Ad Astra etched deep in the ship’s metal. Our destiny deeper yet within the stars. A young boy stood at the edge of the fence looks at the takeoff complete. Red and orange flames shoot off the bottom of the launch boosters. The crowds cheers are silenced by the roar of the world changing engine. Hope departs from the planet— the crowd shuffles away. The boy stays put— small hands clenched on the fence. He wonders when he’ll leave. If he’ll leave. He wonders about the distant swirl of milk-stained stars in the weave of warm shadows.

***

The howl of frigid winds met Magnus’ ears. First steps through the heart of darkness and onto a new world. The boy that had stood dreaming at the edge of the known worlds now stood a man. A man that represented the last of the galaxy reconnaissance team. Gods & mortals fools alike. The crush of fate pressed tight to Magnus like a heartbroken lover during the final night.

It took five years of drifting through darkness to arrive at the coordinates. A small dot on the map dictated the path of Magnus’ life. The snowbanks before him now stood as foreign mountains that reminded him of his childhood. The frost began to creep across his faceplate. He opened his codex to begin recording the planet before him.

Magnus had three days to complete his expedition before he had to enter stasis. The follow up team would find him alone in a new world. A gentle sleep as the world unfolded around his ship like petals blooming.

Fear grappled with wonder as the frost crunched under his boots. A persimmon colored light shone from a dwarf sun overhead. The yellow rays of the original galaxy sun were long gone.