The vast expanse of space stretched before him, an endless abyss of stars and distant worlds. Inside Astrais, Axel Leo monitored the ship's instruments as it steadily approached its next target—an unidentified wreckage floating in low orbit around the water-covered planet he had called home for the past year.
The wreck had appeared unexpectedly on Astrais' long-range scans, an anomaly in an otherwise charted sector. The data suggested advanced materials and power signatures beyond what he had scavenged from the ocean's depths. If there was any chance of furthering his technology, this was it.
"CHM-002, distance to target?" Axel asked, adjusting the trajectory.
"Seventy-two thousand kilometers and closing. Estimated time of arrival: four minutes."
Axel's fingers tightened around the controls. The wreckage was unlike anything he had seen before—large, fractured, and seemingly untouched by time. Strange energy readings fluctuated from within, but the specifics remained elusive.
"Deploy active scans. Let's see what we're dealing with."
The AI complied, sending out a low-frequency pulse. The results returned moments later, painting a fragmented image of the structure. Twisted metal plates, shattered corridors, and the faint remnants of an artificial atmosphere. But more than that, an anomaly—something unstable—registered within its core.
Axel's instincts flared. Something was wrong.
The moment Astrais passed the fifty-thousand-kilometer mark, the ship shuddered violently. An unseen force latched onto it, dragging it off-course. Warnings flooded the HUD, and the control chamber's lights flickered as the ship's artificial gravity momentarily destabilized.
"ALERT: Unknown gravitational anomaly detected. Ship trajectory destabilized."
Axel's hands flew over the controls. "Recalibrate thrusters! Break free from the pull!"
The ship's engines roared as Astrais struggled against the anomaly's grasp. Yet, no matter how much power he redirected, something was pulling him deeper, as if reality itself was warping around him.
Then, the stars twisted.
The blackness of space bent and cracked like a mirror under strain. A blinding flash consumed the cockpit, and for a split second, Axel felt weightless—not in the way space dictated, but as if he were being unmade and stitched back together elsewhere.
Then, silence.
The alarms had stopped. The turbulence was gone. The violent gravitational pull had ceased.
Axel's breathing was ragged as he assessed his surroundings. The wreckage was gone. The planet was gone. The entire sector was gone.
Through the viewport, unfamiliar constellations blinked back at him. The once-recognizable galactic coordinates Astrais had mapped were replaced with nothing but unknown data.
"CHM-002… where the hell are we?" Axel muttered, his voice strained.
The AI took several moments longer than usual to respond. "Calculating… Unable to determine precise location. No recognizable stellar formations in current star charts."
Axel's stomach clenched. He was lost.
He brought up a full system diagnostic. Astrais was intact, but some of its subsystems had suffered temporary failures. The gravitational anomaly had disrupted long-range communications and wiped part of his navigation logs, leaving only a vague trajectory estimate of where the anomaly had flung him.
"Options for returning to the previous sector?"
"Negative. No stable coordinates available for backtracking."
Axel exhaled sharply. No way back, no known path forward. Trapped in deep space.
He leaned back, running a hand through his hair. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. He had planned to scavenge, improve, and prepare for his journey on his terms—not be thrown across the universe by forces beyond his control.
But dwelling on the impossible wouldn't help. Survival came first.
"What about nearby celestial bodies? Anything remotely habitable?"
Astrais' sensors took another sweep of the surrounding space, compiling data. A few moments later, the results displayed on the screen.
"One planetary body detected within feasible travel range. Composition analysis suggests an atmosphere containing oxygen, nitrogen, and trace gases—potentially suitable for human survival."
That was something.
"Distance?"
"Approximately 4.2 light-days away."
Axel frowned. It was far, but not impossible. With the ship's current propulsion system, it would take roughly a month to reach it.
He had the resources to last, but barely. Rationing would be necessary. Power consumption would have to be kept low. And most importantly, he had no idea what awaited him when he arrived.
But at this point, he had no other choice.
With a deep breath, he locked in the new course.
"Engage sub-light travel. Let's go meet the unknown."
As Astrais' engines reignited, Axel stared out into the abyss ahead.
He was lost, but not defeated.
This wasn't the end.
It was the beginning of something far greater.