Galaxy: M-874,Andromeda Star-Sector 773, "The Omni-Reach"
The first thing you must understand is that the universe breathes.
Far, far away from Earth, in a place where human maps mean nothing, there is a jungle. This is not a normal jungle. The trees are purple, with leaves that glow a soft blue. Waterfalls of sparkling silver liquid crash down from mountains made of black crystal. The air hums with strange insect sounds and the calls of unseen animals. This is a world of dangerous beauty.
It expands and contracts in rhythms older than time, in galaxies so distant their light has not yet touched human eyes. In one such spiral arm of the cosmos, in a sector mapped by the Celestial Sapiens as Galaxy M-874, "The Ben-10 Reconfigured Continuum," life thrived in violent, beautiful diversity. Here, on the jungle moon of Kur, the air didn't just hum—it sang. The song was one of predatory shrieks, of bioluminescent flora pulsating in the triple-canopy darkness, and of waterfalls that fell from floating mountains into bottomless, mist-choked abysses.
Running through this alien jungle is an 18-year-old boy. His name is BEN. He is breathing hard, his heart pounding in his chest. His clothes are torn from sharp branches. He looks over his shoulder, his eyes wide with fear. He is being chased.
On his left wrist, something glows with a bright, pulsating green light. It looks like a watch, but it is like no watch from Earth. It is made of a smooth, grey metal that seems fused to his skin. In its center is a strange, glowing symbol that flashes with every beat of his heart. He keeps his right hand clamped over it, trying to hide the light, but the green glow leaks through his fingers. It is a beacon in the dark, alien forest.
CRASH! A red energy blast sizzles past his head, burning a hole in a giant mushroom.
BEN: (To himself, panting) "Almost there... just gotta make it to the clearing!"
Meanwhile, in a different part of the jungle...
An 18-year-old girl named GWEN is cornered. She is backed against the trunk of a massive, twisting tree. Her magenta hair is stuck to her face with sweat. Three figures advance on her. They are not human. They are tall, with grey, leathery skin and large, black eyes. They wear sleek, silver armor. These are aliens.
ALIEN LEADER: (In a cold, buzzing voice) "The psychic human female. Do not damage her. The Master wants her alive."
GWEN holds out her hands. A flickering pink energy, like glowing mist, forms around them. She pushes the energy toward the aliens. It hits one in the chest, making it stumble back a step.
GWEN: "Stay away from me!"
But the energy is weak. It sputters and fades. Using her powers has drained her. She is exhausted and terrified. The Alien Leader points a long, thin device at her. A beam of blue light shoots out and wraps around her legs like ropes, holding her tight. She cries out and falls to the ground.
ALIEN LEADER: "The energy bindings will hold her. Prepare for transport."
BEN bursts into a small clearing just as he hears GWEN's cry. He sees her trapped on the ground. Rage mixes with his fear.
BEN: "GWEN! Let her go!"
The aliens turn. So do the creatures chasing Ben—two hulking, reptilian hunters with crude laser rifles. Now, both groups see Ben. And they all see the green light blazing on his wrist.
REPTILE HUNTER: (Growling) "The device! The bounty is ours!"
ALIEN LEADER: (Buzzing) "The energy signal is immense. Secure the boy and his device!"
Ben is trapped between them. He looks at Gwen, who is struggling against the light ropes. Her eyes meet his, full of fear.
GWEN: "Ben, run!"
But Ben doesn't run. His face sets with determination. He looks at the glowing device on his wrist. He doesn't fully understand it, but he knows it is his only chance. With a shout, he slams his right palm down onto the glowing green symbol.
BRRZZZZT! KOOOOM!
A sound like electric thunder fills the clearing. A blinding flash of green light explodes from the device, so bright that everyone has to look away. The light surrounds Ben, growing taller, changing shape.
When the light fades, Ben is gone.
In his place stands a creature made of living, green crystal. It is over seven feet tall, its body sharp and angular, reflecting the jungle light. Its eyes glow a solid white. On its chest is the same green symbol from the watch.
The Reptile Hunter fires its laser. The red bolt hits the crystal creature in the chest—and shatters harmlessly.
The creature—BEN inside this new form—looks at his own crystal hands. He feels powerful. Solid. Unbreakable.
BEN: (His voice is deep, like grinding stones) "Okay... this is new."
He moves. He is surprisingly fast. He charges the Alien Leader. One of the grey aliens shoots an energy blast. BEN doesn't dodge. He takes the hit on his shoulder, and it does nothing. He swings a giant crystal fist.
THWUMP! The Alien Leader is thrown ten feet through the air.
BEN turns to the Reptile Hunters. They are both firing now. Pew! Pew! Pew! The lasers bounce off him like annoying bugs. He raises a foot and stomps the ground.
CRACK! A sharp spike of green crystal erupts from the dirt, right under one hunter. It lifts the creature into the air, knocking its rifle away.
BEN then looks at Gwen. He points a crystal finger at the blue light ropes binding her. A small, sharp shard of crystal shoots from his fingertip.
SNIKT! It cuts through the light ropes like they are nothing. Gwen scrambles free.
GWEN: (Staring in shock) "Ben...?"
Suddenly, the second Reptile Hunter lunges from behind, wrapping its arms around BEN in a bear hug, trying to crush him. The grey aliens are getting up, their weapons powering up for a stronger blast.
BEN grunts. He focuses. The crystals on his back grow longer, sharper. He jerks his body backward.
SCRAPE! CRUNCH! The crystals on his back stab into the Reptile Hunter, who howls in pain and lets go.
But the strain is too much. The green symbol on BEN's chest starts to flash red.
BRRZZZZT! KOOOOM!
Another flash of light. The crystal body shrinks, dissolves, reforms. A moment later, the tall crystal creature is gone. BEN, the human boy, stumbles and falls to his knees, breathing heavily. The device on his wrist is glowing a steady green again.
He is vulnerable. Human.
The remaining Alien Leader stands up, its cold eyes fixed on Ben. It raises its weapon, aimed right at Ben's head.
ALIEN LEADER: "Now, you will come with—"
FWOOM! ROAR!
A deafening engine roar cuts through the jungle. A shadow falls over the clearing. A spaceship, looking like a flying, rust-colored cargo van, drops from the sky! It lands between Ben and the aliens with a heavy THUD, crushing plants under its landing gear.
A side door slides open with a hiss.
Standing in the doorway is an older man with a kind but tough face and a great silver mustache. He wears a simple cap and a brown jacket. This is MAX, their grandfather.
MAX: (Yelling) "Kids! In the ship! NOW!"
He isn't holding a normal gun. It's a bulky, high-tech blaster. He fires two quick shots over Ben's head.
ZZZAP! ZZZAP! The blue energy bolts hit the ground near the aliens, spraying them with dirt and forcing them to duck.
Ben doesn't need to be told twice. He scrambles to his feet, grabs Gwen's hand, and they both sprint for the open door. They tumble inside the ship, collapsing onto a metal floor.
MAX fires one more covering shot and jumps back inside. The door slides shut just as an alien energy blast slams into it.
CLANG! The ship shudders.
MAX runs to the front and slides into the pilot's chair. The cockpit is full of strange lights and controls. Outside the front window, the aliens are regrouping, aiming bigger weapons.
MAX: "Hang on to something! This is gonna be rough!"
His hands fly over the controls. The ship's engines growl to life. With a lurch that throws Ben and Gwen against the wall, the ship lifts straight up, smashing through the purple jungle canopy and into the strange, orange sky.
On a viewscreen, they see the silver waterfalls and crystal mountains shrink below them.
BEN: (Panting, looking at the watch) "What... what is this thing, Grandpa Max?"
MAX: (Focused on flying) "Later, Ben! Right now, we have bigger problems!"
Alarms start to beep on the control panel. GWEN crawls into the co-pilot's seat, looking at the screens.
GWEN: "Grandpa! Three small ships just came out from behind the moon! They're chasing us!"
On the screen, three needle-shaped, silver alien ships appear. They are faster and more agile than Max's rusty ship.
ALIEN SHIP (Radio Voice): "Surrender the device and the Psionic human. You cannot escape."
MAX: "Everyone, strap in! I'm taking us to hyperspace! We're jumping to the Sirius sector!"
He pulls a large lever. A deep hum fills the ship. The stars outside the window begin to stretch into long, white lines. They are about to jump to light-speed.
Suddenly, the ship jerks violently! A warning light flashes red.
GWEN: "They hit us! The hyper-drive is destabilizing!"
One of the alien ships had fired a last-second, glowing red torpedo. It didn't explode; instead, it released a wave of crackling energy that wrapped around Max's ship like a net.
The humming turns into a sickening whine. The stretching stars outside begin to wobble and twist. The ship is shaking apart.
MAX: (Fighting the controls) "The jump portal is collapsing! I can't control it!"
BEN: (Holding onto a railing, terrified) "What's happening?!"
MAX: "We're being pulled off course! The navigation computer is going crazy!"
Outside the window, the tunnel of streaking light tears open. Instead of the blackness of space, they see a bright, swirling blue and white marble. A planet. A very familiar planet.
GWEN: (Her voice a whisper of horror) "Is that... Earth?"
The ship is falling, tumbling out of control toward the blue planet. Flames from the atmosphere begin to lick at the windows. The heat is intense. Alarms scream.
MAX: "Brace for impact! We're going down!"
The ship spins. They see clouds, then a vast green forest rushing up to meet them at terrifying speed. Ben looks at Gwen, her face pale. He looks at Max, who has his hands locked on the controls, trying to steer the crash.
BEN closes his eyes and holds on tight. The green glow from the device on his wrist paints the screaming cockpit in pulses of eerie light.
CRRRRAAAAASSSSSHHHHHHH!!!
The sound is enormous. The world turns upside down. Metal screams, glass shatters. Then, everything goes black, silent, and still.