“There is a saying: What is new is old, and what is old is new. Time moves on, but we will not. Like an anchored ship in the vast celestial ocean, we are the immovable object in which all time and space flow. We may try to swim the current and hope for change, but it will never come. We go in circles, repeating the same direction over and over. We evolve, ascend, and return back again.

We are the children of forever, and thus, forever will we be—timeless. Only when all things end, will we be set free and sail into blessed oblivion.” - Valtor Tarferous, Order Of The Universal Truth

* * *

Lord Governor Max Strighton followed the advice of his old mentor and used it as a guiding principle throughout his life. Valtor Tarferous, a man of great knowledge and authority, imparted upon him the wisdom of understanding the importance of both life and death, and the significance that each of them holds. The rare sage advice gave Max a newfound purpose and meaning, ultimately leading him to create an ideology that he included in the Orion Galactic Union. As one of the five people in the collaborative council that ruled over the galaxy, his responsibility was to govern the colonies and worlds within the boundaries of their dominion.

By this time, mankind had traversed and explored all the nooks and crannies of the universe, and to their amazement, they found it was totally devoid of any other form of life. According to the ancient historical archives, humans were the only species of intelligent life that could be found in existence. But Strighton was not convinced of this, history was always a victim to those seeking to subvert it to their own interpretations, and he clearly understood how and why that might have occurred. He was a well educated man of his time; he majored in planetary archeology and historical restoration, and knew well enough that it could be re-written over the course of time.

Omitted facts or discoveries where bound to occur. The future and past where constantly changed by those in power to suit their own narrow views and needs. Occasionally, there were some secrets and truths that were hidden or lost from the rest of society, even after billions of centuries had progressed on. That’s not to say that humanity didn’t try to recover and restore that lost history over the course of time, but when facts turn into legends, and legends into myths, it becomes harder to retrieve for those that still believe it really does exist. Even though some discoveries are made and brought to light, the process of re-incorporating back into the fold of the current history is often met with resistance and mockery.

The accusations of it being flawed and lacking in some detail, always made truth seekers like Lord Strighton shake his head. Denial was repetitive pattern of the human species, even now in their most advanced state of being. To him, and some others, it is a sign that things have come full circle. And now, they've reached the end, time has run out for all of them and the universe.

Before Strighton’s time, the scientific community revealed the true age and life span of the universe. They were able to scan the space-time continuum and observe the neutrinos as they slowly broke down in a controlled temporal environment. Using super intelligent computers to calculate the rate of decay, they were able to pin point its exact birth of its creation and its inevitable end. From that, they extrapolated a model of the universe and used the information to show how much time it had left. It was a shock to learn just how long it actually had left.

The revelation caused a rift amongst the colonized galaxies, wars unleashed and a fight for supreme dominance began. Old rivalries flourished as they started wiping each other out of existence, trying to be the last ones to live in a dying universe. Many tried to escape fate by crossing into other dimensions, parallel universes, and even invading other time streams. It was a never ending race for survival, but nothing worked. Time's end was coming no matter where or when they were. Many perished in the attempt and were lost forever. Those that were left banded together and chose to live it out for however long they had. Max Strighton felt strongly about this as well. It was better to live as the fully evolved being we had become, and not revert to the primal instinct for self preservation by spiralling into chaos.

Humanity was coming to an end. It was time for acceptance. Time for the human species to bow out gracefully and show pride in how far we had come. The end was here—for the universe, us, and time—everything. The clock was finally counting down and there was nothing left to do but wait.

* * *

Sitting alone in very large room of marbled floors and pillars that stretch to the top of the decorative etched ceiling, Lord Governor Max Strighton held his antique gold pocket watch and popped open the beautifully detailed outer casing. A period piece from Earth's nineteenth century; a hand crafted, gold pocket watch with beautiful embroidery and detail, ticked away in perfect motion. The roman numerals on the face are flawless and elegant in design work, as the well-shaped arms poised themselves to coming hour of eight o'clock. The second hand sweeps past in precision with a steady beat of the gears clicking away inside; it's a very model of time personified, simple and yet classic. It was a rare item in the far distant future, a primitive technology from a world long that passed millions of millennia ago.

Max was just as well tailored as the watch. Like a man out of time, his clothes were just dated as the watch in his hand. A periodic attire that all men wore in the Orion galaxy; a neat, dark suit with a white collar-less shirt, and a dark blue tie to give it some distinction. Authentic in every detail, both he and the watch were in perfect sync of being dated to that particular century style. The young man noted the time and closed the golden covering gently. He placed it back into his period vest pocket that had a gold chain attached to the timepiece. A newspaper sitting beside him, folded neatly to his left, was something out of the same century he was mimicking; he relaxed his posture and picked up the paper.

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The room he was sitting in was just as, if not more, elaborate than he looked. It resembled an ancient Roman architecture; marbled floors, benches, walls and pillars of stonework that stretched to the cathedral-like ceiling. A totally different historical reference all together then how this individual was dressed. Because room was vast and spacious, it seemed to echo the turning of the page and of him clearing his throat.

As he read the nineteenth century-type newspaper, the text and images were moving about across the pages. It seemed to know what areas he wanted to focus on and where his eyes were moving too. And as he glanced at the main headline, it sprung forward in bold font with the image of a clock face spinning rapidly.

The Decade Of Doom – The Countdown To Humanity's End Has Begun!

Max gave a slight shake of his head and a disappointed exhale out of his nose after reading it. He scanned the text column that leapt forward on the page and scrolled to his reading pace. He was half way through it when he heard a soft chime ring three times. He raised his head up and listened to the quiet toned female voice announcer.

"Arriving at destination, please prepare to disembark and enjoy your stay."

Strighton stood up, folded up his paper under his arm and walked across the large spacious hallway. Once again the echoes could be heard in this massive room, the tapping of each footstep broke the silence of it. The opposite sidewall was large and black; it stretched the length of the entire room. He stood there in front of it and waited patiently.

"You look anxious. Are you not looking forward to this?"

Max took note of the woman suddenly standing next to him. He gave her a slight glance and pursed his lips in thought. The woman was fair skinned, demure and wearing a simple (yet elegant) blue Victorian era designed dress. Her blonde hair was beautifully cropped under a small blue hat that sported a pale blue ribboned bow upon it. She held out her small, blue-laced gloved hand and gestured to him. an indication that she would take the paper for him. He handed to her and let out a passive frustrated sigh.

"Not really, Lilly, I expect the same conversations from all the same people." He clasped his hands behind and gazed out the window again. "Nothing ever changes, not even topics of discussion."

"Well, then,” Lily smirked. “I suggest you try not to look too bored. They might feel the great Lord Strighton of Orion is too far above them to mingle."

The coy smile from her elegant pink lips made Strighton smile back. It was just the sort of witty remark he had come to admire about his young female aide. Strighton wasn't one for formalities, talking to others of less stature was as meaningless to him as his title. Lily was instructed never to be formal around him and being free to say whatever she felt gave the Lord Governor some comfort.

"I'm glad at least you'll be there to keep me awake." Max smiled.

“Even if I have to slap you across the cheek.” She said. “Let’s just make sure it doesn’t come to that.”

Max laughed. “I’m sure it won’t. But, would you really slap me? I’m your employer, you know that, right?”

“And I’m doing my job, sir.” She glared at him. “So don’t make me love it even more.”

The two giggled as they returned to stare at the black wall. The darkness quickly faded out of its bleak colour to a panoramic vision of the universe. This was no mere hallway they were standing in, but an elaborate space ship. A few swirling galaxies were seen in the distant and vast darkness of space. Off to the side of that vision, were a few dazzling stars and clusters of nebula clouds surrounding them filled with tones of red, green and pink.

Just below, cresting at he bottom of the window, a pale red-brown world that had a singular white star shining just beyond its horizon. That was only source of light in this sector of space they were in. For this was not a planet nestled in a regular solar system, nor a galactic body, this was a lone planet in-between those far off galaxies and sitting idle in depths of the infinite void. The other ships similar in design hovered over the planetary body, massive vessels that looked well-crafted as if sculpted out of huge slabs of marble. The attention to detail on the hulls were breathtaking.

A series of statues locked in battle and angelic gods gracing the bow of the ships as if to part the way wit their outstretched hands. The letterings and symbols were that of greek and latin, giving each vessel a mark of distinction. It was an impressive fleet that would have been worthy of Ancient Rome, had they traveled to the stars. It was opulent, decedent, and a show of human ego like no other. Strighton, despite still being impressed by them, continued to remain stoic. Lilly observed his lack of enthusiasm and broke the silence as they stood there.

"So, I guess this is how it will end, is it?"

"So it seems." Strighton stated, pursing his lips slightly again. "Too bad we're all so anal to enjoy it.”

“You mean you, I think the others have no problem with it.”

“Exactly, no one wants to confront the issue head on.” He quickly glanced at her. “Having century gatherings like this is a waste of time. It’s just a big fancy party, every single time. They should be focusing on other matters before the end comes.”

"I find it puzzling that you seem so down about it.” She said, giving a disapproving shake of her head. “Of the gathering I mean, of course."

"These people-"Strighton mused, "Are nothing but blank faces of a dead race. What we've become is, well—something of a joke to the universe itself. The fact that we flaunt ourselves in such a pompous manner is rather disgusting. We are only echoes of the people we once were—empty shells with nothing inside."

"Ah…” Lilly slowly mused sarcastically. She gave a simply shrug and looked up at him."So by this reasoning, you are not able to enjoy yourself on one of the most festive day of days—interesting." She gave a simple sigh and puckered her mouth, "I can see why you are such a joy to these events."

The Victorian dressed woman nudged his arm and gave a wink. She tried to break his seriousness with a bit of playful behaviour, but it was clear he was in no mood to be happy. This was a day he had long dread coming. It was to be the final gathering of all in the universe as they prepare for the countdown to oblivion. Rather than being too stubborn with his aide, he gave her a slight wink back to assure her that the gesture was not lost on him.

"I'll be fine." He stated back to her. "Thanks."

“Right then,” She clasped her hands and rubbed them. “I’ll go and prepare for our 'fun' journey then." She gave him one last smile, and walked away. "I'll let you enjoy the view."

"I'll be there shortly." Max responded, continuing to observe the planet below. "The view isn't what it used to be anymore.”

“Stop being a downer!” She shouted back and exited the room.

Strighton took out his gold pocket watch and stroked it with his thumb tenderly. A habit he had always done when faced with frustration or boredom. At least this gave him a moment of peace and a sense of something real, not like the horde of fake people he was about to face on the surface.

“Nothing is what it once was, or ever will be again.”