figured out how to turn off the alcubium drive and rely on the standard FTL for our next jump. The cooldown had started after our previous jump, but even so, we had over four hours to wait until we could jump again.
I could’ve spent the time sleeping, but I was trying to be a little more productive. And it was possible I didn’t want to be alone with only my thoughts for company.
I knew just enough about FTL drives and ship engines to get myself into trouble, so it was with some trepidation that I breached the maintenance tunnels. But the alcubium wasn’t going to find itself and if I needed it resupplied in a hurry, I had to know how to do it.
The maintenance tunnels were narrow and warmer than the rest of the ship, but they were spotlessly clean and perfectly illuminated. I wondered if Richard had even used this ship before he came after me. Perhaps it had been kept in the Santa Celestia’s hangar to use as an escape ship. Or maybe Richard was testing it as a prototype. That would be best because if their entire fleet was already equipped with fast FTL drives, they would slaughter us if it came to war.
The maintenance tunnel ended in a ladder down and a crawl space that continued on. Luckily, I’d retrieved the smart glasses Veronica had procured for me on TSD Nine. “Polaris, show me a map of the ship and my current location.”
The map overlaid the display of my glasses, automatically oriented in the direction I faced. The crawl space led to several life-support systems, but the ladder led down to the engine compartment. I waved the map away and slid down the ladder.
A couple meters farther on, the narrow tunnel widened into a workshop. Lined in cabinets with pristine plastech counters, it looked brand-new. Neither dirt nor grease had the audacity to cling to a single surface. A large industrial synthesizer took up most of the far wall, while a sizable lift platform in the floor could be raised through the doors in the ceiling to retrieve parts directly from the cargo bay overhead.
Two wide catwalks led toward the back of the ship, flanking the FTL drive. Ladders linked to catwalks above and below this main level, allowing all parts of the drive to be accessed. Mostly self-contained, FTL drives had very few parts that could be swapped while in space. But if something did go wrong, the whole damn thing had to be taken apart, so the walkways were a necessary evil.
Another wide tunnel led off to the main engine. Used to power the ship’s life-support systems as well as the traditional propulsion, it, too, was a highly contained, redundantly backed-up system. Engine troubles were rare unless you got in a pissing contest with someone who shot holes in your hull. And then you generally had bigger problems.
So if I was going to hide a secret material needed for the FTL drive, where would I hide it? I spun around slowly, looking at all of the cabinets. The problem was that I had no idea how big a hundred units was, since the units weren’t specified. It could be a spoonful or a roomful.
I decided to look for where it interfaced with the drive, because that would give me an idea of its size. “Polaris, show me the manual entry for alcubium replacement.”
The technical document showed up on my glasses, complete with detailed diagrams. I tilted my head, trying to decipher what it was showing me.
“What are you doing?” Loch asked from behind me.
“Ah!” I spun and pressed a hand to my heart. I hadn’t heard him at all, even on the metal floors, and he’d scared the bejeezus out of me. I breathed through the adrenaline spike. “I’m looking for the secret FTL drive,” I said when I was sure my voice would be steady. “Did you need something?”
He looked the same, like we hadn’t just stomped all over each other’s feelings. He didn’t even look any worse for wear, the bastard.
He shrugged. “Saw you come down here. Since we haven’t jumped yet, I figured I’d see if the drive was damaged.”
I stared at him for a few seconds, trying to see past my hurt and judge him fairly. He’d come this far. Maybe he would betray me the second the opportunity presented itself, but he deserved the truth, or at least part of it. “The drive seems to use a specific