Humanity's drive to get out into the universe could not be understated. For many it was believed that they would never be able to set foot on another planet in their lifetime, so when it became possible that they might have a chance to walk the surface of foreign worlds, a fire was ignited within them. Everyone wanted a chance to travel the expanse of space, and they didn’t care how they got it.

Naturally, NASA and other space organizations got a massive influx of applications from the hopeful masses. The majority of these applications were turned down as they did not have any skills that would qualify them for being an astronaut. However, just the act of receiving all these hopeful resumes was inspiring to those who worked in the field and told them just how much people were in support of furthering space travel.

Other than astronauts, the influx of engineers who changed their field of specialization more skyward was significant as well. With the many new faces all throwing ideas up onto the proverbial wall to see what sticks, some interesting ideas ended up emerging from the chaos. New designs for spaceships, transportation vehicles, even new designs for propulsion systems that utilized the Retvalin’s fuel source. The many ideas would theoretically come out to be a speed demons wet dream if constructed correctly.

The creative drive was focused in a singular direction like a cannon. We were propelled forward into space at an alarming rate, though it was still years before reliably consistent travel was perfected. The basics of sending deep space probes was much easier than something large enough to hold several humans and massively easier than sending several hundred humans.

Over the years of invention and experimentation we had begun to scout out the planet those two predators came from. It was a beautiful looking world, with lots of shades of red and a thriving ecosystem. Unfortunately, that ecosystem was also competitive when it came to evolution, which led to the creation of these predators who fortunately were at the top of their respective food chain like we had hoped. We would need a plan if we were going to attempt living on this planet.

In the meantime, there were plenty of planets out there that were calling to us. We had new methods of travelling to these planets, and friends who could hold our hands, so to speak, while we took our first baby steps out into the void unassisted. The Retvalin community that was around our solar system were all very excited to hear that we were developing our own way to travel amongst them. They claimed there were many planets out there that were beautiful to see, bringing to the head their cultural tendencies to be tourists of the universe. They all seem to very much enjoy the act of travelling and considering their size and lack of ability to finely control substances, it’s probably the only thing that they can devote any significant time to.

The goal was simple, to make traveling through space easy, and streamline the process for everyone. We had a couple of ideas regarding methods of extending the travel time for Retvalin. The most simply of them was constructing a gigantic gas canister reminiscent of a diver's air tank scaled up to fit them. It was a challenge to construct it in a way that was airtight, structurally sound, and accessible to its intended operator at the same time. What we came up with was a pressure activated nozzle that would open when they linked up with it, similar to how they share breath between themselves. After it is opened, it is simply a matter of inhaling or exhaling for them depending on their needs. This device was able to extend the duration they could travel by approximately a week, and they were very pleased with this extension.

After some time had passed with improvements being made to the ability for both humans and Retvalin to travel space, our first ship powered by the biological fuel from the Retvalin’s body was constructed. The ship was staffed by the best astronauts we had available from all over the world, each of them being extensively trained in the operations and procedures of running the new ship. The world watched the maiden voyage of the ship with anticipation. A couple Retvalin volunteered to be escorts of a sort, considering it to be somewhat like when one of their children tries their first full speed journey.

Systems went through the regular checks; all personnel and volunteer Retvalin signaled their readiness to proceed, and the countdown was initiated. The course was set to the nearest star system to us, Proxima Centauri. The trip itself was basically a stroll through the neighborhood for the Retvalin, so it would be an easy rescue should the team be stranded there.

The final seconds ticked down on the clock, everyone was on the edge of their seats. The timer struck zero, and with a brief flash of light, they all disappeared into the great nothingness. All the readings they got from the craft before it disappeared claimed that the launch went off without a hitch, but the only way to confirm for certain would be when they make the round trip of several hours. It didn’t stop people from being excited though, and while the control room for the operation was working, everyone watching the livestream was celebrating. Our first step out into the greater universe, many thought it would only be a dream for them, but it turned out they would indeed live to see it.

The average person began to think about when they might be allowed to see another planet, how long would they have to wait until the technology was perfected? Questions like this popped up all over the place, being asked of local governments as well as world leaders. There was somehow even more pressure for expansion into space than before.

The roundtrip by the crew sent out was completed with no significant concerns discovered. Now it was the control room's turn to celebrate the trip being a success in its entirety. We now had the start of a fleet that was capable of interstellar travel. Refinements were planned, designs drawn up for new ships, and goals set for being able to travel the cosmos like our friends could.

We wanted to see what they did, to experience the universe in all its glory with our strange friends acting as a guide. They were excited too. We were the first other species that they could talk to, that they could share what they knew of the universe and experience it with us. And we were not one to disappoint them.

New age ships were constructed in mass, both at home and in space. Refineries and shipyards were built on our moon, Mars, even some of the moons of Jupiter. Industry exploded and workers trained in low gravity, or no gravity construction were now quite commonplace. We cranked out the modular parts of the ships with more efficiency than automobile manufacturers. While they might not have been luxurious, they were solid and had everything you would need for a long journey.

At first, it was only flights by trained astronauts with a group of passengers who completed their initial space training. However, it soon became clear that the demand far outweighed the supply for people wanting to get off world for a while. Smaller, private variants of the ships were put into production, expensive for the average person, but there were many who would purchase them regardless of cost. Just like a pilot's license, there were training courses created for these wannabe pilots to take before they could get anywhere near one of the personal spaceships.

Many Retvalin ended up taking first time pilots who just took off their training wheels out into the black to show some of their favorite places in the immediate area, relatively speaking. They enjoyed our reactions to seeing new things, even the benign, barren planets were oohed and awed at, and they found it adorable. We were children seeing a place that was not home for the first time, and we loved every second of it.

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Eventually, there were routes established, forums written on the best places to visit, entire systems were being judged for their tourist potential. Ice planets were popular due to their reflectivity which made them sparkle in the void, and those that weren’t open to tourists were the subject of many of a probe and examination by scientists. Molten worlds were a close runner up. Watching the various volcanoes and magma flows erupt and explode across the surface of the planet from low orbit was like watching very dangerous fireworks.

Space truckers became a thing faster than anyone expected. In the process of streamlining the ability for everyone to travel through the void, stations were constructed that could hold massive amounts of various gases that were breathable or edible. These stations naturally needed people to supply them, and thus the new job of space trucker came into being. This job was filled by people piloting special mega ships that were basically several of those tanks we constructed for Retvalin strapped together. They could fill a station’s supplies and needs in a single trip, and each station could supply hundreds of visitors with some fresh air.

With the departure from our terrestrial lifestyle, we started to see more of how the Retvalin would live and have fun out in the void. Turns out that many of them had daredevil tendencies, seeking various thrills wherever they could find them. Apparently, boredom affects them in a similar way to us, driving them to doing stupid stuff for the sheer entertainment value of it.

Some of the things that they do are navigating asteroid fields at high speeds, not particularly dangerous for them, but can give the equivalent of a concussion if it goes wrong. Another one is what they call “planet skipping”, were they fire themselves at a gas planet, or another planet with a thick atmosphere, at an angle, creating a blazing trail behind them as they dip in and exit at insane speeds. Their most dangerous stunt though is a slingshot maneuver around a star. While absolutely insane for everyone else, they are capable of doing that so long as they do it correctly. Too close and they risk getting severely burned despite their tough exterior. We were not looking forward to treating the first third degree burn case that seemed inevitable to happen.

Some people started to become concerned about the safety of their giant friends. They really needed something to entertain themselves without risking bodily harm. There were ideas for creating the largest TV to ever exist, or a series of challenging puzzle toys, and even a few ideas for sports that could be adapted to their scale. The visual image of intergalactic football with the giants was inspiring enough for people to start making this a thing.

It was interesting to see if we could get the equipment to function at that size. The rules for such games would have to be adjusted and some changes would have to be made to make it feasible for them to manipulate the “ball”, which for them would be about the size of the stadium humans would be in. It was also only possible to construct it using metal, but that was not much of a problem for them considering that they were made of tougher stuff.

The first of the sports' equipment came out to the great curiosity of the Retvalin who got to test it. They were told the rules of the game and some beacons were set up in an empty part of space that would serve as goal posts for the game. The rules of the game had more in common with rugby than anything, though until everyone could see what would and would not work in terms of a game for them, all the rules were rather relaxed.

It was a chaotic jumble when the game first started. Several of them immediately tangled with one another in an attempt to wrest the ball away from the opposing team. The battle between the titans was recorded, and it was as frightening as it was entertaining to watch. This was a game, and their collisions would probably terraform a landscape and send out shock waves if they were within an atmosphere.

The tangled knot of Retvalin eventually came undone when one of them freed the ball from the pile. With a whip of the tentacle, the ball was sent flying towards the nearest teammate at speeds that would immediately qualify it as a weapon of mass destruction, possibly extinction. It was caught and the teammate proceeded to speed off towards the opposing goal. One of the rules was no maximum speed, but their speed without using their boost was still ludicrous.

With the ball on the move, the rest of the team was as well, chasing down the opponent who was making a break for the goal. The goal itself was a massive circle of beacons floating in the void of space, large enough that even a Retvalin couldn’t cover every part of it at the same time. Once the one carrying the ball got into range to make a shot, the goalie flared out their tentacles in every direction to attempt to block it. The shooter, still keeping their momentum, went into a spin before releasing the ball with a flick of the tentacle for added speed. The ball zoomed towards the goal and the goalie flung several tentacles out to try and catch it. The ball was deflected slightly off the tips of the goalie’s tentacles, but it still passed within the ring and was considered a point.

The scoring team had a little celebration for it, entwining tentacles and generally hugging it out. “This is fun! Why haven’t we tried to do something like this before?” One of them commented.

“I know right? Maybe it’s because we didn’t know humans before. They come up with a bunch of amazing ideas.”

“Plus, I don’t think we could make something like this, I don’t even know how they created it in the slightest.”

“I heard they melt down certain rocks and shape them into these things afterward.”

“Rocks?”

“Yeah, special rocks that become this metal stuff.”

“I’ve only seen rocks melt when they get close to a star, or on one of the molten planets.”

“I guess living in an atmosphere has some advantages and being so small lets them make these intricate things.”

While the scoring team was having their little discussion, the opposing team was sulking a little at their failure to stop the point from happening. One of the human observers to this little game decided to talk to them a bit about strategy. They had all rushed the ball the moment it was in play, leaving the field wide open for anyone to run straight to the goal. This person technically became the first coach for these games, laying out the field and everyone's jobs on it. Needless to say, the next round went more in their favor, and they even ended up winning the game in the end.

The new sport was deemed a success for this testing group as everyone, observers and players, found it entertaining. Thus, the Titan Games were created to provide some safe entertainment to the Retvalin and allowed their boredom to be channeled into something more constructive. Several different teams and divisions were made for just this singular sport, the ones still being created, or adapted, had yet to make it to testing phases yet.

The children of the Revalin could often be seen throwing asteroids in mimicry of their older counterparts who played the game. Many requested their own equipment to be made for their personal use, but it was a lot of metal to work with, so the output was rather low. Instead, we made public arenas scattered around the cosmos where they could go and play a casual game with friends and family. While this all did reduce the number of daredevil stunts being taken by them, it still wasn’t zero, but that was considered normal.

Everyone saw a quality-of-life improvement. Earth, which had been rather crowded to some, now had some breathing room as people started heading out into space in search of their desired adventure in life. We had almost unlimited access to the resources of the universe, the only deciding factor being the time it takes to acquire them. No one had to worry about cold nights or hunger as the wealth of our planet increased with the expansion of extraterrestrial businesses.

The Retvalin found that they were living longer with our medical assistance. Injuries could now be treated much easier for them, and the parasites of the past were now just a bad memory. Their children grew up healthy and disease-free, bringing peace of mind to families who were concerned about dragging their children into a universe where they would only meet a cruel fate. Happiness reigned supreme, opportunity and exploration were the goals, and humans and Retvalin both agreed that meeting one another was the best thing to ever happen. Everyone could only look to the future and see the infinite possibilities that lay within the infinite expanse of space. It was by all accounts, a golden age.