Chapter 17: Ch - 17 something was different.
As William gave the command, Ascendency—Ragnarok’s sentinel AI—nodded once, her expression calm and composed.
"Understood, Master," she said. With a graceful turn, she approached the main interface, her fingers moving effortlessly across the translucent controls of the Ragnarok’s command console. Streams of light danced beneath her touch, and a soft pulse echoed through the command deck.
Moments later, she announced:
"Engaging FTL Drive. Activating the Hyperdrive module."
A subtle tremor ran through the ship as deep within its core, the dual reactors surged to life—pumping an immense torrent of energy through every conduit and system. The hum of power intensified, vibrating through the deck beneath their feet... and then, just as suddenly, everything went silent.
A shimmering veil of light wrapped around the Ragnarok, the ship’s energy shields phasing into existence as golden arcs danced across its hull. The very fabric of space around them began to distort—like a ripple across still water, warping and stretching.
Ahead, the void twisted, stars blurring and bending as the Hyperdrive module roared to full power. Ascendency spoke once more, voice cool and precise:
"Coordinates locked. Trajectory aligned. FTL jump initiating in... 3... 2... 1."
The fabric of space split open before the Ragnarok, a shimmering rift carved into the void like a wound in reality itself.
Ascendency—with flawless precision—activated all 18 of Ragnarok’s massive capital-grade propulsion engines, setting them to a quarter thrust. A low rumble echoed through the colossal vessel as it began to gain momentum, its hull shimmering under the strain of the immense energy being channeled through its core systems.
Then, in a flash of motionless speed, the Ragnarok surged forward—entering the rift.