Destination

There was a series of high-pitched whines that wound down to low drones, one after the other, as the flux generators came on line. Soon the ship began to shudder and the lights dimmed, only to immediately come on again. Through the blue-haze of the Acceleration Field, the men saw the Control Room shimmer, as if viewed from underwater. Then the ship gave a sudden lurch and everything appeared to be normal.

Commander Smith looked over at the “true-speed” indicator and saw that it read “5C”. Reaching over his head, he flicked off his field and slowly stepped down. He and the others all walked cautiously, two of them holding their foreheads and breathing deeply. Even with the Acceleration Fields around them, entering Hyper-Space was rough on any living organism.

About half an hour later, Commander Smith sounded the “All-Clear” and as the Enlisted Men rolled out of their racks, he made an announcement over the ship’s inter-craft.

“Now hear this. Secure from Acceleration Stations. Set normal watches. Port Watch on Deck.”

That made Lieutenant Faraday the Officer of the Deck, and as soon as Chief Wallace was relieved by an Able-Bodied Spaceman, Wallace took over the console Faraday was manning and Faraday, in turn, took over from the Captain.

Standing up and stretching, Commander Smith walked through the Mess Deck and to the small enclosure that served as the Ward Room.

“Cookie,” he called out, “You have any coffee made?”