The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

HILDRED took out a cup of ice cream from the cooler inside the spacecraft to alleviate his mood. He felt like if he continued to be in this state, he might just transfer his anger on that Lance fellow. If that happened, that guy might just faint before he could even get the information he wanted.

He sighed and just ate a spoonful of ice cream. He was half-way through the cup when his Terminal rang. It was a notification for a video call request. Seeing that it was Lele, he somehow had a bad feeling about this.

He answered the call and Lele's serious face appeared on the screen. "Please, don't tell me it's another problem I have to solve."

Leland's expression cracked for a minute of a second but it quickly returned to normal. But Hildred still managed to capture that. A long sigh escaped his lips. He knew it. 

"I wouldn't go to the extent of calling it a problem," Leland said.

"Come on, just give it to me straight, Lele," Hildred said with a helpless tone. 

"Lance Reid has left FS05. I will now send you his new coordinates. Please, report immediately once you accomplished your task."

After Leland said that, the call ended. Hildred was left staring at the screen speechlessly. 

"Shit," he could only mutter at the end.

These guys. Hildred was sure that they were ganging up on him. No, to be specific, it was Wulf who was doing the bullying and Lele was just there to give support as usual. He groaned in frustration and annoyance. 

He then received the new coordinates. He stared at it for a few seconds, then after that, he could only sigh and entered it on the GPS system. The flight trajectory of the spacecraft immediately changed. 

He was already nearing FS05. Because of the change of coordinates, he had to enter another warp gate again. Hildred truly felt like a volcano just waiting to erupt. He took deep calming breaths. 

It's fine. It's fine. He could simply force Wulf to give him a reward after this job was done. A one-month vacation with Ed sounded good.

With that thought in mind, his bad mood instantly disappeared. Any remaining grievance he had, he could simply push to that Lance fellow.

And so, Hildred finished eating his ice cream with peace of mind.

----------

Lance was about to pour wine on a glass when he felt a chill down his spine. He shuddered unknowingly. What was that?

"Is there something wrong, Lance?" asked the agent who saw him shuddered.

"Nah, I just felt cold for some reason," Lance answered.

"Maybe the AC's temperature is too low. Should I change it for you?" 

"No need."

"Then, go to sleep early and don't drink too much. You still have an early photoshoot tomorrow."

Lance only carelessly waved his hand at his agent's nagging.

"And by the way, for the nth time, please try to keep your hands to yourself during the filming of [The Great War]," the agent reminded again. "Director Scott is not like the other directors you've worked so far. He might not tolerate your dalliances."

"I get it. I won't do anything," Lance said, but quickly added with a playful smirk, "But if they try to get close to me first, then who am I to deny them?"

The agent rolled his eyes. They both knew that people Lance was interested in were the ones who threw themselves at him first. So, what's the difference between giving that promise and not giving it at all?

He could only sigh. The only comforting thing about his artist's playboy trait was the fact that he hadn't caused a huge scandal yet. He shook his head and just left the mansion.

Lance picked up the wine glass and walked towards the floor to ceiling window. He looked at the beautiful night sky. Since his mansion was on a floating island, he had a clearer view of the sky. 

This floating island was a well-known resident area for celebrities. Many other actors and singers lived here. So, the security was pretty tight. And since it's a floating island, they could all maintain their privacy. Purchasing a house here was probably the best decision of his life.

He drank a sip of wine. Looking outside, he remembered what he said to his agent earlier. Although he said that he wasn't planning to make a move on those rookies, he was certain that those two would surely throw themselves at him sooner or later. Because that's how it had always been. 

He couldn't remember when it started. He just slowly noticed that there was a pattern. Every time he was interested in someone, that person just naturally fall for him. And every time he wanted to end the relationship, they also wouldn't make a fuss and agree with the break-up. 

Lance didn't question it much and just attributed it to the fact that the others were also just looking for temporary fun like him. So, he came to a conclusion that they simply had the same disposition. 

But then, during the shoot yesterday, when he thought that at least one of the two rookies would approach him, it didn't happen. Instead, the two ran away as soon as the shoot ended. 

It was a fresh experience to say the least. Then he wondered if the two actually dislike him or maybe he wasn't just their type. Either way, he found it very novel and interesting. But as he said to his agent, he wouldn't try to purposely seduce the two. He would simply wait and see if they would succumb to his charm or not. 

Thinking of this, he couldn't wait but grin. This was also interesting in itself.

Lance was about to take another sip of wine when he saw a silhouette being reflected on the window. It was that of a man wearing a cap and a mask. Before he could react or even before he could feel shock, he felt a stinging pain on his neck.

The next thing he knew, everything simply went dark.