A spiral galaxy—one of 100 billion islands of stars moving through the dark matter of the universe. Rotating like some luminescent cosmic pinwheel in the vastness of space, the galaxy hauls more than 200 billion stars and countless other bodies within its titanic vortex. Let us examine this galactic hub. Observing the formation within our three-dimensional limits, our gaze is first drawn to the galactic bulge, composed of billions of red and orange stars, swirling within clouds of galactic dust some 15,000 light-years across (a light-year being approximately 6 trillion miles). Revolving around this lens-shaped region is the flatter, circular disk of the galaxy, 2,000 light-years thick, 120,000 light-years across, containing most of the galactic mass. Whipping around this disk are the galaxy’s spiral arms, home to bright stars and luminescent clouds of gas and dust—cosmic incubators birthing new stars. Extending above and beyond these spiral arms is the galactic halo, a sparsely populated region containing globular star clusters that support the more senior members of the galactic family.

From there, we move to the very heart of the galaxy—a complex region surrounded by swirling clouds of gas and dust. Hidden within this nucleus is the true power train of the celestial formation—a monstrous black hole—a dense, swirling vortex of gravitational energy, three million times heavier than the sun. This ravenous cosmic machine inhales everything within its unfathomable grasp—stars, planets, matter, even light, as it churns the heavenly bodies of the spiral galaxy.

Now let us look at the spiral galaxy from a higher dimension—a fourth dimension of time and space. Branching out through the galactic body like arteries and veins and capillaries are unseen conduits of energy, some so vast they could transport a star, others delicate, microscopic strings. All are powered by the unimaginable gravitational forces of the black hole, located at Galactic Central. Access a porthole into one of these conduits and you have accessed a fourth-dimensional highway crossing the boundaries of time and space—assuming, of course, your transportation vessel could survive the trip.

As the galaxy revolves around its behemoth center point, so too these snakelike streams of energy move, always circling, continuing their timeless trek across the galactic plain like some bizarre spokes on a forever-rotating cosmic wheel.

Like a grain of sand caught in the mighty current of a gravitational stream, the asteroid-size projectile races through the fourth-dimensional conduit, a porthole of time and space presently located in the Orion arm of the spiral galaxy. The ovoid mass, nearly seven miles in diameter, is protected from the cylinder’s crushing embrace by an emerald green anti-gravitational force field.

The celestial traveler is not alone.

Concealed within the spherical object’s charged magnetic wake, bathed within the protective tail of the force field is another vessel—smaller, sleek, its flattened, dagger-shaped hull composed of shimmering gold solar panels.