“All stations report go to transition, ma’am.”

“Go/no go from the squadron?” she asked.

“All ships are go.”

Gracen nodded, taking a deep breath. “Do it.”

“Yes ma’am,” Steph said from the helm, and she could hear the grin in his voice as he spoke.

Gracen didn’t know if he was grinning because they were finally going home, or if he was grinning because he knew what was coming and, despite reading every report, she didn’t. Transition was something that had to be experienced to be believed. Or, at least, that was what every report she’d read put down into words.

“Transition initiated.”

“Forward instruments have transitioned!”

Gracen shivered, but didn’t say anything more. What could she say? They were committed now.

“Transition effect approaching the bridge.”

She tried to close her eyes, but couldn’t as the bridge disintegrated in front of her and spun away into deep space. The effect moved so slowly, creeping along the bridge, turning machines and men into tiny particles that lanced across space and time at near infinite speed. Then it was on her and everything vanished into the maelstrom.

Well past the orbit of the object formerly known as a planet, called Pluto, a now familiar effect took place just outside the reach of the gravity of Sol. Particles too small to be seen individually, yet in such numbers as to blot out the stars in the darkness, rushed into existence and began to solidify into seven distinct shapes.

The Heroics and the NACS Enterprise appeared nearly as one in a flying V formation, launching into a parallel curve to the gravity well. They began a long and slow orbit of the star that was still so far away as to be barely distinguishable against the backdrop of billions of other stars.

Onboard the ships, the scene was somewhat less majestic and peaceful.

She was going to hurl.

Gracen clenched her mouth shut, teeth grinding together as her lips pursed almost painfully, and simply refused to spatter the deck with the contents of her stomach. Even if she choked herself, she wasn’t going to hurl, though it felt that choking herself was not only likely as she sat there, bent over double in the chair, but almost a certainty.

She heard moans from around her, and the sound of liquid hitting the deck, and had the slightly vindictive satisfaction that she wasn’t the only one in that position. At least she’d outlasted someone else. That wasn’t enough though, so even when her stomach heaved and she tasted acids and digested food, Gracen kept her mouth shut and swallowed hard.