Velocity Jumps

Posted on Sun Oct 13th, 2024 @ 11:11am by Captain Nycolas Temple

Mission: The Only Thing Left Was Hope
Location: Unknown
Timeline: After "Unstoppable Forces - Part Two"

ON:

Nyx had searched the runabout high and low for any information he could find about his captor. It appeared however that once the mysterious man calling himself the "Protector" disappeared, he also set off a sub-routine that wiped the shuttle's memory banks clean. Perfectly clean. There was no previous travel data, biometric scans, personal logs. Not even a toothbrush left behind. So, Nyx was then distracted for more time than he would ever admit as he contemplated whether the man had very bad oral hygiene or whether he had no need for a toothbrush at all - the implications for either possibility sending him down a wormhole of terrible thoughts.

He did discover some information, however. The shuttle was the S.S. Prime, the captain's yacht from the Pandora, but it had been modified and changed beyond recognition. No longer a personal transport, it was more of a tin-can speedster with no livery, embellishments, or comforts to speak of. It had been fine-tuned to travel as quickly as possible with very little else in terms of equipment, stations, or resources normally found in a Starfleet craft. Everything had been stripped bare in order to provide maximum power to the engines and they too had the latest efficiencies for performance installed. No wonder this Protector had managed to skip around them so fast.

Realizing that the only thing Nyx had left from the mystery man was the suit he had been given, Nyx gave up searching the craft and instead changed into the suit. He placed the arm band around his left wrist and felt it tighten automatically. With a curious frown he raised the helmet over his head and placed that on. The helmet locked into place with a quiet hiss.

In front of his eyes was a visual display showing a panoramic view of the shuttle around him. He found if he turned his head slightly in one direction, the view moved with it, and he was able to see behind himself as well. On the display there was a personal diagnostic of his core vitals - body temperature, heart rate, oxygen levels, brain waves and his current speed. For some reason there was a display for his "Velocity", though unsurprisingly it was at zero, given he was standing still.

Across the bottom was a green notification message stating "Message received." Looking down at his wrist pad, the HUD now showed a projection of various control buttons floating just above his left arm. He noticed one said, "Play Message" and he pressed it.

"Welcome to your Velocity Suit." said the recording. In front of his eyes appeared the mystery Protector, sitting in the shuttle helm seat. "This suit is your key to fulfilling your mission. The control panel on your wrist will allow you to set coordinates for localized instant transporting. Your transports will be undetectable and fast. Very fast. You will be able to seemingly jump in and out of locations in the blink of an eye."

Nyx raised his eyebrows as he looked down to the controls, the urge to press buttons was rising.

"But it is limited." The mystery man continued, "Your suit's power will drain significantly with every jump and will require re-charging once depleted. You cannot beam anywhere while wearing the suit as this will cause an overload of the suit's system and result in your death. You must return to your ship before the power is depleted or you will be stranded and vulnerable."

"Oh." Nyx frowned, "Always a catch."

"Recharge the suit using the modified station in the cabin of the ship." The Protector's message said, "It will take time. Hide yourself somewhere while it is charging. Use the ship's modified warp capabilities to evade detection. Should your ship or the suit become compromised, they will self-destruct. Whether you are in them or not."

There now was an overwhelming feeling growing within Nyx that he would much prefer to get out of this suit. Urgently.

"I have stationed the shuttle on an inhabited planet." The mystery man was saying, "With pre-established location markers. Practice jumping from those locations. Once you have the hang of it, trying entering your own jump spots." There was what would pass for mirth in the man's voice. "Trust me, you'll want to practice."

"Have fun."

[Later - Planet's Surface]

Nyx had landed the Prime on the planet and stepped out onto the surface once he was very sure the world was indeed uninhabited. It was a barren, desert-like planet with a single star in the distance. No structures or lifeforms anywhere. He was breathing heavily as he fixed the helmet back on his head and the HUD appeared once more. Looking down at his left arm, the controls projected upwards. He pressed on the "Jump" button and found there was indeed a pre-set location already programmed into the suit. Taking a deep breath, he confirmed the location.

Then, he pressed "Jump"

Suddenly, Nyx found himself hurtling through a tunnel of lights, traveling faster than he could possibly have been ready for. He opened his mouth to scream but nothing came out, his entire body tensed up in fear.

Just as quickly as it came, the tunnel faded and Nyx appeared back onto the planet surface. He stumbled forwards shakily and finally fell to his knees to stop himself from falling over completely. The vitals on his HUD were spiking RED for danger. He threw the helmet off from his head and took several gasping breaths. The urge to vomit rose in his mouth and he gagged several times, coughing hard. It was as if all of the air had left his lungs.

He had completed high velocity training before, but this was something else. His body didn't know what had hit it. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the sky. It took some time before he found his breath and the nausea passed.

Finally, he stood up again and looked around him. He was definitely still on the same desolate planet. He turned around and in the very far distance, he could only just see the S.S Prime like a mirage on the horizon. In mere seconds he had travelled an extraordinary distance.

"What..." He breathed out in disbelief.

Immediately Nyx found the helmet he had discarded and put it back on again. He loaded up the control panel and found the next location. His vital signs appeared in a warning orange color now, but some were already turning back to green again.

"Jump." He whispered as he pushed the button.

After another few seconds Nyx stumbled out of the tunnel, appearing suddenly on the planet's surface now even farther away from the shuttle. Again, he fell to the floor and gasped for breath, but he had expected it this time. He had tried to breathe in as he travelled but had still felt a tremendous pressure on his lungs while hurtling through the tunnel. The nausea was still there, threatening to upend his last meal into the helmet. He tried to will himself into pushing down the sensation by closing his eyes and focusing on his breathing.

His vitals spiked to the orange warning again before turning green after a short time. Once the feeling passed, he took in a determined breath.

"Again." He said affirmatively, nodding his head. He stood upright again and raised up the controls.

This time, Nyx let out an excited yell, "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaahoooooooo!" as he jumped...

OFF