ShipCore

Alex stood behind Thea in the CIC, her eyes scanning the main screen as Engy and Wormy relayed information. The bridge crew’s call-outs for the wormhole drive sounded across the compartment, well-rehearsed and strictly according to protocol and procedure.

It was still mostly for show. The real data flowed silently between the NAIs, a constant stream of calculations and adjustments.

Although it really didn’t hurt to have an extra set of eyes looking over the data and confirming it was valid. Nameless would argue, but NAIs and MainComputers made mistakes sometimes, too.

Thea’s voice cut through her thoughts. “We’re ready for generation and traversal.”

Alex nodded, her throat tightening slightly. This would be their tenth jump, but the first into a new star system: Gilese 1134A.

The name flickered across her HUD, accompanied by a flood of data. A K4 V Orange Main Sequence star at the center of a small binary system, the companion star a weak dwarf distant at 67 AU.

Perfect for calibrating inter-system jumps.

The Hackjob’s capacitor systems hummed throughout the moonlet, providing the required energy for the event horizon formation.

Alex let out a breath and forced herself to relax as the others performed the precise calculations to account for the relative motion between their previous system, Meltisar, and the new one.

Jumping between points in deep space was one thing, but now they’d need to accurately account for the relative motion of the distant star systems. A mistake could fling them out of the system at a ridiculous speed—or worse, bring them out too close to the star and straight into an unplanned sun-dive.

It was the first big test since their first jumps around Meltisar.

Testing in the first uninhabited system they came across, instead of Nu Crateris, where they might have an audience, was a good idea.

The familiar sensation of traversal—of suddenly being somewhere else—washed over her. In an instant, they emerged on the other side.

Thea’s voice rang out, crisp and professional. “Jump confirmed. We’re in system, orbiting 1134A at approximately 30 AU. Deviation in velocity and exit position: 12.5%.”

Alex’s eyes darted to the orbital projections. They were in free fall, on a collision course with the star in about a month. Another jump would be needed to stabilize. Not that they intended to stay that long.

Her thoughts drifted to A31 and the wormhole that had brought her and Elis to 92 Pegasi—how precise those calculations had been, even at such a distance. A pang of worry gnawed at her. Was A31 safe? Or had the Corpos or Solarians...

“Alex?” Thea’s voice snapped her back to the present. “Are you listening?”

“Yes?” Alex blinked.

Thea shook her head. “I asked if we should try the second hop immediately or run another diagnostic.”

Alex’s gaze swept over the status board; a sea of reassuring green.

A tentative system body caught her attention—a gas giant, 0.35 AU from the K4 V orange dwarf.

“Let’s make a second hop,” Alex decided. “10 AU, aligned with the planet’s orbit.”

Thea nodded, a hint of a smile playing at her lips. “You heard the boss,” she announced to the crew.

Alex watched the data stream across her HUD as the crew prepared for the next wormhole jump. “Nameless, give me more details on that planetary body,” she said, her eyes fixed on the flickering holographic display.

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[Informative: 1143A I scan data arriving. Approximately 1.2 Jupiter masses. Orbital period: 93 days. Strong magnetosphere detected. Effectively deflects high-pressure solar winds.]

Alex examined the readout, her brow furrowing. “It’s right in the liquid water zone,” she mused.

[Affirmative: Potentially inhabitable system detected.]

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Alex said, skepticism creeping into her voice. “We’ll see when we get closer. There might not even be any moons. And with that companion star out at 67 AU, I doubt we’ll find many outer bodies.”

[Acknowledgement: Further analysis required upon closer proximity.]

Thea’s voice cut through her thoughts. “Wormhole prep complete, Alex. We’re ready for the second jump.”

Alex nodded, her attention shifting to the bridge crew as they went through the familiar motions of jump preparation. The energy buildup hummed through the ship, a vibration she could feel in her bones.

In an instant, they were through. The familiar disorientation of traversal fell away as Alex ignored it, focusing on the orbital parameters flooding her display.

“We’re in a stable orbit,” she announced. “10 AU out, aligned with the gas giant. Confirmation?”

“Confirmed,” Thea replied, a hint of pride in her voice. “Textbook jump. We’ll need time to recharge the capacitors and run diagnostics.”

Alex’s eyes flicked to the engineering display. The wormhole drive’s power had plummeted to 10% charge, slowly climbing as the anti-matter fusion reactors kicked in. They still had nearly full fuel tanks, enough for a hundred jumps at least, but it was a reminder of the energy cost.

A twinge of unease rippled through her. They were supposed to be setting up resource production, not just burning through their fuel reserves. Her gaze drifted to the looming gas giant. Maybe it held something useful?

“Let’s scan for moons or asteroids,” Alex said, her voice cutting through the low hum of the bridge.

Thea turned, arching an eyebrow. “Are we staying here longer? Why’d you pick 10 AU if we were going prospecting?”

Alex scratched her cheek, a sheepish grin tugging at her lips. “Testing the long-range sensors?”

Before Thea could respond, one of the bridge crew interrupted. “Captain, we’ve spotted at least four moons and a considerable disc of material. No other planets detected.”

Alex’s pulse quickened. “Put it on the main screen.”

The holographic display flickered from the engineering data to a stream of orbital projections. Alex leaned forward, her eyes darting across the readouts. The resolution was far from perfect, but as the sensors continued their sweep, more details emerged and a 3D projection formed.

A volcanic moon caught her attention first, its orbit suggesting extreme tidal stress. Next, a cryo-moon with a collapsed frozen carbon dioxide atmosphere, constantly melting and refreezing with its day-night cycle. And then...

Alex’s breath caught in her throat. A nitrogen-carbon dioxide moon with a strong magnetic field. And... trace oxygen?

Her mind raced with the possibilities. Could it be? A potentially habitable moon, right here in their first unexplored system?

Alex frowned, her eyes scanning the data streams flickering across her HUD. The confidence range for the moon’s average temperature still wavered between “too cold” and “inferno,” but the midpoint hit that tantalizing sweet spot.

Her gaze locked onto the magnetic field strength readings. They were impressive for its mass and would possibly shield the surface from harmful radiation.

A spark of excitement flared in her chest, quickly tempered by pragmatism.

They didn’t need a habitable moon for a mining base, but it would certainly be a bonus. The word “mining” sent a jolt through her system. She hadn’t planned on resource extraction until after scouting Nu Crateris. A mistake.

Alex’s jaw tightened. They could—should—start now. She turned to Thea, her voice steady despite the churning thoughts. “Our next jump is to 1143A I’s system. Prepare for some ‘prospecting.’”

Thea’s eyebrows rose slightly, but she nodded without comment.

Alex’s gaze drifted to the main screen, analyzing the star’s characteristics. Not ideal for antimatter collection, but she’d made worse work in 92 Pegasi.

Heck, Meltisar’s entire civilization ran on antimatter harvested from an even less promising source. It just took a ridiculous amount of infrastructure and orbital facilities.

For cooler stars like this, it all came down to how close you could get without being incinerated. Modern liquid-cooled carbide ceramics and amorphous carbon radiators pushed that limit further than ever before. They could make this work.

A wry smile tugged at Alex’s lips. Time to build something, instead of destroying it. And no pesky politics to make things complicated.

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