87. Jimi & the Galactic Empire
35 Billion 69
The venue for Jimi & the Galactic Empire Live would be at the Cosmic Ring of Fire. What better place is there, really; if you’re gonna usher in the end, come what may, it might as well be here where wars have been fought billions of years and countless lives sacrificed. The crowds gathered from both sides of the universe, converging at the dimensional Gate, where the stage would be. There was a predisposed atmosphere of peace; but whether there would truly be remains to be seen. Zero watched the multitudes arriving, the different lords of Karon and their banners with their etiquette and mannerisms and the spider sigil of the assimilated half of civilization. Tonight is going to be it. Whatever the outcome, and whatever the powers at play, no clairvoyant bookmaker can predict.
Zero, Pepe Gilgamesh, Suzie, baby, two pilots and three air hostesses had died in a plane crash. At least that’s the cover story to get them out of the world, which mourned the mega band’s demise. Pepe, not so much. Many, rich people, wished him dead. The flight crew were unfortunate collateral not given a thought of by Leper who engineered the fake news, which was very real news for the families of those departed. At the moment of the spiralling descent Suzie, child, manager and band were beamed out into an awaiting scarab. The human mother felt bad for the panicking flight attendants but Pepe felt nothing but gratefulness to be alive, having the opportunity to live another day and cast his askew glance at the beautiful Maharani. So be it; damn his empire. The Lucipher singularity chip is already operating with a mind of its own. They were the only two pure blood humans to witness the concert of the apocalypse. Every other sapien who ever lived would already, technically, be on the Otherside – in Meta. Earth would have translated under Azazel’s watchful eye long before 35 billion 69.
A humongous crowd who had never heard music was tragic. A first for Zero, or practically any band, but Killa instinctively knew they were gonna blow everyone away. The frequencies would be transformational. You could see the anticipation in the eyes, the curiosity and yet, the obliviousness – not missing anything they’d had no experience of. The denizens of the universe were like children; they were sure they were gonna get something, but they didn't know what.
Zero would not let down.
Suzie on the other hand was not having her mind on music. It was a tremendous shift on her part to be suddenly teleported to the very distant future, to a point at the very brink of the end of the universe. And to have her child come along with her, naturally her thoughts would be on him. Regardless of how things played out, she wondered about the future that was installed for her son. If all ended on the Otherside, in Meta, it was as good as he never being born, for that is Meta, the unborn; communing all sex at once. Conversely, if somehow the universe survives by magic, technology or grand design, she could not fathom how it was going to be for her boy, and for everyone else for that matter. The suspense was killing, she would just have to wait and see. When Killa hits that One Note, what the fuck was gonna happen?
In the palace, Shu’ rHall Karon, getting regal, asked his mother about music. She is the only person alive in his camp to have any encounter with it. But mum remained mum. The bitterness was still too raw. And the knowledge of Azazel having manipulated her was embarrassing. He can call her daughter; but he is never ever going to be her dad. As long as she is concerned, she is the Immaculate Conception: born without father! What was it that Leper conveyed? That Azazel is proud of her? And that she is pretty no matter how ugly she is? What fuck compliment is this??? The Celestial Maharani is not ugly. She arrives at this conclusion in front of her magic mirror.
Look at the manner Pepe Gilgamesh stares at her. He couldn’t hide his desire even if he stood behind an elephant. I mean he won’t be able to hide himself even if he stood behind an elephant. The Celestial Maharani knows she is desirable. Perhaps even the most beautiful girl in the world universe. The Queen Mother allowed this reverie. It has been long since anyone was so brazen as to ogle her blatantly. She, in a way, had not felt such a flutter since the fateful day Prince Charming came tumbling out from his pants in the Enchanted Forest. Forgotten memories, and more importantly, emotions that the mogul, perhaps, ignited. But the Celestial Maharani swept such fantasies aside. Who was he, no matter how prominent on miniscule Earth, to love the Queen of queens? How dare he!
Pepe Gilgamesh is lovesick; psychologists, should he visit one, will diagnose as limerence. The band could feel it. Especially when in the Celestial Maharani’s presence, the technocrat would just be at a loss for words, mumbling, stumbling and fumbling, very unlike his sharp decisive tongue under normal business circumstances. Mr. Gilgamesh is generally a very incisive man but the Celestial Maharani melts his wit. The entrepreneur has fucked many women, but needless to say he has never been in love. Some blame his size; some say he is just a mean hippopotamus; but truth be told, Pepe Gilgamesh has not met anyone he deemed interesting, someone to contain his inflated ambition. Until now. So smitten was he that giving up his empire and the Lucipher chip was a piece of cake. In fact Pepe Gilgamesh was offered a choice. He could come or stay. The Celestial Maharani is someone he could see himself sacrificing everything for. Besides, he had front row seats and backstage passes to the end of the universe.
AI generated art prompted by author
This is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons and events are coincidental. Use of names of public figures, places and events are purely fictional and are not representative of them.