The Optimum Project

Chapter 40

A trip through the Titan

He stood up, and I followed, walking out into a long hall where two soldiers stood guard. When they saw me their weapons immediately flew up to their shoulders, the long barrels focusing squarely on my chest and face.

Kept my face blank as Pix told them to stand down, they lowered their guns somewhat reluctantly and I noted that their weapons weren't standard issue, my HUD analyzed one of the rifles and I noted they had a odd energy signiture.

I looked at Pix and asked, "New guns?"

He nodded, "They're not what you're used to, but on this expedition they're standard issue; don't worry you'll have time to get used to them."

I nodded and we continued, the guards following at a respectful distance as we took a series of turns before entering an elevator. Pix turned to me and laid out the tour plan, "We'll be starting at the back of the ship, where the core engine rooms are, then we'll work our way towards the bridge, and finally we'll take you back to your room."

I nodded as the elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened to a large, open area. We stepped out and I looked around, "This," Pix gestured, "is the manufacturing bay, you might notice it's empty at the moment?" I nodded, the room was barren and the walls, floor, and ceiling were all composed of metal plates.  Pix hit a button on the wall and immediately the room began shifting, the plates in the room sliding and locking into place, making room for complex manufacturing equipment and tools. Bays of computers, displaying modeling software, slid up from the floor as cables began connecting themselves to the proper ports, and conveyors automatically locked into place, creating an entire transport system for materials to be processed and constructed. By the time it was done, a fully functioning assembly line filled the once empty room.

"We have six bays like this, along with one that constantly builds nanites, using, ironically enough, nanites." Pix said in a somewhat proud voice, "The bays are designed so that if we need to, we can use them for ships and cargo, and these plates can be used to trap any boarding parties; you might have noticed they don't look like any normal metal, that's because they're composed of a hyper carbon alloy, stronger than any metal we've ever come across, and best part? It's manufactured."

I was impressed, and I made it clear to Pix, who just smiled, "You haven't seen anything yet."

We left the manufacturing bay through a door opposite the one we came from, and traveled down yet another hallway, passing numerous unmarked doors, some of them Pix explained, others were left to my imagination. We turned and found ourselves in an extremely long hallway, so long in fact, I couldn't see the opposite end. Our end had two different devices situated next to each other, divided by some simple black and yellow tape

"Now," said Pix, clapping his hands "this is just one of the many areas where you will find these shift nodes, as we like to call them. What you do is simple, place your hand on the node, and you will find yourself at the other end, it's that simple." He gestured then to the node, and I stepped forward. I reached out, but at the last second hesitated... Come on, don't whimp out. I touched the node.

I felt as if every molecule of my cells were on fire, I could literally feel myself being ripped apart and then...

I slammed into a wall and collapsed, I was at the other end of the hallway now, and could almost feel pix fly down and form much more gracefully next to me.

"I'm sorry dear boy, I should have warned you," he leaned down and helped me stand, "are you still up for the tour?"

I nodded, "but please, no more shift nodes." I understood now why they called them that, I felt as if my organs were having a disco in my abdomen. He nodded and we continued on, the soldiers still trailing us from a distance, though one looked like I felt.

We walked down a much less stylized hallway, and eventually entered through a set of strange looking double doors. It was if someone had taken earplugs and removed them from my ears while I was in the middle of a rock concert, suddenly the roar of a massive FTL drive could be heard screaming next to us as it did its best to propel the ship.

I noticed pix gesturing back towards the doors, and the moment we stepped through the sound stopped. "That," said Pix wearily, "was one of the engine rooms, you'll notice the door is rigged with a sound dampener, it's very handy confiding that's what the engine sounds like when it's idle."

He took a breath, "Now then, to the bridge, shall we?"