Chapter Text
After being in the dancefloor, the Sun and Barnard sat again in their unoccupied forgotten table. The music had shifted again by then. It was something slower now, a deep thrumming bass that seemed to resonate in the whole club. The dance floor was emptying as couples and groups drifted back to their tables and their conversations resumed
The Sun's core was still humming from the dance, not from exertion, though that was part of it, but from something stranger… a kind of warmth that had nothing to do with his normal nuclear fusion. A feeling he couldn't name because he'd never felt it before
And with a renewed spirit, he spoke again
“You know Barnard?” The Sun sank into his seat, which was just really a condensed patch of interstellar gas shaped vaguely like a couch from a 50’s restaurant “I… I was always skeptical and scared of interacting with other stars…. I never thought it would be so easy to…” He looked up at him “To be friends, seems like I was scared of nothing at all” The sun smiled genuinely
“Ah I was glad to be the first that opened your eyes my dear star…” Barnard replied, “But you see….” He looked at the other tables “Not all stars are like me, what you found is like a small cluster of bright stars in one of the greatest voids of the universe” Barnard illustrated with a smug smile on his face
“Oh! So you’re saying you’re like an oasis in the desert?” The sun asked
"A what?" Barnard blinked "An... oasis? What's an oasis?"
The Sun opened his mouth, then closed it "I... actually don't know how to explain it… its an Earth thing…and those things are weird…”
Barnard was going to ask more but got interrupted by some other presence approaching
The sun turned around to see who it was, and it turned out to be a small red dwarf with a fun hat made of strange matter. It dropped two thin rectangles on the table
“Here you go...” The star said with a bored expression and went away to serve other tables
“Thanks” Barnard said to the star before she was too far away to hear, and then reached across the table and slid that thin rectangle toward him, it was translucent, faintly glowing and covered in writing that seemed to shift and rearrange itself as the Sun watched its contents
"That’s the menu" Barnard explained "You'll need it”
The Sun stared at the rectangle. He'd never seen a menu before… In a stellar scale obviously. He didn’t even know he could “eat” … Well, it was predicted he would swallow Mercury and Venus in the future when he becomes a red giant, but eat like the humans defined it? The concept of properly eating was foreign to him
"What... what do you recommend?" he asked uncertainly after taking this… menu, scanning the list of incomprehensible options
Barnard leaned back and stared at the menu "Hmm… molecular cloud clusters drink is safe… it’s a mild flavor that won't upset your core…” Barnard listed “Oh and the ionized hydrogen is a good starting choice, everyone drinks it, but it isn’t like the best thing you’d try on the menu…”
“You seem like an expert…” The sun was impressed
“Huh? Oh! Of course I must be! Billions of years of coming here have made me…acquire a nice taste..” Barnard then pointed at another name “Ah! And then this one is…carbon-infused nebula dust …. It is definitely better, but it's an acquired taste" He paused. "Oh, and also, avoid the supernova shots… They're popular with the O-types, but they'll make your gravity unstable for days" The red star warned
"Unstable how?" Sun asked, honestly it was adorable how this…small star that seemed a bit stoic get excited by a simple menu
"You'll start pulling in small asteroids without meaning to Its…very embarrassing if you're trying to make a good impression…And before you ask, no, that DEFINITELY didn’t happen to me”
The Sun nodded slowly, even if he didn’t understand half of what Barnard was saying he returned his gaze to the menu. The words there were still confusing, but he was looking for something familiar…or at least that sounded good
"And the...what about this one?"
"Ah, that’s a coctel made of various nebulae…Very hard to make and also super bright since its made from recent supernovas…But it’s very likely to give you a core ache if you're not used to it." Barnard's glow flickered in what might have been amusement. "The blue stars drink it to show off… and the rest of us drink it to prove we can" Barnard made a sly smile
"So, what should I actually order?" The sun asked, still confused with what to do with the information
Barnard was quiet for a moment, studying the Sun with those patient eyes that seemed ancient
"Order the molecular cloud clusters" he said finally. "And some standard hydrogen. Nothing fancy…You're not here to impress anyone right?” He raised an eyebrow
“N-no! of course not…” Sun laughed nervously
“Good then…Ill order the same as you” Barnard put his menu down “Now we have to call a waiter…” And before the sun asked, barnard continued “The ones that have those green hats, made of strange matter… those are the ones we have to call their attention”
Sun nodded and looked around trying to find one, and seeing none…
"So," he said, leaning back, watching the chaos of the club from a safe distance “Tell me about them."
Barnard tilted his head "Who?"
"Them" The Sun gestured vaguely at the crowd, a sweeping motion that encompassed everyone from the blinding blue giants near the bar to the faint red dwarfs huddled in corners "The other stars. You said not all of them are like you…"
Barnard was quiet for a moment. His glow flickered, not from instability, just from thought. Red dwarfs did that when they were considering something. They didn't waste energy on unnecessary brightness
"No…" Barnard said finally. "I'm not... typical And neither are you, for that matter…But we're typical in different ways"
"How so?"
Barnard gestured toward the center of the club, where a cluster of stars had gathered around a table made of crystallized carbon. They were pretty loud not just in volume, but also in their presence, their light seemed to push against everything around them, demanding attention and space
"You see that group? The ones who look like they own the place?"
The Sun squinted. "The giant blue ones?"
"Yeah, those… the ones who burn hot and fast and know it" Barnard's voice carried no judgment. Just observation. "Those are the O-type and B-type stars. The main sequence's aristocracy. They're massive…ten, twenty, sometimes a hundred times our radius. They burn through their fuel in millions of years instead of billions. And they know they're special"
The Sun watched a blue-white star laugh…actually laugh, a sound like shattering glass, and gesture imperiously at a passing waiter, the poor waiter was a red dwarf. Dwarves. That was all they were to these massive beings. Even he paled in comparison to the supergiants
"They look... intense” That was his only answer. Even from afar he could still get blinded by one of those
"They look brief " Barnard corrected. "But they don't think about that of course” Barnard said with certain arrogance “If you only have ten million years to exist, you obviously spend them being as bright as possible”
The Sun considered this "You sound like you've thought about this a lot Barnard"
Barnard stared at him for a while, until he found the appropriate words to say “WelI that’s true because…” He paused “I have, actually…. I’ve been alive for over ten billion years, Sun, I've had time to think" Barnard's glow flickered again, and for just a moment, he looked old. Not in the way that humans looked old, wrinkled and faded… Tired in a way that had nothing to do with exhaustion and everything to do with duration.
"Ten billion years…" the Sun repeated. That was more than twice his own age. He tried to imagine it—tried to stretch his consciousness across that expanse of time…and found himself staring into an abyss his mind couldn't cross “t-ten billion…” The sun stayed quiet for a while “That’s- twice my age… how…just-”
"I wasn't always this calm" Barnard interrupted "When you're young, everything feels urgent. Every interaction matters. Every slight is a wound that might never heal…your future and past merge since everything always stands still… that eternity does not seem that long…" He glanced at the Sun “But you’re still young”
“Young? I only have half of my life left!” Sun protested "That's not exactly-"
“Your Main sequence life Sun. You know there’s still life after that”
The Sun wanted to argue. But Barnard wasn't wrong
Before the Sun could respond… before he could even figure out what to say to something like that, a shadow fell over their table
Well to be more exact… a certain orange light, because stars didn't cast shadows. But something large had moved between them and the club's ambient light, and the sudden change in illumination was unmistakable
The Sun looked up…
And up…
And up some more…
The star standing in front of their table was enormous. Not supergiant enormous…not like that Rigel star or Betelgeuse territory…but easily large enough to make the Sun feel genuinely small. Orange-gold light pulsed across the star's surface in slow, deliberate waves
"Arcturus," Barnard said, and there was something in his voice that the Sun hadn't heard before. Respect, maybe. Or the wariness you develop toward someone who's been around long enough to have seen everything you've ever done
The giant star, Arcturus inclined his head. Not a bow. Not a nod. Something in between. An acknowledgment… or maybe he did that because Barnard being a red dwarf was just a dot on his vision
"Barnard " His voice was deep. Not in the way Sagittarius A's voice had been deep, powerful, the kind that bended space when every word was uttered. Arcturus's voice was deep. Full of things you couldn't see but could feel
"You're working tonight?" Barnard asked
Arcturus raised what might have been an eyebrow. It was hard to tell…his features were as vast and patient as the rest of him. "Someone has to. And unlike some stars, I don't consider service beneath my dignity"
Barnard's glow flickered in what might have been embarrassment. "I didn't mean-”
"You meant exactly what you said. Don't apologize for it." Arcturus turned his gaze to the Sun, and the Sun felt, for a disorienting moment, like he was being read in a way that had nothing to do with data and everything to do with patience
"You're new…" Arcturus said, it was no question
"I- yes… I'm the Sun” He hesitated, then added "Sun"
Arcturus's expression shifted. Not much… just a slight narrowing of the eyes, a subtle recalibration. He studied the Sun's face…his light, his temperature, the shape of his corona
"Sun" Arcturus repeated, testing the name. Then his eyes widened. Just slightly, and that was enough
"Wait" he said slowly "I know you. Not well…but I've seen you before. A long time ago…" His voice dropped, became something quieter, more careful. “Ah! I remember now! When the Centauri system found you. You were just a newborn star… small… scared… and-”
The Sun felt his core constrict. The memory surfaced, unbidden and unwelcome
A blinding light… a shockwave…the sound of something enormous tearing itself apart. The feeling of being thrown. Of screaming into the void and hearing no answer
"You… that time you had told us to run" the Sun said quietly "From the supernova. You said-"
"I said to get out of the way…" Arcturus's voice was gentle now. "And you... you didn't move. You stayed. I thought you'd been vaporized"
The Sun's surface flickered. A spasm of plasma, a destabilization he couldn't control. The word supernova echoed in his mind, and with it came a wave of heat that had nothing to do with fusion and everything to do with fear
"I was frozen…" the Sun admitted. "I didn't know where to go. I didn't have anyone to follow. So, I just... stood there. And then the wave hit me, and I was…alone… for a long time…”
Arcturus was silent. When he spoke again, his voice was softer than the Sun had thought possible for someone so large
Arcturus gave a bitter laugh “Actually..you know what? I had looked for you" he said "After. When the debris cleared. I searched the surrounding nebulae for any sign of a young yellow star…I assumed..." He paused "I assumed you hadn't made it."
"I almost didn't"
"But you did…" Arcturus's gaze was steady. "And now you're here. At the star club. Sitting among the blinding light of us stars” A hint of warmth crept into his voice "I have to say, Sol….I'm surprised you're not dead"
The Sun didn't know whether to laugh or cry. So he did neither. He just sat there, core thrumming, memory and present colliding in ways he wasn't prepared for
"I'm surprised too" he said finally
Arcturus nodded slowly. Then he reached out—a massive, careful gesture and placed something on the table. A tray of drinks. Four of them. Deep amber, faint red, electric blue, and one that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it
"These are on me," Arcturus said. "Consider it... a belated welcome. To existence. To survival. To making it this far against all odds"
“Hey, we haven’t ordered anything yet! And also everything if free here!” Barnard protested, but his protest fell on deaf ears
"I'm working as a waiter tonight…" Arcturus told the Sun "But I'll check on you later… Don't leave without saying goodbye" A pause "Either of you"
“HEY! BE BACK WITH TWO MOLECULAR CLOUD CLUSTERS! AND ONE STANDARD HYDROGEN. ARCTURUS!” Barnard screamed
Arcturus was gone, drifting toward a table of young white stars who were arguing about something that probably didn't matter
The Sun stared after him
"He's... not what I expected" he said
Barnard snorted. "No one expects Arcturus. He's been a waiter for seven billion years. He's seen more of the galaxy than most explorers. And he still shows up every night, carries his trays, and listens to other stars' problems like they're the most important things in the universe."
"Why?"
Barnard was quiet for a moment. "Because he believes that's his life purpose, to light up other stars with his knowledge and experience, blegh” Barnard shuddered
The Sun raised an eyebrow. "You just said that like it's disgusting."
"It is" Barnard said flatly. "Sentimentality. Unhealthy." But his glow flickered in a way that suggested he didn't fully believe that
The Sun looked at his new drink, but didn’t touch it, instead his gaze drifted back to the center of the club, where some stars, presumably the Orion stars had gathered. He'd noticed them earlier, it was impossible not to notice them. They were the loudest, the brightest, the most present beings in the room… He got lost in their movements
The way Rigel's laugh shattered across the room like breaking glass, the way Betelgeuse's red glow pulsed slow and steady in the corner and all of the other stars that surrendered them… the way they all seemed to exist in a different dimension from the one Barnard and Arcturus occupied
Barnard followed his gaze and they stared in silence, waiting for their drinks
Arcturus drifted back to their table sometime later,the Sun had lost track of time, lost track of everything except the slow, hypnotic rhythm of the club…and deposited two fresh drinks on their table
“Here are your drinks…Sorry if it took a while…The blue stars are being insufferable tonight. I needed an excuse to step away" Arcturus gave a small apologetic smile
Barnard accepted his drink and took a sip "They're always insufferable, aren’t they?"
"True” Arcturus responded But tonight they're arguing about whether Rigel or Bellatrix is more likely to go supernova first." Arcturus shook his head while handing sol the same drink as Barnard "As if either of them will live long enough to see the other's funeral"
The Sun stared at his drink, lost in the names being thrown around the conversation
"They joke about death a lot" he said “The Orion stars."
"It's what they typically do" Arcturus's voice was neutral. "When you're a blue supergiant, death is the only thing you can't outrun… So you make it a joke. You place bets. You pretend it's a game" He paused. "And the new target of those jokes is Betelgeuse”
"Betelgeuse?” The sun looked at the variable star
"Yes, Betelgeuse, he is… close to go supernova… I know this because I’ve been serving drinks for a lot of time…billions of years and… the stars about to explode look exactly like that” he said finally “Also I've watched his light dim every time someone mentions his death. He thinks no one notices." He paused "I notice a lot of things"
The Sun watched the exchange with something approaching wonder
"So…Arcturus," he said, and the orange giant turned his full attention toward him. It was overwhelming, the focus of something so ancient, so patient, so massive. Sol asked Arcturus instead of Barnard because he seemed to be occupied drinking
"Yes, Sol?"
"The stars here…The different types… Barnard explained some of it, but..." The Sun hesitated "I want to understand. Where do I fit?”
Arcturus was quiet for a long moment until he remembered the answer "You're a G-type" he said "Yellow dwarf… Main sequence. Right in the middle of everything." He paused "Do you know what that means?"
"That I'm average?"
Arcturus's eyes crinkled again. "No. It means you're the baseline. The point of comparison. Every other star is measured against what you are”
"That doesn't sound better”
"It's not about better. It's about… that classification goes from O to from hottest to coolest…its- its based on a star’s spectral lines… " Arcturus gestured toward the center of the club, where Rigel was laughing at something Bellatrix had said. "The O-types and B-types… the blue stars…they burn hot and fast. They're the ones everyone notices. The celebrities. The drama. They live ten million years and spend every moment of it trying to be more"
“Ah so that blue star over there…” The sun muttered
“Rigel" Barnard spoke finally "B-type blue supergiant. About twenty times more massive than you. Seventy thousand times more luminous. He's one of the brightest stars in our galaxy"
"He looks..." The Sun searched for the right word. "Intense."
"He's terrifying," Barnard corrected. "Not because he's cruel—though he can be. Because he knows he's brilliant and he's never doubted it for a single moment of his existence." A pause. "Some stars would kill for that kind of certainty."
Arcturus glanced at the Sun. "To put this into perspective, Sun… by the time you were old enough to have formed your first planets, Rigel would have already gone supernova and scattered his remains across the galaxy"
The Sun blinked “That’s... fast"
"That's blue stars for you " Arcturus interjected. "They don't have time for subtlety. They don't have time for doubt. They burn bright, they burn fast, and they die young. And most of them spend their brief existences being absolutely insufferable about it."
Barnard snorted. "You're just bitter because one of them made you drop a tray and lose your serving record”
"I am not bitter. I am accurate." Arcturus's voice was perfectly flat. "Her name was Spica. She apologized… well she did it a million years later after what happened but she did it!”
“So…what about the O-type stars? What is the difference between a B and O?” Sun asked
"That's a good question," Arcturus said, settling into the conversation despite still holding his tray with drinks meant for other waiting stars "O-types are even more extreme. Surface temperatures over 30,000 Kelvin… compared to Rigel's 12,000 or your modest 5,500." He paused "They're twenty to fifty times more massive than you also… Some are even larger. And they live maybe three to five million years. Rigel, for all his drama, will outlast them"
"Sounds exhausting," the Sun muttered
"It is" Arcturus agreed. "There's one not too far from here...called Naos or Zeta puppis…I didn’t catch her name well. She's an O-type star. And she's not in the club tonight because she doesn't have the patience for it"
Barnard snorted. "I’ve heard about her, she showed up, looked around, said 'this is a waste of my fusion, and left. Never came back"
"Wait so, she didn't even-”
"She didn't even order a drink," Barnard finished. "Her lifespan was too short to even wonder what to order and wait for it"
“Moving on!” Arcturus announced “We have the M-types…the red dwarfs, they burn slow and steady. They're the ones everyone forgets. The background. The patience. They live trillions of years and spend most of them alone."
“I think I already know one of those” Sun smiled looking at Barnard
Barnard's glow flickered, half embarrassment, half something softer" Ah…don't get sentimental. It's so…unbecoming" Barnard looked away
"Then we have my type" Arcturus continued, gesturing to himself with a slight bow. "Orange dwarfs... Like me”
“You don’t seem like a dwarf to me” Barnard muttered, Sun agreed with this
“Its because I have ran out of- because I moved on from being on the main sequence…” Arcturus looked away “But don’t worry! I still have time!” He paused “But anyways I had a long life, normally orange stars are longer-lived than you Sun… like fifteen to thirty billion years. Cooler, calmer, more patient. We're the ones who watch the blue stars burn out and the red stars outlast everyone and think, 'I'm glad that's not my problem”
“Arcturus but you haven’t reached.. I mean… You are way younger than-” Barnard got cut off
" Hmm and…. what about…."the Sun asked, not noticing he interrupted Barnard and pointed at two stars that were heading in the same direction. Towards Rigel’s group
Arcturus followed his gaze. "Ah, those ones… are the white and yellow-white stars. A-types and F-types…"
"The F-types come first" Barnard added "Yellow-white. They live about two to four billion years. Energetic. Impatient. The teenagers of the stellar world, if the teenagers were also on fire" Barnard said with a deadpan expression
Arcturus nodded "Their surface temperature is around 6,000 to 7,500 Kelvin… Hotter than you, Sol, but not by much…They burn through their hydrogen faster than G-types, so their lives are shorter. More urgency. Less patience" Arcturus illustrated with a gesture
"And that one you are seeing… is a great example" Barnard said, pointing with his glass toward a star who was trying…and failing miserably to insert himself into a conversation with Rigel's group. "I’ve heard his name was procyon. F-type. He's... different…"
"Different how?" the Sun asked curious, he honestly didn’t see anything wrong with this Procyon guy
Barnard and Arcturus exchanged a glance
"He's a bit of an odd one…" Arcturus said carefully "Hes very… eager and…enthusiastic. He wants to be noticed, but he doesn't quite know how to make that happen. His timing is always off. His jokes don't land. He tries very hard and never obtains anything"
The Sun watched Procyon wave at Rigel, who didn't even glance in his direction. Procyon didn't seem to notice the rejection…or if he did, he didn't show it. He just smiled and tried again.
"That's... kind of sad…" the Sun said quietly.
Barnard shrugged. "He doesn't seem to mind. Or maybe he's just used to it."
Sun stared at Procyon with pity and fear, honestly was projecting himself into this star. Because when he stood at the club’s door…he- he probably would have approached a star like that… Trying to crack jokes and be included in something everyone doesn’t want you to be part of
Oh…was this how mercury saw him when he obligated him to listen to his rants and bad sun puns? Yeah it was different because he was mercury’s star, he was above him, but here its different… But if sol had encountered with someone like Rigel… would he have been mocked too? If Barnard hadn’t met him first…would he… would certainly be like that star…
His train of thought stopped when Arcturus spoke again
"So, the A-types" Arcturus continued, steering the conversation forward "are the white stars. Hotter than F-types…surface temperature around 7,500 to 10,000 Kelvin. They live about a billion years. Bright, popular, convinced they're the best of both worlds" He listed
"They think they're too good for the reds and too stable for the blues" Barnard muttered "Most of them are insufferable"
"Not all…" Arcturus said"But yes. Many."
The Sun nodded, his attention already drifting across the club. There was one star in particular, that caught his eye. She had arrived with Procyon at Rigel’s table, but she was welcomed, unlike Procyon. A blue-white star, just like the A-types he had been described, and her light seemed…familiar…
"Who's that?" the Sun asked
Arcturus followed his gaze and smiled
"Ah. That's Sirius” Arcturus responded
“Oh” Sun nodded “I think… I’ve seen her light…yeah, I definitely have… Shes the brightest star in the night sky from Earth…Its…impressive seeing her from a closer range” The sun smiled fondly, unable to look away
"She is" Arcturus agreed "But she's also complicated. Don't approach her unprepared. Sirius isn't one for trivial conversations. If you look at her, she wants you to look properly. If you speak to her, she wants you to listen. And if you like her..."
"What if I like her?" The sun asked confused, Arcturus’ last sentence came out of nowhere for him
Arcturus's expression softened into something almost pitying
"Then, my friend, you're lost…"
The Sun took another sip of his drink; his eyes still fixed on Sirius. At that moment, she turned slightly just enough for their gazes to meet
Only a second
But it was enough
The drink hit his core like a collapsing star. The sensation traveled through his plasma like heat through vacuum, spreading outward from his center to his corona in waves… it was sweet, then cold, then something else entirely. Something he couldn't name. Combined with the fact that Sirius had looked at him at the exact same moment, his core seized up
He spat the drink back into his glass
Not gracefully or subtly. A full, undignified sputter that sent droplets of ionized hydrogen across the table
"Sun!" Barnard leaned forward, his red glow flickering with concern "Are you alright?"
The Sun coughed, a series of small, spasmodic bursts that made his surface ripple. "Fine. I'm fine. Just-" He coughed again "-went down the wrong way"
Barnard stared at him. Stars didn't have "wrong ways" for drinks to go down. But before he could point this out, a familiar voice cut across the club
"Having fun there?"Rigel's voice wasn't loud. It didn't need to be. Blue supergiants carried weight in ways that had nothing to do with volume
The Sun looked up. Rigel had left his table and was approaching their corner, his blue-white light pulsing with casual curiosity. Behind him, other stars followed
Bellatrix, sharp and watchful; Meissa, a smaller blue-white star with curious eyes; and Alnitak, one of the Belt stars, big and silent
"We're busy" Barnard said flatly
"Red dwarfs always say that..typical” Rigel replied, stopping a few feet from their table. His gaze swept over the Sun, then landed on Arcturus “And you. Still holding up the bar with your presence"
Arcturus raised an eyebrow "Someone has to keep the drinks moving. Unlike some stars, I don't consider service beneath my dignity"
Barnard swore Arcturus had told him that earlier, did he not have another phrase to say?
Bellatrix snorted "He's got you there, Rigel"
"I wasn't complaining," Rigel said "I was observing"
"You were complaining," Meissa said softly, a small smile playing on her lips. "You always complain when you have to wait"
Rigel shot her a look, but there was no heat in it "Et tu, Meissa"
"I'm just saying what everyone's thinking"
Alnitak said nothing. He simply watched, his eyes unreadable, arms crossed over his chest
Rigel turned back to Arcturus "I ordered my drink forty-five minutes ago"
"Approximately 0.00045% of your remaining lifespan" Arcturus said calmly "I'm sure you'll survive"
Bellatrix laughed, it was a short, sharp sound. "He did the math. You can't argue with math, Rigel"
"I can argue with anything" Rigel muttered
Meissa tilted her head "That's not a flex"
"Nobody asked you"
"You invited me"
"I invited everyone. It's called being sociable"
Alnitak finally spoke, his voice low and rumbling "Is that what we're calling it"
The group went quiet for a moment. Then Rigel grinned
"Fine. I came over because I was bored. The VIP table gets stale after a while" He glanced at Barnard "And I wanted to see if the red dwarf was still alive"
“You call your table the VIP one?” Arcturus asked, sadly no one answered him
Barnard's glow flickered "Still breathing. Unfortunately for you"
"Unfortunately for me" Rigel placed a hand over his chest in mock offense "Barnard, I worry about you. You never leave that corner. It's unhealthy"
"Someone has to keep it warm"
Meissa snorted. "That corner has seen more billions than most stars have seen millennia”
"And it'll see more" Barnard said. "That's the point of being a red dwarf. We outlast everyone"
Rigel's gaze drifted to Betelgeuse, who had followed the group at a distance and now stood slightly apart, his red glow pulsing slow and steady. He hadn't said a word
"You're quiet tonight" Rigel observed
Betelgeuse's eyes remained fixed on some distant point "I'm always quiet. You're the one who talks enough for everyone"
"Someone has to"
"And you volunteer"
"It's a public service"
Betelgeuse's lips twitched, almost a smile "How noble"
Rigel grinned. Then his attention shifted to the Sun, who had been watching the exchange with wide eyes
"So" Rigel said, leaning slightly closer"The yellow dwarf, Barnards friend”
The Sun opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. "I-yes. That's me"
"Relax. I don't bite" Rigel paused “I aim flares, but never bite”
Bellatrix rolled her eyes"You're not helping"
"I'm not trying to help. I'm being friendly"
"You're being Rigel " Meissa said. "There's a difference"
Rigel ignored her. His eyes landed on the drink in front of the Sun, the one Arcturus had brought earlier. Before the Sun could react, Rigel picked it up
"You don't mind, do you?"
"I-actually-"
"Great" Rigel took a sip. His expression soured "Molecular cloud clusters. Really You ordered the most boring drink on the menu"
The Sun felt his face heat. "Barnard recommended it"
Barnard shrugged. "He's not here to impress anyone"
"A bold strategy" Rigel set the drink down—not quite where it had been, but close "Let's see if it pays off"
The Sun stared at his displaced glass, then at Rigel. "You... you just took my drink"
"I did"
"Without asking"
"I asked. You didn't say no fast enough"
Bellatrix laughed again. "He's got you there"
The Sun looked at Barnard for help. Barnard just sighed
"Welcome to dealing with blue supergiants," Barnard said. "They take what they want and call it charisma"
"I am charismatic," Rigel said
"You're loud," Meissa corrected
"Same thing"
Alnitak's voice cut through the banter, low and dry. "It's really not"
Rigel waved a hand dismissively. "Details" He turned back to Betelgeuse, who had remained still throughout the exchange, his red glow pulsing with that slow, irregular rhythm
"Speaking of details," Rigel said, "when's the big day, Betelgeuse I've got bets riding on you"
Betelgeuse didn't look up "Bets"
"On your supernova. I've got five million years' worth of ionized hydrogen saying you'll blow within the next fifty thousand" Rigel glanced at Bellatrix "She says a hundred thousand" Then at Alnitak "And our silent friend here won't commit to a number, which is typical"
Alnitak said nothing. His silence was its own statement
"Alnilam's being optimistic," Meissa offered. "She says two hundred thousand. But Alnilam's always been soft"
The Orion stars chuckled, except Betelgeuse. His glow flickered once, barely, then steadied
"How macabre" he said, his voice low and measured. "Gambling on my death while I'm still standing here"
"Standing is generous," Rigel said "You've been sitting in that corner for three million years"
"Conservation of energy" Betelgeuse finally looked up. His expression was calm, almost serene. But there was something in his eyes…not anger. Just tiredness "You should try it sometime. Rest. Reflection. The quiet contemplation of one's inevitable end"
"We don't have inevitable ends" Bellatrix said, crossing her arms. "We're blue supergiants. We burn until we don't. It's not inevitable. It's just physics"
Betelgeuse's smile was slow. Elegant. And utterly devoid of warmth
"Physics," he repeated "Is that what you're calling it? I call it a countdown. And your numbers are smaller than mine, Bellatrix" His gaze drifted to Rigel. "Smaller than yours too. You just don't look at the clock. None of you do"
The table went quiet. Meissa shifted uncomfortably. Alnitak's expression didn't change, but something in his posture stiffened
Rigel recovered first. He reached for the Sun's drink again, then paused, noticing the Sun's wary stare
"Relax," Rigel said, setting his own hand down without taking the glass. "I won't steal your drink twice. That would be rude"
"You just said you don't bite"
"I don't. Stealing is different"
Meissa sighed. "It's really not"
Rigel raised his own glass, he got it by taking meissas' and raised it in a mock toast. "To Betelgeuse. The only star in Orion who made dying into an art form"
Betelgeuse raised his glass dark red liquid that seemed to absorb light "To your inheritance" he replied. "May you fight over my carbon with more dignity than you're currently displaying"
He drank. The Orion stars laughed, uneasily, this time, and began drifting back toward their table
Rigel lingered for a moment, his gaze flicking between Barnard and the Sun
"You're not as boring as I expected," he said to the yellow dwarf. Then, to Barnard: "And you're not as dead as I hoped"
"Disappointed"
"Always"
Rigel turned and stalked back to his table, his light trailing behind him like a cloak
Barnard exhaled "Idiot"
"You're not wrong" Arcturus murmured
The Sun was still watching Betelgeuse, who had settled back into the shadows of the VIP table. His red glow pulsed slowly, irregularly—like a heartbeat that had forgotten how to keep time
"He seemed..." The Sun searched for the word. "Composed…when I came here he was crying… a lot”
Arcturus followed his gaze. "Betelgeuse is… a variable star… sometimes he acts high and mighty and others…he breaks down completely…"
The Sun didn't know why, but that flicker…that brief, almost imperceptible dimming of Betelgeuse's light,felt important
He filed it away. For later
"So that's really how stars act" The Sun was quiet for a moment “All of you. Putting on faces
Barnard and Arcturus exchanged a glance
"Most of them," Arcturus said "The bright ones, anyway"
"The ones who have something to prove" Barnard added "Or something to lose"
The Sun nodded slowly. He thought of his planets. He thought of his solar system…about the way he used to demand attention, just like Rigel
He looked away from the Orion table
Arcturus adjusted his strange matter hat and balanced his tray. "Well, I should get back before Rigel files a formal complaint. Enjoy your drinks" He paused"And Sol"
"Yes"
"Don't let the brightness fool you. Some of the most important stars in this room are the ones you barely notice"
He drifted away, disappearing into the crowd
Barnard snorted "He's always like that. Dramatic. Philosophical"
"Is he wrong?"
Barnard was quiet for a moment. "...No"
They sat in silence. The club pulsed around them, music, laughter, light…but their corner table felt separate from it all
"So" Barnard said finally "There's a casino here. Stars gamble their belongings. Old nebulae, captured asteroids, sometimes even entire protoplanetary disks"
The Sun raised an eyebrow. "What do stars even gamble with?"
"Things they don't need anymore. Things they want to lose" Barnard paused. "Or things they hope to win back"
The Sun reached into his core and pulled out a small, dark rock. It was unremarkably jagged, dusty, barely held together by gravity. The asteroid from his belt. The one he'd kept after throwing the rest away
"I only have this" he said
Barnard looked at the asteroid. His glow flickered… not in disappointment, but in something softer
He smiled
"That's enough"
Across the club, at a table near the far wall, three stars were sitting together
Rigil Kentaurus and Toliman were arguing about something trivial
Rigil gesturing dramatically with a piece of food that looked suspiciously like a compressed asteroid, Toliman watching him with the exhausted patience of someone who had been hearing the same argument for five billion years
"-and I'm telling you, it's not a spoon, it's clearly a-"
"It's an asteroid, Rigil. You're eating an asteroid"
"It's artisanal"
Toliman sighed and pushed his own food around his plate, thoroughly unimpressed
Neither of them noticed the third star at their table
She was small. Red. Her glow was faint compared to the blazing giants around her, but there was something steady about it
Proxima Centauri wasn't listening to Rigil and Toliman. She wasn't looking at her food. She wasn't even pretending to care about the argument
She was looking across the club
At a corner table. At two stars,one red, one yellow,sitting together in comfortable silence
Her gaze was patient. Not hungry, like the ones who wanted attention. Not calculating, like the ones who wanted something. Just watching
Like she was waiting for something
Rigil finally noticed her distraction. "Proxima. Are you even listening"
She didn't answer
Toliman followed her gaze, squinting across the crowded club "Who are you looking at"
Proxima's lips curled into a small, quiet smile
"No one" she said "Yet"
She turned back to her food, picked up a piece of compressed stardust, and took a bite
But her eyes drifted back one more time
The yellow dwarf had no idea she was watching
That was fine
She had waited billions of years to see her neighbor again
She could wait a little longer
-----------------------------------
New stars unlocked!
Rigel
Oh, Rigel. Where do I even start?
Rigel is a B-type blue supergiant who thinks he is the main character (He's not) located about 860 light-years from Earth. He's one of the brightest stars in our galaxy about 70,000 times more luminous than the Sun and he wants you to know that. Constantly. Loudly. Preferably while you're trying to enjoy your drink.
Rigel is approximately 10 million years old (a teenager, in star years), has about 20 times the mass of the Sun, and a radius roughly 70-80 times larger. His surface temperature is a blistering 12,000 K , hot enough to make your core feel sorry for itself. He's going to end his life as a supernova in a few million years, probably collapsing into a black hole or a neutron star.
But don't mention that to him. He gets touchy.
Rigel's personality can be summed up in one word: arrogant. He's the star who walks into the club and expects everyone to notice. He's the one who laughs too loud, drinks too much, and makes cruel jokes about Betelgeuse's impending death.
Rigel is often confused with Rigil Kentaurus (Alpha Centauri A) because their names sound similar. Rigel hates this. Rigil loves it. The confusion has caused at least three fights in the club, one of which required Uy scuti to step in and separate them
Arcturus
Arcturus is what happens when a star lives long enough to stop caring about fame and start caring about literally everything else. Located 37 light-years from Earth in the constellation, this K-type orange giant has been wandering the galaxy for over 7 billion years which makes him older than the Sun, older than Rigel, older than pretty much everyone in the club except maybe the furniture…. And Barnard
Arcturus has about 25 times the radius of the Sun, but his surface temperature cooler than our Sun, despite his size). He's approximately 170 times more luminous than the Sun, but don't tell him that he'll just shrug and ask if you want another drink. He's currently in the red giant phase, which means he's already left the main sequence and is burning helium in his core. Eventually, he'll shed his outer layers and become a white dwarf. But that won't happen for a while. Arcturus isn't in a hurry.
His name means "Guardian of the Bear" a reference to the nearby constellation Ursa Major. Arcturus finds this hilarious because he has never met a bear and is not sure he would want to
He holds the club record for most drinks carried at once,427 and is currently aiming for 430. Sadly, a pulsar named Lich knocked over the tray he was carrying with his gravity and spilled the drinks he had on it.