214. Starlight Over Gas Giants. (Patreon)

Miles Morales POV:

If you grow up watching science fiction movies, you develop certain expectations.

Warp travel? You get stretched like spaghetti.

Hyperspace? Your stomach tries to escape through your throat. Teleportation? Congratulations, you’re about to vomit your organs.

So when the UNSC Infinity punched into hyperspace… I instinctively braced myself and I tightened my grip on the console.

I prepared for dizziness, nausea and the general unpleasant sensation of my atoms reconsidering their life choices.

None of that happened.

Instead, it felt like watching a river of light.

Outside the bridge windows, the universe had become a flowing current of white streaks across an endless blue tunnel.

No spinning or twisting. Just flowing calmness.

I blinked. “…That’s it?”

Peter didn’t even turn around from the captain’s chair. “Yup.”

He was adjusting power inputs through a holographic panel floating in front of him. “The Hyperdrive is currently operating at approximately five percent power.”

I nearly fell over. “Five percent?!”

He nodded. “At maximum output the ship would cross the Milky Way in roughly two hours.”

Ganke made a choking sound. “Dude… that’s not a spaceship. That’s a cheat code.”

Peter B. leaned against a console.

“Kid, I’ve been to space a lot,” he said. “Guardians missions, Avengers stuff… alien invasions…” He gestured toward the lightstream outside. “This still feels insane.”

“Hyperspace corridors are dimensionally compressed transit vectors. Your brain interprets the external radiation patterns as streaks of light.”

I stared outside again. “Okay… that sounded simple but I still don’t get it.”

Peni spoke up from her console. “It means we’re not actually moving through normal space.”

Scarred Peter nodded approvingly. “Correct. We’re inside a compressed subspace topology where distances are significantly shorter.”

My brain tried to process that and it failed. Thankfully something else distracted me.

Tiny sparks flickered across the ship’s shields.

Thousands of them. They looked like shooting stars striking the hull. “What are those?”

Peter answered casually. “Dust.”

“Dust?” I repeated. “Yes.”

He pointed to the shield readout. “At our current velocity, even microscopic particles carry kinetic energy equivalent to nuclear bombs.”

Another shower of sparks rippled across the shield.

“Fortunately,” Peter continued calmly, “the shield disperses the energy across the hull lattice.”

Hobie grinned. “So basically space sand is trying to kill us.”

“Yup.”

The bridge quieted. Because suddenly, the tunnel of light ended and space snapped back into existence.

Ahead of us… Three stars burned in the darkness.

Golden sunlight from Alpha Centauri A, slightly dimmer glow from Alpha Centauri B and far in the distance the faint crimson ember of Proxima Centauri.

Three suns. Three lights. Three gravitational dances frozen in cosmic balance.

“Wow…” Aunt May whispered. Her voice trembled slightly. “It’s so beautiful.”

Peter’s Uncle Ben nodded slowly. “I’ve lived eighty years and I never thought I’d see another star.”

Margo walked slightly closer to the observation window. “I’m really glad I came here physically.” She said. “My virtual avatar couldn’t have experienced this.”

Scarred Peter nodded. “It probably wouldn’t work out here anyway.”

Margo turned. “Why?”

Scarred Peter crossed his arms. “Your digital projection relies on quantum transmission anchored to Earth-based infrastructure.”

He gestured toward the stars. “At interstellar distances the signal coherence collapses.”

Margo blinked. “You studied my world's system that deeply?”

He shrugged. “The Spider Society benefits from my expertise and I benefit from stealing inspiration from your tech.”

Everyone laughed. Even Peter and then Em Jay spoke. “I wonder if one of those moons has Na’vi on it.”

Peter looked at her and then deadpanned: “Hopefully not.”

She blinked. “Why?”

Peter crossed his arms. “Because they wouldn’t survive long.”

The room went silent.

“Why do you think there isn’t an Avatar sequel in my universe?”

Gwen smacked him immediately. “Peter! That's a secret!!”

Hobie stared. “Hold up.” He leaned forward.

“You blocked James Cameron from making Avatar?”

Peter nodded. “Yes.”

Everyone shouted at once.“WHY?!”

Peter stood up dramatically. “I took personal offense at humanity losing to a tribe of naked blue monkeys with bows.”

He paced across the bridge. “Also those scientists betrayed their species!”

He pointed accusingly at no one. “TREASON!”

Gwen rubbed her temples. “I married this man…”

Margo changed the topic quickly. “What about mutants?”

Peter stopped. “They’re people. They always were.” Then he sighed. “As for bigotry…”

He looked toward the stars. “What is humanity without its flaws?”

No one answered.

Then Peter B. clapped his hands. “Okay enough philosophy.” He pointed outside. “Look.”

And honestly?

He was right.

The three suns burned like jewels against the void.

Peter Parker POV:

Space is often described as empty.

That description is inaccurate.

Space is vast but it's not empty.

It's filled with motion, radiation, gravity, particles, energy and curiosity.

So naturally, once we arrived in the Alpha Centauri system… I opened the airlock.

EVA — Spacewalk

The external hull of the UNSC Infinity stretched beneath our boots like a metallic continent.

Each of us wore adaptive vacuum suits and magnetic boots locked onto the armor plating.

Below us, the curvature of the ship vanished into the distance.

Miles stared downward. “This ship is bigger than Brooklyn.”

“Debatable.”

Hobie walked toward one of the massive defense turrets. The anti-air gun emplacement were colossal. Each turret the size of a small house.

“Bloody hell.” He whispered. He placed a hand on the massive barrel.

“These things fire ion-neutrino bolts?” He asked.

“Yes.”

Scarred Peter was already examining the mounting assembly. “Rotational speed?”

“Six hundred degrees per second.” His eyes widened. “Jesus.”

Miles floated slightly upward before his boots reattached to the hull. “Guys.”

He pointed toward the horizon. There it was, Jupiter’s twin in another system.

Bands of orange and white storms rolling across the atmosphere of the Gas giant.

Lightning flashed deep within the clouds and the sight was overwhelming.

Fighter Flight:

Inside the hangar bay, dozens of sleek F-302 StarHawk fighters waited.

Melvin spoke through the intercom. “All craft prepared for recreational flight.”

Miles’ eyes lit up. “Oh hell yes.”

Within minutes the boys were strapped into cockpits and after everyone was strapped in the fighters launched.

They burst from the hangar into open space and immediately began racing.

“Melvin!” Miles shouted. “Don’t hold back!”

The AI responded calmly. “Understood.”

The fighters accelerated and the stars stretched past them.

They rolled through space doing aerobatics in zero gravity.

Peter B.’s voice crackled through the comms.b“I haven’t felt this alive since college!”

Gas Giant Dive

Back on the bridge I took the helm. “Melvin.”

“Yes Captain?”

“Prepare atmospheric skim.”

Several people shouted immediately. “WHAT?!”

“Relax.” I pointed at the shields. “The Infinity’s energy field can withstand stellar plasma. This is nothing.”

We descended and the ship pierced the upper atmosphere of the gas giant.

Clouds engulfed us, lightning flashed across the shields and the deck beneath our feet vibrated slightly.

Storm systems larger than Earth rotated beneath us. It was beautiful, terrifying and majestic all at once.

Miles’ voice echoed through the bridge. “Now this? This is the coolest field trip ever.”

And honestly?

I had to agree.