Chapter 50. Time keeps on slipping, slipping.

Two months, it had been two months since I had touched that damn orb.

I sat in my quarters trying to dive into some of the curriculum Elvis provided CJ and Loren, but I wasn’t progressing.

I was currently reading about Moscovium, or as I knew it element 115. I had heard about Element 115 in a YouTube video about the infamous Bob Lazar. Bob stated that he had studied the element during his time at Area 51.

Bob said that the government had 9 UFOs at the time of his employment and was tasked with reverse engineering them to try and build our own. The claim is that element 115 allowed the crafts to utilize anti-gravity technology to soar the cosmos.

What is element 115, or Moscovium? It’s called element 115 because it has 115 protons in its nucleus. Earth scientists had some luck recreating the element in the early 2000s but could not create a stable version. Their version would start to break down within minutes, so truly studying the element was impossible, much less using it in practical applications.

I gathered from Spaceships for Dummies, as Elvis so kindly titled it, that the Moscovium was used in a couple of different ways. First, the Bloodhound used the stable isotopes of the element to create a chain reaction that released energy, translation --- -thrusters. Second, the ship had the ability to create minor gravitational field differences that would effectively create slight slippages of time, translation, and long-distance propulsion.

This was all controlled by Elvis, or more specifically, the sub-mind that Elvis had handling the ship's navigation. I realized that Elvis had pre-programmed subminds that managed various tasks and operations all over the ship. Elvis was constantly updating and making the necessary adjustments, but this used very little of his available resources so it could and should continue indefinitely.

The only task that was truly handled by Elvis directly was weapons. Elvis loved fighting and would not miss out on a chance to “Slay our enemies,” as he put it.

I could see now that it would take some serious dedication to even begin to learn how the Bloodhound operates. Luckily for me, we didn’t need to learn how to build the ship, we just needed to learn how to operate it in case of emergency.

Elvis had assured me he could create at least a basic understanding of the ship's navigation and weapons system if CJ, Loren, and I followed his curriculum. Tiff had a head start on the rest of us since she was familiar with interstellar spacecraft already. Unfortunately, she wasn’t a trained pilot, so her understanding was surface-level only.

I didn’t know what the next part of our journey would hold, so for now, this would allow us to keep busy.

Jax, Matty, and Kaj were also busy. Their task was to create specific security protocols for the ship. Our crew had grown significantly in the last several weeks, and I was sure it would continue to grow. We needed to be sure we could keep everyone safe on board. Their group was also creating protocols for away missions. Those three had the most military experience, and I was more than happy to defer to their expertise when the time came.

So, with all the learning about the ship and Moscovium and gravitational fields, my head was literally about to explode when Elvis walked into my quarters.

I was still shocked at his new body, but he was as happy as a lark now that he could physically interact with the crew.

“Captain, you will be pleased,” Elvis said, raising his arms dramatically.

“Okay… what will I be pleased about?” I asked.

“I have two pieces of information to share. You will be pleased to hear both! First, I have finished analyzing my new body, and second, I have an updated ETA for the Coeus coordinates,” He said.

“Alright, let's hear it,” I replied.

Elvis had taken control of his new body a few days ago. He wasn’t sure exactly what it was made of or capable of since the Coeus had created the synthesis program and provided the materials.

“I am an Android Captain. Similar to the T-1000 from the Terminator movie. I will be able to slay many foes with this new body, Captain. Many foes,” Elvis said as he looked at the palms of his hands and clenched his fists.

“Whoah buddy, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Is the body durable? Is it strong? What are the downsides?” I asked.

“Downsides? Do you doubt my ability to flay the skin of my enemies and turn their bones to ashes? I am Elvis the mighty and my enemies will tremble in my presence, Captain!” Elvis proclaimed.

“Okay, I get it, you’re strong, but what about fuel? What powers your body? Do you eat? Is there some power source that needs to be recharged?” I asked.

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“The body has a protein synthesis system. I will ingest food that is then synthesized into a power source for the body, much like your own body, Captain.” Elvis replied.

“Okay, sounds less android and more biological to me Elvis,” I said.

“True, there are similarities, but my skeletal structure is composed of exotic composites, very similar to the material your armor is composed of. My internal organs are all replacable wetwear. If one fails, or I’m injured, I can fabricate a new one. Lastly, my brain is my CPU. I am fully Elvis, but now with a fantastic beefy body,” Elvis said as he pulled a front double bicep flex.

“So, still no sleeves huh?” I said.

“These pythons are meant for battle; it would be a travesty to cover them, Captain,” he replied as he held the pose and stared directly into my eyes.

“Okay, Okay, I get it,” I said laughing.

“Well, that’s good news, Elvis. We really could have used you on the moon, and moving forward, we will have you,” I said.

“Are the weapons systems repaired and ready for use?” I asked.

“Yes, Captain. All weapons systems have been repaired and are combat-ready. The Ron Jeremy, all missile tubes, and all kinetic cannons are at your disposal,” Elvis replied, standing to attention.

“What is the update on our mission coordinates?” I asked.

“We are approaching the coordinates now, Captain. Our sensors are picking up some concerning readings, however. There is a large Quasar at the indicated coordinates. I am mighty, but even I would not suggest entering a natural black hole, Captain.” He said shaking his head.

“Can the Bloodhound take it?” I asked.

“That is not the concern, Captain,” Elvis replied.

Just then Tiff came walking into my quarters. We had begun doing a daily debrief to discuss ship and crew issues. Tiff would update me on the status of everyone’s missions and discuss anything related to the ship’s systems.

The information related to the ship was provided directly to Tiff in a daily flash sent to her station console by Elvis.

None of us had crewed a starship before this, but we were all getting into a reasonably professional routine.

“Did you say there is a Quasar at those coordinates?” Tiff asked Elvis.

“Yes, XO Tiff. I was explaining the dangers of traversing a natural black hole to Captain,” Elvis replied.

“It isn’t advised, Captain,” Tiff said as she sat in the chair in front of my desk.

“Don’t we already travel through wormholes?” I asked, “How much different could it be?”

“We create those wormholes. We input the exit coordinates and only affect one layer of time and space, namely the space part,” Tiff said, “Remember the example I showed you with the paper?”

“Yeah, it was one of the first things you taught me,” I replied.

“With our wormholes, we control the paper. We know where we will exit… and when,” she said, “Now instead of one piece of paper, put a hole in it. That is where we enter the Quasar.”

“Okay….” I said.

“Now imagine that the hole you poked is in a notebook. Close the notebook and imagine that someone 50 years in the future, on the other side of the world pokes a hole in another completely random notebook. That is your endpoint,” she said raising her hands emphatically.

“So, we don’t have any way of knowing when or where we will exit?” I asked placing my elbows on the desk.

“Absolutely no way.” She said.

“It can’t be a coincidence that the Coeus sent us here Tiff. We are meant to go through that black hole.” I said, “Elvis, are you sure we will survive?” I asked.

“Captain, the Bloodhound is a mighty vessel, we will survive!” Elvis exclaimed.

“How far out are we Elvis?” I asked.

“half an hour, Captain. I have engaged the Moscovium reactors to nullify the gravitational effects of the Quasar.” He replied.

I reached down and pressed a button on my desk panel.

“Attention everyone, please proceed to battle stations and secure your person. We will enter a naturally occurring, supermassive black hole in approximately 30 minutes. This is not a drill people.” I said.

25 minutes later I was on the bridge with CJ, Tiff, and Elvis in his new body.

“Elvis, view screen on,” I said pointing to the front wall of the bridge.

The view screen popped on and I couldn’t believe what I saw. The black hole was more like a giant orb that distorted everything around it. It sucked in matter, light, and time. Everything was drawn into its massive black maw.

“Captain, we will lose some time on the way into the Quasar due to the gravitational time distortion,” Elvis said from his station.

I didn’t think Elvis needed a station since he was still running the ship through a complex quantum network that allowed him to be in his body and operate as the ship's AI. He wanted to be treated like everyone else, so I played along.

“Elvis, let's go in fast to mitigate the time slippage, pedal to the medal,” I said.

“Aye, Captain. Balls out is the command,” he replied.

The Bloodhound vibrated slightly as she came up to full speed. As we entered the event horizon of the black hole. There was nothing that wasn’t right; there was the absence of anything. The Blackhole was just…nothingness as we approached the singularity.

“Elvis, is the ship holding?” I asked as the Bloodhound shuttered violently.

“Yes, Captain, this bitch won’t break our ship!” Elvis cried triumphantly.

I gripped the arms of my chair practically denting the frame, well, not practically as my increased strength actually did create indentations on the arms of my chair.

“Sensors are offline, Captain, we’re flying blind!” Tiff shouted suddenly.

Sparks shot from the ceiling as smoke filled the bridge and the bloodhound rocked violently as we exited the other end of the black hole.

“Elvis, engage the gravity field generators and max thrust!” I yelled.

The immense gravitational pull of the black hole would not allow us to escape easily. The gravity field generator would help us offset it enough, but it would take everything the bloodhound had.

“We have reached escape velocity, Captain…. We are once again Victorious!” Elvis shot a fist up into the air.

We needed to talk about his intensity in situations like this.

“Where are we?” I asked, “Elvis, Tiff, can you tell?”

“Sensor array is coming back online now,” Tiff coughed as smoke was being evacuated from the bridge by the ventilation system.

A-gangers buzzed around into the walls to start repairing the damage.

“Damage report?” I turned and asked Elvis.

“Damage is minimal, Captain. The electromagnetic disturbance knocked out some of our sensors, but as XO Tiff stated they are coming back online now,” Elvis replied.

“Sensors are up!” Tiff exclaimed.

“It looks like….. we are in the Via Lactea galaxy!” Tiff said turning to me in surprise.

“Via Lactea?...” I asked.

“The Milky way galaxy, Andrew, you… you are home,” Tiff said.

I couldn’t believe what I just heard. After everything we had gone through I was home.

“Just one minor detail, Captain.” Elvis said turning to look at me, “We lost three years, we are three years in the future.”