Space Odyssey: Spectre

Chapter 616: Pocket Dimension

"I think we have mapped more of this galaxy in the last twenty minutes than we have mapped our own galaxy." Valkyrie pointed out. She had joined Jace at the navigation console and watched the map change after each wave rider warp. "When we get home we could map our own galaxy in its entirety with this thing."

"That will be the plan later." Jace told her with a chuckle as he opened one of the scans from the area they just arrived in. It took only a moment to find what he was looking for. "Move towards these coordinates Cain. We are just shy of the location we need to be at."

Cain grumbled as he moved the Lance of Thanatos through empty space. "There is nothing out here, is there?"

"There are a few stray asteroids and a dark planetoid that was probably untethered from a solar system and drifted here. But those are not what we came for." The view screen suddenly shimmered as they seemingly passed through a field before arriving in a pocket of energy with what looked like red dots like stars littered all around them. With the space in between being a lighter shade of red mixed with black.

"What in the heavens..." Valkyrie stepped toward the view screen and she was not the only one that was stunned. West’s mouth dropped open and Cain’s mechanical jaw dropped open. Jace quietly mirrored the screen to the waiting rooms where the rest of the crew was located. He could hear someone suck in their breath over the communication channel, letting slip that they were listening in on the bridge staff.

"Jace... what is this?" Cain finally asked in astonishment.

"This is something that I could only describe as a gateway to a pathway." Jace answered. "I believe this is what the UEE hid from the rest of the galaxy and the knowledge of it died with them." Jace told them with a chuckle. "I mean of all the races to have explored beyond our galaxy, only humans managed to spread so far. Did you not think that was strange?"

"Where did it come from?" Valkyrie asked.

"No clue but I am guessing there is at least one in every galaxy." Jace told them. "If I am right, they are located at the edge between the galaxy and dead space. Right along paths that someone older than the humans used."

"You mean someone older than the Xenar?" Valkyrie suddenly asked. "I did not know that was possible."

"Of course it is. It was not like we are the center of the universe." Jace responded jokingly.

A look of understanding crossed Valkyries face. "The ones that made this probably were near the center and origin of the universe." Her face slowly changed into one of worry. "Which is also why we have never heard of them either."

"I am seeing a yellow bubble of unknown energy near the side along with three large pieces of some type of metal." Cain observed through a lower energy scan.

Jace started looking through the specifics. Everything about the chunks of metal were unknown but they were holding position in an upside triangle shape. But when he got to the bubble of unknown energy his hand twitched and he created a private room to have the ship run a simulation. It only took the ship a moment and Jace let out a sigh of annoyance.

"Is something wrong?" Cain asked nonchalantly. Unaware of the truth that Jace had just learned, something he wished he had not learned.

"Yes, that is a gravitational bubble. Essentially it is a built in defense system to ward against people." Jace told him.

"What kind of energy?" Cain asked in suspicion.

Jace slowly turned and looked at the mechanical dog. "Tachyons."

"Meaning it is a time differential gravity bubble. Do we know which way?" Cain asked, making a mechanical click in annoyance.

"Not yet," Jace answered as he turned the scanners to specifically scan the station. "The power reserves are picking up again." He pointed out as he glanced at another screen that showed the power was going over again.

"I am tasking the material printer with making efficient data banks." Cain announced, "then having automated worker drones add the data banks to the cruiser’s computer room."

"Make sure to put a limiter on it." Jace told him. "Otherwise it will start leaking out of the computer room. Also increase the airflow in the computer room. Have it run constantly to cool the components and run the auxiliary air vents at the same time."

He watched as the power went down and then heard a beep and looked down at the screen. Frowning at the result. "The scan shows it as a void, but not a void. Meaning the information did not come back."

"Something that blocks scans?" Valkyrie asked as she leaned over and looked at the information on the screen.

"No, we would see that as a result. This is a void which means the scan outside came back. But the scan inside did not happen. The time differential makes it so the inside moves slower than the outside the yellow bubble." Jace explained as he stood up fully.

"That is going to be a problem isn’t it." West asked from across the room.

"Very much so," Jace answered and glanced at Cain who seemed to be processing this information. "In order to activate the gateway. We need someone to go aboard the station in the yellow bubble."

"I have to go, who else?" Cain asked.

"I am the only other one going with you." Jace answered as he moved to another console and entered a command to have the material printer make a probe they can launch. "Let’s prepare everything first."

"Why does Cain have to go?" Valkyrie asked as she looked between them.

"Because I am probably the only one that can quickly access the computer systems and interface with them. Are you sending a probe?" Cain asked.

"I am. I will go down to the reactor room and take the secondary power source offline for the time being." Jace answered as he moved out of the room. Leaving the others in the room.

"Couldn’t we add an AI and have them run the gateway facility?" Valkyrie asked once Jace left the room.

"No..." Cain responded. "Now I understand why Jace stopped bothering me about creating another AI. It seems this is likely where I leave you all." Cain began explaining. "Now I understand why he provided me with various code enhancements and put me on teams with the rest of you."

"He wanted you to create a wealth of memories. He also gave you the task of creating the shipborne AI." Valkyrie mumbled under her breath. "How did he know?"

"Foresight." Cain answered with a tired sigh. "Jace has gained an ability of foresight. Probably along with a wealth of other abilities that allows him to limit his own knowledge of the future."

"What makes you say that?" West asked as she moved away from her position.

"Because he seemed to realize what was going to happen as he said it." Cain told them. "Valkyrie, there is a wealth of child rearing books and knowledge that I just moved to your personal cabin."

Valkyrie blinked as she looked at the seemingly emotionless robotic dog. "It is not like you will die." She pointed out, "couldn’t you come back aboard?"

"There is no telling what the time differential is and if it is too much we should not risk it. The only reason Jace is going with me is to make sure the gateway is powered. If it is not he will probably come back for the extra power source." Cain explained to them.

"Which is why he is disconnecting it ahead of time." Valkyrie pointed out. "Why not just take it?"

"We could." Cain admitted. "First we are going to send a probe to see if we can get a scan and that alone will take at least a week or two to finish."

"The scan would not work?" West asked.

"It would not." Valkyrie answered before Cain could. "Scanning technology works by sending out a signal and receiving data back. It can operate in a range of error for receiving the signal back but the time during the differential is enough that it just becomes space static."

"Basically it just becomes unintelligible information." West nodded in understanding. "Something the scanning technology cannot translate back into information."

"Our scanning technology may be the pinnacle of what is possible for scanning technology. But it still has limits." Valkyrie reasoned with a click of annoyance. Over the last few months, she like many of the others had grown fond of the robotic dog and would probably be one of the many that would hope that Cain would come back regardless of what they say. "Shall we head down to the hangar to see the progress on the probe?"

"Might as well, the pocket dimension we entered is invisible." Cain began explaining. "Meaning we will not have any visitors."