Chapter 405: Zeta

The spacecraft touched down on a broad landing platform surrounded by other vessels. Some were sleek and compact, resembling the ship Theresa had piloted from Earth. Others were enormous, with bulky hulls and strange geometric shapes.

A vessel resembling a flattened pyramid hovered above a neighbouring platform before descending on a cushion of blue light.

Jayden watched it through the window, chuckling in amusement.

"This is going to take some getting used to."

"Try not to stare at everything," Kyle advised as he unfastened his seat belt. "We got business to attend to."

Jayden’s eyes sharpened. "Right."

Theresa powered down the engines.

"Y’all better chill. The Grand Exchange doesn’t start for another two hours," she said, unstrapping herself from the pilot’s seat. She stood up, stretching her arms. "Also, I need to hit the city and grab fuel for the return trip."

Then, she looked down at Jayden.

"You’re coming with me."

Jayden glanced at her. "Didn’t you get fuel before we left Earth?"

Theresa paused, looking back at him with an expression of mild annoyance.

"I did."

"Then why are we getting fuel again?Couldn’t you have calculated how much we’d need for the whole trip?"

Theresa scoffed. "Yeah. Why didn’t I think of that?" she murmured in a sarcastic tone. "Oh, wait! I did."

Jayden stared at her, deeply confused. For a moment, he wondered if she was serious.

"Fuel is cheaper here. I’m saving cash," Theresa explained. "Now, stop asking dumb questions and get up. If I have to wait in line, I promise you Jayden, you gon’ ride outside on our way back."

Jayden slowly turned toward Kyle.

Kyle shrugged.

"Don’t look at me. I’ve learned not to question her."

Theresa walked toward the exit.

"Come on. There’s a station nearby."

Jayden sighed softly.

I really should have stayed home.

He unfastened his seat belt and followed.

They had barely reached the exit when Kyle stepped into their path.

"Woah. Hold up."

Theresa stopped and frowned.

"What?"

Kyle looked directly at Jayden.

"You’re here to compete in the Grand Exchange, collect the artifact, and return to the ship. No sightseeing. No wandering off. And no getting gas. Boss’s orders."

Jayden folded his arms, letting out a scoff. "I’m getting the impression that your boss doesn’t trust me."

"He’s paying me to make sure you don’t do anything stupid," Kyle said.

Jayden rolled his eyes. "How flattering."

Theresa sighed. "Look, man, we’re just getting fuel. We’ll be back in a jiffy."

Kyle shook his head. "Theresa, Big T gave me those orders—"

"Well, I’m Big T’s sister," she cut in sharply.

Kyle fell silent.

Theresa stepped forward, raising a brow. "Do you really wanna explain to my brother why you decided to argue with me over a trip to the fuel station?"

Kyle’s expression tightened.

"No, but—"

"Wonderful. Then step aside."

Kyle hesitated. He stared her down for a long moment, weighing the cost of arguing with his boss’s blood relative.

Theresa stared back at him, waiting.

After another moment, Kyle moved out of the way.

"Fine. But don’t take too long."

"We won’t."

She turned and walked away.

Jayden followed, passing Kyle with a small, sympathetic smile.

Kyle gave him a flat look. "You have two hours, kid. If you aren’t back by then, I’m coming after you."

Jayden gave a subtle nod, chuckling under his breath.

And just like that, his first excursion on an alien planet began.

.....

The city was even more impressive from the ground.

Towering buildings rose on either side of the broad streets, their surfaces made from materials Jayden couldn’t immediately identify. Some were polished and reflective, while others seemed to shift subtly beneath the sunlight.

Elevated transport lanes crisscrossed overhead. Vehicles glided along them in orderly streams, occasionally disappearing between buildings before emerging from another route.

Pedestrians filled the pavements. And Jayden quickly discovered that not all of them were human.

A tall, four-armed individual walked past carrying several shopping bags.

A scaled creature with a long tail stood beside a street vendor, gesturing animatedly at a display of unfamiliar food.

Nearby, a group of small, floating machines delivered parcels to a building entrance.

Nobody seemed particularly marveled by any of it. They went about their business, speaking, shopping, and navigating the crowded streets as though the entire spectacle were ordinary. To them, it was simply another Tuesday.

But to Jayden, it was as if he’d been submerged into a city of a thousand planets.

He had encountered supernatural creatures on Earth. He had fought beasts that could tear through steel. He had even travelled off-world in games.

But this was different.

This was real.

"Enjoying the view?" Theresa’s voice suddenly snapped him out of the daze.

Jayden tore his gaze away from a passing vehicle. "Yeah. Everything here is... new."

Theresa chuckled softly. "You’ll get used to it."

They continued walking.

Theresa led him along a commercial street lined with shops, food stalls, and small businesses. Strange aromas drifted through the air, mingling with the faint scent of machinery and warm stone.

Jayden kept his hands in his pockets, his eyes scanning the crowds, absorbing the architecture, the technology, and the sheer scale of an interstellar civilization.

They reached a busy intersection where pedestrians moved in several directions. A large transport vehicle passed overhead, casting a shadow across the street.

Jayden glanced up.

Distracted by the complex visual display on the vehicle, he took a half-step to the right and collided directly with someone coming from the opposite direction.

Thud.

The impact wasn’t heavy, but it was sharp enough to halt them both instantly.

Jayden caught his balance, instinctively stepping back. "Sorry, I—"

He paused mid-sentence.

Standing right in front of him was a girl about his age. She had blonde hair, wore a simple black outfit, and a thick, dark blindfold was wrapped across her eyes, completely obscuring her sight.

She turned her head slightly toward him, carrying an indifferent expression.

"You should pay more attention to your surroundings," she said softly.

Then, without waiting for a response, she walked past him, disappearing back into the stream of passing pedestrians.

Jayden turned his head, watching her retreat into the crowd. A strange, cold prickling sensation crawled up the back of his neck.

It wasn’t just her unnerving composure or the fact that she moved with absolute precision despite being blindfolded that made him tense. It was her strange energy signature.

It was the exact same inexplicable energy he had felt the first time he encountered Skye in the forest. It was also similar to the quiet, crushing pressure he always sensed radiating from Aileen.

It was overwhelming. It was unquantifiable. And it was definitely non-human.

Jayden stood frozen for a second, his eyes following the girl’s retreating figure.

"Hey! Keep moving," Theresa’s voice snapped him back to reality, calling over her shoulder from a few yards ahead. "The depot is right around the corner."

Jayden blinked, shaking the strange feeling from his head, and hurried to catch up.

He had no idea that simple encounter with the blindfolded girl was the beginning of a chain event that would change his life forever.