Chapter 12

There was only a brief period of time between when Cyrus began to feel the culmination of the dark matter collecting in the Quantum Collectors and the moment he could finally release the stores into the Cyclotron Core. The actual time was mere seconds, but Cyrus felt the time dilate as new stores of information were downloaded directly into his mind.

He had accomplished the integration test to sync with the ship, but that was really only a small part of what was necessary to pilot the Cosmic Sentinel. He needed not only to feel the ship and become one with it but also to understand how the various systems could be controlled by him, both consciously and subconsciously.

He understood that this process normally took a great amount of time and practice, that the best pilots were the ones who put in the effort and learned these things on their own through diligence and effort. This held true not only for Earth’s pilots but as a basic universal constant.

However, due to finding themselves facing the Graviton storm and their trajectory placing them in such dire circumstances, that practice had to be forfeited in lieu of expediency. Thus, the technical download was necessary to prepare him for his first-ever Zero-Mass Jump (ZMJ).

Held within this massive download were many technical schematics, systems, and equations that his brain was not yet prepared to understand. There were also less technical items that required less knowledge and more sensation or feeling. It was almost as if he were learning both advanced quantum mechanics and how to meditate and control his body’s regulation at the same time. But even that didn’t fit the situation, since technically this was all part of the ship rather than his own body, although that line was significantly blurred now.

Cyrus could only hope that the systems he was interfacing with were those that essentially self-regulated. Hoshi had explained that his brain would adapt to these systems, functioning more like his body's metabolism or endocrine system, thereby eliminating the need for constant oversight.

As more and more information streamed in, Cyrus’s concentration began to fragment. He had heard of multitasking before, but this was on an entirely different level. He was simultaneously processing the data pouring into his brain, splitting his focus into separate streams, and digesting the information in ways he had never experienced.

He remembered reading that humans only used about ten percent of their brain capacity. Now, as he felt the vast neural connections forming and the multiple and separate areas of his mind focus and split to understand the data in separate yet interconnected parts, he began to grasp what it must feel like to fully unlock a human’s potential.

Finally, the torrent of information ended, leaving only a faint trickle of data streaming in from the ship and its various systems. Interspersed within this data was information about Cyrus’s own body. He now interpreted this information as if dealing with a third party rather than being a singular entity.

He could identify the areas of his body that were bruised and bumped and sense the pain from his injuries, but it was dulled as though passing through a filter. He could feel his body’s needs for nutrition and excretion, but in this state of duality, the desires were minimal, and he partitioned those off for now.

He could also tell that his hands were securely holding the joysticks, or controls, located on the sides of the terminal. In fact, as he thought about his body, an internal camera of some sort activated, and he could see himself reclining in the Exo-Pilot terminal, the headgear still covering his eyes. He noticed the blood streaming from his ears and nose, understanding it was a consequence of the immense download he had just undertaken.

Shifting his focus to look externally using the ship’s sensors, he could 'see' where he was in space, but also where he was in other dimensions, such as time. This concept was still beyond his full comprehension, as he had lived his entire life as a three-dimensional being. However, splayed out before him was an entirely new way of perceiving—dimensions and particles, space and time, the macro and micro—displayed in a kaleidoscope of new and unknown visualizations.

These were not just visual cues; he could also feel the subtle vibrations of the ship’s energy fields, the pull of gravitational forces, and the hum of various frequencies passing through him. The ship’s sensors provided a symphony of sensations, each one adding another layer to his understanding of the universe around him.

As Cyrus had hoped, with Raknak out of the Cyclotron Core and the entire Dark-matter Fusion system once again sealed, the ship’s safeguards were released. The Dark-matter particles surged into the conduits and the core itself, leaving powerful radiation for the ship's systems to absorb and initiating the sequence of events needed to activate the JUMP system.

The Cosmic Sentinel, which had been running on minimal power for thousands of years, suddenly roared back to life as every light, circuit, and system felt the life-giving rush of energy flowing through the Fusion conduits. However, this sudden influx of power, activating all systems simultaneously, caused perhaps more issues than gains due to the eons of neglect and lack of maintenance.

The ship's automated maintenance protocols, routed through Cyrus's new integration with the ship but directed by the ship's AI, engaged but struggled to keep up. The subconscious systems managed the essentials, taking steps to prevent immediate disasters like fires and critical system failures, but were not capable of providing necessary repairs fast enough.

Many sensors and non-crucial systems were quickly shut down to reduce the causational damage. The radiation spreading throughout the ship further damaged already weakened wires, conduits, and other electrical systems. Several small fires broke out across the ship, adding to the chaos.

Hoshi was the brain of the ship, though Cyrus's actual brain was required to make the ship fully functional. Safeguards were in place to prevent the AI from taking complete control of the ship. However, Hoshi was more than capable of distributing power, activating or deactivating essential systems, and diagnosing what was necessary to function.

Hoshi focused on mitigating immediate threats. Small airlocks opened in unoccupied areas to suffocate flames. On the bridge, where Daegnon was still located, a thick gas was released to extinguish several fires instantly. The AI also deployed multiple repair-bots now that the ship was fully powered. While these bots might not be able to repair the ship to full functionality before the JUMP, they were essential in patching the most vital breaches and preventing further damage. The speed at which they deployed was much faster than Cyrus would have thought possible.

The AI placed less critical systems in standby mode, allowing reserves to be filled with the abundance of power circulating through the ship—power that could be siphoned off later if necessary. Automated diagnostics continuously monitored the status of all systems, ready to trigger further safety measures as needed.

The massive blast of power also revealed the extent of the ship’s decay. Structural weaknesses risked pressure loss in certain sections. The build-up of heat in malfunctioning components posed the threat of more fires or even small explosions, but those potential issues would have to be dealt with as they occurred. The main focus at the moment was to get away from the Graviton storm and survive.

Cyrus knew they were in a race against time. The ship’s systems, barely held together, were stretched to their limits. His integration with the ship provided a direct interface, allowing him to assist Hoshi in managing the crisis. While there weren’t many things he understood well enough to help with directly, simply focusing one of the numerous new areas of his mind on a problem allowed his subconscious link with the system to activate protocols and assist with immediate repairs. Together, they worked to stabilize the Cosmic Sentinel, keeping it just functional enough to escape the storm while the power levels rose enough to activate the JUMP drive.

‘It is time, Cyrus,’ Hoshi's voice resonated throughout his mind. As he was now one with the ship, the AI’s voice seemed fuller, echoing around him as well as sounding like it came from deep within his own consciousness.

Cyrus had been stalling for the last few seconds, unsure of how this JUMP would feel in his new combined state, or what the end results might be, given that he was so untested and the Cosmic Sentinel was in almost dire condition. He suddenly understood that these worries and anxiety were actually irrelevant. They were remnants of his former life, small inconsistencies in his brain’s makeup that the SCANT hadn’t yet compensated for.

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For a brief moment, his life on Earth flashed before his mind’s eye. He had always heard that right before you die, you get a final glimpse of the things you accomplished, cared for, or regretted. This felt a lot like he imagined that sensation would be, yet somehow it felt less dire and more freeing. Not a bad omen, but merely the end of a chapter.

His fear and anxiety loosened their grip on him, so he pushed them aside. He had been gone for less than a day, yet had experienced more than he could have imagined: meeting strange beings from another world (an entirely different species), being attacked by them only to be knocked out and filled with nano-bots, gaining the ability to communicate not only with the Goblins but with this computer, and now finally becoming one with an ancient, decaying alien ship.

This definitely was not the day he had envisioned when he woke up. ‘If the electricity hadn’t gone out, would I even be here?’ his subconscious asked.

A new and sudden clarity struck him in the brief moments he took to deal with his fleeting emotions. ‘Even if I somehow made it back to Earth,’ he realized, ‘I wouldn't fit in anymore. I have changed too much.’

The mundane concerns of his previous life seemed distant now as he prepared to activate the JUMP drive, almost trivial. He was no longer just Cyrus; he was the pilot of the Cosmic Sentinel, an abducted star traveler, with a future far beyond anything he had ever dreamed.

Fear and anxiety came naturally to him, but he would no longer let them hold him back. He had been given a gift, a freeing of his mind from the trap of mental disability, and he meant to take full advantage of it.

The SCANT was correcting his brain, working overtime to establish new connections and enabling him to comprehend everything necessary to perform the JUMP. Accepting his new reality, Cyrus felt a sense of resolve wash over him. He let go of his old life, embracing his role as the ship’s pilot, for better or worse.

"Let's do this," he whispered to himself, beginning to initiate the sequence needed for the ZMJ. He let go of his body, of the physical sensations he had felt all his life. He focused on his new body, his ship body. He sensed the pull of the gravity waves from the Graviton storm. He could feel the tension the dark matter placed in the Cyclotron core, the remaining decayed areas barely containing the powerful radiation circulating through the entire system.

Then, with what he could only describe as a clenching of muscle—but this muscle being the JUMP drive—he released the pent-up power into the field generators. The matrix of circuitry connecting them to the quantum processors sparked and protested, but held.

A wave of intense cold washed over the ship. Cyrus felt it as if every nerve flared in unison, akin to how he imagined jumping into a polar lake would feel. But once the wave passed, a new and even more alien sensation took over, not filling him, but emptying him.

All mass, every part, every bit, every atom, iota, and particle within the newly formed anti-gravity field ceased to be, yet paradoxically remained. He sensed each part’s presence, disconnected yet omnipresent.

Then, as the ship began to move, a new flaring of sensation occurred, unlike anything Cyrus had ever experienced. He knew beyond doubt that this was not something any human had experienced before. It was as if the fabric of reality stretched and thinned, turning porous, allowing him, as the ship, to slip through the cracks like water being absorbed into a sponge.

The usual resistance of normal movement vanished from his perception, replaced by a smooth, almost frictionless glide. With his sensors, which felt more like phantom limbs now than actual parts of his ship body, Cyrus beheld what seemed like an entire ocean of colors surrounding him, just beyond the visible spectrum, swirling and blending around him.

It was as if he were moving through a foam of bubbles, each with its own unique texture, giving the sensation of both immense and infinitesimal scale. He felt as if he were a quark, tiny and fundamental, yet also vast and expansive like the universe itself. Time itself seemed to distort, stretching and compressing in surreal ways, as if the universe was breathing in and out, warping his perception of continuity and distance.

Then, as the JUMP continued, his senses expanded beyond the confines of physical reality. He began to perceive the incomprehensible vastness of what his mind called hyperspace. This dimension, a space in between realities, was a realm where the known laws of physics were mere suggestions, bending and twisting in impossible configurations. Energy currents pulsed through this area like veins of light, connecting stars and planets in a grand, cosmic web.

The sensation was also somewhat disorienting; he felt like a leaf caught in a cosmic dervish, being swirled around without reason. Yet, the loss of control was exhilarating, filling him with a sense of boundless freedom and potential. It was terrifying too, the sheer scale and mystery of hyperspace threatening to overwhelm his mind as he tried to focus on where the best place to return to reality would be; he realized that not just his universe was now accessible.

But before Cyrus could truly look over the vastness of the aether, to choose a place he’d like to visit, or maybe JUMP himself close to Earth where he could possibly find a way to resupply and buy them all the time they needed to repair the ship, a tugging sensation began to pull him back into cosmic reality.

The ship, which Cyrus was functionally one with now, began the return process, its failing systems demanding a return to the universal constant.

The sensations from before returned, but in reverse. The colors seemed to expand outward, the chill was replaced with a wave of heat, but the strangest sensation of all was returning to solidity, feeling like a liquid being poured into a mold, with atoms and quantum particles aligning in perfect synchronicity. He still felt the weightlessness for a moment as the anti-gravity bubble produced by the generators still surrounded him. Then, slowly, the field withdrew, and as it did, each part of his body felt as though it were being re-initialized.

Cyrus had watched 3D printers back on Earth and had been fascinated by them, though he had never actually used one. This feeling, as the bubble withdrew and the parts of him were once again subjected to the physics of the universe, reminded him of being put together in a similar fashion to one of those 3D printers. The substance was being built up layer by layer, yet this sensation was moving from the outside inward.

It took mere milliseconds, yet his newfound integration with the ship allowed him to perceive events at a much faster rate than what humans were accustomed to. For every sensation his physical body would normally interpret in a second, the data coming from the ship's sensors, hull, tools, and controls was tenfold. So those few seconds felt more like minutes.

Then the anti-gravity bubble finally… popped, in a sense. It had shrunk to the size of the Cyclotron Core, from where it was being emitted. With a final cut-off of the dark matter's radiation, the generators abruptly stopped emitting, and the field immediately ceased to exist.

Cyrus was finally whole once more. He had landed—or perhaps "re-materialized" would be a better way of saying it—in a completely unknown part of space. Using his sensors, he began to look around, as he had no better terminology for what he perceived through his new body.

Hoshi spoke into Cyrus's mind as he took in the new surroundings. ‘The JUMP was successful, but many systems experienced overloads and are worse off than before. Repairs may take longer than originally forecast, but fortunately, the replicator system has minimal functionality now, so your biological needs can be met, at least for long enough to make the needed repairs.’

Cyrus heard and digested the words, understanding that the AI referred to the ship's nutritional replicators. These weren’t like the ones in TV shows that could produce any meal on demand. Instead, by compounding and altering atmospheric and excreted molecules, they could produce a nutritionally dense substance to sustain a physical body.

But that was all just background noise to the spectacles Cyrus beheld in the space around him. He wasn’t sure if Hoshi had played a role in choosing their final destination or if their re-materialization here was mere coincidence, but Cyrus was glad the ship was where it was.

Surrounding him on either side were a pair of binary stars, slowly rotating in opposite directions. This cosmic dance caused a spectacular release of light and gas from each star, which the opposing star greedily pulled towards itself and absorbed. The interplay of these solar emissions created a dazzling display of swirling colors and luminous streams.

In addition to this celestial stream, what looked to be a massive asteroid field was passing through the conduit of gasses between the two stars. The asteroids varied in size and density, with the larger, denser ones heading towards the stream and cutting through, leaving trails as they slowly passed.

It was apparent that as the asteroids traversed through the gaseous river, the intense radiation and energy stripped elements from their surfaces, leaving them significantly smaller as they exited. These stripped particles remained suspended within the swirling gasses, adding to the density of the streams. Due to their varying molecular makeup, they created an ever-changing, mesmerizing spectacle for Cyrus’s sensors to absorb.

The view was breathtaking. Streams of vibrant colors, from deep reds to bright blues, flowed between the stars, interspersed with glittering particles, remnants from the disintegrating asteroids. The constant motion and interaction of these celestial bodies painted a vivid, dynamic panorama that was both beautiful and humbling. Streams of plasma arced and twisted in mesmerizing patterns, while the stars' gravitational forces wove the gasses into intricate, ever-changing shapes. Occasionally, a larger asteroid would burst apart under the stress, sending shimmering fragments spiraling into the void.

‘Good, I’m glad we’ll be okay. Did you send us here?’ Cyrus mentally asked Hoshi.

‘I had no control over navigation, although normally I would be able to assist. This location is random. Why do you ask?’ Hoshi replied.

‘It’s just so beautiful.’ Cyrus sighed, mesmerized by the data streaming into him. Then he remembered he was ‘seeing’ through the ship’s sensors, and he instantly knew he wanted to experience this with his own eyes.