The "pacification" of the insurgent world was a brief, brutal affair. The anomalous energy reading was a crude, overloaded geothermal tap the natives were using to power their resistance. Astra identified its core and, with a precise application of his [Jōgen Lance] from orbit, vaporized it without collateral damage. The show of overwhelming force, combined with Borg's ground assault, broke the rebellion's back in under six hours.
"Mission accomplished, Technologist," Borg reported, his voice gruff over the comm. "We can return to Vegeta."
"Negative, Captain," Astra replied, his tone leaving no room for argument. He stood on the bridge of the small scout ship, the star chart for The Cradle displayed on a private screen. "The energy signature had unique properties. I am detecting a similar, fainter resonance emanating from a nearby nebula. It requires investigation. Plot a course to these coordinates."
He transmitted the location—a point just outside the nebula, a plausible first step towards the true destination. He watched Borg's face on the comm screen. The warrior's jaw tightened, his instincts likely screaming that this was a deviation, a risk. But the Royal Technologist outranked a mere captain, and the aura of the King's favor was a potent weapon.
"...Acknowledged," Borg finally grunted. "Setting new course. But the King will be expecting a report."
"The King values initiative in the pursuit of knowledge, Captain. This will be part of my report."
The ship leapt into hyperspace, leaving the conquered world behind. The journey was short, a matter of hours. When they reverted to real space, they were at the edge of a vast, luminous cloud of purple and blue gas—the nebula listed on the public-facing version of the Tuffle chart.
"Scanning," the ship's computer intoned. "No anomalous energy readings detected. Nebula composition is standard."
"Continue scanning. I will be in my quarters, conducting a deeper analysis," Astra stated. He retreated to the small cabin assigned to him, the door sealing with a hiss. This was the moment of no return.
He activated the Dampening Field Generator he had brought, enveloping the cabin in a bubble of scrambled sensors. Then, he input the true coordinates for The Cradle into a separate, isolated nav-computer he had built for this purpose.
The jump was unlike any he had experienced. It wasn't the smooth transition of the System or the violent wrench of a standard hyperdrive. It was a… tearing. The fabric of reality around the ship groaned and shrieked. Alarms blared on the bridge. Borg's panicked voice shouted over the comm, demanding to know what was happening.
Astra ignored him, his hands gripping the console, his [Stellar Forge] and [Magic Sense] stretched to their limits, analyzing the dimensional shear. This was a manually forced transition, ripping a hole through spacetime where no natural corridor existed. The energy cost was astronomical.
Then, silence. The shuddering stopped. The alarms died. Outside the viewport was not the black of space, but a uniform, soft, grey-white haze. There was no up, no down, no stars. Only an endless, featureless void.
[Location: Dimensional Interspace - "The Veil"]
[Status: Transitional Zone. Proceed with extreme caution.]
"Technologist! What is this? Where are we?" Borg's voice was a mixture of fury and fear.
"We have found the source of the resonance, Captain," Astra projected, his voice calm despite the primal wrongness of their surroundings. "Maintain position. I am going to probe ahead."
He didn't wait for permission. He focused his [Stellar Forge], pouring mana into it, using it as a dowsing rod. He was searching for the "architecture" he had sensed in the data. He pushed his senses out into the formless grey, seeking a pattern, a structure, a door.
For a long moment, there was nothing. Then, he felt it. A subtle, geometric pull, a faint harmonic in the chaotic hum of the Veil. It was a signal. A beacon.
He fed the new coordinates to the nav-computer. "Engage sub-light engines, Captain. Bearing 234 by -mark 7."
"We are blind out here! This is madness!"
"Do it."
With a low grumble, the ship's thrusters fired, pushing them forward into the nothingness. They traveled for what felt like an eternity, the grey haze never changing. Then, a shape began to resolve in the distance. It was a massive, hexagonal platform, floating serenely in the void. It was made of a material that seemed to be solidified light, etched with impossibly complex silver runes that pulsed with a slow, steady rhythm. In the center of the platform stood a simple, solitary archway, through which swirled a vortex of shimmering, opalescent energy.
[Appraising: Dimensional Gateway - "The Cradle's Threshold"]
[Properties: Stable Wormhole, Temporal Dilation Field (1:100), High-Density Energy Barrier.]
[Status: Active. Requires a Key.]
A Key. The [Stellar Forge] hummed, analyzing the gateway's energy matrix. It wasn't a physical key. It was a specific energy signature. A signature of immense power and perfect control.
Astra knew, with sudden, absolute certainty, that his current power was insufficient. Forcing his way through would annihilate the ship and everyone on it.
But he had come too far to turn back. He had found it. The Cradle was real. And the temporal dilation… 1:100. A year inside for every 3.65 days outside. It was the ultimate training ground. The perfect place to build his strength away from the eyes of kings and emperors.
He had the location. He had confirmed its properties. Now, he just needed the power to open the door.
"Captain," he projected, his voice devoid of emotion. "Log our current coordinates as a deep-space anomaly. Classify it as non-threatening but unstable. We are returning to Planet Vegeta."
Borg didn't argue this time. The sight of the floating platform and the energy vortex had silenced him. The ship turned, and with another gut-wrenching tear, they ripped their way back into normal space, leaving the silent, waiting Cradle behind.
The mission was a failure in Borg's eyes. But for Astra, it was a resounding success. He had found his future Anchor Point. Now, he just had to become strong enough to claim it. The race against time had just gained a new, infinitely more valuable finish line.