A result of compressed foliations within subspace itself, the corridors of the Underspace allowed for superluminal velocities far in excess of traditional warp travel. It was a curious phenomenon once thought unique to the Delta Quadrant, but now, here it was, right before them. Whether its sudden expansion was anthropogenic or not, no one knew, but at the moment, it didn’t really matter. It was here, and they were flying through it.

The distortions were doing a number to their sensors. If she was flying it alone, Ensign Elyssia Rel would have likely collided with the walls of the corridors within minutes of passing through the aperture. But thankfully, she wasn’t. Instead, all she had to do was keep the Pathfinder class USS Ingenuity wedged in the wake of the USS Serenity, while those who seemed to know better, the Romulan science officer and the Vulcan flight controller aboard the Duderstadt class cruiser in the lead, guided them forth.

“Junction ahead, T minus twelve.”

“Will adjust zero six three.”

“Better make it zero six five.”

“Zero six five, confirmed.”

The exchange between Lieutenant Commander Sena and Lieutenant Selik, which she could hear over the comms, was calm and business-like. How they were interpreting the jumble of readings on their instruments, Ensign Rel had no idea, but she didn’t have time to think about that. All she had time to do was listen to the voices and follow their instructions.

“Ingenuity confirms zero six five,” Ensign Rel said crisply as she queued in the new heading, even though, as far as she could tell from her limited ability to understand the readings before her, they were still headed on the right course.

Four seconds later though, that all changed as the corridors of the labyrinth abruptly split.

Ensign Rel already had the course laid in though, and all she had to do was execute it, keeping the USS Ingenuity tight on the rear end of the USS Serenity as they veered right.

Aboard the USS Serenity, Lieutenant Commander Sena’s eyes darted across her displays. “Bring us closer to center,” she warned. The Vulcan had executed the turn a tenth of a second late, causing the deviance. “You’re too tight to the wall.” She didn’t want to think about what would happen if they exited the Underspace abruptly by colliding with the corridor’s walls. If they managed to survive the rapid deceleration out of Underspace, which wasn’t even assured itself, and they didn’t hit some large celestial body on the way out, they’d be who-knew-where, and probably nowhere near an aperture to get back.

At the front of the bridge, Lieutenant Selik did as instructed, evening the ship out in the middle of the corridor as they continued along the new branch of the Underspace network.

Watching the scene unfold, Captain Lewis gripped the armrests of his chair, his knuckles white. It was silly, he knew. The inertial dampeners and the straps of his jumpseat would be what held him in, not the strength of his grip. Still, he couldn’t help it. He didn’t like being so out of control, at the whims of a phenomenon they hardly understood, but it was necessary. They needed to chart these corridors to understand the threat they posed. The other powers of the galaxy would certainly be doing the same.

“You’re going to appreciate this, Captain,” Lieutenant Commander Sena reported, almost as if sensing his internal stress. “Negative energy density tetryonic nodule ahead at fourteen.”

“English, Sena,” Captain Lewis coaxed.

“We’re coming upon an exit aperture.”

“Very good.”

And then, a few seconds later, Lieutenant Selik brought them through it. Or more accurately, it spat them out, the USS Serenity abruptly returning to normal space.

“Operations, report,” Captain Lewis ordered as he loosened his grip on the armrest.

“All systems are good, sir,” Lieutenant Greg Gadsen reported from the operations station.

“And the Ingenuity?”

“She’s right where she should be,” Lieutenant Irina Tarasova reported from tactical. Since there was nothing to shoot during their transit through the Underspace, her job had mostly been to keep tabs on their sistership. “And still in one piece, might I add.”

“Nice flying, Lieutenant,” Captain Lewis offered as he rose from his chair and approached the conn. He gazed forward out the main viewscreen at the stars dotting the night’s sky. “The obvious next question then is where are we?”

“Not where we want to be,” came the update from Lieutenant Commander Sena, her voice laced with urgency and concern. “We’re one light year rimward of Achernar, more than a dozen light years on the wrong side of the border.” The Free State’s early warning systems would have already picked them up, she knew, and she was all too aware how they would respond to the sudden appearance of two Starfleet vessels deep within their territory.

“Good thing we’ve got you then, isn’t it?” Captain Lewis remarked snarkily as he glanced over his shoulder at the Romulan.

“My word doesn’t go as far as it used to,” Lieutenant Commander Sena warned. Indeed, while the Free State might marshal a firm response to Starfleet’s violation of their sovereign territory, they’d probably skin her alive if they found her here.

“Yes, nothing the Empire loves more than a traitor,” Captain Lewis chuckled, drawing a cold stare from the former Tal’Shiar agent. He couldn’t help himself though. She might have taken the Starfleet oath, and she might wear the Starfleet uniform, but she was, at the end of the day, still a Romulan. “As much as I’d like to take some time to enjoy the sights, I’m inclined to agree with you though that we don’t want to be around here when the greeting party arrives.”

There were no arguments from the crew.

“We good to turn and burn, Gadsen?” Captain Lewis asked. He felt bad for Lieutenant Selik and Ensign Rel. They’d spent the last half hour glued to their consoles, their fingers flying furiously across the controls, just trying to keep the ships centered within the corridors, and now, with only moments of rest, they were going back in. Still, they didn’t have a choice. Not given where they’d emerged.

“Aye sir,” confirmed the operations officer.

“Mark this terminus on our charts, Sena,” Captain Lewis ordered. It was an important and concerning fact that a branch existed in the newly-revealed Underspace network that would allow the Free State, if it so chose, to jump right into the middle of the Archanis Sector. “And Selik, bring us about and prepare to re-enter the aperture.” 

“Coming about, sir. Ingenuity is following.”

Captain Lewis looked forward as the ship rotated and the aperture came back into view. Was this going to be the story, again and again, as they charted out where the corridors led? What would happen when they emerged, not a light year from a hostile world, but right on top of one instead? This was a dangerous game they were playing.