StreamJump

"So, have you guys explored this place while I was up front?"

Razek scratched the back of his head. "Uhh…"

Helaine looked away.

Evryn sighed. "I guess that means we have time to look around for a bit."

"Yeah!" Razek exclaimed.

Cyrus's voice crackled through the comms.

"We're about to go into a streamjump. Get ready."

Razek's eyes lit up with excitement. "Streamjump! Oh, I can't wait." He immediately headed toward the cockpit where Cyrus was.

Evryn felt curious and compelled to see what this whole thing was about.

Helaine could tell Evryn wanted to go with them. "You can go. I'll look around while you guys are up front."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

With that, Evryn took off, heading to where Razek and Cyrus were.

Evryn made his way into the cockpit, where he saw Cyrus still in the driver's seat, hand on the wheel, while Razek sat next to him, heading toward the Aether Stream.

The ship hummed with quiet anticipation as it approached the Aether Stream. The stars outside grew increasingly distant, becoming mere pinpricks in the vast blackness. The cockpit was alive with the soft glow of control panels, their lights flickering and casting shadows against the faces of those present. Evryn stood by the door, watching with growing excitement as the moment to enter the Stream drew closer.

Cyrus's hands tightened around the steering wheel, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the swirling, iridescent ribbons of light ahead. The Aether Stream was a breathtaking sight—a glowing river of energy that wound through space, pulsing with waves of luminous light, like a shifting aurora. It looked almost alive, as if the galaxy itself were breathing, flowing through veins of energy older than time.

Razek sat next to Cyrus, his usual excitement replaced by a rare moment of quiet awe. His eyes sparkled with curiosity. "This is it… We're about to go, huh?"

"Yep," Cyrus replied, his voice calm but with an underlying excitement. "Time to jump."

Evryn felt a shiver run down his spine, an odd mixture of nervousness and thrill. He'd never been outside the ship's safe interior for long, let alone watched a Streamjump in action. He had read about it, heard stories, but the reality was something else entirely. He stepped forward, closer to the controls, his heart racing in sync with the pulse of the Aether Stream as they neared it.

Suddenly, a rumbling vibrated through the ship's hull, a low hum that seemed to resonate in his very chest. The lights in the cockpit dimmed, and the ship's systems began to shift. The familiar sound of the engine's hum deepened, changing in pitch as the ship aligned with the Stream's entry point. The Aether Stream itself seemed to warp before their eyes, stretching and twisting in impossible ways.

"All systems prepped for Streamjump." a soft voice from the ship's AI stated, confirming the readiness of their journey.

Cyrus glanced at the monitors, flicking switches and adjusting dials as the ship's outer hull shimmered with a faint glow. "Brace yourselves." he said with a grin, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "It's about to get bumpy."

Evryn braced himself, gripping the nearby seat as he watched the Stream's entrance loom closer. The ribbons of light began to swirl faster, converging into a narrow tunnel of energy. The ship's velocity increased in small increments, building up in preparation for the jump. A hum filled the air, growing louder and louder, vibrating through the very bones of the ship.

Watching it all unfold, Evryn subconsciously began tapping his thumb and middle finger together on his right hand, excitement building within him.

The Aether Stream entrance stretched open like a swirling vortex. As they crossed its threshold, everything outside the ship began to warp. The stars, once small points of light, stretched into long lines, bending and twisting as though time itself were twisting. The ship's hull shimmered, enveloped in a blue-tinted aura of light, as the Aether Stream pulled them deeper into its current.

Razek let out a loud whoop, his excitement breaking through the tense atmosphere. "This is insane!" He grinned widely, the thrill of the jump contagious.

Cyrus focused on the controls, hands steady as the ship began to break through the temporal and spatial barriers of the Aether Stream. The air inside the cockpit grew thick with energy as the ship adjusted to the Stream's force. Small bursts of light flashed across the ship's exterior as it began to glide faster and faster through the stream, its speed pushing beyond what they could normally achieve in regular space.

The world outside became a surreal blur of light trails, the ribbons of the Stream surrounding them like an infinite tunnel. Evryn felt a strange sensation in his chest, as if the ship were no longer simply traveling through space, but moving between different layers of existence itself.

The ship's hum became a constant presence, vibrating through the walls, as it shot further down the twisting currents of the Aether Stream. Outside, the infinite tunnel of light blurred and warped, but the passage of time felt distorted. The stars outside became nothing more than smeared streaks of white, their distant light fading as they traveled farther from their galaxy.

Inside the cockpit, a tense stillness hung in the air. The crew was bound by the constraints of the journey, each one lost in their own thoughts. Evryn stared out at the swirling void, his mind wandering as the reality of the journey sunk in. Despite the beauty of the Aether Stream, there was a weight to the silence, an unsettling feeling of being in between worlds. He couldn't help but feel the absence of the familiar—a strange sense of disconnection from everything he knew.

Razek was the first to break the silence. "How long do you think it's gonna take? Feels like we've been in here forever." He tapped his fingers impatiently on the armrest, clearly not accustomed to the stillness of the journey.

Cyrus glanced at the navigation system, then back at the swirling path ahead. "It might take a couple of hours or more. Possibly a day."

"Why is that?"

"We're not exactly crossing the galaxy at full speed. The Stream has its own rhythms, and we have to follow it."

Evryn nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "Where exactly are we heading?"

"Virelia."

"What's Virelia like?"

"Virelia…" Cyrus's eyes fixed on the Aether Stream outside, thinking of how to describe it. "It's a jungle planet, but not the usual kind. Everything's alive—like the whole planet's one massive organism. The trees, the plants, even the ground seem to hum with life."

Evryn raised an eyebrow. "So, it's alive?"

"Sort of. It's full of bioluminescence—glowing plants, fungi, that sort of thing. At night, the whole place lights up. And the fauna? It's something. Some creatures are as big as the trees, moving like shadows. The planet's got its defenses too—vines that lash out at you." 

"Why in god's name would you want to take us there?? Are you trying to kill us??"

Cyrus chuckled softly. "No, it'll be a good place to lay low for a bit. Plus, I know some people there who can help us out."

"If you say so…"

Cyrus let go of the steering wheel and stretched his arms. "I might as well check the place out while I have the time."

"Helaine's somewhere in the ship, exploring."

"Alright, then let's go meet up with her." Cyrus stood up, walking past Evryn and heading down the hallway.

Razek and Evryn followed behind.

As they entered the living room, Cyrus glanced around and nodded approvingly. "This isn't bad. With some tightening up and a few repairs, this baby will be good as new."

Helaine emerged from one of the hallways.

"It's not bad," she said, pointing her thumb back toward where she came from. "There's a bathroom, a bedroom, and a storage room."

"Does the bedroom have multiple beds or just one?" Razek asked.

"It only has three beds."

That isn't good… Evryn thought. These guys helped me out a lot, even though I've barely known them for a day. I should volunteer to sleep in here so they can have the beds.

"I can sleep in here." he offered.

Everyone turned to look at him.

Why are they all looking at me? This is weird… Evryn suddenly felt like he was going to die from embarrassment.

Razek snickered, trying to hold back his laughter. "You don't have to sleep in here."

What's so funny about me offering to sleep here? Evryn thought, confused. He's so weird sometimes—I don't get him.