The checklists were all complete, the systems checked out.
The radio crackled in Erlin's helmet.
"All systems go, Velox One. Godspeed."
"Funny you should say that," Erlin laughed. "Things are about to really fast up here."
He stretched his finger out, hovering over the button for a moment.
"Faster than light," he thought to himself. He couldn't help but conjure an image or two of Star Trek in his mind.
"Engage," he said aloud as he pressed the button. Erlin watched in awe as the graviton waves emanating from the ship seemed to pull on the stars in front of him. He imagined he was looking through drops of water, as the effect was similar.
"Wish you guys could see this," Erlin transmitted before realizing nothing would escape his gravity well until the trip had been completed.
The green light on the engine panel lit up, it was time to go. The thrust pushed him hard into his seat for a moment. He'd have to report that the dampening system could use a little work, as the G-forces were a little stronger than predicted.
It was an odd sensation, not at all as he thought it would be. It certainly didn't look like television, where stars zipped by like streaks.
In front of him, the tiny red dot of Mars grew at an alarming rate. It was the only true indicator of his speed.
"Initiating shut down sequence," he said solely for the purposes of the mission recording. The test had been for a little less than two minutes. Two minutes to cover the distance between Earth and Mars.
Of course there were still the complex braking maneuvers before he could slingshot around Mars and head home. This was the dangerous part of the mission. One missed calculation might send him hurtling off in the direction of some far-off star. He'd suffocate before he made it that far, there wasn't enough oxygen on board for 10,000-year journey to Sirius.
"Firing braking thrust...What the..." Erlin said. He could have sworn he saw a flash of light.
"Control, can you swing Recon Four's cameras over toward my position?" he asked Mission Control, forgetting it would be a good three minutes before they heard him and another three before a response.
His field of view was rather limited due to his suit and being firmly fastened to the seat.
"There it was again!" he said. "Control, I just witnessed a flash of blue light. Seems to be reflecting off the ice particles in front of me. The source of the flash is likely directly behind me."
He heard some unusual static in his headset.
"Pull over!" a voice said through the radio. "Transmit your operating number and interstellar registration at once. You have been flagged for violating the galactic speed limit as set forth by the Einstein of your species."
Erlin was thoroughly confused, until he saw an alien vessel with flashing lights come alongside him.
"Commander Erlin, this is Control. Please repeat your last transmission."
"Hold on," Erlin groaned. "I'm getting a ticket."