“Everybody, strap in,” Captain Posey commanded. “Flight Officer Charyd, I will be taking us in.”

Lucky day, he could learn from Captain Posey. He was already in his seat and he flicked a switch to make the security belts flap out and over his body, anchoring him to the uncomfortable chair he was sitting in. He missed the captain’s chair. 

“Tony, I know this is a first for you but it is for me too. Let’s be gentle with one another.”

If Charyd didn’t know what was about to happen, he would have thought he was listening to a much more intimate conversation. 

“Yes, sir,” the Darkstorm replied and threw in a hologram of its AI that saluted the captain. 

“Ten. Nine. Eight–” Charyd started the final countdown.

“Three-two-one!” the Darkstorm interrupted in a quick chatter and then the ship lurched. 

Charyd thought about the unconscious man hidden in the ship’s walls and then realized he deserved a thank you. If the asshole was really in the latrine, he would have been plastered to the toilet by now.

The Darkstorm’s lurch was only the first step. Charyd was not sure where to watch. The screens in front of him were flashing with routes, maps, and calculations too fast for him to register them all. The ship’s main viewport, however, revealed the sun halo around a gem-blue planet. It was far in the distance, at least a day’s flight with any other ship. 

Common planet name, Psi Trident. High-security prison planet also known by designation PT-0237. One of the highest security prisons in their galaxy. If only because of the rare space phenomenon that surrounded the planet.

Charyd focused on the viewport as the sun’s halo distorted and turned into flying streaks like sound waves made visible by the rainbow. As the Darkstorm adjusted its angle, the waves turned into a glowing growth, unfurling from around the planet and surrounding it in a shimmering spiderweb. It was beautiful, glowing and growing, twisting and spinning, daring any ship to approach. The sight was visible only for a few seconds before the waves became invisible once more.

They were more dangerous that way.

“Got it!” Posey screamed from her seat in joy. 

Charyd had no idea what she got or how it helped. The waves were already invisible from this angle so he had no idea how they would approach the planet safely to land. 

The Darkstorm lurched until the planet was out of view.

“Oops, sorry about that,” the Darkstorm said and did not sound sorry at all. “Captain, if I may have your assistance.”

“Always, Tony.”

Charyd had no clue what happened but suddenly in front of Posey was a floating hologram. Tony was standing there, a step below the chair, his head barely reaching Posey’s shoulders, and holding a large screen against his chest. The sight was unnerving. Posey reached for the screen and then it looked even weirder as she started interacting with the hologram as if she was digging around inside Tony’s guts. 

Charyd barely held in his gag reflex at the sight and turned forward again. The ship lurched in one direction and Charyd grabbed his safety straps. It flipped and he was glad for the artificial gravity only for a moment before all blood rushed to his head. 

“Artificial gravity off,” Posey announced. 

Of course, she did. 

Sometimes, Charyd thought she read his mind and based her commands on how uncomfortable she could make him.

Charyd barely had time to expand his body and fill his seat better before he felt weightless in his harness. The lurch this time felt less drastic but his stomach still tried to go somewhere where it had no business being. 

“Can’t you be smoother about it?” Posey muttered.

“Hey, that’s on you, not me. If our navigator could do this, then I could focus on stabilization.”

Charyd felt like he should be insulted. He turned to glare at the hologram but another lurch had his head snapping back into his seat so hard that his neck cracked. Psi Trident’s gravity became apparent with another drop. Two more twists, a spin, and then a yank so sharp that Charyd hit his knee against his console, and it was over.

The planet was right in front of them and it covered more than half the viewport. From one of the side windows, Charyd noticed the remains of a military class vessel from Cadoon’s military floating lifelessly in space. Behind it was the debris of many similar ships. 

The Darkstorm and Captain Posey had somehow successfully passed the uncharted waters and Charyd had fucking missed it all! The waves that tore ships apart were only visible once every cycle from a specific angle for a few seconds. Never enough time for any ship to pass through safely. They also, somehow, only disappeared for an hour every sixty-seven standard galactic days. No ship could come in or out without the security’s permission. Without the Darkstorm’s technology, there was no way another ship could pass through the area without being torn apart completely. 

The months of waiting for a chance as he tried researching for a way onto Psi Trident were over. All thanks to a drunk with the same name. Coincidence? Maybe. But Charyd liked to thank his patron with a silent prayer. Now, he only had to hope that his gods would make the Darkstorm agree with him. Without the Darkstorm Charyd had no way of getting off that planet with his crew without killing them all. They all would be dead sooner than tomorrow.

Or maybe… Posey would be enough.

A quick glance revealed a tiny pixelated version of Tony hanging off the edge of his screen and waving at him. It looked mocking. Charyd looked away and glared at the gray panel to his left.