Flight

In the vast expanse of the starry sea, within the invisible realm of warp space, a starship is speeding through.

Wrapped within a temporal bubble, the starship resembles a fish swimming in a bubble, traversing muddy marshes and heading towards distant shores.

There have been numerous theories regarding faster-than-light travel in the past, with the most famous being the wormhole theory. The wormhole theory, in its simplest explanation, is a tiny conduit connecting multi-dimensional universes, facilitating spatial shifts through entry and exit points. People were once obsessed with this idea, spawning countless stories based on it.

However, the wormhole theory actually has several major issues that remain unsolved.

Firstly, at its core, the theory relies on discovering shortcuts to achieve interstellar travel rather than enhancing speed. Thus, it effectively sidesteps the issue of exceeding the speed of light rather than resolving it.

Secondly, even disregarding the practical difficulties of utilizing wormholes for transit, there exists an inherent limitation: superluminal travel depends on the existence of wormholes. If a particular location lacks a wormhole or if the wormhole does not lead there, superluminal travel becomes impossible. Wormholes are akin to airports; regardless of how far an airplane can fly, without an airport, it cannot land. The most damning aspect is... you cannot build your own airport.

The wormhole theory merely served as a tool for scientists to describe the world during a certain era; it was never intended for interstellar navigation but rather to aid in understanding the universe better.

The true breakthrough in achieving superluminal travel came with the Unified Field Theory of the Universe. This theory posits that the entire universe is a space filled with tension, thus space is curved rather than linear. When people travel from one point to another, what we perceive as a straight line between two points is, in reality, a progression along an invisible arc.

It is akin to ancient people on Earth who never realized the ground beneath them was a spherical shape; all they could see was a vast expanse of flat land. Earth was perceived as flat because it was too large relative to humans.

Space was considered linear because it seemed ubiquitous.

Initially, this was merely a conjecture based on observation, but as technology advanced and experimentation increased, numerous discoveries gradually affirmed its validity, eventually forming the complete Unified Field Theory of the Universe.

The Unified Field Theory of the Universe, established on the gradual development of the Unified Field Theory, proposes the existence of a true fundamental force field in the universe that influences everything, including the four fundamental forces and space itself.

It is the presence of this field that distorts space.

On this basis, a new warp theory gradually emerged.

Scientists speculated that since space is entirely warped, could we navigate true straight lines by balancing the force field?

This, in essence, is still a variant of the wormhole theory, still relying on shortcuts.

The difference lies in the approach; previously, it was about actively creating wormholes and manufacturing extra-dimensional space, whereas now, it's about finding the true path amidst a changed backdrop.

Although it doesn't fundamentally surpass the light-speed barrier, given the millennium-long confinement by light-speed limitations, even a shortcut is worth exploring.

In practical research, scientists soon made a new discovery.

During an experiment, the Unified Field of the Universe was temporarily shielded for a mere 0.01 seconds.

During this 0.01 seconds, scientists observed an increase in the speed of light!

Yes, the speed of light accelerated.

This occurred because light, during its journey, is also affected by the force field. Once the field disappears, the speed of light experiences a significant increase.

Thus, superluminal travel was truly born.

By creating temporal bubbles and shielding the force field, starships could move through the cosmos at a bizarre wavelength and velocity.

Due to the curvature of the field, starships are invisible in three-dimensional space, but not entirely.

While the naked eye cannot perceive their flight trajectory in the universe, using a special instrument to detect the starship's passage through the stellar expanse reveals the emergence of a peculiar wave in the cosmos.

This wave travels outward in a divergent pattern, seemingly heading in all directions within a certain angle. The wave manifests in red and blue, forming a marker stretching approximately one hundred thousand kilometers.

This wave represents the manifestation of starships traversing in superluminal flight in three-dimensional space. As for the starships themselves, they are believed to exist in three-and-a-half-dimensional space.

Yes, not four-dimensional space. Human scientists acknowledge the existence of four-dimensional space, but current superluminal travel merely touches upon three-and-a-half dimensions, barely reaching towards the fourth dimension but still far from fully understanding it.

It's worth noting that this fourth dimension isn't the time as perceived thousands of years ago; it's a real spatial angle that, for now, humans cannot sense or touch.

At this moment, the Abradai is navigating through such a semi-four-dimensional space, cruising at high speed.

Although from the outside, the Abradai appears harmonious, unified, radiating brilliant light, just as depicted in all the stories - the moment when the spacecraft breaks free from Earth should be the soldiers' pursuit of freedom - but in reality, the interior of the starship is bustling with activity.

"The starship has entered warp flight, all engines running smoothly."

"The energy supply system is unstable, there's an energy leak in the fourth energy chamber, we need to organize repairs."

"Request granted, send Mr. Parma over."

"The life support system is malfunctioning, two compartments are depressurizing."

"Transfer compartment personnel immediately."

"There are signs of looseness in one of the proton cannons, it might detach."

"...Send a repair team to temporarily secure it, just maintain functionality."

"The sixth energy generator is malfunctioning, it could cause a rupture in the temporal bubble, requesting priority repairs."

"Request granted, have Mr. Parma divert to repair the generator."

Reno continued issuing orders, keeping everyone as busy as ants on a hot plate.

The fate of hijacking an unrepaired starship was that even in warp flight, they'd be scrambling to cover its ill health.

Fortunately, for the crew of the Abradai, who had endured worse scenarios in the past, this wasn't considered much.

Within the repair team, angry shouts from Amon Parma could be heard, "Who does that idiot captain think he is, always changing orders? My time is wasted just catching up. And furthermore, the energy generator, a crucial point for jumping, has been prioritized for repair long ago. I'm sure nothing significant will happen there. On the other hand, the fourth energy chamber had issues that remained unresolved; if the leak continues, it could lead to big trouble. If this idiot captain doesn't know how to repair a ship, he should shut up immediately and let me decide how to fix it!"

Soon, Reno's voice came in, "I accept your criticism, Mr. Parma. Since I haven't been on the ship for two months, my understanding of it is far inferior to yours. In that case, you shall decide on the repair work for the ship."

"You finally did something smart!" Parma replied without courtesy.

"What a temper," Reno chuckled, closing the communication.

Despite Parma's bad temper, it had to be admitted that his repair skills were formidable, and the two-month overhaul had given him a very clear understanding of the ship's condition. Because of him, the Abradai, though plagued with faults, could fly smoothly.

Under Parma's leadership, the flight of the Abradai gradually stabilized, and all the problems were brought under control.

It wasn't until then that Reno finally had a moment to catch his breath and rest.

It was at this moment that Claire appeared again, her lovely eyes fixed on him.

Reno guessed why she had come to him.

"Well, it seems you're in a hurry too," Reno laughed.

He called his adjutant, "Snyder, I'll accompany Claire to the medical bay. Inform me of anything that comes up. Also, have the repair team prepare a list of all the equipment with potential hazards and prioritize them. I need to know what unforeseen consequences each of my orders might trigger."

"Yes, sir!"

Reno then got up and walked with Claire towards the medical bay.

Arriving at the medical bay, Reno saw someone standing inside, and he couldn't help but be stunned, "Miss Sarah?"