Flynn
watched the processed visual feed on the main display. The ship’s computers
filtered the incoming light and updated every couple of seconds in order to
give an approximation of what occurred, and that was a consequence of
travelling at two point four light years per hour. The amount of light
information was staggering. Without the processed feed, it would be nothing but
white light in front of them and impenetrable darkness behind.
It’s better than jump drives.
Flynn
hadn’t thought that before. He had served only sparsely on sailing vessels
before, the older ships of the Fleet. The modern ships all used jump engines to
move from one star system to the next. They were quick, efficient, and saved
enormous time by not having to travel through the out regions of a star system.
But the
exploration and romance of traveling through the stars couldn’t be had with
jump drives. The constant hopscotch between complete systems only ruined the
grandeur of what was out here. Sailing, Flynn could explore a supernova
remnant, visit protostars, skirt black holes, and chart out neutron stars.
These were places jump engines couldn’t go, but could only hopscotch around
them.
No more hopscotch for me.
He put in a
course correction that would swing them past a binary neutron star.
Because I’ve never seen one before.