Chapter 128

　　"I`ve never heard of the Ouroboros ever being off-world, not since the Unification Wars. Even then, there were detailed records of every movement it made. It was the single greatest event in human history. Nothing was hidden from the chronicles." Samuel replied.

　　"Did Grandfather ever talk about these coordinates? Or an impending threat?" Mare asked.

　　They were standing in the administration complex of Luna City. After the revelation from the Titan, Kal had requested Samuel meet them there immediately.

　　"No. He previously mentioned threats against the Empire, but they were always vague and unclear. I always assumed he was referring to something existential, not literal. What could possibly threaten humanity? Tens of trillions of us are spread across the entire Milky Way." Samuel stated, shaking his head at the question.

　　"Then the question is, are these coordinates to the threat itself or our salvation?" Kal mused.

　　"The fact remains, we cannot physically travel there. No Starship can make the trip." Elric explained from where he stood, leaning against the room`s wall. His arms were folded as he thought about the problem.

　　"What if we built a relay system? A line of refuelling stations along the route?" Talha asked. She had accompanied Samuel on the trip to Luna, curious about what emergency had caused the former Imperial Herald to leave Caledon in a hurry. She hadn`t been disappointed.

　　"Impossible. It`s not just a matter of fuel, although that is certainly a big problem. The Jump destabilizes the further you travel from the galactic center. It`s why we have never been able to travel to other galaxies." Samuel replied. He waited for a response, only to see a room full of blank faces.

　　"Don`t tell me you never studied FTL travel before? How the Engine operates?" Samuel pushed for answers, looking around the room.

　　"That information was classified. Even I could never access it." Mare replied.

　　"I know the basics, and everything to do with repairing a Starship, but the Engine was always a mystery. No one could repair it. We needed to dock at an Imperial restoration facility if we had trouble with our Engine. Bastards are never cheap either." Elric explained.

　　 Samuel let out a sigh, running his hand through his greying hair. He walked to the Terminal, punching in a few commands. He changed the viewscreen to show the Galactic Map. The blinking red light of the Coordinates grew smaller as the image zoomed out.

　　"Alright. I`ll start with the very basics. You would usually learn these things in the Guard Academy to earn a Commander title. It was hard to plan operations if you didn`t fully understand the functions of your equipment. Try to coordinate an assault on a planet only to be told it was impossible to carry out because of Engine limitations is not something you want to hear." Samuel explained.

　　"The Jump consumes fuel. You`re correct in that. The further you jump, the more power it takes to get you there. More power means more fuel. But there are limitations. The Engine cannot generate unlimited power for the Jump, meaning there is a hard limit on the distance you can travel. From one sector to the next is fine, but from one end of the galaxy to the other will destabilize the Jump, resulting in catastrophic failure." Samuel began his explanation.

　　"Worse, the further away from the Galactic Center you travel, the more energy is required to maintain the portal. We were always taught that travel inwards is easier than outwards."If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it`s taken without the author`s consent. Report it.

　　"You`re suggestion to build a relay system or a chain of refuelling stations is logical and sound, but only within the confines of the Empire. The inability to reach the coordinates isn`t a fuel problem. It`s a computational and data limit."

　　"I don`t understand. Starships compute the Jump each time they travel. Why would it matter outside the Empire?" Elric asked.

　　"The answer to that is obvious if you understand the fundamentals. How does the Jump work?" Samuel replied.

　　"The Engine bores a hole through reality, forming a tunnel. You instantly disappear and reappear at your destination." Talha answered. It was obvious to anyone who had travelled by Starship.

　　"Yes. Except you don`t actually just appear` at your destination. A Starship linearly travels the entire distance. It`s nearly instantaneous, but it does carry you the entire way. And knowing that, you will realize how important it is for a Starships computer to calculate a safe path."

　　"They would need to account for any obstacles in the way." Kal recognized the danger immediately.

　　"Yes. But more than that, it needs to calculate the precise amount of power the Engine requires to generate the proper path since it simultaneously forms both ends of the portal. To stop it from destabilizing from gravitational forces, stellar radiation or a near infinite amount of other variables." Samuel answered.

　　"Impossible. A Starships computer would need to either be the size of a planet or advanced enough that it would break the Taboo." Elric retorted.

　　"Correct. So Imperial Stellar Cartographers have taken a different approach. And it`s why we will be unable to reach those coordinates. It stems from the simple fact that the Engine is magnificent at transporting people within the Empire but terrible at exploration."

　　"What do you mean?" Kal asked.

　　"The Engine requires massive amounts of data and information to function correctly. With over ten thousand years of data and trillions of users, we have enough information to plot a course within the bounds of the Empire safely. It took millennia, combined with computers the size of planets and billions of people, to give us that ability." Samuel saw that people didn`t understand his point, so he simplified it further.

　　"Look, say you want to travel from Caledon to Terra. If it were the first time doing so, you would need to know the exact route you wanted to travel, the time it took, the conditions in both your destination and departure points, and all the other variables. It would be nearly impossible to do in the short term, and even when you calculated everything, there would be a high chance of failure."

　　"But, lucky for us, Starships have been travelling that route since humanity first took to the stars. We know the calculations to travel from Caledon to Terra because we have done it many times before." Samuel brought up a display, showing the route on the viewscreen.

　　"Then what is a Starship calculating?" Talha asked.

　　"The variables between the Starship and the known route. Distance from the regular departure point, conditions where you will be arriving. The onboard computers use and tailor the existing data to the specific journey. It wouldn`t be possible without the hard work already being done for thousands of years. Starships store basic computations for every planet in the Empire, then work off those for your Jump." Samuel finished.

　　"Since we have no information on where the coordinates are sending us, it would be dangerous to Jump there." Kal understood.

　　"Not just dangerous, suicidal. I doubt the Jump portal would even form. The Starship would be obliterated before then." Samuel reasoned.

　　"Why would Grandfather include the coordinates in the Ouroboros if we couldn`t get there?" Mare asked.

　　"What do we know about that section of space? Is there anything there?" Talha asked. Kal stood from his chair, walked to the terminal and punched in the coordinates. The image zoomed into the latest stellar cartography. It showed a black space with nothing in there.

　　"Nothing. No stars or planets. No celestial bodies or phenomenon." Elric observed.

　　"And no way to get there anyway." Kal added.

　　"That may not be entirely accurate. The Titans are different than Starships. We have no idea how the Engine within them operates. The Atlas can Jump without an onboard computer calculating its route. It can also take other objects with it through the portal. From everything we`ve seen, the Ouroboros could be capable of travelling there." Elric explained.

　　"That won`t be happening. Even if that were true, it would be an unacceptable risk to Princess Marella. Also, we wouldn`t even know if it worked, she could be lost in the void with no way back, and we would be unable to send a rescue."

　　"There`s also the fact that Piloting the Titan could kill her. The Neural Burden is nothing to scoff at." Kal added.

　　"Until we know more, I suggest we continue with what we were doing. Consolidating Caledonian space and repairing the Ouroboros." Kal finished.

　　"And plan for our wedding." Mare added with a smile at the grimace that covered Kal`s face.