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navigator, Ensign Cochrane, confirmed that the co-ordinates provided by Command were locked in and ready to go.
    “Then bring the ship to bear and take us to Jump, Lieutenant Hardy.”
    “Aye,” Hardy said. The
Manhattan
turned slowly to starboard along her horizontal axis to suit their heading. “Ready.”
    A barely perceptible whine emanated from below decks as the Jump Drive reached full charge.
    “Proceed. Make the Jump.”
    Lieutenant Hardy reached for the Jump controls and he activated the drive.
    The stars seemed to shrink back momentarily, and then the mouth of the universe opened to swallow them whole.
    Some people hated going to Jump
    But not Driscoll.
    He never felt so alive…



essage sent, sir,” Commander Teague said.
    Driscoll nodded. “Good. Now go to full communication blackout. Nothing in, nothing out. As of this moment, there will be no long-range communications of any sort. That includes any Trans-Gal messages.”
    “Affirmative,” Ensign Blair said.
    “Good. Put me on the overheads please, Ensign. I want everyone to hear what I have to say.” Driscoll clasped his hands behind his back and looked up at the main screen.
    It took no time at all for Blair to patch him through to the entire ship’s intercom system. The audio pickup at the communications station isolated his voice and amplified it. No one on board could say they didn’t hear him.
    “All hands, this is the Captain,” he said. “Several days ago, I received the mission parameters that define this vessel’s maiden voyage. The task ahead is a risky one, fraught with danger. But I am confident that together, we can achieve what needs to be achieved. Together, as a team, we can do what we came to do.
    “This ship, the
Manhattan
, is so named not only because she is large, but because she is strong, resilient. As I need you all to be. Throughout our history, in the midst of devastation, men and women of all colors and creeds have always found a way of coming together to form a united front against dark forces of terror. We must endeavor to live up to the name of this ship, to the region of Earth she is named after. To the people of that region who, time and again, managed to show their strength and quality. We must show the same resilience as those brave souls did, centuries ago.
    “Ladies and Gentlemen, we embark on a mission that will test the limits of every man and woman aboard this ship. It will test the depths of our resolve, our commitment, and our technology. All of you are here because you share the same goal―to end the Draxx threat. To end over one hundred years of conflict. An end to war.”
    Driscoll paused for effect.
    “We make war only to end it. That has always been our purpose. Regardless of what happens from this point on, I want everybody to try and remember that. If you feel that I push this ship, if you feel that I demand too much from you, remember why we are here. My resolve will not waver in the face of adversity. I expect the same dedication in return. Driscoll out.”

    “Our orders, sir?” Commander Teague asked.
    Driscoll looked about at the bridge crew. “In the conference room, Commander. I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”
    “Shall I head there now?” she asked.
    “Yes. Go ahead. I’ll be along.”
    He watched her go, then turned to Lieutenant Hardy. “How long until we reach our destination?”
    Hardy made a quick check of his readouts. “Two hours, sir.”
    “Excellent.”
    “Uh, Captain, might I ask where it is we’re going? It’s not coming up on my screen. Just the co-ordinates,” Hardy said. “I mean, the Chimera Cluster is a pretty big region of space.”
    Driscoll smirked. “That’s because the route by which we are arriving there is classified. It wouldn’t do for every Tom, Dick, and Harry aboard the
Manhattan
to have access to that sort of information, would it, son?”
    Lieutenant Hardy swallowed. “No, sir. No it wouldn’t.”
    “Precisely.