That was true enough. There had been a time, an eon ago, when the civilizations of Toad and Aurelian fought for supremacy across the universe. Entire planets were razed, and whole galaxies were left devoid of life after the Planet Killers started blasting and destroying strongholds and fleets of warships.
If the Aurelian Empire wants to keep the uneasy peace in our galaxy, no one can know our people are growing increasingly hesitant to Orb-Shift. Word has come from headquarters that the Toad fleets have already begun only shifting in emergency situations. The Empire needs to keep its tactical advantage; even as if becomes ever more dangerous to do so.
But danger is a mindset – and this is a battle fought by will rather than weapons.
As for us, right now – well, knowing the orders of the Empire doesn’t reassure us much. Even with the increase in Orb-Shift disappearances, the odds are still in our favor for a safe shift. After all, even two disappearances in a single day doesn’t outweigh hundred – or potentially thousands – of shifts that have been completed safely in that same timeframe.
Logically, we have little to worry about...
…but logic doesn’t help. The thin tendrils of fear start to squirm through all our auras. It’s infectious – and the thought of Orb-Shifting fills my battle-brothers with as much anxiousness as it does me.
Fear propagates fear.
Hadrian breaks the uneasy silence. “She deserves to know.”
Daccia turns to face him down. “She deserves to know? About the risk of Orb-Shifting?” He pauses. “Would you want to? Before you take the journey, that is?”
Cold fear grips me. I wish I didn’t know we were about to face a fate worse than death.
Even when shifting goes smoothly, it’s still a freakish experience. When you Orb-Shift, it's like you're leaving your own body. It's like you're in this... limbo – this cold, dark place where nothing exists. You’re only there for a second – for less than the blink of a second – but it’s plenty long enough.
The thought that scares me the most is being that place for eternity. It's like death, even while you're still alive. Is that where the ships that have disappeared end up? Hanging in nothingness for eternity?
For Allie's own sake, she shouldn't know how fucking dangerous Orb-Travel is right now.
I shake my head. The three of us know the risks. We're willing to take them. But to put Allie into that dark place?
Then I wonder... If we were trapped there – in the void of nothingness on the other side of a shift – would we be trapped together? My battle-brothers and Allie?
Or would we just disappear? Disintegrated to less than atoms?
And – if so…
A cold knot of tension tightens in my belly. I have to speak up.
“We can't shift,” I warn my battle-brothers. “She's too valuable."
Suddenly, Daccia turns his iron gaze to me. I’m instantly reminded why he is our leader. Daccia’s a natural-born commander.
“You’re thinking with your cock, Kitos,” he warns me. “We need to do this…” Daccia’s eyes narrow “Unless, of course, you want to be the one to explain to the Commander why the three-day journey took twenty-five?”
I let out the breath I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding. Daccia is right, of course. When the word comes down the chain of command, you have to follow it – without question.
“You’re right.”
Daccia nods, and turns to focus on the empty space in front of us. His fingers work quickly at the controls – hitting buttons and inputting trajectories.
“Prepare for Orb-Shift!”
The terror grabs my heart, but I force it back. I am an Aurelian warrior, after all. I’m no cowardly Toad or sniveling human.
If things do go wrong – if this is how my time in this universe ends – then I must accept my fate, knowing my life was given in the service of my people.
We know the risks.
We take them.
The Orb-Drive hums to full power. As the vibration rises, something primordial surges deep inside my being. It isn’t the will to survive.
It’s the will to breed.
Suddenly, something akin to madness overwhelms me – but it’s not madness. It’s almost the opposite – an instant, stark, undeniable clarity.
I can’t let us go into Orb-Shift with such valuable cargo on board – and I’m not talking about Allie in the context of a notorious fugitive…
"…what if she's our mate?"
I utter the words a heartbeat before the Orb-Drive suddenly hums to full power. For a moment, I’m foolish enough to try to stand – thinking that maybe I still have time to stop the shift…
…but instead, reality distorts all around me. It’s all I can do to fall back to my chair; even as my chair ripples from existence.
I feel both the firm seat beneath me, and nothing at all – both at the same time.
Resigned, I prepare myself for the blink – the fraction of a second in which we’ll be exposed to the endless rift of reality. A fraction of a second that, each time, feels like an eternity.
Reality starts to fade around me…
…then blinks back into existence.
Except, we're in the same spot.
We should have been three galaxies away by now – one leg of our journey to Colossus completed…
…instead, it’s as if we never left.
“What the fuck just happened?” Hadrian demands. I can feel his confusion through our Bond.
Daccia double-checks the controls. “Everything is working fine on this end.”
Hadrian stands from the gunnery station, stretching to his full height. “I’ll check on the drive.”
Daccia considers this. His fingers tap against the console, like they always do when he's deep in thought. Then, he growls:
"No – there’s no point. All my readings check out.”
He turns in his seat – our leader’s slate-grey eyes locked on us.
“It doesn't make sense,” Daccia growls. “The Orb-Drive malfunctions we’ve heard about - they always occur during the shift. It’s not an
