The World Of Alcubierre

"First, we mastered the pull of the Earth, forcing our way into space. Those first efforts were nervous. Timid. We were small, and the frontier of the blackness beyond loomed large in our minds," Secretary General Venruss took a deep breath , letting a pregnant silence settle upon the billions of viewers. "We escaped our backyard, laying claim to the moon." His hand swept wide, and the camera pulled out to show the gleaming Earth, that glorious ball of blue, white and green, over the horizon of the lunar landscape. "Then we ventured to the planets beyond." The background shimmered and then shifted, showing a glittering city beneath a red sky with a blinking blue dot in the distance. Another breath. "Today, we leave the neighborhood." Again the backdrop behind the Secretary shimmered and shifted, now forming into an enormous gray ship, its exterior all sharp angles. Emblazoned on the side was UWS Alcubierre in bold white lettering. Secretary General Venruss was relegated to a small picture within a picture as Fleet Admiral Levinson appeared in the main view. He stood tall, his broad chin making for a stern profile. Steely blue eyes peered out beneath two bushy eyebrows, making him the very picture of a lifelong military man. The honor of leadership had fallen to him, a much sought after prize, earned only through his long history of distinguished service in the United World Defense Force. "Thank you Secretary, it is my very great pleasure to lead our fleet to the stars beyond. Humanity has always measured its progress by the forces it has tamed to its ends. First the horse, then steam, then combustion. Now, we unleash the power of space-time itself. Sir, the UWS Alcubierre awaits your orders. " The screens swapped, placing the Secretary in the fore, "Very well Admiral, you are hereby ordered to Alpha Centauri to scout and conduct scientific experiments. All of humanity stands behind you." Admiral Levinson snapped a neat salute and turned from the camera, issuing the order to launch. There was a scramble of activity as the members of the bridge hurried about their pre-launch tasks. A narrator explained the various procedures and roles and responsibilities of the various crew members as humanity watched in breathless anticipation. A few minutes later, Adrmiral Levinson turned back to the camera, snapped a final salute and barked out a single word: "Engage." Then he was gone. --- ANOMALY ALERT - Project Sol, Interstellar Date 2310.393.123. Trigger: Perimeter Breach. Interstellar Object. Speed: 78.3 Lights and accelerating. Object Origin: Sol. Object Specifications: Manufactured. Detailed Anomaly Alert Report available. Xy Zix, Left Float Superior studied the report, its cilia twitching in agitation. It contained many firsts, each more concerning than the last. The first anomaly report from Project Sol. The first object to originate from Sol. The first object to breach the ten light barrier. Xy was not opposed to firsts, but, by their very nature, they were somewhat unusual. It took a moment to ponder if firsts must necessarily be clustered together in such a manner. It suspected they must be. One first cascading into others. It wondered how far the ripple of a first might be carried before it was swallowed up by the nature of the vast universe. Could a single first fundamentally reorient existence? Such a first would be a first indeed. Perhaps even at last. Xy combed through the report, following the standard procedures. Lefts of the Zix Collective was innately skeptical of firsts, particularly ones such as this. In a great many cases, such a first was actually just the first sign of a failing instrument. Measurements could be incorrect, and more often than not were when it came to matters such as these. That was the importance of procedures. They allowed for the safe extinguishment of common explanations in an orderly manner, providing room for the exotic. As Xy proceeded through the standard responses, the veneer of normalcy was slowly stripped away. Initial indications were that the recording instruments were operating within ideal parameters. Secondary indications confirmed that initial indications appeared to be correct. Tertiary indications supplied a degree of certainty that prompted a simple conclusion. This required escalation. Xy floated toward Zyy, its float tank companion. Their cilia intertwined and Xy relayed the report and its initial findings. Zyy shared Xy's initial consternation, though its curiosity was immediately piqued in a way Xy considered slightly profane. But that was the way with Right Floats, they were somewhat prone to fancy in a way that Left Floats such as Xy were not. It was part of the science in selecting float tank companions - compatible and incompatible all at once. It ensured that they would agree only on the matters of the greatest import. In this case, there was little debate before consensus was achieved. The Sol Anamoly was worth immediate and serious study. They would pass on their findings from their sub-tank to main tank. --- "Sir, something is ... it appears we're having a malfunction." The young helmsman said, her voice uneven. "Specifics Lieutenant Lee, I do not like the word malfunction without a damn good explanation to go along with it." Admiral Levinson said from behind in the fleet chair, his gravelly voice calm and commanding. "Yes sir, sorry sir. It's our speed. We're going too fast." "Too fast Lieutenant? We expected some variance from the Alcubierre, are we outside the expected range? How fast are we going?" Admiral considered it a stroke of good luck, not cause for alarm. Perhaps they'd hit Centauri earlier than expected. It was to be a long journey, and he was quite eager to gain a few steps. "Yes sir, well outside the range." "Well, put it up on the screen." Levinson waved his hand toward the front of the bridge. Lee pressed a few buttons and then the helmsman's con flicked into view. It showed the current heading, the engine status, and a variety of other pieces of information, including the speed. Admiral Levinson jolted forward, "That can't be right." They were moving at almost 100 times the speed of light, well beyond their expected range of two to three. "Report." Lee ducked her head, "Sir, I pulled up our trip log and graphed out our speed and location." She highlighted a portion where their speed suddenly increased thirty fold. "At approximately a half light year from our solar system our speed jumped by 31.3x, for reasons I cannot explain. "What in the hell is going on here?" The Admiral's head jerked to the side, his hand flicking up and pointing to a wizened officer in the corner. "Science Officer Griggs, pull the logs. I want everything you can give me and I want a report on it within the hour. Take whomever you need." --- The main float was abuzz as the Zix Collective attempted to reach consensus. Lessers mingled with Superiors. Superiors with Grands. It was a confused jumble of cilia, each jostling for the latest news. Xy and Zyy were swarmed from all sides, their cilia being subjected to interrogation bordering on hostile. Many of the Lefts refused to believe that there could be an explanation beyond instrumentation error. The Rights were positively gleeful at the prospect of such an extraordinary first. It had been been some time since a Universal First had been achieved. Each of the Rights felt fortunate to be in existence for such a momentous occasion. Information about the Sol Project was still lacking. The experiment predated the Zix Collective's time. Reference to it was available only via the Pan-Universia Archive. Study into the matter had revealed the nature of the project and the originator. The originator had been the Divinity Angelysia, a Type Three civilization that had since transcended. They had been somewhat notorious for their efforts around sentient creation and were responsible for no less than two dozen species within the Pan-Universia Combine. Interestingly, the subject of the experimentation had been environmental hostility. The sentients had been gifted with great creativity, but they were highly constrained by physical laws within the local region. A great number of Rights were approaching consensus that such parameters may well give birth to a Universal First. The Universe was quite hospitable in comparison, and few species felt any particular pressure to innovate such things as a 100x Light Drive. The Lefts maintained their skepticism, but agreed that the object referenced in the Sol Anomaly report should be investigated, if only to prove the Rights' foolishness. Consensus was achieved. The Zix collective would seek out this object, once they determined how to catch it.