel. Maybe she's nervous. At least every appearance she makes works the crowd in her favour." Caelum thought once again.
Every candidate was getting major attention. Within fifty scrolls, Caelum found that each person running all had major backing from each galaxy they represented.
"Of course, Helios supports Nagito."
"Nagito rebuilt half our galaxy. Why would I vote for anybody else?
"Because he destroyed a planet."
"Here we go again. 😭"
"Ciel basically governs Andromeda."
"She carries Andromeda. There's literally nothing exciting there. 💀
"C'mon, man, there's so much to do here!"
"The Milky Way adores their food, and so does Giovanni."
"Giovanni loves Whole Foods. He's a fatty, man."
"Our little fat happy man, who deserves the win over fucking Raphael. Why did you even make him your PFP ?
"Victoria Vane II has the most respect inside Sapphire Reach."
"There's a reason why. She doesn't have shit on Caelum.😂"
"On a stupid seventeen-year-old? He's the most average-looking kid. He looks like he got bullied in school."
"Crown Galaxy people only like Caelum because he's their only future promise."
"Okay, don't all eight galaxies have the same thing? Look at your username. 😭"
"Yeah, man, don't say shit like that while having a Nagito supporter name, Gosh."
"And he's still beating him. 😭"
Ms Rosalind is definitely fit for leading the Aether Expanse. Yeah."
"Fuck, what do you mean, yeah? 😭 You're replying like you're talking in real life."
'It's not nice to bully people, man.'
"Shut the fuck up. 😭 Who are you, man?"
I don't even know how Keth'raal managed to tame the Kaelor Subspace Galaxy."
"Keth'raal got it all. Looks, nonchalance and power from genetics. I love her so so much."
Deltora is a really posh place; Raphael fits that category perfectly."
"Literally the only positive thing you can think of, He speaks like Hitler. 😭"
These types of comments kept popping up under comment sections of talk show hosts, Advent influencers and other forms of spreading the news.
These eight people were the peak of each galaxy, being the highest-rated leaders in the eight galaxies inside the Celestial Empire. Caelum was still astounded at himself for making it this far.
He once again leaned back in his chair while his colleagues were on a lunch break. He kept looking out the big glass window he had installed, looking out to the billions of radiant stars who chose him to lead their home. The colours shone in many of the rainbows, there being plenty of unique star systems ever since the government pushed for improvements in each solar system. Most stars that had more than three planets had at least one civilisation on them that either terraformed the planet or adapted to the lifestyle. There are at least a trillion of those planets out there. And they picked him for this election. It was almost terrifying to hold that pressure.
Those beautiful star colours stretched across the space in every direction possible.
Blue.
White.
Orange.
Red.
Pink.
Some colours he didn't even know the name for.
Many of those stars weren't completely natural anymore. Plenty of engineering had altered them to better suit the species living around them.
Caelum smiled deeply.
"Beautiful," he commented to himself.
His phone vibrated. And he ignored it, continuing to look at the suns out there.
Another vibration followed. Then another again. Then ten more in rapid fire.
Caelum slowly looked down.
"Jeez, what now?"
Hundreds of notifications appeared across the screen.
AB NEWS — EMERGENCY GALACTICA ANNOUNCEMENT
GALACTICA OFFICIAL
ADVENT TRENDING
#THEELECTIONBEGINS
#TOP8
#GALACTICCHANCELLOR
Caelum sat forward with interest.
"Huh?"
The television behind him suddenly changed channels without being touched.
The AB News broadcast disappeared.
A black screen replaced it.
Then came silence.
Caelum stood from his chair.
Across eight galaxies, televisions, phones, public holograms, city screens and communication networks displayed the same logo everyone was taught to recognise.
The silver emblem of GALACTICA.
Caelum stared.
"WHAT?"
An easily recognisable voice spoke clearly."
"People of the Celestial Empire." His smile slowly disappeared. "Following the conclusion of candidate qualification and preliminary public projection, the Electoral Authority has confirmed the eight individuals eligible to compete for the position of Galactic Chancellor."
"Is that Daniel Delacroix speaking right now?" He was utterly confused. This was meant to start in a week, not now.
Caelum looked towards his phone.
Eight portraits appeared.
Keth'raal Vossuun.
Caelum Smithie.
Nagito Navvarrox.
Rosalind Solen.
Raphael Theodorian.
Giovanni Lancaster.
Victoria Vane II.
Ciel Aurentine.
His own face was among them.
Caelum stared at it for several seconds in awe.
Seeing his name in a list was one thing.
Seeing himself officially placed besides seven of the most powerful people in the Celestial Empire was another. He was starting to take in, once again, the shock.
The voice continued. "The first official electoral gathering will occur in fourteen standard time days." Caelum's eyes widened.
"Fourteen?"
"Attendance is mandatory."
He immediately grabbed his phone and opened his calendar.
"Wait, wait, wait."
He scrolled.
"That's the twenty-third."
His eyes widened further with concern.
"Oh, shit. Fuck. Fuck."
The twenty-third was already filled to the brim with events.
SOLARR inspection for the solar systems he led.
Transportation meeting with his team again.
A public appearance in El Diamante.
A SOLARR official conference talk.
Dinner with his family.
He stared at the schedule, devastated.
Then back at the television.
Then checked the schedule again quickly.
"Can't they do the twenty-fourth?"
The broadcast didn't respond. obviously.
"The eight candidates will meet publicly for the first time."
Caelum stopped scrolling.
The excitement returned.
Slowly.
He looked at the eight portraits again.
His eyes moved from one face to another.
Raphael.
"Great speaker."
Rosalind.
"Business giant."
Victoria.
"I am not arguing with her again."
Giovanni.
"Seems nice. I guess."
Ciel.
"Interesting. I think."
Nagito.
Caelum stared at his portrait slightly longer.
"Vile man."
Then his eyes moved upwards.
First for the expected winner.
Keth'raal Vossuun.
Caelum stared at her portrait.
He knew her achievements. He knew her physical stats. He knew the galaxy she had united. He knew what journalists said about her. But somehow, despite everything he had read today, he realised something strange.
He knew almost nothing about her.
Caelum leaned closer to the screen.
"Who even are you?"
The doors behind him opened.
One of the engineers had returned early, holding two drinks.
"Sir?"
Caelum immediately turned around.
"Mr Cancuun!"
The young engineer froze.
"Yes?"
Caelum pointed excitedly towards the television.
"I'm going to meet Keth'raal, man."
Mr Cancuun looked at the screen with excitement.
Then at Caelum.
"Sir, you're going to meet all the candidates."
"I know."
Caelum looked back at Keth'raal's portrait.
"But I've heard of the other six."
Silence.
Mr Cancuun slowly placed one of the drinks on the table with blueprints on it.
"Are you nervous, sir?"
Caelum stared at the screen for another moment.
Then smiled.
"No."
silence.
"Absolutely terrified."
Mr Cancuun looked at Caelum, who looked still confident enough to rule the galaxy.
Caelum started laughing out of nervousness.
The announcement continued behind them.
Across the Celestial Empire, seven other candidates received the same message.
Some celebrated.
Some immediately called their teams.
Some began planning.
Some didn't react at all.
Nagito Navvarrox was still eating. He looked at the announcement on his phone. Joe leaned over his shoulder.
"Fourteen days."
Nagito continued chewing.
Delilah looked at him.
"You still celebrating?"
Nagito swallowed.
"Of course."
"Why?"
Nagito looked at the eight portraits. His eyes passed Keth'raal. Then Caelum. Then the others. A smile spread across his face, making him seem like he was going to laugh.
"Because now."
He placed his fork down.
"We can finally get to business."