Primordial Expanse: I have the Strongest Talent! - Chapter 464

Chapter 464: Return
The duo fell into a comfortable silence, the only sound being the hum of the ship’s engines filling the cockpit.

The calm was a welcome relief after the tense, oppressive atmosphere on Gorath, and Alex allowed himself a rare moment to savour it.

He knew that, soon enough, they’d be back to dealing with the usual chaos of life, but for now, he was content to drift in the quiet of the void.

“So…”

Mira said after a while, breaking the silence.

“What’s the plan once we reach Mars? I assume you have something in mind.”

Alex chuckled.

“Honestly? I have no clue… I just set the destination there because I have no other information to go off of.”

Alex shrugged and continued.

“I mean, we were away in the Primordial Expanse for who knows how long, so things could have drastically changed compared to how they were at the start of the war.”

***

Lieutenant Ryan Kael shifted in his seat, scanning the array of screens that monitored the outskirts of the Solar System with his eyes.

The shift had been uneventful so far — mostly freighters and some stray shuttles coming in from across the galaxy, either seeking refuge in the safest star system in the galaxy, or just doing their usual trade of goods.

It was a routine so ingrained that he barely needed to glance at the notifications that popped up, automated acknowledgments for every vessel that entered their jurisdiction.

Just as he was about to reach for his coffee, however, a small alert window opened on his screen, grabbing his attention.

‘A King class ship? Since when did we get another King class prodigy?’

Ryan’s brows knitted together, and he leaned closer, staring at the details.

This only caused him to be even more confused.

He recognized the ship ID, even though it had been flagged as missing months ago after it had gone missing in the Telorn system.

‘King class prodigy Alex!?’

The case had been unofficially closed when both he and Mira, who he had reportedly gone to find, were declared lost in action.

“Are the systems glitching again?”

Ryan muttered under his breath, pulling up the ship’s specifics to confirm what he was seeing.

But everything checked out.

It was, without question, Alex’s ship, reading steady on the scanners as it broke into the outer edges of the Solar System.

The trajectory was set directly for Mars.

As he tried to make sense of it, a creeping unease settled in the pit of his stomach.

Another officer in the room noticed Ryan’s intent focus.

“You all right there, Lieutenant? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Ryan swallowed, his fingers still hovering over the controls.

“Not a ghost, I think… More like… a mystery.”

The officer’s eyes followed his gaze to the screen.

“No way. Isn’t that—?”

“Yes. Alex’s ship. That King class prodigy who was all the rave not too long ago…”

The officer whistled, looking impressed and unnerved in equal measure.

“And here I thought the rumours were just rumours. Everyone’s been saying he and Mira got swallowed up in some conflict they were too weak to participate in.”

Ryan nodded grimly, deciding to alert his superiors to Alex’s arrival before the news reached the media.

He tapped a few keys and activated a priority transmission to Federal Command.

Meanwhile, back on Alex’s ship, he and Mira were sitting side by side in the cockpit as they approached Mars.

The soft hum of the warp engines settled into silence as the ship exited faster-than-light travel, and Mars loomed ahead, its familiar red terrain coming into sharper focus.

Alex released a breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding.

It had probably been over half a year since he’d seen Mars — longer than he’d realised during his time in the Expanse.

“Finally.”

Mira said, leaning back in her seat, her fingers tapping rhythmically on her armrest.

“It’s strange seeing something so… normal after everything.”

“Yeah.”

Alex agreed, his gaze fixed on Mars as they closed in.

“Almost surreal, isn’t it? I expected the old nerves to kick in, but… I feel calm. Peaceful, almost.”

‘Looking at this place, you’d have no idea that a galaxy wide war was raging on throughout the rest of the Milky Way…’

Alex felt a little conflicted at seeing how calm and peaceful the Solar system looked.

Everywhere else was embroiled in conflict and war, and suffering was prevalent no matter where one looked.

But here, in the epicentre of human civilisation, they continued their normal, mundane lives like nothing was happening.

It almost felt… unfair.

“Guess we can thank Gorath for putting things into perspective.”

Mira replied, a faint smile touching her lips.

“After that, this feels almost like a vacation.”

They shared a look, a quiet understanding passing between them.

Alex checked the console, noting the course adjustments and entry protocols he’d need to follow to approach Mars under official radar.

He set the coordinates and keyed in a communication line.

A confirmation blip appeared on his screen, along with a standard hail message from Mars’ orbital monitoring station.

“Mars approach station, this is Alex, requesting clearance for landing.”

Alex said, keeping his tone even and professional.

There was a beat of silence on the line, long enough that Alex exchanged a glance with Mira, eyebrows raised.

Then, the voice of the duty officer came through, thick with disbelief and barely contained curiosity.

“Welcome back, Alex. Your request is… confirmed. Proceed to designated landing site.”

***

Lieutenant Ryan Kael leaned back in his chair, watching the tiny dot of Alex’s ship move closer to Mars on the screen, accompanied by the updated readout of his docking clearance.

He could already hear the buzz building around him as word spread through the control room.

The return of Alex and Mira was big news, and Ryan knew it wouldn’t be long before Command demanded a report on their conditions, their location, and any intel they’d gathered in their time while missing in action.

As Alex’s ship approached the atmosphere, Ryan keyed into the general comms channel, broadcasting across the base.

“All personnel, stand by for a debrief on incoming arrival. This is a priority.”

There was a murmur of acknowledgment as officers across the station settled into place, eyes fixed on their screens, each one bracing for Alex’s landing.