The Road to Hell

Chapter 13

While transitions out of otherspace were tricky, the actual journeys were simple. Once a destination's co-ordinates were entered, a ship automatically attempted to make a straight shot to it. However, otherspace, being a parallel, albeit smaller, dimension, was full of the same sorts of hazards as travelling through ourspace. There were celestial objects, black holes, and areas of unstable reality that needed to be accounted for, and so trips usually required several jumps to make a fast and safe journey. In the pioneering days of otherspace travel, tunnels of clear otherspace were discovered and noted. Eventually it became clear that there were clear routes through otherspace that crossed vast amounts of space-time with relative ease. These warp lanes played a huge role in shaping interstellar exploration and colonization. Travelling in the lanes allowed for greater speeds during FTL transit. Instead of months travelling through otherspace, star systems could be reached in a matter of days.

In the cockpit of the Spectral Hawk, David looked across to Talon at his work station. "What's our ETA to Oberon?"

"Using the warp lanes, we'll be in transit for about five days, sir. However, it's quite possible we can shave off a day," the pilot answered, never taking his eyes off of the control displays.

 David's eyes grew wide at the report. "Five days? From Arcturus to Oberon? We've got to cross the whole of Allied Space and that usually takes at least a week and a half!"

William Avery, the junior navigator they'd signed on for backup, was just as impressed by those numbers as David. "O'Hare's modifications make it harder to predict performance, sir. He practically bought the drive core, took it apart and rebuilt it with parts from all over the place. I'm pretty sure some of the parts were modified and personally redesigned by him. Also," he added, "he took the thing from a damn cruiser. It's probably twice the size of any core you'd see on a ship like this."

Ensign Avery had graduated from the Academy just over a year ago, and even though he'd had exemplary grades and simulation records, as well as several commendations from over the past year, David knew he was still wet behind the ears. He almost refused to have him aboard, but in the end, Avery stayed, because something about the kid was just way too likeable.

"Well, I suppose I ought to thank Armin for making this mission go much faster. In any case, only one of you needs to stick around here to keep an eye on things, so take shifts," David said.

Avery saluted. "Yes, sir."

Talon merely nodded.

David left the cockpit and almost ran into Farid. "Sorry! Damn, this ship is small!"

Farid chuckled. "No kidding. Where are you off to?"

Stern shrugged. "Shoot the shit with Armin. We've both been too busy the last week or so."

"Well, you've got plenty of transit time to kill now."

"Less than you think, actually. Talon's saying it could be four days till we reach Oberon."

"Four days? Damn. Armin really is a wizard," Farid said.

"I know, right? It's only day one, and we'll soon be making history for breaking the fastest interstellar speed record."

#

The Spectral Hawk made the trip in just under 115 hours and upon exiting otherspace, they were hailed over the transmitter.

"Unidentified vessel, this is Oberon Port Authority. Please hold while our servers check your registry." David drummed his fingers against the large tactical display table on one side of the cockpit. The intelligence technicians approved a civilian registry for the Spectral Hawk along with falsified travel records. Soon enough the traffic controller came back on the line. "Welcome to Oberon, Spectral Hawk. What is the nature of your visit? Will you be staying long?"