One morning, Max, Nico and Nergal were sitting around a table, looking at the holographic projection that Max had just finished compiling while Nergal went to get them both breakfast coffees.
"This is the best way to test the possibility that the Darklings can pass through this space to get from one place to another at an alarming rate of speed. From what we have determined using the data you provided us from the layered space experiments, it should alter the Portal enough to simulate the ones that the Darklings use to chase the Arisen Army.
If this works, we should be able to pass through the barrier between layers of the universe, but at the moment, we have no way of navigating here or knowing where we are going to come out. So, it's a risk, and the computer is unable to fully simulate it as we don't have enough data to actually predict what will happen if we do open the Portal.
It's possible that we will end up somewhere else entirely or let something horrific happen to this layer of space."
Nergal chuckled at that and pointed out the porthole to where a raging plasma storm had overtaken the currents beyond their shelter.
"From what I can tell, something horrific has already happened to this place. That storm would rip the average World Ship apart with its ferocity, and anything smaller would be like throwing ripe fruit in a blender." She remarked, completely serious in her evaluation of the situation.
"Alright, point taken. But we don't want to make it worse.
I am pretty sure that we have calibrated the Portal properly to return us home, so we can open it at a distance once the Plasma storm fades and then send a probe through if nothing explodes, implodes, or gets sucked through." Max decided.
"That's good enough for us. We should have enough completed on the layered space theory now that, combined with our data here, a successful portal home will confirm the last of the data points we need. Not only will it allow us to add another proven theory to our computer systems, but one of our team will have an incredible Thesis to write." Nico agreed, then scrolled through the data for a second before continuing.
"The question we should be asking is if this place can be useful to us in some way. If we can leave here, that means we can return on purpose. If we can return on purpose, it might be possible to travel without being discovered, assuming that we can find some sort of landmarks here that we can use to navigate.
Even the massive nebula region that the Koleska live in has plenty of stable waypoints to navigate, so you can at least find your way back to where you were. But from what we have seen so far, nothing here is stable.
We are tracking multiple other landmasses in the currents, and they are all drifting, the same as we are. So, while we can navigate from one point to another within our line of sight, we can't count on the waypoint to still be there if we try to return or even accurately track it after we lose sight of it, given the erratic nature of the currents.
The landmasses are not directing the currents except in their immediate vicinity. They are just as much at the mercy of the changes as anything else."
Nergal put down her data tablet and looked around the room. "Is there anything else that we can do to verify that it is going to be safe to open the Portal? I feel like I am missing something about the targeting system, but I just can't for the life of me tell what it is."
So, they all went over the intricacies of the targeting system for the Portals again until they found the part that was making the Innu uneasy. Normally, there was a verifiable input coordinate. Your current location was used to determine where you ended up. Since they didn't know that, and they were just trying to move back to the proper layer of space, they could end up nearly anywhere if they had drifted too far after their arrival.
"Well, we will only know once we try." Max laughed.
There were so many unknown variables to this equation that it was basically a shot in the dark, even if it did work to get them back to somewhere familiar. Worst case scenario, they ended up somewhere even stranger.
The storm cleared later that evening, ship time, and everyone set about preparing for the portal test.
In the name of safety, it would be opened on the far side of the calm area around the landmass, and a probe would be sent through first to give them data about where the Portal led and if their theory was correct.
[Everything is in position Commander.] The Duty Captain informed Max, allowing the eagerness to get home to creep into his speech.
The Giants weren't usually the emotional sorts, but Max had realized that they really were homebodies. They didn't like big changes or new routines. They liked reliable things and schedules. This whole mission had been a nightmare for them.
Max nodded to Nico, who started the process, and a small portal began to open in the distance.
[The Portal is now stable. The current size is one metre. No sign of any energy masses passing through the opening.] The Duty Captain informed them.
The probe was fired from a shuttle waiting near the Portal, and the whole Cutter waited eagerly for the first bits of data to come back to them.
[Data is coming in clear. No damage to the probe has been detected. I am attempting to establish telemetry now.] Nico informed the crew.
Five seconds passed in silence, then ten, and finally, Nico had the data up on the screens.
[The probe is still in Koleska space but over ten solar systems away from the anomaly.] She informed the crew, and a resounding cheer went up from every voice.
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