Tanya smelled the bacon and eggs before she saw her parents coming into the room with her traditional birthday breakfast in bed. She hadn't had one since before she left for university at age 18. It had been six years since her last birthday breakfast, so she was going to make the most of it and let herself be spoiled by her parents.
"Happy birthday, sweetheart," her mother said, setting the tray down carefully on her lap. The eggs were perfectly over-easy, just the way she liked them, and the bacon was crispy enough to snap but not burnt.
As she was eating, her mother handed over a carefully wrapped gift. Tanya opened it slowly to find a handcrafted leather tool belt, worn smooth by years of use but still sturdy and functional.
"I never believed you'd actually be building the ships yourself," her dad explained, settling into the chair beside her bed. "Always figured you'd be designing them for other people to build. Never considered getting you proper tools before now."
The belt came with a collection of her dad's favourite utility items, the hand tools he had used for repairs around the farm for decades. Each one showed the kind of wear that came from honest work and careful maintenance.
"These are perfect, Dad," Tanya said, running her fingers over the smooth wooden handles. "I love them."
After breakfast, Tanya buckled on her father's tool belt and walked into the reflecting on her decisions over the last few days. Tanya still wasn't sure if she was making a mistake. Sage had been uncharacteristically firm about accepting their help. It sounded like good advice, but every time she looked at the Welsh siblings, she felt her guard go up. They were useful, maybe even necessary, but not yet trusted.
Fortunately, Amara's fondness for bureaucracy had bought her time. "Inter-kingdom transfers are never simple," she'd explained, tapping through half a dozen forms on her console. "Background checks, sponsor guarantees, medical clearances, etcetera, by the time the ink dries, they'll have spent days tied up in administration."
That had suited Tanya just fine. While the siblings were kept on the station, Amara drowning them in paperwork, Tanya had been free to set the terms. If Cameron and Janet wanted to prove themselves, they'd do it on her schedule and to her specifications. No shortcuts, no access to her real workshop.
Trust is earned, not handed out with a smile and a handshake, she reminded herself.
So she'd given them a task. She wanted a functional module she could integrate with her own ship. Not revolutionary, not impossible, just a clean piece of engineering that proved they could translate talk into practice.
From the reports Amara forwarded, Cameron had buried himself in crystalline schematics the moment he was given access to his ship. His handwriting—neat, meticulous equations scribbled on the margins of holo-sheets—was almost endearing in its intensity. Janet, meanwhile, seemed to hover between stations, smoothing logistics, coaxing parts from reluctant quartermasters, even sweet-talking one of the station's machinists into giving them priority queue time.
He hides in equations; she hides in charm, Tanya thought. Maybe that works on other people. Not me.
Still, the test would tell. If they could produce something worth bolting to the Nova Theseus, maybe she'd let the walls come down a fraction. She decided it was time to get back to her own project the navigation black box.
"Good morning, workshop," she announced to her workshop as she returned. "Time to work on something instead of just worrying about problems."
But first, she felt a bit sassy. "Sage, did you get me a birthday gift?"
To her surprise, they replied immediately. //Affirmative. Please retrieve the glasses.//
"Oh, a new lesson!" Tanya said, excitement overriding her surprise. "What's this one going to be about?"
//That information is classified. Consider it a birthday surprise.//
She found herself standing in what was clearly a university-style lecture hall, but the architecture was unlike anything human. The walls seemed to breathe slightly, and the lighting came from bioluminescent panels that pulsed gently. The air was thicker than Earth-normal, carrying metallic and sweet scents that made her nose tingle.
She wondered if all species had universities and schools or if Sage was adapting these lessons.
The students were insectoid beings with compound eyes reflecting the amber light, their chitinous exoskeletons softly clicking as they took notes on crystalline tablets. They seemed to be college-aged, chatting among themselves with the familiar energy of students before class. It made her miss her university days, where she'd gossip with her friends about parties and who was hooking up with whom before class.
A wide instructor entered, its movements precise and deliberate. When it spoke, the voice carried strange overtones that suggested multiple vocal chambers. Just like before, she was able to understand them.
"Today we examine Dimensional Interface Engineering," the instructor began, "specifically the creation of stable windows between realspace and what you call Dimension X.
A student in the front row raised a clawed appendage. "Professor, are we discussing theoretical applications or practical implementations?"
"Both, Zeth'ka. The theory is well-established, but the engineering challenges remain significant." The instructor activated a holographic display showing two interwined planes. "Who can remind us of the fundamental relationship between realspace and Dimension X?"
Another student responded, their voice higher-pitched than the first. "They're not independent dimensions but different aspects of the same spacetime manifold, connected through quantum foam fluctuations."
Though Tanya remembered learning about quantum foam in her theoretical physics class, its existence remained unproven. She always believed these virtual particles were just an error in the mathematics. It seems these aliens believed differently.
"Excellent, Hive'ra. And the energy requirements for stable interface creation?"
"Massive," several students chorused, causing clicking sounds that Tanya realised was their equivalent of laughter.
She didn't get the joke. She wasn't sure if it was a translation issue or an alien issue.
The instructor's compound eyes glittered with amusement. "Indeed. Let us examine why. The key principle is not creating new energy, but organising the quantum vacuum fluctuations that already exist between dimensional boundaries."
Tanya found herself with a note-taking device that felt warm and responsive under her fingers.
Notes: Dimensional Interface Theory
Realspace and Dimension X = aspects of the same spacetime manifoldConnected through quantum foam fluctuationsKey: organising the existing quantum vacuum energy
"The quantum foam represents enormous energy density," the instructor continued. "Virtual particles constantly appear and disappear in the boundary regions between dimensional aspects. By creating precise interference patterns, we can stabilise these fluctuations into coherent openings."
A student near the back spoke up. "Professor, what about the K'tula complications? Measuring the quantum states should collapse the interference patterns."
"Excellent question, Klick'tar. This is why we use gravitoelectromagnetic resonance rather than direct quantum measurement. We shape the spacetime geometry itself, allowing the quantum states to self-organise into stability."
That sounded a lot like what she was doing with her quantum enhancement. She was happy to add to her theoretical framework; she suspected that quantum enhancement would become her trump card one day.
Notes: Gravitoelectromagnetic Resonance
Don't measure quantum states directly (causes collapse)Shape spacetime geometry insteadLet quantum states self-organise into stable patternsGEM fields = a tool for spacetime manipulation
The holographic display shifted to show complex wave patterns intersecting. "The core technology requires four synchronised systems working in harmony."
"First: Resonance Field Generators. These create the primary gravitoelectromagnetic interference patterns. Think of them as tuning forks for spacetime itself."
A student raised her appendage. "How precise do the frequencies need to be?"
"Extraordinarily precise, Myst'ha. Variations of even one part in ten billion can cause cascade failures. The generators must be quantum-entangled to maintain perfect synchronisation."
Notes: Resonance Field Generators
Create primary GEM interference patterns"Tuning forks for spacetime"Precision: 1 part in 10 billion requiredMust be quantum-entangled for synchronisation
"Second: Exotic Matter Focusing Arrays. These channels concentrate the resonance fields into the precise geometric patterns required for dimensional interface creation."
"What kind of exotic matter?" asked Zeth'ka.
"Materials with negative energy density or modified vacuum properties. In practical applications, this often means metamaterials with engineered electromagnetic responses that can manipulate local spacetime curvature."
Notes: Exotic Matter Arrays
Channel and concentrate the resonance fieldsNegative energy density materialsMetamaterials with engineered EM responsesManipulate local spacetime curvature
"Third: Quantum Entanglement Stabilisers. Large-scale entangled systems that maintain coherence across the dimensional interface boundary."
Hive'ra clicked thoughtfully. "How do you maintain entanglement across dimensional boundaries?"
"The entanglement exists in the quantum substrate that underlies both dimensional aspects. It's not crossing boundaries but a connecting foundation that support both spaces."
Notes: Quantum Stabilisers
Large-scale entangled systemsMaintain coherence across the interface boundaryEntanglement exists in the quantum substrateConnects the foundations of both spaces
"Fourth: Adaptive Control Systems. Real-time monitoring and adjustment of all parameters to maintain stability as conditions change."
"Why do the conditions change?" asked Klick'tar.
"Because both realspace and Dimension X are dynamic environments. Gravitational fields, electromagnetic activity, and even large spacecraft moving nearby can destabilise the interface. The control systems must constantly adjust to maintain the window."
Notes: Adaptive Control
Real-time monitoring and adjustmentBoth spaces are dynamic environmentsExternal factors can destabilise interfaceMust constantly adjust for stability
The instructor paused, allowing students to catch up with their notes. "The resulting dimensional window appears as a localised spacetime distortion—an area where the boundary between dimensional aspects becomes permeable. Visual appearance varies based on local conditions, but typically manifests as gravitational lensing effects or areas of modified light refraction."
A student near the middle raised an appendage. "Professor, what about energy requirements? The theory suggests enormous power needs."
"Indeed. Practical implementations require fusion-level power generation or carefully stored zero-point energy extraction. However, once established, a stable window requires significantly less energy to maintain than to create."
Notes: Energy Requirements
Fusion-level power for creationOr stored zero-point energy extractionMuch less energy needed to maintain vs. createWindow = localized spacetime distortionAppears as gravitational lensing effects
"For tomorrow's laboratory session," the instructor concluded, "you will calculate the resonance frequencies required for a small-scale interface between a standard classroom and the adjacent Dimension X testing chamber. Remember: precision is everything in dimensional engineering."
As the lesson ended and the workshop materialised around her, Tanya found herself staring at her notes with growing excitement.
"Wait," Tanya said, her eyes widening as she stared at her notes. "This is how vortex drives work, isn't it? The resonance field generators, the exotic matter arrays, all of that is what's inside every ship in the Empire."
//Correct. Standard vortex drives create temporary interfaces between realspace and The Vortex for transportation purposes. The technology has been simplified and standardised for mass production.//
Tanya scrolled back through her notes, lingering on the section about adaptive control systems. Real-time monitoring. Constant adjustment. A machine that didn't just take coordinates but understood them as living patterns.
Her breath caught. That's it.
She felt excitement building as the puzzle pieces clicked into place. She didn't need to invent the black box from nothing. It had already been created, and she could steal from the vortex drives already in every ship in the Empire.
"I don't have to reinvent the wheel," she murmured, tapping her stylus against the schematics. "The adaptive control system is the key, if I can isolate it, strip it out of a drive and modify it. I can make the beacons speak in a way humans can understand."
//An astute observation,// Sage agreed. //Adaptive systems can translate unstable dimensional data into coherent, usable patterns. This principle aligns perfectly with your beacon network.//
Tanya's hand stilled on her notes. The trouble wasn't the theory. It was finding the component. The adaptive control wasn't labelled inside the vortex drive; it was buried somewhere in the sealed heart of the drive, indistinguishable from the other crystalline guts that human engineers treated like black boxes.
Her brow furrowed. But Cameron…
He'd claimed he could look at a crystal system and tell what it was meant to do. If that were true, if his "pattern recognition" wasn't just bluster, then he might be the only person who could point her to the piece she needed. If he passed the test. If she could trust him.
"Alright," Tanya said softly, closing the file with a grin she didn't entirely feel. "Happy birthday to me. Let's see if Cameron's the real deal."