Empyrean Iris Story Collection Vol. 3

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What was it like being one of the most famous people in the galaxy?

Well....

Sometimes it was absolute shit.

But sometimes it was great. It sort of all depended on the situation. Going out and meeting cool people who want to say hello, getting into conversations he never would have gotten into otherwise, making friends he wouldn't otherwise ever have made.

Do you know how many times he have been offered a free meal by someone who just wanted to sit down and talk for a little bit, and you know me, if all it takes was a good conversation to score myself a free meal, I will gladly debate philosophy with you like a Greek Senator. Then of course there were the kids, got to love it when someone's kid recognized him and was too excited to talk, probably the most flattering thing in the world.

After saying all of that, it reminded him how easy it was to let these sorts of things get to your head. It can be a real ego boost at times.

But this time it was going to be shit....

They were at a border station just on the edge of Andromeda getting ready to warp back to the outermost reaches of the milky way galaxy. Lord Celex, in return for saving his life a second time, had grated Admiral Vir access to something he called Celex prospecting technology. It was a long wave light frequency of unknown power and providence which could detect the general makeup of celestial bodies within a certain range.

It was an impressive piece of technology, and practically magic as far as the Admiral was concerned. It remained very clear to him that the Celex were far past humanity in technological advancement, and that it would be important to maintain a good relationship with the small creatures. Lord Celex was making a remarkable recovery with the help of Dr. Krill and Thomas –who had offered his services in talking the emperor through drug withdrawal and getting sober.

Adam tried not to laugh at the thought.

Eve if the Emporer did make a full recovery, it was important that they keep a potential eye out o the next successor.

Adam's vote was for lord Avex, the emperor's ow son, who was now serving aboard his ship in a military capacity as an act of good will from the emperor. But of course, his own desires didn't mean much when it came to the Celzex throne. They determined who would win by duel to the death, ad while lord Avex planned on dueling his father at some point in the future, it remained to be seen if someone didn't get to it before he did.

With their new technology in tow, the GA ad UNSC had both agreed that a mission to deep space was long overdue, ad he had been set down to gather supplies before their trip. Most of his men had stopped on the station just above Irus's dry cracked surface, where they would find plenty of provisions, but Adam was looking for something a little more special in celebration of the emperor's recovery.

And so he fund himself in the center of the universe's largest outdoor market.

Ibo-Mahar

Universal tourist magazines had compared the Ibo-Mahar to the famous outdoor market of Thailad Chatuchak, which had once been the biggest outdoor market on earth, and still was, though plenty of places In the universe had now dwarfed it's prestige. Looking around now, Adam couldn't help but agree with the comparison. He had flown into New Bangkok one time during his days at the academy and gone with some friends to visit the market.

The sensation was almost familiar. The blazing sun and the heat sweltering around him from all sides, hundreds of thousands of bodies pushing through cramped isles and passages, covered by miles ad miles of massive tarps desperately trying to keep out the sun. The air around him was filled with the smell of cooking food ad the hazy blue ephemera of smoke. Voices swelled up around him in a hundred different languages as he pushed through the throng of people. On all sides Tesraki, Humans, Rundi, Biotins ad others were busy selling their wares from the depths of market stalls, more temporary sellers camped under collapsible tents while more permanent residents sold their trinkets from inside massive wooden structures that might as well have been shops at this point.