It had been seven days since Aiden arrived on this world.
Each morning followed the same routine. Each night ended in the same silence. Nothing changed.
He tried to send a message every day. At first, he still believed someone might answer. As the days passed, that belief slowly faded. The calls became something he did out of habit, not hope.
Aiden knew he could not continue forever. Every message used power. The amount was small, but power was limited. If he wasted it little by little, it would become a serious problem later. In a place like this, even small mistakes could cost him his life.
The ship itself was not the problem. All systems worked as they should. Diagnostics showed no errors. Power levels were low, but stable because he checked and adjusted them daily. The antenna was aligned perfectly. Every setting was correct.
There was nothing broken. Nothing malfunctioning.
No orbital traffic. No satellites. Not even a stray buzz or fragment of chatter.
Even if the planet was extremely far away, the silence did not make sense. With the level of technology he knew, going an entire week without receiving even one reply should not have been possible.
Aiden had been missing for far too long. The equipment he carried was registered and expensive. His ship transmitted a tracking signal that was meant to be easy to find. His parents had enough influence that a search would have started almost right away. Someone should have been trying to reach him by now.
If he were anywhere within known space, even at the farthest edge of the mapped galaxy, rescue should have already come.
The ship's deep range passive array, known as the Long Baseline Signal Monitor, listened constantly across every usable frequency. It filtered out noise, strengthened weak signals, and removed interference as it worked.
In the end, it found nothing. Only background radiation and the soft hiss of cosmic static filled the channels. It was the sound of an empty system, one without any signs of communication.
That level of silence only made sense if the planet had never developed any form of communication technology. Or worse, if the space around it had never carried such signals at all. The thought felt wrong as soon as it formed. A whole region of space without even one artificial signal should not exist.
The idea settled in slowly, without panic.
If this place was so far away that no probe, no satellite, and no listening post had ever reached it, then the silence began to make sense. Nothing had ever come here. Nothing had ever sent a signal back. The only explanation Aiden could accept was that this galaxy lay far beyond known space, so distant that it had never been discovered yet.
He stopped there. Dwelling on it changed nothing.
Mornings were for work.
He ran environmental readings as the sun climbed. Atmospheric composition stayed within safe margins. Gravity was slightly lower than standard, but close enough to adapt to. Radiation levels were stable.
There wasn't much changes, but he still logged every data religiously.
He gathered soil samples nearby first. Then plants. Then any kinds of grass he stumbles upon. Insects were collected carefully and sealed in sample jars before being brought back to the ship's analyzer.
Even after a week, the data still unsettled him. Discovery did not bring excitement. It brought uncertainty. Each scan pushed his understanding further away from what this world insisted on showing him.
The plant life made that gap impossible to ignore. Growth patterns were inefficient by every known biological model, yet the organisms thrived.
Some compounds were more than unusual.
One plant in particular caught his attention. Tests showed that its fibers helped keep blood pressure steady. The analyzer ran the results twice before he believed them. The effect was ten times stronger than the best medicine he knew from Earth, and it showed none of the usual side effects.
He stared at the data, then at the plant itself, growing quietly outside the ship.
He named it BP Stabilized Flora Variant One and saved the data into the system. The name was plain, but it fit what the plant did. He could change it later if needed.
The soil caused even more concern. Every sample he tested was good for growing plants. The nutrients were not extreme, but they were steady and reliable. No matter where the soil came from, it supported strong plant growth. That kind of consistency should not have been normal.
By the time he finished logging the morning's data, one conclusion was unavoidable.
This planet alone could be the most valuable discovery in human history.
The thought did not make him smile.
Afternoon came, and it were reserved for the ship repairs.
He worked through damaged panels, rerouted failing lines, and shut down systems that used power without helping him stay alive. The ship could not fly. It could not enter warp. It could not send messages off world.
For now, the ship was only shelter. Nothing more.
Power was always running out. The clock never stopped. Food and water had become just as important. Without them, nothing else mattered.
Waiting for rescue was no longer an option. Aiden changed the way he thought. Survival came first. Repairing the ship came second. Finding a way to leave this world dropped to the lowest priority. Even if he wanted to escape, it was impossible right now.
He also began working on a reduced version of J.E.M, the ship's management system. This smaller version would only handle basic tasks. Its purpose was simple. It needed to unlock restricted storage areas so he could access supplies and tools. There was no guarantee it would work. If it failed, he would be in trouble.
Because of that risk, he could not depend on the ship alone. He needed reliable sources of food and water from the planet itself.
There were no fruit trees near the ship. So he was planning to head out.
"I saw fruit trees farther from the ship, and I saw animals too, so when the sun comes up tomorrow, I will head out and see what I can gather." Aiden thought. He wanted to collect more samples and sort out what he could safely eat, what could help him survive, and what might be deadly to him.
On the eighth day, he prepared to move.
He planned to leave early in the morning and return before four in the afternoon. After that time, the temperature dropped fast and became dangerous. Traveling at night was possible with vision assist, but it added risk. He did not want to take risks unless he had no choice.
The drones had fully mapped everything within three miles of the ship. Past that distance, heavy interference broke their signal. His solution was simple and careful. He would place signal beacons to the north, south, east, and west. With those in place, the drones could safely scan another two to three miles farther out.
The drones had already spotted fruit bearing trees near the edge of the mapped area.
That was where he would go first.
He put on the exoskeleton and locked a one ton storage chest onto its back. An air drone lifted into the sky without a sound. A land drone rolled ahead of him, scanning the ground and marking safe paths. He carried only a small amount of food and water, and nothing he could not afford to lose.
He moved slowly and with care.
The ground changed slowly as Aiden walked farther from the ship. At first, the land was open and quiet, covered only with short grass. As he moved on, plants began to appear along the path, and soon he reached the first fruit trees.
Apple shaped fruit hung from broad branches. He stopped, reached up, and carefully picked one. The fruit was heavier than it looked. He turned it in his hand, checked its skin, and placed it into a container before marking the spot on his map.
Nearby, a banana like plant grew in thick clusters. Its fruit was a deep violet color, unlike anything he had seen before. He cut one free, sealed it away, and logged its position.
Berry bushes spread low across the ground around them. Their leaves were sharp and waxy, built to protect the fruit. He crouched down, gathered a few samples, and stored them with the others.
He continued forward, moving slowly and watching everything around him, when the trees ahead began to look different, and several of them caught his attention at once.
Beyond the fruit trees, the land changed again. A dense forest rose ahead of him, the trees standing close together and blocking much of the light. Their shapes were tall and straight, unlike the softer trees he had passed earlier.
Aiden slowed his steps as he entered the forest. He watched the ground, the trunks, and the space between them. Nothing moved. The air felt still.
He stopped beside one of the trees and placed a hand against the bark. It felt cold and hard. Curious, he took out his cutting tool and pressed the blade against the surface. The blade slid, leaving almost no mark. He added more pressure. The bark barely scratched.
"This.. This looked like the Steelwood that Planet Z has."
He stepped back and tapped the trunk with one of his tools. The sound that came back was sharp and clean, like metal being struck.
It was not metal, but it was close enough to confuse anyone.
He studied the bark more carefully. It bent slightly instead of cracking. The surface was dense, layered, and filled with mineral traces. He recognized the structure from old records. There was a similar tree on a strategically important planet. Aiden heard that this kind of tree was rare, slow to grow, and extremely valuable.
Here, it surrounded him.
The forest stretched in every direction, filled with the same trees.
If the structure held true, this material could be stronger than steel while weighing less. It would not rust if treated correctly. The layered grain suggested it could spread force evenly, making it ideal for building.
He imagined beams for support. Frames for shelter. Strong walls for defense.
He checked his tools and shook his head. He did not have what he needed to cut one down. For now, it would have to wait. He marked the forest's location on his map and continued on, knowing that barricading the ship could come later.
He continued collecting.
Aiden moved carefully through the area, stopping often to gather what he could. Small insects crawled along the ground and clung to leaves. He caught them one by one and placed them into clear jars, sealing each lid tightly. Herb like plants grew nearby, and he clipped small sections before placing them into sealed containers.
As he worked, he stayed alert. His eyes scanned the trees and the open spaces between them.
A soft sound came from behind him.
He froze in place. His hand tightened around his gear, and he slowly shifted his view to the air drone feed above him.
The image showed a small creature beneath one of the fruit trees. It looked like a rabbit at first, crouched low as it ate fallen fruit from the ground. Then he saw its eyes. They were red and sharp, glowing in the drone's view. Its fangs were far too long for such a small body. Thin claws scraped against the dirt as it chewed.
This was not a harmless animal.
Aiden slowed his breathing and steadied himself. He raised his pistol and ran a quick check. The settings were already correct. Output was set to a needle thin emission. Auto aim assist was on. The charge level was stable.
He fired.
The shot crossed the distance in an instant. The creature dropped without a sound. There was no blood, no struggle. Its body went still, collapsing as if its strings had been cut.
Aiden stayed where he was for several seconds after the shot. He watched the creature closely, ready to react if it moved again. When it remained still, he stepped closer.
Up close, the body looked wrong. The muscles were thick and packed tight beneath the skin. They were too strong for an animal that small. He lifted the head slightly and saw the jaw. The teeth were shaped for tearing flesh, not for chewing plants. Whatever this creature looked like, it was not harmless.
He placed the body into a sealed container and secured it. Then he moved on, staying alert.
As he continued through the area, more animals appeared. Each one was different. Some were small and quick. Others were heavier and moved low to the ground. All of them showed signs of being hunters. None acted like simple prey. One by one, he brought them down and stored them away, careful not to waste time or power.
The last animal was the most dangerous.
It stood taller than the others, shaped like a deer but built thicker and heavier. Crystal like antlers rose from its head and caught the fading light as it moved. When he fired, the shot barely slowed it. Its hide was tough and dense.
It tried to run.
Aiden adjusted the pistol and raised the output to ten percent. He fired again. This time the animal fell, sliding across the ground before stopping just short of the treeline.
By the time he finished, the storage containers were heavy. His movements slowed as the weight added up.
The light began to fade as he turned back toward the ship. The drones fell into formation around him, scanning as they moved. Behind him, the forest grew quiet once more, as if nothing had happened.
He reached the ship as the temperature dropped. He sealed the hatch and shut down every system he did not need.