"Mom! Are you ready yet?!" Jennifer yelled upstairs at their mother.
Both Han and Jennifer were waiting at the front door, waiting for their mother to come down with her luggage for the trip to Star and Moon Studio. Han and enjoyed seeing how impatient his sister was being. All morning, she was reminding her mother that they needed to be ready so they could head out.
Earlier in the week, Star and Moon Studio had contacted them about arranging transportation for them to the location. Jennifer was the one that picked up the phone, and she ended up screaming with excitement, finding out that they were going to be picked up like movie stars.
The night before, Jennifer couldn't get to sleep and was talking on the phone all night, taking the hallway phone into her room so she could talk to her friends all night. Even with the little sleep she received, Jennifer still looked vibrant and full of energy.
"I'm coming," their mom called down.
Han walked up the stairs and saw his mom with several suitcases and travel bags. "Mom, what's up with all the luggage?" He asked her, bewildered by the scene in front of him.
"You never know what event will come up, so mommy needs to be prepared. Your friends are going to be there, so mommy needs to look pretty, so people know how lucky my big boy is." She said to him like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Walking over to where all the luggage was, Han grabbed two of them and began heading downstairs. "Mom, I'll take care of the luggage, so just wait downstairs with Jennifer,"
Seeing him take the luggage down, his mom had a big smile as he directed her. "My big boy is so mature and grown up," she said to him.
Han tried to ignore her words as he carried the luggage downstairs and set them next to the door. Waiting for his mom to come downstairs, he headed back upstairs to grab more bags. With the number of traveling cases his mom was taking with her, Han was going to need to make several trips.
"Mom, why are you bringing so many bags with you," Jennifer asked the same thing he had observed.
"I could say the same thing about you," his mom countered. The silence following her words spoke volumes.
Grabbing more of his mom's stuff, he made his way back downstairs. After a few more trips, he had piled all of his mom's stuff next to his sister's. "I hope they have enough room for both of your stuff," Han commented as he stared at the piles.
Before his mother and sister could say anything, there was a knock on the door. Han opened the door and saw a lady and a man standing on their front porch. The woman had vibrant red hair and looked a couple of years older than his sister. Both of them were wearing suits, though the woman's was slightly more revealing to allow a glance at her breasts. Standing slightly behind her, the man was wearing sunglasses and looked like a security personnel. He even had an earpiece completing the bodyguard image.
"Hello, my name is Scarlett and this is Thomas, and we are here as representatives of Star and Moon Studios," the woman introduced herself and the man behind her. The man gave a smile and slightly nodded his head.
"It's nice to meet you, I'm Han's mother, Jessica," his mother said. "This is my daughter, Jennifer, and my son, Han," she said.
Bowing to the three of them, Scarlett said, "I will be your assistant and fulfill your needs on this trip, so if there are any requests feel free to let me know." Straightening, she turned to the side and used a hand to direct them. "If you will come this way, Thomas will bring your luggage to the vehicle."
They followed the woman towards a large vehicle that looked similar to a cross between a van and a commercial truck. As Scarlett came close to the vehicle, a door opened that was like the kind on a private jet. The door popped out and then split into two with each one opening like the wings on the back of a beetle. Once each half of the door rotated ninety degrees, they then tilted towards them. A mini ramp slid out of the side of the door and came down.
Scarlett positioned herself on one side of the door and said, "please, watch your step as you board the vehicle."
Han had his mother and sister enter first. As they went into the van, Han heard his mother and sister comment about the interior.
"It's like the inside of a house," Jennifer she quietly said in amazement.
"How were they able to make such a thing?" His mother said.
As Han stepped on the ramp and entered the van, he saw several leather chairs, a mini bar in the back, and several thin monitors placed throughout the interior.
"This looks like the inside of a spaceship in the drama on TV," his mom commented, her head was turning back and forth as she was staring at everything.
Each of them sat on one of the chairs, Han enjoyed how comfortable they felt. Looking at the material, Han knew that it was not cheap and must have cost a decent amount. There was even a little display on one of the armrests. On display was a list of words, like rotate, recline, and massage. When he pressed on the square with "rotate," and nothing seemed to happen, but when Han slid his finger to one side the chair began to turn.
"How did you do that?!" Jennifer exclaimed.
Pointing at the display Han said, "Just use your finger and touch the word and slide your finger."
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As Jennifer began experimenting with the controls, Scarlett entered the vehicle and looked at each one of them. "I see that you have discovered the special features on those chairs." She smiled at seeing Jennifer having fun.
"How did you guys build such a van?" His mother asked Scarlett.
"Our parent company, Star and Moon International, has several divisions dedicated to creating and researching new technologies. What you see here is one of the many ways that Star and Moon is leading various industries." Scarlett explained. Behind her the ramp raised up, going into the side, and the doors began closing. A soft glow of lights turned on, giving a relaxing feeling.
"As you can see, there are multiple screens for you to research on The Wire or watch a video. The sound is generated in a way that you won't be disturbing someone next to you." Scarlett explained as she walked to the back. "We have a variety of deli meats, roasted meats and veggies, and a variety of drinks."
"Do you have any steak?" Han asked.
"Yes, we do. How would you like it cooked?" Scarlett said.
"Medium-rare, please," Han said.
Scarlett opened up something that looked like a mini-fridge and pulled out a reasonably large steak. Out of the wall, a fold out prep-station appeared, and she began seasoning the steak. Finishing, she opened up something looking like an oven. "The steak will be ready in a couple of minutes," Scarlett said to him. "Would you like a refreshment?"
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As he sipped on the soda that was provided by Scarlett, Han smiled at seeing his mom and sister enjoy food that was prepared by her. Turning his head casually towards Scarlett, he looked at her thighs that were exposed by her sitting down in her chair. Slowly raising his eyes, he enjoyed seeing her curves and how her outfit seemed to accentuate her figure. When he looked at her face, Scarlett was looking at him with a smile on her face.
[It is a pleasure to see you again, Master,] Scarlett said through telepathy.
[You look lovely in your uniform,] He said.
Scarlett's face reddened from the compliment. [You're too kind, Master]
[I see that you have done well with adjusting to this world's speech mannerisms,] Han said, lifting one of his eyebrows.
[Lady Helania has trained us to behave like everyone in this world. It took a little bit of effort to get used to the society, but there are some conveniences when dealing with humans.] Scarlett explained.
"I can't believe how delicious the food is, considering it's being prepared inside of a van," Jennifer exclaimed after finishing her food.
Scarlett turned to look at his sister. "I'm happy to know that you enjoyed the food. The people that developed this equipment are extremely talented. I'll make sure to send word to them that you had a wonderful experience."
"I keep thinking that I'm in another world," his mom placed her utensils on the plate and motioned with a free hand. "Is any of this available? I know my husband would greatly enjoy a fresh meal while we're on the road, during our family vacations."
Shaking her head, Scarlett said, "Unfortunately, the technology that you have seen is still being kept within the company. We will be displaying some of the technology that'll become available at the event you'll be attending. With your VIP status, you'll be able to experience the products being released."
Both of his sister and mother began talking excitedly about what type of things the company would be displaying. For the rest of the trip, they talked about what they could expect.
After several hours on the road, Scarlett stood up and went to the door. Just like the last time, the door opened without needing her to do anything. Even though the light shone in, they didn't feel any discomfort or require an adjustment. This was likely due to the internal lights that may not have been bright but likely used a technique to mimic natural light.
As Han was the closest to the door, he moved towards it and was impressed with what he saw.
"Welcome to Star and Moon Studios," Scarlett said to all of them.
In front of them was a large archway with the words, "Welcome to Star and Moon Studios." Below the metal archway, there were several gates similar to the ones he had seen in subway stations. There were plenty of people who were going through those gates, swiping their wrists to allow the doors to open.
"There seems to be a lot of people coming to this event," he commented to Scarlett.
"This is the usual amount of people that come all year around. Some of them are employees while others are guests to the various conventions that are held here." She clarified.
"What do you mean about conventions?" his mother asked, looking at the line of people entering the studio.
"About half of the buildings you'll be seeing are dedicated to conventions. These are events that are either organized by Star and Moon International or organizations for various TV shows and cartoons." Scarlett said. Seeing that all three of them were interested, she continued, "In the past, organizations would have to rent out space at large hotels or city centers, but this limited them to only being on the weekend. The hotels also wouldn't provide staffing for the events, so the organizations had to rely heavily on volunteers."
They slowly began heading to one side of the entryway, which had a security guard station. Scarlett talked to the security guard and said, "Please, place your bracelets on this pad." There was a square block that rose out of the counter. "By placing your bracelets on the device, we'll be able to provide you with VIP access to the entire facility. All your costs will be covered by the studio, so feel free to enjoy yourself."
As each of them went up to the black box looking object and placed their bracelet near the object, their bracelet began glowing with different lights. Once it turned green, they stepped back.
"For security purposes, we have copied the data within your bracelet so on the chance that your bracelet is stolen it can be replaced. Having VIP access is highly sought after, so there have been instances where people will try and steal these bracelets." Seeing the reactions on his mom and sister's faces, Scarlett raised her hands to indicate for them to calm down. "Our security is highly trained, and any bracelet that's stolen can be deactivated."
Scarlett thanked the security guard, and they continued through the entrance. "To pick up where I left off, employees who would travel to these conventions complained about the quality of the events, the people working at the events and how inconsistent the experiences were. Instead of being an issue for the organizations that were organizing these events, upper management at Star and Moon International felt that the lack of proper location and resources was the issue. Since many of the conventions were related to the content we created, our new studio location was designed to accommodate both our business and space for conventions."
Ahead of them was a long pathway that looked like it came out of a fairytale. There were performers on either side of the walkway. The performers didn't appear to be paid by the company but people who would perform on subway stations and on sidewalks. Compared to the people who played in public, the people here had a mini stage and proper sound equipment.
"Are these people that you hired," Han asked.
Motioning with her arm at each of the performers, Scarlett said, "All of these performers are freelancers that use their skills to earn their living. All we do is provide them with sound equipment and our money sharing system. Since most people don't carry around small bills with the introduction of the Bracelet Monetary Exchange, it has made it difficult for individual performers to start their careers." She raised her wrist and pointed to the bracelet that everyone seemed to have nowadays. "Now amateur artists can come to our location and perform with little to no hassles."
"Where do these artists come from?" his mom asked, amazed by the number of talented performers.
"We have artists coming from all around the world. Each artist is offered two main packages. The first package comes with taking a flat five percent off of each credit exchanged, this covers the equipment and overhead expenses. The second package is a tier, where we take a higher percentage but provide room and board for the artists. To assist the artists, there are sound coaches and trainers available at no additional costs." Scarlett said.
His mom and Jennifer were silent after hearing such things. A moment passed before his mom said, "It's wonderful to hear to hear a company taking such interest in those pursuing their passions."
"We are simply following the wishes of our founder, who previously in a different location and time had created an environment for humanity to reach their potential," Scarlett took a glance over at Han and gave him a smile.
As they continued down the path, the music of one artist would begin to fade and be replaced with another. The experience was interesting, considering how the artists didn't sound alike but were still able to blend together.
"I wish I could just come here every day and listen to all these people sing," Jennifer said as she looked at the different performers.
Off in the distance, they saw several large buildings, with smaller buildings nearby. The shapes of the buildings were not uniform, some looking like they were designed by elves in a fantasy game while others looked more science fiction.
The complex they were heading towards had a tall skyscraper that started out thicker near the base and tapered off near the top, giving it an image of being a blade. At the bottom of the tower was a cylindrical shaped building that was connected to it. The side facing them was drastically lower than the rear portion. As it slanted down towards the front, the material shifted from metallic to glass. Hanging down from the front were large banners, with images of people on them.
Before we reached the front of the building, Scarlett stopped and turned towards them. "We will be entering into the main administrative building for both our studio and various conventions that are hosted by us. This building serves to introduce people to what Star and Moon is all about. To push humanity towards a new level is what we aim to do, and all of us at Star and Moon hope you will have an enjoyable time during your stay." Scarlett bowed to them and indicated for them to head into the building.
With Scarlett walking behind the three of them, Han, his mother, and Jennifer approached the building. Having so many people enter the building, either they didn't have doors, or it was kept continuously open. When first entering the building, Han did feel his breath being taken away. It was his first time seeing something fantastical that he didn't have a direct hand in. The floor was glass, and the image of space was presented. In addition to the floor, the crystal and metal coming together gave a feeling of them being in an entirely new world.
"How in the world were they able to create this place?!" A guy with his friends said out loud.
A guy next to him smacked him on the shoulders, "I told you that this place would blow your mind! Isn't this place already better than last year's StarCon?"
"They even had the actress that plays Captain Veronica in the show here!" Another one of the guys in the friend group cried out in excitement. "I'm going to see if I can get her to sign my DiSC version of the show and tell how amazing she is!"
"Good luck with that! The line is going to be so long that I doubt you'll be able to see her before the meet and greet is over." His friend said.
His mother overheard what the kids were saying and commented, "It would be nice to meet that actress. She is perfect on the show."
"I didn't know you were that much of a fan, mom," Jennifer said.
Han looked at Jennifer and said, "Mom watches Star Journey each week it comes on. I've even seen her watch the reruns when they come on during the day whenever we had a half-day."
"Han watches with me," his mother commented. She bumped him with her hip, "Mommy looks better than Captain Veronica, right?"
"Mom...," Han began blushing seeing his mother say such things when they were in public.
His mom hugged him tightly, "My baby is embarrassed. Mommy is sorry! I just think it would be fun traveling through space like they do in the show. Mommy would be the beautiful captain, and my handsome son will be the space pirate that captures the ship."
Seeing how red his face was, she giggled and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
After getting embarrassed by his mother, Han and the rest of them continued into the building.