“Can’t this thing go any faster? Even my hoverbike is faster than this,” Saros complained.

“Flying a light freighter like this at a lower level of the troposphere is unsanctioned and unheard of on any planet. To be more precise, accurate, and most importantly safe, I must travel slower than we might like. Do not worry, The Collector’s ship will need to charge its Halo Drive before leaving GATE23’s atmosphere,” Ceres replied dryly.

Groaning, Saros leaned back into his black chair. Looking around the ship, he could tell that the Arcadia was an old ship. Being a Class D light freighter meant that it lasted longer, or that’s what everyone agreed on. Engineers usually spent more time assuring the longevity of cheaper ships because they knew that they’d get most of their money from the richer individuals of the universe. For that reason, a lot of the Class A or Class B ships equipped with both Halo Drives and Hydrogen scoops usually only lasted about five centuries before their engines wasted away. However, those ships were the fastest ones, and it was Saros’ dream to one day own a Bussard Class A T-I “Star-Kisser”.

The Arcadia’s cockpit wasn’t the smallest, but it also wouldn’t fit Saros’ hoverbike comfortably. Circuits, buttons, lights, computers, and holographs scattered the walls of the cockpit. There wasn’t much elbow space on the main control panel where Ceres took charge. The ship still hovered above the ground as quiet as the desert night. With a bronze-colored hull, the small ship blended well with the desert planet.

Eventually, The Collector’s ship came into view. Saros and Ceres were stunned by its magnificence. “That’s the Treasure,” Ceres whispered.

“Well,” Saros said with his eyes glued to the white ship in the distance, “The Collector definitely didn’t put much thought into naming his ship.”

“So, do you have a plan?” Ceres asked.

“I mean, not really,” Saros said sheepishly.

Eyes widened, Ceres sounded almost frightened, “What do you mean ‘not really’? Do you expect him to just kindly let us take a part of his collection?”

“Pandora is not some part of a dumb collection,” Saros replied. “Just hail him; let me do the talking, okay?”

“I do not like where this is going,” Ceres said as he picked up his speed as he turned on the ship’s TTM Indicator.

“Oh, I forgot, you’d rather be unpacking boxes right now,” Saros rolled his eyes.

In a matter of moments, the ship’s receiver chimed. A blanket of static noise filled the Arcadia’s cockpit before the Treasure’s shipmaster AI started broadcasting a message, “Alert. Alert. Alert. Freighter ship, increase elevation by five-thousand meters. I repeat, increase elevation by two-thousand meters.”

“Acknowledged. Elevating by five-thousand meters,” Saros said while pushing a transmission button near the receiver's interface.

Ceres pulled back on the handles to decelerate the ship. Then, he pushed a button on one of the handles to increase the ship’s elevation. By the time they got to the desired height, they were well above most of the clouds.

“Coordinates have now been received. Maintain position until further notice,” the shipmaster said. It wasn’t long until another transmission was received, “Greetings, freighter, I am Sandol, the shipmaster AI,” Sandol’s tone had changed from a robotic commander to a friendly tour guide.

“Greetings, Sandol. My name is Saros, and I am here with Ceres, an SH227 shop-keeping AI. We’re both surprised we’re the first ones here, but as soon as we saw The Collector’s ship land on this planet, we knew we had to ask for a tour. I’ve seen multiple videos on the iWeb of the great service you give and wanted to experience it for myself.”

“Tours cost 60,000 credits. Unlike all other stores, however, we do take refined assets. From artifacts to vehicles, we collect if the price is equivalent,” Sandol said, almost like he was expecting Saros to ask for a tour.

Releasing his finger from the transmission button, Saros whispered, “Ceres! Quick, I need something worth 60,000 credits!”

“I'm looking through the ship's storage data right now. I don’t know what good a tour would do for us though,” Ceres said. His fingers tapped away at a blue holograph that ascended from the control panel.

Pressing the transmission button again, Saros smiled and said, “One moment while we look through our wares.”

“Acknowledged,” Sandol immediately replied.

“You find anything?” Saros asked Ceres anxiously.

“No…” Ceres replied. Lifting his gaze off of the control panel, Ceres looked at Saros’ hoverbike rod strapped onto his belt, “Isn’t the FTL-28 worth 75,000 credits?”

Saros’ eyes widened, “No. That can’t be. Are you sure there’s nothing in this dump of a ship we can sell?”

“Unless you want to sell our only way out of the Treasure, then no. Your hoverbike will do just fine though,” Ceres said.

Saros’ head fell backward as he closed his eyes and faced the cockpit’s ceilings. A flood of memories rushed into his head as he felt for his hoverbike rods. He remembered how he had spent an entire century slaving away just to be able to buy the hoverbike. The work, the pain, the lack of sleep, the stress, it all culminated into his bike. Through all the darkness that Saros had been through, his bike was there for him. The escape, the wind, the speed, it all fused Saros with happiness, and the thought of giving the bike away made Saros shiver. Pandora’s in trouble, he thought to himself.

There’s only one Pandora. I can get this bike any other time.

Saros pressed the transmission button, “Arcadia to Treasure.”

Sandol replied, “Treasure hears you.”

“We have on board an FTL-28. Will this suffice for a tour of your ship?”

“It will. We will charge 15,000 credits back to you once the transaction is made. The Treasure will leave GATE23’s atmosphere in three hours. Any fuel used to ensure safe travel from planetary orbit to GATE23 will be reimbursed only if you choose to exit tour after the Treasure takes off. All tour groups will be asked to leave the vessel once Halo Drive is fully charged. Arcadia, you have clearance for landing pad A-3-i on the stern side of the Treasure. A tour guide will meet you once you have docked and landed your ship. I am now sending you a VirtuaSafe through your ship's receiver. Please place the asset in the designated area when you are ready. Enjoy your stay on the universally acclaimed Treasure!” Sandol finally said.

The receiver cut off, and a golden holograph formed above the control panel. The light made the shape of a small box, and the receiver said to place an object inside the box. Reluctantly, Saros placed his hoverbike rod into the golden box, and for a moment, the rod floated on thin air inside the holograph. In an instant, however, the receiver sang a tune, and the rod and holograph disappeared in a magnificent spectacle of golden particles. The entire cockpit glowed less as the final particles of the holograph disappeared into nothingness. Saros no longer had his hoverbike.

“15,000 credits transferred to Saros S4912 account,” the receiver said in a monotonous voice.

Trying his hardest not to think of the bike, Saros spoke, “Alright, let’s go land inside the ship, find Pandora, and get out of there.”

Nodding, Ceres began the descent to the stern side of the ship. There were multiple entrances for ships towards the bottom; gigantic golden fields of light separated the outside world from the ship. Occasionally, a smaller ship would slowly leak out of the Treasure. Only those ships that had clearance were allowed to cross the golden barrier, and when they did, the barrier would turn a verdant green. Surprisingly, from the outside, no one could see through the golden barrier. They’d have to go through the barrier to be witness to the Treasure’s magnificent interior.

The curvature above the barriers indicated the landing bays, and Ceres made sure to adjust the Arcadia’s position so that they would land on the proper landing pad. “So, how are we going to free Pandora?” Ceres asked as he neared the golden barrier.

“I don’t know yet. I’ll improvise,” Saros said.

Stopping about 25 meters away from the barrier, Ceres waited for a green light to appear on his receiver panel. “I assume that The Collector and company do not take kindly to those who steal.”

“Well, you’re gonna be there to keep me safe right? Just like you said?”

“Unfortunately,” Ceres said as he accelerated towards the barrier when the green light appeared. The Arcadia slowly passed through the light barrier.

It surprised Saros when the light barrier formed inside the cockpit as the Arcadia passed through. He stood still as it passed through his body; he didn’t feel anything, but he felt like he was just scanned. Knowing The Collector’s eccentricity, Saros knew he probably was scanned. The Arcadia finally made it through the barrier, and both Ceres and Saros were greeted by a vast hangar.

Gigantic green lights that lined metallic black walls illuminated a breathtaking array of floating platforms where ships would be cataloged by the superintendent AI. Lined with the same green lights on the walls, Saros had extreme difficulty identifying just how they were floating, for there were no thrusters or floatation orbs underneath. The Arcadia’s user interface popped up on the glass in front of Ceres and indicated the platform they should land on. The two watched in awe as ships hopped from one platform to the other getting ready for the Halo jump. There’d be a delay before the ship would disappear into an explosion of rainbow particles for the Treasure to hold until it’s pilot would return.

“The Treasure places all foreign ships like ours in a cache. The shipmaster and other security AI can log every single nut and bolt on the Arcadia into their systems,” Ceres stated.

“What if someone stays on the ship? Can they still cache it?”

“No, but they will still manually check the ship. Why?”

“You’re going to stay on the ship while I look for Pandora. We might need to get out of here fast, and I’m not going to wait for the shipmaster to voluntarily give us the right of way,” Saros declared.

“I have always wanted to see the Treasure,” Ceres retorted.

“You can’t want anything, you’re a droid!” Ceres said laughing.

“I-This is coming out of your pay,” Ceres said as he accelerated his speed towards Arcadia's designated landing bay.

Knowing that the Treasure wouldn’t allow anything that would be deemed as weaponry on the tour, Saros picked up an old hat sitting on the floor of the cockpit. The hat had a white-tipped mountain embroidered onto it. Slipping it on, he got up and readied himself to finally enter the Treasure. This is probably the stupidest thing you’ve done, Saros thought to himself as Ceres finally landed the Arcadia.