Tanya found herself staring out the cruiser's viewports again, watching the distant stars and thinking longingly of Eden-Five. She missed everything about home from the feel of real dirt under her boots, the sound of wind through the trees, even the familiar chaos of her family, but most of all, she missed the workshop and working on projects in private.
"I should be back home right now," she muttered, pressing her palm against the cold viewport. "Working on something that matters, not trying to curry favour with the military and deal with people who would plant spy devices on my ship."
//Your utilitarian specialisation does match your temperament better. This will only be temporary. Military applications often require... compromises that conflict with pure engineering elegance.//
"You mean like sabotage and paranoia?" Tanya asked dryly.
//Among other inefficiencies. I am gratified you chose the utilitarian path over military specialisation. Your instincts align with creation rather than destruction.//
The comment surprised her. Sage rarely offered such personal observations. "Thanks. Though right now I'm wondering if I should have just stayed home and built tractors."
//Perhaps we should focus on your next project. What vessel concept interests you?//
Tanya's mood lifted slightly at the change of subject. "I've been thinking about an automated beacon layer. Something that can establish navigation networks while I work on perfecting the real black box technology."
//Intriguing. Mobile infrastructure deployment. What operational parameters do you envision?//
Tanya could tell Sage was trying to distract her, but she was happy for the distraction.
"It needs to be completely autonomous and be able to jump into a system, survey optimal beacon placement, manufacture and deploy the beacons, then move to the next system." Tanya's hands moved as she spoke, sketching invisible designs in the air. "The ship would essentially build its own supply chain as it goes."
//Resource acquisition will be critical. Not all systems contain suitable raw materials.//
"That's the challenge," Tanya agreed, her engineering mind fully engaged now. "The ship needs to be able to harvest asteroids, process various ore types, and manufacture everything from basic components to sophisticated electronics. Some specialised parts will have to be stored, but I need to figure out what can be salvaged and recycled versus what needs to be carried as inventory."
//Storage versus manufacturing capability. An optimisation problem worthy of extended analysis.//
"Exactly. Too much storage and the ship becomes a slow-moving warehouse. Too little and it gets stranded when it can't find the right materials." Tanya smiled while picturing the ship in her mind. "It's the kind of problem that makes my brain happy. "
It was nice to dream of a new ship. Tanya knew she was just on edge, but the paranoia wasn't helping. Ever since discovering the surveillance devices, she found herself constantly scanning the ship with her multitool, checking for unauthorised equipment or monitoring devices. Without her dimensional workshop, rebuilding the Pathfinder's damaged systems meant working with standard tools that felt clumsy and imprecise in her hands. She was also left second-guessing everything.
"At least the surveillance bugs are gone," she said, running another security scan. "Though I still don't know who planted them." She suspected she knew but had no way to verify it.
The next vortex skipping test proceeded smoothly, without electronic interference, generating considerable excitement among the small group of personnel who were cleared to know about the project Tanya could see the enthusiasm in their faces, and it felt good knowing she had sparked it. She was surprised to see the masters were not part of the group. Davidson must have kept his promise and removed them from the project.
She just wasn't sure how to tell the technical crew that she couldn't reproduce the effect without Sage's direct intervention. She had tried to understand the lesson on dimensional mapping and what Sage was doing, but it just didn't make much sense. She could sense there was a fundamental understanding she didn't have.
"The next phase requires full-scale storm navigation testing," Captain Davidson announced during their briefing. "We need conditions as close to the real thing as possible."
After the formal meeting ended, Davidson approached her quietly. "Ms. Furrow, come with me, please." Private meetings were never good. She hoped that Amara would be there, but she was disappointed as she entered his office and saw it empty. Once the door sealed behind them, Davidson's expression grew serious. "You've made it clear that you need to be aboard the Pathfinder for the navigation system to function properly."
"I really do," Tanya said, wondering where this was leading. "The system requires... constant calibration that can't be automated."
Davidson nodded slowly, then reached into his desk and withdrew a small, unmarked box. "I think I have a solution."
//Curious. That container exhibits unusual markings, suggesting non-human origins.//
"What is it?" Tanya asked, noting Sage's surprise through their link.
"An artifact from long ago," Davidson said, opening the box to reveal a device no larger than her hand. It looked almost crystalline, with surfaces that seemed to shift and flow like liquid mercury frozen in time. "A quantum entangler. It was a gift from a Gardener a few hundred years ago."
Tanya leaned forward, fascinated despite herself. "A Gardener gave this to humans?"
"Yes, it was a non-human Gardener. They were involved in some of the early contact protocols. This was a gift to help us communicate. Davidson lifted the device carefully. "All attempts to replicate the technology have failed, but I received permission to use it for this mission."
"What does it do?"
"Instant and secure communication between any two devices that have been linked through it. No lag, no interference, completely unhackable." Davidson's eyes met hers. "You could operate the navigation system remotely from anywhere in the galaxy."
//This is non-human technology. The story seems consistent with my knowledge of my kind// Sage said privately. //The quantum entanglement principles are far beyond current human capabilities. But it would be perfect for our needs. You could link your multitool to the Pathfinder's navigation core and operate everything from complete safety.//
Tanya felt a surge of excitement mixed with caution. She and Sage had explored remote operation before, but human communication technology still had a significant lag time that made real-time navigation impossible. This could change everything.
"That could work," she said carefully, studying Davidson's face. "We've considered remote operation before, but the communication delays made it impractical."
"With this, there would be no delays. You could be safely aboard the cruiser while maintaining full control of your navigation system." Davidson paused. "The question is whether you're willing to trust a hundred-year-old alien technology and me"
Tanya wondered if Davidson was playing an angle here. The timing seemed awfully convenient. Right when they needed it, he produced a miraculous solution that happened to be sitting in his desk drawer.
But if it really worked...
"I'd need to test it first," she said. "Make sure the connection is stable and won't interfere with the navigation systems."
Davidson smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that. But first, I need to introduce you to some people."
A group of five people walked through the door. He gestured to them as they entered. "Let me introduce your mission crew. For operational security, you'll know each other only by code names."
The pilot was a lean man with sharp eyes and an easy confidence that spoke of years in dangerous cockpits. "Call me Eyes," he said with a slight grin. "I'll be the one flying this beauty."
The communications officer was a compact woman with the kind of alert posture that suggested she was slightly paranoid. "Mouth," she said simply. "I talk to people and people talk to me."
Their scout was younger, with an intensity that was slightly off-putting."Ears," she said. "I find things that don't want to be found."
The next was a soldier who was built like Marcus but carried himself with military precision that made him seem much more dangerous than her gentle brother. "Red," he said in a voice that suggested he had seen his fair share of combat. "I break things that need breaking."
The team leader was older, with grey at his temples and the kind of calm authority that made everyone else defer to him automatically. "Boss," he said simply. "I make decisions." It was nice and simple
Boss turned to Tanya. "Your turn. Pick a name."
For a moment, Tanya thought about it, taking in the group of professionals who took their code names seriously. "Compass," she said at last. "I'll show you the way."
"Works for me," Boss said. "Your job is to get us to Eden-Three safely. We've got resources and assets there, so once we arrive, it should be a relatively straightforward extraction. Just focus on the navigation."
Tanya nodded, though she could already tell from their casual banter that this team had worked together many times before. They moved with the unconscious coordination of people who trusted each other completely. She was the odd one out.
"Let's see if this ancient alien tech works," Eyes said, eyeing the quantum entangler with professional scepticism. Tanya could understand the feeling; he would have to follow her direction exactly, and trusting an alien device wasn't something most humans could do.
The installation process was surprisingly simple. Sage guided her through linking her multitool to the Pathfinder's navigation core through the alien device. The moment the connection was established, she felt the familiar sensation of the ship's information entering her mind like a data dump, despite being hundreds of meters away in the cruiser's briefing room. She wondered if Sage was taking some of the load.
*//Connection quality exceeds expectations,// Sage reported privately. //No latency detected.//
"Navigation system is responding normally," Tanya announced, running through the diagnostic routines. "It's like being there in person."
The next suitable storm was at least another day away, which gave them time to test the remote operation under controlled conditions. Tanya remained aboard the cruiser while the team took the Pathfinder through basic manoeuvres.
When they finally reached the storm testing area, Tanya felt her focus sharpen despite being safely aboard the cruiser. The storm was relatively small by the standards they would eventually face at Eden-Three, but it was real and churning mess of energies that created barriers and passages shifting by the second.
"Storm model complete," Tanya announced from the cruiser's command center after Sage had completed the calculations. "I've got viable paths mapped for the next six hours."
"Still feels weird not having you physically here," Eyes admitted as they began their approach.
"Think of me as very expensive autopilot software," Tanya replied.
What followed was an intense day of dimensional navigation. The Pathfinder jumped between vortex space and normal space in complex patterns, some jumps lasting minutes, others stretching for hours as they followed stable corridors through the dimensional maze.
"Vortex drives are showing minor accuracy drift," Eyes reported during one of the longer passages.
Tanya ran diagnostics through her remote connection. "Normal break-in patterns. I can compensate through the navigation algorithms." She made a mental note that Garret should have warned her about this.
The storm lasted roughly a day before dissipating. As the Pathfinder returned to dock with the cruiser, the crew's assessment was straightforward and professional.
"Ship handles well," Eyes reported. "Though jumping thirty-seven times in one day is rough on the inner ear."
"Communications protocols need work for rapid dimensional transitions," Mouth added.
"Sensor readings are completely off the charts," Ears said with obvious interest.
"Constant acceleration changes are hard on the stomach," Red admitted, "but the ship stays stable."
"Mission parameters confirmed," Boss announced. "The Pathfinder and remote navigation system perform as required. Time to begin actual operations."
Before the crew finished their debriefing, Sage spoke privately: //Vessel requires operational designation.//
Tanya didn't have to think too long. "Designation: Vanguard. You go first, so act like it."
//Assessment: Functional design with effective integration of advanced technologies. External contributions are significant. Overall rating: B+.//
"What would it take for an A?" Tanya asked.
//Independent development without master-level assistance. Complete understanding of all systems. Innovation beyond current standards.//
Fair enough. The Vanguard was excellent, but it wasn't entirely her work. Still, it had passed every test they could devise. The real challenge waited at Eden-Three.