"And she started crying! What am I supposed to do now?" Saros complained at the register.

Behind the counter, Ceres, an artificial intelligence droid buzzed with boredom. It held a box of Bhaddo bagels with its rusting hands. "Saros, I have been programmed not to evoke or contain any emotion. I do not know what you are supposed to do." The shop was empty at this hour.

"I mean what's there not to like about life? She should be happy with me, right? What's the point of dying of age? Ceres, have you ever heard of that? Dying of age?"

Ceres was blank-faced, "No, Saros. I have not. That'll be 170 credits by the way."

"I doubt it even exists," Saros said while reaching into his pocket for his UniPhone. Ceres' shop and all other shops were linked to the UniPhones. All Saros had to do was confirm his purchase by looking at his phone. The phone would read the user's reticle, and the purchase would go through.

Ceres handed the box to Saros, "Listen, I doubt any of this matters. Life will just go on. Don't be so emotional about it."

Saros shrugged and pursed his lips, "You always know what to say, Ceres. Thanks for the bagels. Hopefully, Pandora just jumps out of this phase."

"Yeah," Ceres said.

Saros walked out of the shop; the two stars that lit up the planet were half-way up the sky now. He opened the box and reached into it to take out a Bhaddo bagel. Blue colored and powdered with red sugar, Ceres shoved the bagel into his mouth whole. He forgot how hungry he was as the bagel melted in his mouth.

As Saros engulfed another bagel, he finally rounded the corner to where Pandora was sitting. Except now she was not sitting there. Saros swallowed the bagel and ran to where Pandora would've been. Did she just leave me? Panic started to settle in. I ruined it. She's going to go look for those stupid stars now!

Saros' panic slowly turned into confusion when he saw a separate pair of footprints in the sand. They were extremely large; Saros could fit both of his feet to match the length of the footprint. Pandora's feet aren't that large, Saros thought to himself. Someone was here. He instinctively dropped the box of Bhaddo bagels to search the bench where Pandora was sitting, but there were no other clues. "Idiot!" Saros yelled at himself when he realized that he dropped blue bagels on the sand.

Groaning, Saros ran back into Ceres' shop. "Hey, Ceres!"

"Back for some more bagels?" Ceres asked with a monotone.

"You calling me fat?" Saros retorted. "Actually, no. Nevermind that. I need to check your store's surveillance. Pandora's missing."

"You're lucky you work here, or I'd be unable to share that footage with you," Ceres replied. The droid reached under the counter to take out a small cube. The cube was reflective like a mirror, but when Ceres placed it onto the counter and tapped it twice, it turned dark green. In an instant, a hologram was portrayed above the cube.

Saros stood across the counter and looked for the part of the hologram that showed where Pandora was sitting. "There she is," Saros said when he spotted the cell.

"That is truly Pandora," Ceres said.

"Fast forward it a bit," Saros asked.

"Saros, I assure you, nothing bad has ever happened at this store. This is the safest-" Ceres stopped when he spotted The Collector approach Pandora.

"Who is that?" Saros asked.

"I cannot believe it," Ceres said, sounding curious.

The footage showed The Collector taking Pandora away into the distant hills of the desert. Saros watched as The Collector used a fine-looking blaster to immobilize Pandora in a stasis field. "What? Who is that? I need to know Ceres. Where is he going?"

"That is the Collector. But what does he have to do with Pandora?" Ceres asked himself.

"You're not making any sense, Ceres," Saros felt beads of sweat form on his neck and armpits. "The Collector, is he from here?"

"No, don't be silly. Let me see if..." Ceres continued to ramble as he tapped away at his UniPhone.

"Ceres you are not helping at all. Can you just talk to me?" Saros grew extremely annoyed.

"There! I just used GATE23 satellite data to pinpoint The Collector's last location; I'm sending you the data right now."

"Who is The Collector?!" Saros finally yelled.

"The Collector is the richest man in the universe. How did you not know that?"

"I don't know! Tell me more, Ceres," Saros demanded.

"He goes by 'The Collector' because he collects things, lots of things. New things, expensive things, old things, prehistoric things, primordial things, he collects artifacts. Did you know he owns his own planet? It's far larger than GATE23. Only, no one knows where it is or what it's called. Some conspiracy theorists believe that he practically owns the entire universe. How? His bubble of influence extends throughout the entire known universe. I personally wouldn't be surprised if that conspiracy were true, for he is able to control multiple governments and dictate the outcomes of galactic wars through his money.

"Either way, he is addicted to collecting unique objects. Some people say he has some crazy artifacts that also make him the most physically powerful being in the universe, but that's just speculation. I'm curious, though. What would he want with Pandora? I mean no offense, but your girlfriend is not an artifact compared to the ones he desires."

The star! Saros realized. A rush of hot blood was tossed around in his body. "Ceres, I need to find The Collector and bring Pandora home."

Ceres paused. He took in more time to analyze what Saros had just said. "You can't just take what The Collector has collected. It's impossible."

"Ceres, he has Pandora. I need to do something," Saros said sternly.

The droid across the counter stared into Saros' eyes. Finally, he reached down under the counter and took out another object. This time, Ceres did not hold a cube in his hand but a rod much like Saros' hoverbike rod. Placing it on the counter, Ceres softly said, "This is a Topulan Class D Type II light freighter, or, as my creator liked to call it, the Arcadia. He left this for me before he left GATE23 for a more fruitful opportunity in some other star-system. You know how to drive this, right?"

Shocked, Saros replied, "I mean, yes. I've undergone simulations, but I've never actually flown one before."

"It's just like driving your hoverbike; you'll be a natural. The Collector's ship is still anchored to the troposphere. Hail him, and he might be willing to talk. I cannot guarantee that you'll be able to get Pandora back, though," Ceres paused, "It's a shame. She was such an enthusiastic person."

Saros rolled his eyes. "Are you coming, Ceres?"

"I cannot. I am programmed to stay in this shop," Ceres explained.

Pursing his lips, Saros pushed further, "C'mon Ceres. I know nothing about this Collector. Plus, I don't even know what The Collector's ship even looks like. What if I get into an accident," Saros smiled, "You won't have someone to come help you clean out the old boxes in the morning anymore!"

The circuitry in Ceres' machinery buzzed as the droid formulated its answer, "My capability to utilize inferential statistics at an unparalleled accuracy show that I am able to profit the most when this store is organized in such manners. Furthermore, you have been a significant part of our increased sales. To continue such efficiency, I would be remiss to risk you getting hurt enough not to be able to work here anymore. For this reason, I shall temporarily leave this shop in the hands of the building's default AI. While today's sales might falter, having you working here, in the long run, will prove to be more fruitful. Thus, I shall accompany you on this short journey."

Saros gave Ceres a sardonic smile, "I'm glad I'm just another number in your cold, metallic heart. Come on, let's go. Oh, and you're flying the Arcadia; I was never as good of a pilot. Pandora always had the magic touch with those piloting simulations."