Eight minutes had passed when the dock crew got the okay for the Helianthus to detach the locks. With that, the ship would be free of a physical connection to Luxe station. Once free, they would only have enough time to move out of the way for the next ship. Every movement had to be quick and precise.

Gareth checked on Serge one more time, confirming he was ready to take off. Serge responded with a curt positive, and Gareth gave the docking crew the go ahead. A big smile spread across Yulia’s face.

The ship shuddered with the release of each lock. It reminded Valorie of the way humans shivered with excitement. She was more anxious than excited. The vast empty void of space was permanent torture for her unluckiest sisters. That thought alone was enough to send shivers down her spine. Compared to the sheer size of the Anderson, the Helianthus felt rickety. The low power directional thrusters kicked in, propelling them out of the bay. As they passed through the exit, space bloomed around them.

“Hey Leon, this jump is too close to the station. It’s bad manners to make a big jump like that so close.” Yulia said, tapping the list of coordinates.

“That’s too close? It meets regulation.”

“I didn’t say it was too dangerous – I said it was bad manners. You gotta remember to add the Courtesy 100.”

“Right. It’s a hundred now?”

“People are afraid of what the reactive force of the jump could do to them.”

“Oh, of course, the spooky mutagenic possibilities of warp ripples. I swear, the jump safety distance gets longer every year.”

“Leon.” Yulia’s voice was a warning.

“I’m already fixing it.”

“Thank you.” Yulia’s voice switched back to cheerful the moment she got her way. Once the ship was free of Luxe Station, she cut the thrusters. “Maintenance speed reached,” Yulia called.

“Are you aligned with the Jump Shield?” Gareth said.

“Yes, sir.”

“Leon, engage flight mode.” After Gareth said it, there was the sound of machinery on the move. The bridge slid forward at a sharper angle, and the lights dimmed increasing the pop of the displays. Valorie couldn’t see what was happening with the rest of the ship. A quick look into the databanks mapped out a much smaller, sleeker version of the Helianthus.

As the ship shifted, Valorie felt the moment the gravity system went offline. Little movements lifted her off her seat, but her safety belts were enough to hold her in place. They had never shut down the gravity generators on the Anderson, so the feeling was new. It made her stomach roll as she remembered the days she spent trapped in the Anderson’s escape pod. The safety belts grounded her with a gentle reminder of the present and she hung on to that feeling.

With a smaller size and increased power, the ship’s maneuverability increased. Yulia took a deep breath, and Valorie wished she could see her expression. She reached out and felt real excitement. Pure exhilaration, the feeling ripped her heart free of the gloomy dread. For a moment, she saw the beauty of the universe beyond their window.

The ship swung around and took off. She felt the pull and tug of the quick movement. Dampening systems brought the g-forces to a safe level. They could not remove them altogether. The sensation sent her heart racing. She felt the push back as they gained speed, her heart keeping tempo.

“We’ll reach the jump shield in two minutes,” Yulia said. As they got close, Valorie could see a large metal ring, a satellite to Luxe Station. Outside the ring, the dampening shield shimmered in the sunlight. A network of billions of tiny drones protecting the station. The only safe way out was to pass through the satellite rings.

“We’re the only ship in the vicinity. We may proceed.” Valorie said as control fed her the information.

“Your way is clear, Yulia.” Gareth said.

She shot through the ring, maintaining speed as she left it behind.

“Really? This far?” Yulia said as she looked over the new set of coordinates.

“You asked for the courtesy 100. Plus the distance to the next viable location for the jump – Yes. That far.”

“Okay, okay. I get it.” Yulia said, making adjustments on her left console.

Beyond the satellite ring and clear of other ships, they were clear to jump. Valorie gripped the bar below her displays. The jump reaction caused a massive warping of space a short distance ahead of the ship. Humans had been attempting to find a new method of propulsion by warping the space around the ship. They hoped it would carry ships across the solar system. Instead, they found a shortcut unhinged from normal space. The space between. A jump could skip the empty void between solar systems, dropping ships near the star of the target system. The navigator’s job was to make sure they landed in the correct system.

A critical mistake in a jump could leave the ship in the space between for a dangerous extended period of time. No one was sure exactly what happened to the ships that broke apart while in the space between. No one had ever returned from such a catastrophe. The thought made Valorie shiver.

Stories of humanity’s discovery of the jump stuck out in her mind. When she first learned of it, she was in awe of the crew that pushed forward believing only in their safe return. That one moment led to humanity spreading across the galaxy. That one moment led to humanity finding her home planet. It led to her being here. Something so distant to her was so important to her. On the smaller – cozier – bridge of the Helianthus, she felt closer to that brave crew than she ever had before. She felt her heart racing as she looked out the window over the bridge.

“Five-minute mark to the jump point. Engaging jump mode.” Leon said, and Valorie heard the ship making adjustments. It didn’t grind, the movement was smooth.

“Jump will begin in 5 minutes.” Gareth spoke over the intercom, his voice echoing through Valorie’s console. Metal shutters spread across the windows overhead. They locked in place, and a curved display spanning across the window blinked on. It had a live camera feed, creating the illusion of a window. Valorie tried to relax. There was nothing to distract herself with, so she watched the screens. It did not help.

A cannon appeared, jutting out from below the pilot’s seat.

“Target speed reached, cutting acceleration,” Yulia said. Her tone was not the energetic girl she was the day before. The difference that focus made in demeanor was always more noticeable with animated crew members. Valorie had the nagging suspicion that no one would notice when she herself focused. She sighed, closing her eyes, and leaned back in her chair.

The sound of the engines cutting was unsettling – an omnipresent purr one only noticed when it was gone. The ship was entirely too silent. Nothing was ever this quiet on the Anderson. Her eyes snapped open, grounding her in the visual stimuli.

“Jump canister ready, target coordinates in five, four,” Leon counted down. She gripped the arms of her chair. At one, Gareth spoke.

“Fire.”

The cannon shot a canister the size of a barrel into the space ahead of them. It burst, but there was no fire. Sunlight rippled before twisting around the burst canister. A thin line of light cut through the middle that looked like a tear in space. She only had a second to admire it before the ship shot through the tear into pure darkness.

There was a deep, soul-wrenching thunk as the pressure outside the ship increased tenfold. The ship rattled violently before it adjusted to the change in atmosphere. It was heavy in the space between… and dark. She watched the camera display with a sinking feeling in her stomach. The ship’s outer lights did not penetrate deep into the dark, it bounced back off of undulating shadows.

The sight touched something ancient in Valorie. Beyond her time as a fragment – images from Mother. Being underwater at night, or perhaps in the clouds. Light catching on formless shapes that seemed so solid until you pass right through them. It was unsettling, but each time she saw it, she couldn’t look away.

“Maintaining integrity. ETA for system Col 258 is an hour and 24 minutes, at 1235.” Leon interrupted her thoughts, breaking her trance. She realized how hard she had been gripping the chair. As she let go, the leather stuck to her fingers. She stretched her fingers and offered them a quiet apology.

“Very good, everyone. If we can keep this up, four jumps aren’t out of the question for today.” Gareth said.

“Well, we want to hit four jumps a day at least three times, so…” Leon let his voice trail off.

“Good point. If we can keep this up, we can sleep tonight.”

“That’s more like it.” Leon grinned. They continued to chat, and she settled down as she listened.