The World Of Alcubierre

Episode XII

The joining of their tank to the monstrous behemoth the Combine labeled a wormhole projector was complete. New readouts and information floated past Xy, providing it with a better understanding of the depths of their blasphemy. The exterior of their tank was scarred by the great welds adjoining their tank to the corpus of the projector. While the Combine had taken great care to avoid penetrating the shell of the tank, the delicate ecosystem of micro-fluidic pressure was noticeably altered, creating odd dissonances that degraded the flow of knowledge within. It was a jarring indictment of the flow they traveled.

Zyy continued to insist that they had made the correct decision. That this course of action was the only means of saving their species. It sounded very much like the extremist singleton thoughts that dominated the Combine entertainment Zyy had consumed upon their arrival. The concept of heroes was foreign to the Zix, and rightfully so. The Zix would save the Zix, just as they always had. Rogue tanks brought nothing but trouble.

Each effort by Zyy to convince Xy only further increased Xy's concern. The Zix were a pragmatic species, holding few things sacred. The importance of consensus and the sanctity of the tank.

Somehow, the Right had managed to ignore both in its quest for singleton glory. The situation was as confusing as it was alarming. Xy had been Zyy's tank companion for a long time, and, while the Right never managed to achieve the thoughtful sensibility of a Left, Xy had considered Zyy acceptably foolish. Recent behavior made Xy wonder whether it had misjudged the Right.

Now they lacked a viable alternative. There was no longer enough time to reverse the flow. The current carried them inexorably forward and Xy was not strong enough to resist it. It would be swept along, and struggling would only create ripples that would undermine what small chance they had. Xy let its reservations go, knowing they were unproductive. Completing the mission would require their combined effort.

Xy floated next to Zyy, accepting a few thought threads. Together, they planned their journey to the fringes of Zix space. There could be no certainty that their effort would be successful, that they would even manage to find the hurtling object from Sol. The possibilities were enormous, branching off into n-squared upon n-squared problem spaces, but it did not matter. They would try.

For the moment, Left and Right worked as one.

Xy and Zyy were in consensus.

---

Admiral Kai Levinson regarded himself in the mirror. He had managed to pull himself together enough to be presentable, but the wear and tear of the time since the crisis began was evident. Kai ran a hand through his grey hair, trying to smooth it out. It was hard to muster the effort, but he believed the crew was entitled to professionalism. It was the least he could do.

He nodded to himself and then exited his quarters, making his way toward the bridge of the Alcubierre. The hall was alive, filled with the comings and goings of servicemembers about their designated tasks. Each stopped and offered the Admiral a salute. He nodded to each as he continued along. He made the effort to look at each person in the eyes, hoping to instill them with the sort of courage he felt himself sorely lacking.

His head mired in the morose, Kai stepped onto the bridge. The crew members of the bridge snapped to attention as he entered, each standing beside their designated console. "At ease," Kai said as he made his way to the area in front of the viewing screen. "Comms, open up a channel shipwide." After receiving the go-ahead, Kai cleared his throat.

"Crew members of the UWS Alcubierre, as each of you know, we have been thrust into an unusual situation. I would like to take the opportunity to discuss the matter and explain our current disposition." Burying the lede to be sure. "Shortly after our departure from Sol, we crossed some manner of boundary, the nature and source of which remains a mystery to us." He took a deep, steadying breath. "Beyond the boundary is a greater mystery still. The immutable laws of physics, the guideposts for all of our scientific knowledge, simply do not seem to apply. We have expended incredible effort attempting to discern the nature of the new reality we find ourselves in, but we have been largely unsuccessful."

Kai let his gaze wander around the bridge, meeting the eyes of each person who had placed their faith in him. He did not allow himself to flinch away. He had brought them to their doom, the least he could do was look them in the eye. "Early on, we discovered that we were traveling at speeds far greater than should be possible. We realized this shortly before our Alcubierre drive was rendered inoperable by the unique strain placed upon it by the unusual rules in effect." Kai began to pace back and forth, his voice maintaining its clear, commanding tone. "We updated course projections and have discovered that our greater speed places us on a collision course with the Proxima Barrier. We have made use of our quantum vacuum thruster, but it is insufficient to avoid the obstacle and we are unable to alter course at a velocity in excess of the speed of light."

"The odd nature of this physics we are now operating within will allow the Alcubierre to survive the collision with the Proxima Barrier but*....*" His breath hitched now, dreading the revelation to follow. "It will also mean the destruction of the greater part of the Milky Way, including our home." The crew on the bridge glanced between each other but otherwise remained stoic. Kai credited them for maintaining their composure. It was a fine group of people.

The view screen flared to life, showing a visualization of the projected collision and ensuing aftermath. A small blinking dot representing the Alcubierre hurled into a long line populated by planetoids of various sizes. Immediately a large nova exploded outward, consuming the surrounding planetoids and beginning its slow march across the stars. The blinking dot of the Alcubierre continued onward, outpacing the devastation in its wake. The simulation sped up, showing the nova slowly consuming more and more of the galaxy, each subsequent interaction with the nova creating still move novas in an expanding chain reaction. "Despite our best efforts, we have been unable to find a solution to avoiding a collision." Behind him, the viewscreen showed the mutilated arm of the galaxy humanity called home. They had survived the crucible of Earth only to bring their folly to the universe.

Lieutenant Lee stood up from behind her console and snapped to attention. Kai nodded to her, "Speak at will Lieutenant."

"Sir, what if..." she paused and looked around the bridge, "what if we initiated the Zed Protocol?"

"We have considered that. The destruction of the Alcubierre will only increase the odds of a catastrophic collision."

Lieutenant Lee looked as if she had been struck, a glaze falling over her eyes as the color drained from her face. Stumbling slightly, she sat back down. "But...what...what will we do?"

Admiral Levinson regarded her quietly for a moment, "There's nothing we can do."

A tear leaked down the corner of her eye, "When?"

"Soon."