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Captain Nigel Carter's quarters were bathed in the soft glow of the stars, their light filtering through the expansive viewport. Nova stirred in his arms, her body warm and soft against his. Nigel looked down at her, his heart swelling with an emotion he had sworn off since Tatyana's mother left. He pushed the thought aside, focusing on the present. Nova's eyes fluttered open, her deep black irises swallowing the soft light of the room. She smiled at him; a small, soft smile that made his heart skip a beat.

"Did I fall asleep?" she asked, her voice soft and groggy.

Nigel nodded, his thumb brushing against her cheek. "For a bit. You needed the rest."

Nova stretched, her body arching against his. "One would think after 300,000 Standard Years of sleep, I wouldn't need more," she joked, her voice still hoarse from sleep.

Nigel chuckled, his hand moving to her back, rubbing it in soothing circles. "Well, it's been a rather eventful day for you, hasn't it?" he replied, his voice gentle. Nova laughed, a sound that was both musical and warm.

"That's an understatement," she said, her eyes twinkling with amusement. She pushed herself up, her hands resting on his chest. "Thank you, Nigel, for everything," she said, her voice soft and sincere.

"You're welcome, Nova.” Nigel replied, his hand rubbing one of her arms. “By the way, we are already inside the Timeless Zone of the Wandering Gate, see?" Nigel pointed towards the viewport, showing Nova the swirling, color-changing vortex of the Timeless Zone.

Nova let out a soft gasp, her eyes widening as she took in the sight. "It's... it's beautiful," she whispered. Her tone attempted awe but was obviously hiding another emotion.

"We arrived early. I expected as much from Lucas," Nigel said, his voice calm and steady. He watched Nova's reaction closely, wanting to gauge her response to the news.

Nova's eyes widened, her body tensing slightly. "That's... that's a bit sooner than I anticipated," she admitted, her voice not able to hide her confusion and disappointment. "I thought we had more time," she added, her gaze flicking back to the mesmerizing dance of colors outside.

Nigel noticed the change in her demeanor. His brow furrowed with confirmation, but then his face softened. "Let me show you something," he said, standing up and extending his hand to her. Nova took it, her fingers wrapping around his strong, calloused palm.

He led her out of his quarters and down the hall to the Astrometrics lab. The door slid open with a soft hiss, revealing a room filled with holographic displays and star charts. At the center of the room, a large, transparent table displayed a 3D map of the Wandering Gate and its surrounding systems.

Nigel gestured to the table, "This is the Astrometrics Lab. It's where we plot our courses, study star charts, and track our progress."

Nova approached the table, her eyes scanning the intricate display. Her fingers brushed against the table's surface, activating a holographic control panel.

"It's just a tool, really. But it's a useful one." He stepped closer, his hand covering hers on the table. "I have the curse of falling for the wrong woman at the wrong time." He gave her a small smile, his eyes filled with a mix of regret and longing. "Which is why I always end up spending every waking moment, and some resting ones, here," he said, gesturing to the Astrometrics lab. "Work keeps my mind busy, keeps me from... complicating things."

Nova looked at him, her eyes softening. "You mean like falling for the wrong woman again?" she asked, her voice playful.

Nigel chuckled, a sound that was both sad and amused. "Exactly like that," he replied, his thumb brushing against her hand.

"Is that why your 'snout' knows how to find anomalies such as a collapsed entrance to a Wandering Gate?" Nova inquired with a slight sarcasm.

Nigel laughed, a genuine laugh that warmed Nova's heart. "Well, I like to think I'm just exceptionally good at my job," he replied, his eyes twinkling.

Nova leaned into him, her body pressing against his side. "I have no doubt about that. But I also think you're being modest," she added, her voice soft.

Nigel grinned, enjoying the lighthearted banter. He started to use the holographic controls of the table, and the room turned into a starfield, with the table acting as a 3D map of the cosmos. "Alright, since we're here, let me show you something," he said, his voice animated.

He zoomed in on a particular area, and a habitable planet appeared, most of its landmass located on one side of the planet. "This is Hades, my home world." Nigel's voice was filled with a mix of pride and longing as he gazed at the holographic representation of the planet.

"Hades, as in the underworld?" Nova asked, her eyes wide with curiosity as she studied the holographic planet. "That's an... interesting name for a home world."

Nigel chuckled, "It's not as bleak as it sounds. It's quite beautiful, in its own way. Dark, dramatic landscapes, vast oceans, and skies that are always a mix of reds and purples." As he spoke, the holographic planet grew closer, turning into a night sky. "We actually renamed our planet after we met other spacefaring peoples. Turns out that the large landmasses of the 'upper' hemisphere, where much of our population resided, faced away from the beautiful bar of the galactic center. Quite humbling, really."

"This is your night sky! It's breathtaking," Nova whispered, her eyes mirroring the reds and purples of Hades' sky.

Nigel nodded, pride swelling in his chest. "It truly is. I miss it more than words can express." He turned to Nova, his expression softening. "And even though this 'northern' sky doesn't have a view of the galactic bar, it does contain these," he spoke with a grand gesture as lines formed, connecting various stars along a curved line of the planet's ecliptic. "Our large seas and ocean meant we were a seafaring people long before we took to the stars. We built our first ships to navigate these vast waters, and it was from these early sailors that we learned to recognize the patterns of the stars. We call them the 'Path of the Titans.'"

Nova followed the lines, her eyes tracing the constellations. "Titans, you say?" she asked, her voice filled with curiosity and realization.

Nigel nodded. His gaze locked on the holographic representation of his home world. "Depicting the twelve named Titans from our mythos, which I won't get into. Yes, twelve named Titans, those being the names of the twelve thirty-day lunar months of a perfect 360-day Calander year." he said with a sigh, a knowing appreciation of the irony.

"But there's a thirteenth one," Nova noted, her eyes scanning the constellations.

Nigel looked at her, a small smile playing on his lips. "You're right," he agreed, "there is. It's a bit... unorthodox, really. But it's there." He traced the constellation with his finger, a loose grouping of stars that almost seemed haphazardly placed.

"The very celestial bodies conspired against our perfect mythos, it seems." He chuckled softly, looking at Nova. "This one, we call The Nameless Titan. Ironically, it is the only Titan that looks like an Osphranter, see, if you squint?" He pointed at the loose grouping of stars, shaping them like a kangaroo with his finger.

Nova laughed, a sound that was both warm and genuine. "You're right, it does. And it's beautiful, just like you," she said, her voice soft and sincere.

Nigel felt his heart skip a beat at her words. He looked at her, his eyes filled with a mix of surprise and gratitude. "Thank you, Nova," he replied, with a slight chuckle. "But it's the unofficial version of this Titan that's germane. See this fuzzy area right here?" Nigel pointed at a smudge on the holographic map. When he did so, Astrometrics brought up details of the object in a separate window, enhancing the image to reveal its true form.

"A galaxy?" Nova asked, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Yeah, it goes by many names, but I fancy the colloquial name from a people on a backwater planet that I've visited. They call it, Andromeda." Nigel's voice was filled with awe as he gazed at the distant galaxy, its spiral arms stretching out like a dancer's limbs. "It's the closest major galaxy to our own, yet it's still over two million light-years away."

"The chained one," Nova whispered reverently, eliciting a reaction from Nigel.

Nodding, Nigel replied, "Yeah, I suspected you would know that." he turned back to The Nameless Titan constellation, and using his finger he drew a dotted line from the Andromeda Galaxy to the groin of The Nameless Titan, "And when you connect Andromeda to The Nameless Titan, at the groin, you get..." he paused waiting for Nova to come to the realization.

"The Titans... Pillar," Nova finished, her cheeks blushing with the realization.

Nigel nodded, a small smile playing on his lips as he spoke, "Exactly. Our ship's original name was 'The Nameless Titan', but we changed it to 'The Titans Pillar' after I took command."

Nova looked at Nigel with amusement, "How... juvenile." she chuckled, her eyes gleaming.

"Yeah, well, I'm already a 'criminal' under a sentence of death, so I figured a little juvenile humor wouldn't hurt," Nigel replied, a grin spreading across his face.

Nova laughed, a sound that was both warm and infectious. "Well, I like it. It's... you," she said, her voice soft and sincere.

Nigel felt his heart swell at her words. He looked at her, his gaze intense. "And I like you, Nova. More than I should," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

Nova's breath hitched, her eyes meeting his. "I like you too, Nigel. More than I should as well," Nova replied. She looked away, her gaze returning to the holographic map of the cosmos. "But... but what happens now?" she asked, her voice filled with uncertainty.

Nigel only sighed as his eyes turned from Nova's to the communications panel.