A nebula, as defined by humans, is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium and other ionized gasses.
A nebula, in actuality, is more akin to a space country. The planets within the nebula are the space states, and the places on those planets are the space districts, cities, towns, and villages. This would make the infinite vastness of space itself a continent. One could argue that dark matter is the space equivalent to the sea. These observations raise the question: If there are states and countries and seas in space, does that mean there is some gigantic space planet that all of it is incapsulated in? And a space galaxy to surround that?
The answer to those questions are no, because they are stupidly impossible questions and no one bothers to find the answers to them. At the same time, the answers to these questions are yes because one is innocent until proven guilty. Many philosophers have had existential crisis while contemplating questions like these, so I would rather not put any more burden on them as is.
You see, it's very difficult to be a human and to not roll up into a ball and sob at the mere mention of space. Fortunately, only a few sane people live on the planet Earth and none of them are astronomers, so these sob sessions are not the norm.
As aforementioned, the universe is infinite. If you thought the ocean was greatly unexplored, you have no idea how much of the universe we haven't seen. There are some areas in the universe that are so densely populated that the creatures living there have adapted necks that hold their heads straight into the sky so that they can breathe among the sea of people. There are also areas in the galaxy so abandoned and untouched that light hasn't even reached them yet.
One nebula that our scientists couldn't even dream of finding is called "Nebula." You may think that's not a very creative name, but it's actually the most creative name. So creative that all other nebulas copied it. Like when a product becomes so well known for a specific company selling it that people start referring to it as the company name. (A perfect example of this would be tissue paper, witch is simply called "Kleenex" by a large number of people.)
Nebula is one of the largest nebulas in existence, but it's impossible to say if it's the largest because there are (theoretically) an infinite amount of nebulas. Millions of planets exist inside this space country, all populated by a unique array of extra terrestrial life. I could wright a new Bible about the different planets and species in Nebula, but I would rather just tell you about those important to the plot.
However, if you wish to be confused, disorientated, and in the dark for the rest of our story, please feel free to skip the remainder of this chapter.
Starcon got it's name from the multitude of stars surrounding it. This planet is also home to the most alien immigrants in all of Nebula. The native aliens are recognizable for their green tinted skin, their single eye instead of two, and the rings that hover around their heads. Most have two of these halos, one blue and one yellow, but it's not uncommon to find someone with different colors or numbers. These rings light up and are said to contain stars, but they're really just covered in bioluminescent bacteria. Some have claimed that these bacteria are parasites while others say they're Starcon's dominant species.
64011 is a planet that could never decide on a suitable name, so they settled for the population's favorite number (on average.) 64011 is mostly swampland with the occasional island. It's almost always raining and the planet is almost entirely overpopulated by hreftz, an alien species that resembles what you and I might call a frog. The native species of 64011 are technically amphibians. They have a set of lungs in their chest as well as gills on the sides of their necks. Most have blue or green fins to complete the ensemble, but there are a few cases of these fish-like creatures being born without them, causing them to look like a typical human. They are known to hunt, kill, cook and eat hreftz legs. This tastes repulsive, but they're doing all they can to lower the hreftz population.
Jupiter (a planet not in Nebula) is a planet you are likely familiar with. The largest planet in our solar system decorated with a fiery red eye is key in our story, but not because of anyone who lives there, but rather because of everyone who lived there. Jupiter was once habitable. Inside it's blazing red storm was a city that would likely remind you of today's New York. But alas, the storm got much to violent and all the inhabitants had to evacuate. Where did they evacuate to? Maer, a planet in Nebula. The original species from Jupiter were people with intricate red, orange, yellow and brown swirly patterns on their skin. However, a chemical in the air on Maer caused this species to mutate. Now, these Jupiterians typically are born with an unnatural amount of limbs.
Titan is another planet outside of Nebula. Well, not a planet, but a moon. One of Saturn's many moons. The creatures from this planet are truly unorthodox. They don't need oxygen, food, or water to live, so they don't have mouths, noses, stomachs, or a respiratory system. Despite the fact that nutrients are not required, some enjoy photosynthesizing. Despite the fact that speech is not required, some enjoy communicating telepathically. A few millennia ago, half of Titan's population swept themselves off to Nebula to avoid the plague spreading on their home planet. This was a rather foolish choice as the plague was strictly airborne and the natives couldn't catch it due to their lack of breathing tubes.
Grockeria is just a tad smaller than the Sun, which means it's huge. It sits on the outer edge of Nebula and is, for the most part, ignored by most of the other planets. Despite it's phenomenal size, the life inhabiting it is eerily small. The tallest alien born in Grockeria was reported to be 5'3 and 5'1 when they eventually passed away. How they managed to shrink is still unknown. These tiny creatures have purple skin, antennae, and four eyes. These many eyes allow them to see colors typically only perceived by shrimp. They also don't have gender. They claim they never found any need for it.
