Chapter 6. Toward the Unknown: A Flight of Hope

Morning came unexpectedly fast. Darina woke feeling inwardly focused and resolved. She felt responsible for the fate of her planet, and for the people of Etheria.

Darina headed to work. Along the way she ran into Bronislava, who, seeing her thoughtful expression, asked at once:

"Darina, what's wrong with you? You seem off today. Still thinking about that Infiniport?"

Darina stopped and sighed.

"Bronislava, you won't believe it. A man from another dimension came to see me. And everything he told me... it sounds insane, but I believe him. The Infiniport is a key. To something very important, and very dangerous."

"Another dimension? Darina, are you serious? Maybe you just need some sleep?"

"I know it sounds unbelievable. But he showed me his world. And told me about the Tenebrians... They want to get their hands on the Infiniport, to destroy us. And their world too."

Bronislava frowned, seeing the seriousness in Darina's eyes.

"Okay, let's say that's true. So what now? What do we do with this thing?"

"We need to report everything to General Vladimir."

Then Darina met with General Vladimir. The discussion was heated:

"General, we can't just hide the Infiniport here, on Dragana!" Darina insisted, showing him Zaren's recordings. "They'll find it. He said the Tenebrians would be able to track its movement.

"But where do we put it, Darina? Send it into space? That's madness! We don't have the technology to safely transport artifacts like this."

"But we do have the Infiniport!" interjected the scientist Larisa, who had been closely studying Zaren's recordings. "Look at this data! It can create stable portals. This isn't just an artifact, General. This is the key to instantaneous interstellar travel across very long distances!"

"Interstellar travel? Larisa, are you certain? That's far too risky."

"What's risky is leaving it here, General," Darina said firmly. "Zaren said we need to take it as far away as possible."

Darina remembered her school physics lessons, where the teacher, sketching intricate formulas on the board, had spoken of the theoretical possibility of teleportation: "Imagine, class, that one day we could move from one point in space to another instantaneously. If you pull space and matter apart, what remains is absolute emptiness, which offers no resistance to material objects, but can accelerate entropy. Material objects entering such emptiness could simply scatter into atoms, then into electrons and protons, all the way down to the ether. That's why it's important to devise a field that would protect against that decay. It's similar to our hyperspace jumps, where the ship sits inside an energy-field bubble. But in a hyperspace journey there's no instantaneous movement, because the tunnel for a hyper-jump doesn't contain absolute emptiness." At the time it had seemed like pure fantasy, and now it was becoming a frightening and, at the same time, thrilling reality.

In the end, after long arguments and discussions, the decision was made to prepare for a star journey. The Infiniport was to become the heart of their spaceship.

"So, we're flying?" Bronislava asked with a nervous laugh, when preparations were announced.

"Looks that way," Darina answered, feeling excitement building inside her.

"And who else is coming with us?" Bronislava asked, looking around.

"Larisa's definitely coming," Darina said, "she's burning with this idea.

They prepared for an unknown flight through space and time, to save their planet and, perhaps, help Etheria in its struggle against the Tenebrians.

A tense bustle reigned at the spaceport. Technicians in coveralls scurried around the silvery hull of the ship, checking systems and loading equipment. Darina and Bronislava stood nearby, watching it all unfold.

"Are you still sure about this, Darina?" Bronislava asked quietly, adjusting the strap of her backpack. Anxiety rang in her voice, but genuine excitement burned in her eyes. "Flying into the unknown, with an artifact that might be more dangerous than we think..."

Darina took a deep breath, gazing at the shimmering hull of the ship.

"I don't know what awaits us, Bronislava. But the general was unyielding. Hiding the Infiniport on Dragana is too great a risk. Zaren made it clear the Tenebrians would be able to find it. And flying with it... it's our only chance."

"Our only chance, or a crazy gamble?" Bronislava smirked, but then added, touching Darina's shoulder: "Either way, I'm with you. You know that."

Larisa approached, holding a tablet with holographic diagrams. Her eyes shone with enthusiasm.

"All systems are nearly ready. The Infiniport integration went off successfully. The energy it emits is simply incredible! It seems we'll be able not only to travel through space, but also..."

She trailed off, absorbed in studying the data on her tablet.

"What is it, Larisa?" Darina asked, curious.

"It looks like the Infiniport can create temporal anomalies. Small ones, controlled... but still. This opens up entirely new possibilities!"

Bronislava looked at the scientist skeptically.

"Temporal anomalies? That sounds even more dangerous. Do we even know how to control them?"

"Not yet," Larisa admitted honestly, "but we'll study it in flight. The Infiniport's potential is enormous, girls! We're standing on the threshold of the greatest discovery in the history of humanity!"

At that moment General Vladimir approached them, accompanied by several officers. His face was serious.

"Fifteen minutes until launch. Is everyone ready?"

"Yes, sir, General," Darina answered.

"Remember, the fate of our planet depends on you. Deliver the Infiniport to a safe place, where these... Tenebrians can't reach it. And be careful. We don't know what awaits you in deep space."

"We'll do our best, General," Darina said firmly, feeling her excitement build.

"Good luck to you," the general said, shaking each of the women's hands. "And may... " he paused, searching for the right words, "... the wisdom of the universe be with you."

The crew headed toward the spaceship's ramp. Bronislava glanced back at those seeing them off, her gaze lingering on the general.

"You know, he really does worry about us," she said quietly to Darina.

"I know," Darina answered. "We're all bound by the same fate.

Boarding the ship, they took their seats in the pilot's cabin. Larisa began the final equipment checks, her fingers flying across the touchscreens.

"Well then, girls," she said, looking up from her work with a radiant smile. "Onward, to the stars?"

Darina and Bronislava exchanged glances and nodded at the same moment. Fear and excitement mixed with anticipation of an incredible journey. The Infiniport, installed at the center of the ship, was like a living heart, ready to carry them through the boundless expanses of space.

"Ignition!" Larisa commanded, and the ship hummed softly, preparing to lift off from the ground.