The ship didn't move. Instead, the world outside the windows began to sharpen. The colors of the grove intensified until they were blinding, then shattered. For a heartbeat, there was nothing but the hum of the V2, a sound like a thousand voices whispering in unison. Then, the snap.
The obsidian hull groaned as reality realigned. The violet sky of Xylos-4 was gone. In its place stood the twin suns of the Ophiuchi Reach, their light reflecting off the V2’s wings with a brilliance that shouldn't have been possible. They had crossed fifty light-years in the time it took to draw a breath. V2 imaginar 16x
It was the first of its kind. Built with the "16x" Fold-Drive, the V2 wasn't designed to travel through space; it was designed to imagine its way into a new reality. The ship didn't move
"Sixteen times the precision," the AI noted, almost in awe. "We didn't just arrive, Commander. We created the arrival." For a heartbeat, there was nothing but the