War Dance

THREE: Z9 - 3

Warp technology is a tricky business with a long and varied history of only occasionally working as intended. The great warp gates of Region 6 drain an estimated 1% of the total energy usage of Celestria. The main reason for this is that, aside from there being so many gates of such a grand physical size to allow massive vessels through, Celestria, as a gesture of goodwill, maintains both ends through a complex method of sending the energy to the other end to open it to begin with, rather than two ends meeting in the middle at desired coordinates. The energy is sent from Celestria to the other destination via a series of transport systems, in order to open that end. Once done so, it uses the warp portal itself to get the energy through this newly opened channel, like powerlines overhead. Only a very select few understand the process, and those that do are invariably easy to threaten by a politician hiring someone with a gun to put at their head.

Smaller portals, whilst less of a drain on power, nonetheless could only operate with the greasing of several already greasy palms. The Night Witch doesn't rob banks purely for the fun of it, though that is one reason.

Warp technology is also tricky because a power outage could land someone in the middle of deep space instantaneously. Early prototypes often saw vessels suddenly experiencing a blinding flash of light, followed by almost immediate destruction as they were crushed by the asteroid they'd materialised in the centre of as they dropped out of hyperspace. Over the years ships were made stronger, and routes were planned so that the very short journey relatively speaking for the passengers would bypass possible obstacles should they drop into normal space. The potential instability of the warp was the main reason ships specifically designed of great strength were still used. Also, they were very good for communications. Nobody wanted to risk ending up in deep space without an engine to get them to somewhere safe, or a distress signal at hand.

Warp portals that transported organisms without any protection through the vacuum of hyperspace were considered conspiracy theories.

All this explains the bay that confronted Z9 as she pushed the door open. The large hangar had two small vessels ready to go, not much bigger than public transport on the surface. These things, however, had plating thicker than a politician's skull, and engines that could coast for ten days on minimal fuel. They sat squat to one side with departure times showing overhead. The last pipes were being pulled away back to the walls, sleek and blinding white. They sat on the left-hand side of the room, the side Z9 entered at the back. The other side, arrivals, had a small shuttle unloading its passengers. Mechanics went to check it over, and assistants guided the arrivals and their cargo out through a door on the right reading STREET LEVEL. Remarkably efficient and well signed for an illegal underground smuggling operation.

The main focus of the hangar, however, was the great wall set several hundred meters away at the far end of the bay. A great metal ring held thick shutters closed against the possibilities of the howling infinite. Programmed in, the warp portal would activate and the doorway would open, revealing the sucking gulf protected by a screen of white energy, more to save unprepared viewers watching through cameras their sanity than anything else. The ship would come through and the doors would close, before the warp closed off. The ship would be taxied to unloading. Another would be taxied to departure. The smuggling would continue through the universe.

Z9 tried not to think about it. It reminded her too much of the transporter she killed Guran Mysen in front of, reminded her of failing to stop the package going through.

No more warp fuckups. Not this time. Not anymore.

She kept her head low and made her way over to one of the parked vessels. If she just hung around they'd pick her out in an instant. Best to find a place away from people and away from cameras. She didn't want to hide in a cupboard, like the room with ARRIVAL POCKET signed on the front. If someone came in, they'd ask her what she was doing slagging off. Not great.