Chapter 404: Messier 33

Somewhere beyond the Milky Way...

Intergalactic Space.

The stars stretched into endless streaks of blue and violet light.

Inside the sleek, obsidian spacecraft, Jayden sat strapped into his seat, staring through the panoramic window with undisguised fascination.

He had seen pictures of space before. He had watched documentaries, played games, and read about the universe.

None of it had prepared him for this.

The ship’s engines hummed beneath his feet as the surrounding darkness blurred past. Every so often, strange points of light appeared in the distance before vanishing behind them, swallowed by the ship’s incredible speed.

Jayden leaned closer to the window.

"So... how fast are we actually moving?"

Theresa kept her eyes on the navigation display.

"Fast enough."

He turned to look at her.

"That’s not an answer."

"It’s the one you’re getting."

Jayden stared at the back of her head for a moment before returning his attention to the window.

Kyle, seated beside him, let out a quiet snort.

Theresa glanced at him through the cockpit’s rearview display.

"Something funny?"

"No," Kyle replied immediately.

"Good."

She returned her attention to the controls.

Jayden smirked.

He was beginning to understand why Big T had sent Kyle along as his escort. The man was built like a tank, spoke only when necessary, and seemed to spend most of his time regretting his employment choices.

Theresa, on the other hand, appeared to have made irritating people her personal hobby.

The ship continued accelerating.

Then, gradually, the streaks of light outside began to change. A vast structure emerged from the darkness ahead.

Jayden’s smile faded. He leaned forward, his eyes widening.

It was a galaxy.

Not a collection of stars scattered across the darkness, but an immense spiral of light, dust, and countless stellar systems, its luminous arms sweeping around a brilliant central core.

For several seconds, Jayden forgot to breathe. He had never imagined seeing something like this with his own eyes.

"That’s..."

"The Milky Way," Theresa finished his sentence. "The one and only."

Jayden stared at the cluster of light in awe.

The galaxy grew smaller as the ship continued onward, its immense spiral gradually receding into the distance.

Jayden watched it until it became a distant patch of light against the endless darkness.

Somewhere in that vast expanse lay Earth. His home. His family.

The thought brought a strange feeling to his chest.

For the first time in his life, he was genuinely far away from everything he knew. Not a few cities away. Not on the other side of a continent.

He was leaving his entire galaxy behind.

And somehow, that thought was both terrifying and exhilarating.

"So," he murmured, resting his head against the seat. "This is what it feels like to leave home."

"You’ll get used to it," Theresa muttered, her fingers dancing across the control interface. Then, she announced:

"Milky Way departure confirmed. Entering planetary coordinates for Zeta."

A series of symbols appeared across the navigation display.

The ship’s engines hummed louder.

Outside, the Milky Way continued to recede, its luminous spiral eventually becoming a distant glow suspended in the darkness.

For the first time, Jayden saw his home galaxy from the outside. He had spent his entire life beneath its stars without ever imagining what it might look like from this perspective.

Now he was watching it disappear behind him.

And he couldn’t help wondering how many other worlds existed beyond it.

How many civilizations.

How many beings powerful enough to rival the creatures he’d encountered on Earth.

How many secrets remained hidden in the darkness.

He settled back into his seat, a small smile returning to his face.

Man, I really need to get out more.

Several hours later...

A soft chime sounded from the cockpit.

Theresa glanced at the navigation display.

"We’ve reached the destination galaxy."

Jayden immediately leaned forward.

"Already?"

She looked at him.

"Did you want the journey to take longer?"

"No. I’m just surprised."

"Hm."

She tapped the display, bringing up a three-dimensional astronomical map.

An immense spiral galaxy appeared above the console, its luminous arms sweeping outward from a brilliant central region.

Unlike the Milky Way’s familiar structure, this galaxy possessed its own distinct arrangement of stars, gas, and dust, forming a vast cosmic spiral against the blackness.

A label appeared beneath it:

MESSIER 33.

TRIANGULUM GALAXY.

Jayden stared at the display.

"So that’s where we’re going?"

"That’s where we are," Theresa corrected. "Our destination is a planetary system within this galaxy."

She enlarged the map.

Several stars appeared, each accompanied by a collection of orbiting bodies. The navigation system highlighted one particular system before marking a planet within it.

DESTINATION: PLANET ZETA.

Jayden studied the image.

The planet was enormous, its atmosphere a mixture of deep blue and pale violet. A magnificent ring system encircled it, forming several luminous bands that reflected the light of its star.

Two moons were visible nearby.

One shone silver-white.

The other possessed a faint copper glow.

Jayden leaned toward the window.

"Wow. It’s beautiful."

"Try to contain your excitement," Theresa said.

Jayden looked at her. "Have you been there before?"

"Obviously."

He chuckled. "Right. Forgot you’re the professional intergalactic taxi driver."

"I am a pilot!" Theresa snapped.

"Same thing."

Theresa gave him a fierce look through the rearview display.

Jayden went quiet.

Then the ship began its approach toward their destination planet.

The navigation display shifted, showing Zeta’s orbit around its star. The ship adjusted its trajectory, passing distant celestial bodies before beginning its descent.

Jayden watched the planet grow larger. The planet rings stretched across the sky, their immense bands of debris forming pale arcs against the darkness. Wisps of cloud swept across the window.

Below the rings, the planet itself offered an even more staggering visual.

As the ship began its descent through the thermosphere, the landscape broke away to reveal an endless expanse of flora. It was an untamed forest that stretched as far as the eye could see across the curvature of the world.

The canopy extended toward the horizon, broken by winding rivers and occasional patches of open land. Sunlight spilled across the treetops, illuminating sections of the forest in brilliant shades of emerald.

The ship continued descending.

For a while, the forest was all Jayden could see.

Then something appeared beyond the distant treeline.

A city.

At first, it was little more than a cluster of structures shimmering on the horizon. But as the ship approached, the buildings grew larger, revealing an enormous metropolis of metallic towers, elevated transit lanes, and sprawling districts.

The city’s outer structures spread across the landscape, gradually replacing the wilderness with roads, buildings, and landing facilities.

Vehicles moved through the air between towering structures.

Lights flashed across distant signs.

The skyline rose beneath the planet’s unusual sky, with the immense forest stretching away behind it.

Jayden pressed closer to the window. "Woah."

"Welcome to Zeta," Theresa announced as she guided the ship toward a private landing facility on the outskirts of the metropolis.