Commander Charlene Carr

F.W.S. WarpStar

Epsilon Eridini

Milky Way Galaxy

She longed for the crisp smell and feel of her uniform, a sensation that had become almost nostalgic during her three years undercover, a grueling assignment aimed at capturing that elusive fugitive. In that time, she scarcely had the opportunity to relish her recent promotion to commander. As she strode through the corridors of the ship—her ship—she felt a renewed sense of pride swell within her. This was home, and she had never felt more alive.

At last, the lift reached its destination: Deck 1 Command. The hatch hissed open, revealing the infamous command corridor. Directly ahead lay the bridge, to her right was the head, and the staircase led up to the wardroom and her office. To her left was the Commanding Officer’s General Quarters, a stateroom that also served as an office. She pressed forward, a mix of excitement and anxiety coursing through her veins as she anticipated seeing her bridge once again, albeit from a different seat.

"Commander Charlene Carr requesting permission to come aboard, ma'am," Charr announced, her voice steady as she offered a crisp salute.

"It’s about time I have my XO back! Take your seat; I’m thrilled to finally see you after all these years!" Captain Heidi Donavan beamed, her enthusiasm infectious.

"Oh hush, you! You’re the one I’m happy for! Look at you, Heidi Donavan! You picked a winner!" Charr replied, her smile mirroring Heidi’s.

"More like he picked a winner!" Heidi chuckled as their laughter echoed in the command corridor. "Alright, ladies and gents, we should be fully supplied by now. I want a sitrep—go or no-go—on my board." With that, she activated the ship’s situation report display, revealing a mix of red and green indicators from each department.

"Did you know we could travel to different galaxies?" Charr leaned in, her curiosity piqued.

"I had no clue until my husband briefed me. Char, we’re in for one hell of a ride," Heidi replied, the weight of her words underscoring the challenges that lay ahead.

Charr focused on the station panel, her heart racing as all stations finally hit green. Taking the liberty, she sent out orders. “Alright, we have a go. Station release protocols. OOD, sound the bells, and get us underway."

“Sounding bells and getting underway, aye ma’am!" Junior Officer Jade Mace declared as she activated the 1mc mic and pulled the clarion lever once. "Station release! Station release! Set condition four.” She set the mic down, continuing with practiced precision. “Release all moorings and umbilicals. Switch power to our own. Nav, plot me a course to clear local traffic.” The ship reverberated with the sounds of cables and docking clamps releasing. “Helm reports free movement,” Lieutenant Orion confirmed.

Charr observed the helm closely, noting her eagerness to be back in that seat. It called to her, whispered her name, but her career had advanced her to the role of executive officer, and her duties lay elsewhere. She couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity about how adept their new helmsman was.

“Helm, thrusters only. Get us clear of Eugene.” Heidi ordered.

“Helm, aye."

Charr chuckled internally at the rigid adherence to protocols. Some rules seemed almost ridiculous. Scanning her immediate area sensors, she noted no imminent danger. A surge of adrenaline coursed through her as she contemplated firing up the mains and executing a 4 or 5g burn for a quicker exit. Running the calculations in her head, she realized it would take hours to clear the inner docking space with just the thrusters. “Are we going by the book? It’s going to take us hours to clear the inner docking space,” Charr leaned in to ask Heidi, her three years away from the Federation leaving her a bit rusty on some of the rules and procedures.

"Considering the big brass is all here, I mean, I understand where you're coming from," Heidi replied, her expression thoughtful.

"Heidi, look—the station-keeping area is clear. This is the active sensor feed right from Eugene Station," Charr insisted, her determination evident.

“What do you suggest?" Heidi inquired, her brow furrowing in contemplation.

“Fire up the mains, 5g burn for 5 minutes, then we’re golden.”

Heidi studied the sensor readouts, weighing her options. Char had a valid point, but protocols existed for a reason. “OOD, fire up the mains. Give me a 5g burn for 5 minutes.”

Jade acknowledged the order, repeating it with professionalism. “Helm, fire up the mains, then immediate execute—5g burn for 5 minutes.”

“Helm, aye.”

The mains roared to life with a distinct BOOM, propelling the mighty destroyer forward with a force that far surpassed thrusters alone.

“Well, we’re going to have some time. Now is a good opportunity for that brief. OOD, call all senior staff to the wardroom," Charr instructed.

The coffee was excellent! She had forgotten how much better the food production systems onboard a full military ship were compared to a small corvette. After three years in a cramped coffin that could only produce the bare minimum of basic needs, the luxuries most sailors took for granted felt like a distant memory. As she looked around the table, she took her usual seat, only to realize she should be in the XO chair. ‘Lots to catch up on, Char. Lots!’ she mused silently.

“Alright, everyone, we’ve got a lot to discuss!” Heidi announced as everyone settled into their seats, drinks and food in hand. “There’s a long version and a short version. The long is on each of your personal com tablets; I suggest you read through it. The short version? We are going to travel further than any human ever has, to the center of the galaxy."

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

The room collectively gasped in disbelief.

“Ma’am, that’s almost 30,000 light years! Even with our capabilities, that would take us hundreds of years to cover that distance,” Jax chimed in, his concern palpable.

“You’re right, Jax. So here’s what we have,” she said, gesturing to Char.

“We are venturing into uncharted territory in more ways than one. Yes, this will be a long journey, but here’s our plan. Eugene Station will dump us as far as it can—approximately 9,000 light years. We believe the galaxy has several Dyson Spheres scattered around, which enabled the Terrans to achieve near-instant travel. Since we only have access to one of them, that’s the best they can do."

“Okay, so that’s a nice effective boost, but there’s still a lot of distance to cover,” Jax interjected.

“We have an updated hyperspace map that Eugene Station was able to acquire from the hyperspace network. There are several jump points. Nav, you need to calculate jump routes between our exit point and the center point where the gate is located. Now, I understand we have a 30-hour cooldown on the hyperdrive; during that cooldown period, we will be traveling at FTL speeds,” Char explained.

“Sorry to butt in again, ma’am, but the maximum we can go is 20c. That’s still hundreds of years,” Jax interjected once more, his worry evident.

“Yeah, I heard you broke my record,” Char replied with a smile. “But we believe this ship can go much, much faster. We’re going to attempt to push her to 2,000c.” The room erupted into disbelief and chaos.

“I know, I know—that’s a massive jump from 20c! But we’ve run simulations, and even Doctor Anders believes it may be possible to achieve those speeds."

“Ma’am, I’ve studied the designs of the entire propulsion system. If anything goes wrong mid-flight, there will be no stopping to fix it. At those speeds, we will instantly be turned into cosmic dust,” Chief Engineer Thalia Korrin interjected, her voice laced with concern.

“I understand, but this is what we signed up for. You have your briefs; let’s make it happen!” Heidi declared, the urgency in her voice cutting through the tension. The room broke up, each member returning to their respective departments. Heidi felt the unease in her officers; it wasn’t the looming threat they feared but the insane speed they were being asked to test. However, if the threat her husband had warned her about was true, they needed to fulfill their mission. On top of that, if she could pull off a successful 5kc run, it would significantly advance FTL research.

“Helm answering all bells, ma’am,” Jax acknowledged.

“Comms, send the go signal to Eugene. Let’s get that wormhole up!” Heidi ordered.

“Yes, ma’am!” The WarpStar drifted in the void of space, poised for her long and dangerous journey.

“Eugene Station reports all green; wormhole forming now!” the comms officer relayed. The entire bridge crew watched in awe as a rip in space and time began to take shape just ahead of the tiny destroyer.

“Nav, distance to event horizon,” Heidi commanded, her anticipation palpable.

“Seventy-five thousand klicks, ma’am. Time to target at current velocity: three minutes,” Ensign Sasha Ivanov reported.

“Helm, all ahead full! Take us in!” Heidi commanded, her voice firm with authority.

“Yes, ma’am!” Jax replied, pushing the lever to full, setting the selector for 10g.

The WarpStar surged into the event horizon of the wormhole, emerging on the other side with a seamless transition. Nothing in their world changed; the passage felt like a standard hyperspace jump, yet they were now 9,000 light years away from home.

Heidi tapped her fingers on her chair’s arms, waiting for the standard procedure from C.I.C. When the 18mc chirped, she noted it was quicker than expected.

“Con, C.I.C.,” came the overjoyed voice of Lieutenant Jennifer Smedley, back in her element, commanding the C.I.C. where she thrived. “No close contacts. If our database is correct from the Sumerians, this should be Zulu Tango tach Four Seven Eight Niner. F Type Star, three celestial bodies—one of them a gas giant, one an asteroid field. Nothing noteworthy on the passives."

“C.I.C., Con, aye,” Heidi replied. “Go active.” As per standard protocol, they weren’t on a stealth mission, and no dangers were present at close range. Activating all sensors would provide an exact picture of their surroundings.

“Con, C.I.C., aye. Going active."

“OOD, start the next phase,” Charr commanded, her gaze steady.

“Yes, ma’am!” Jade responded promptly. “Nav, plot a course that points us to our next jump point, the Nyxara System. Helm, upon receipt of course, immediate execute—all ahead full.”

The two officers reported back in unison. Char watched as Jax maneuvered her ship, silently critiquing his methods.

“C.I.C., Con, report all close contacts.” Heidi could hardly contain her anticipation; fifteen minutes of radiation and particles emitted from the ship would have disclosed any nearby threats.

“Con, C.I.C. Active sensors report no close contacts; we’re in the clear."

“Good. Char, this is your show,” Heidi nodded, empowering her XO.

“Alright, I have the con!” Char announced, standing tall as she took direct command of the ship.

“Commander Carr has the con!” Jade echoed, her tone as professional as ever.

“Start the clock—thirty hours. Helm, engage FTL. Let’s start her slow at 20c.” Char chuckled internally; slow at 20c? She had never pushed the WarpStar that fast while piloting her.

“Aye, ma’am. Engaging FTL,” Jax replied, pulling the throttle to neutral. The vibrations and hum of the mains quieted as he set the drive indicator to FTL and began to push the throttle lever. The world around them transformed into a mesmerizing dance of colors and lights. “Helm answering all bells."

“Good. Now, slowly increase the bubble; give it more power. Our reactor is only putting out 10% right now. We should be golden. So, remodulate the warp field—okay, yeah, good, just like that—now give her some kick,” Charr directed the helmsman, standing close to him as she guided his actions.

Jax followed her instructions meticulously, gradually increasing power to the warp field generators. He watched as their speed climbed rapidly. 50c, 90c, 300c, 900c. He was at the halfway point; the warp reactor's output and heat spiked, still within limits. “Ma’am, are you seeing this?” Jax pointed towards his monitors, a mix of excitement and disbelief evident in his voice.

“I am. Damn impressive, girl. Damn impressive!” she praised, patting the console affectionately, her faith in her ship unwavering. “Helm is reporting one thousand c and reactor output at only 28% with field strength holding at 100%. Warp capacitors are barely being used—2% pull. Ma’am, this girl can move!"

“That’s some good news. Keep it up; let’s hit our goal."

Charr watched as Jax continued to channel more power into the systems, the speed indicator climbing rapidly once again. 1200c, 1500c, 1800c, finally hitting 2,000c. Char stood proudly, a smile lighting up her face as she locked eyes with Heidi, smirking as if daring her commanding officer to challenge her. She approached the command console, picked up the mic, set the selector to 1mc, and spoke, never breaking her gaze from Heidi. “Attention all hands. This is your XO. We have just achieved a milestone—we are now traveling at two-thousand times the speed of light. We are now the fastest object in the known universe. Reactor output is holding steady at fifty-seven percent, field strength holding at one hundred percent, and warp capacitor draw is holding at twelve percent. In my opinion, we’ve just scratched the surface of what our girl can do! I’m proud of each and every one of you; you took care of my baby while I was away! To each and every one, I say: HOAH!” The bridge erupted in a resounding chorus of “HOAH,” reverberating throughout the ship. Charr had never felt prouder in her life. When she first navigated this ship out of dry-dock at Utopia-Planitia Shipyards, no one had ever imagined they would achieve such speeds. “Now we have less than thirty hours before the next jump point. Let’s do what we do best, as we are the best in the Navy!"