If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don't like mistakes.

Also feel free to ask for more background information on the world. I am somehow running out of interesting points regarding the small comments at the beginning of the chapters.

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“

[8:34]: I want to know what happened at Jupiter and I want to know it now!

[8:34]: We are researching it Mr. President.

[8:35]: Researching isn't enough! I want answers!

[8:35]: What about the giant city which flickered into existence above the Philippines and vanished?

[8:35]: A hallucination, Sir!

[8:35]: Shared by the citizens of the entire island?

[8:35]: It may have been the mages, Sir.

”

-Earth, Australia – Earth's Central Government Building

-President's Office Protocoll

***En route out of the System***

***Gideon***

My ship tries to evade, but yet another laser beam spears through my shields and armour. One of the fusion reactors turns critical, but I manage launch a last set of missiles from point blank range. This time my opponent won't be able to evade. There's no way to take out all the gravitational warheads before they reach their target.

Then the cockpit is consumed by fire and I die.

I yawn and open my eyes. Three days of playing through various VR-simulations are wearing me out.

“We killed each other. Again!” Cyla grumbles in her seat beside me. “Your gravitation missiles were a surprise. Do you really think we can rig up a spell matrix small enough to make it possible?”

Tapping my fingers on the armrest I contemplate my newly devised simulated weapon. For the sake of preparing ourselves for possible future battles we started training against each other.

Both of us are allowed to make changes to the simulation as long as it stays inside certain parameters.

“I honestly don't know. It would be the answer against their damned shields. All the power in the world wouldn't help them if they are smeared across their decks by the force of thirty Gs. At least I hope that they are made out of flesh like us.” Maybe the techno-wizards in Paul's research lab can make the idea work.

I already forwarded a draft to them, but they have to miniaturize the concept. “Your trick with using the missiles to create phantoms of your ship wasn't bad either. Maybe we can use it in the short run. All we have to do is to remove the warhead and replacing it with an ECM-generator. The battles could very well be decided by electromagnetic warfare.”

Cyla nods. “If this training wouldn't feel so pointless. We aren't military. There should exist a dedicated navy to do this. The elders made a poor choice in handling the situation like they did.”

I tilt my head. She isn't wrong, but she isn't completely right either. “They did what they could under the circumstances. If they had created a dedicated navy, everyone would have asked what we need it for? If they had made the knowledge about long range teleportation public, then surely some idiots would have spread across the neighbouring systems, encountering the unknown much earlier. There is no way to tell which avalanche we are about to break loose. They did the best they could in giving all pilots and faceless a semi-military education.”

Cyla snorts. “I always wondered what the theories regarding space battles were about. Do you really think that we can catch the enemy ship? I wish our sensors had gathered more about their drive. They went FTL a while ago, all we got is a trail of photon emissions.”

“I think we could wreck our brains all day about it. The truth is that we know the theory behind warp-drives, but we have no idea on how to put it to the field. I would like to call the photon trail a front-wave from going FTL. It seems like they enclosed themselves in a space time bubble to slip through real space while annihilating all matter they encounter in the real universe.” I answer.

Cyla picks up on my thoughts. “Space isn't completely empty. There is always some dust in the way. That means if we know what to look for, we can detect their entry and exit points in a solar system. It may also be the reason why they didn't engage their drives so close to the ecliptic. Running into a larger mass could knock them out of FTL.”

I scratch my itching beard. “That's actually an interesting idea. We've to confirm it though. It would be nice if we can use it against them. Given that we know their speed and course, we could arrange a nice and solid rock for them to run into. It sounds doubtful though, we would have to get a really exact measurement on their exit vector and hope that they can't change course during FTL-flight.”

An incoming call from the net distracts me. Upon checking up on the identity of the one who called me I scowl. “Bitch!”

“Excuse me!?” Cyla calls out.

“Oh, sorry. Not you! I meant the incoming call!” I try to clear up the misunderstanding.

“Your ex?” Cyla asks with a doubtful voice.

“Close. My mother.” I terminate the call without even considering to answer it in front of Cyla.

“Was that really okay?” She turns her gaze to me, studying me with interest.

“Her entire existence is one big nuisance to me.” I answer, refusing to look at Cyla.

After a short silence I decide that there is no point in postponing our departure any longer. “So should we try our luck then? There is no way to tell how fast the enemy ship will arrive in Rigil Kentaurus or if it is even going there.”

“Then we shouldn't wait any longer and go there. It'll take some time to set up the recon-platforms throughout the system. If the ship hasn't appeared by the time we are reconnected to the quantum-net we can think of other options.” Cyla answers and starts issuing orders to the ship's teleportation matrix.

I check on the fusion reactors and the power banks which are buffering the needed energy for the transition. With the alterations to the spell matrix we are now able to jump almost ten light years after buffering energy for a little less than a day. Unfortunately the changes to the matrix don't help in avoiding the wear on the energy banks.

“I am ready.” Cyla informs me and I give my confirmation to start the transition.

In the next moment our ship disappears in a flash of radiation and reappears in another place with the well known feeling of teleportation.

I immediately power down the not needed fusion reactors and let the ship go dark. Then I accelerate our ship on a random vector to get away from our entry point.

“I think we are exactly where we want to be. Forty light minutes away from Rigil Kentaurus, downwards from the ecliptic.” My co-pilot informs me while handling the sensor platforms.

After a while of studying the system we decide that it doesn't seem to be colonized, so I bring the ship onto a course to a close asteroid group.

The sensors also detect a gas giant and a planet, but they seem to be dead rocks. For our purposes of setting up an industrial node they are also completely useless.

Lifting materials out of a planet's gravity well isn't worth the effort if there are enough asteroids around.

Though we'll have to think about resupplying ourselves with fuel too. It's better to top off our resources every time we can do so.

"We could drop a big asteroid onto the gas giant and scoop up the thrown up material. There should be enough tritium inside the gases. Or we convert some of the fusion reactors to burning water. It'll be dirty, but conserve our tritium."

That's a nice idea. No, one moment. I didn't think that! What's going on?

"It seems like the system has a glitch. We can hear our thoughts while accessing the command functions at the same time."

More trouble! Disconnect, I'll try to sort it out.

"Okay, you want something to eat once you are done? Surprisingly Sanguin sent us acceptable supplies and clothes. He didn't completely forget about my gender."

Okay. Just get out of my head. I shiver as I feel her mind rubbing against mine. It's an inaccurate description of what's currently happening, but it's as close as possible. Experiencing someone else's emotions like this is uncomfortable.

"Don't take too long." And with that she is gone. I notice her leaving the chair beside me and entering the living area.

The uneasy feeling remains though.

***Rigil Kentaurus A***

***Cyla***

I lean back on the sofa in the living room. The food is ready and waiting in the microwave. All I am waiting for is that Gideon finishes debugging the computer.

A cold shiver runs down my spine as I think back to my short connection with his mind. It wasn't like any other telepathy I experienced before.

Gideon's mind seems to be split, but not in the way you would expect from someone with multiple personality disorder.

It's like his personality is balancing on a fence between his logical part and a sea of pure, raw emotion. I don't want to be on his bad side when he trips towards the emotional part.

My thoughts are interrupted as Gideon enters the living room. “I've sorted out the problem. Surprisingly it wasn't a programming mistake, but a crosstalk leakage between our chairs. I've rerouted your chair's access point through another connection.”

I sigh in relief and get over to the kitchen to warm up the food. “That's good.”

“Yes, I already feared that we would end up like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide while our minds are fused to the ship.” He starts chuckling.

Who are Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide? I send a request to the net, but as with many of Gideon's random comments, I don't get a definitive explanation.

“You seem to cope well with the loss of your company. Are you sure that there is no problem?” He asks.

I wince. “Of course I felt the loss. But I've made insurances and placed some money in bank accounts. Once this forced deployment is over I can start anew. Or could it be that you want me to stay with you?”

Gideon shakes his head and answers without even realizing that I was trying to tease him. “No. I guess you already realized that I am a little strange. I've no illusions about it. The only ones who are willing to put up with me are my relatives and my employer. I am like Dr. Who. Maybe I'll come to like someone one day, but I am still doomed to end up alone in the end.”

I furrow my forehead. “Gideon, I don't get half your references. Where do you take all those comments from. What's Dr. Who, Warframe, Star Wars, Star Trek, Babylon 5 and all the other stuff you tend mentioning?”

Gideon turns his head and looks at me like I am an alien. “You don't know Babylon 5?”

“No?” An uneasy feeling befalls me as the microwave signals me with a ping that the food is ready. I take the plates and bring them over to the table.

Gideon gestures at the free place next to him on the sofa. “Sit down. We have a lot of episodes to watch. I've to introduce you to a whole new viewpoint on the universe.”

I give him his plate while trying to keep up my smile.

He looks down on his food, a strange expression forming on his face. “What's that?”

“Meat, potatoes and broccoli.” I answer.

“Yeah, I feared something like that.” He starts eating while trying to avoid the broccoli. Then the wall in front of us flickers to life and I get to see the first episode of a really old movie.

.