17 Chapter 17

Inside the ship, silence reigned as both Admirals watched the universe go by faster than they ever thought possible. It was as if the heavens themselves were bending to their will, accommodating their journey in a way that defied all known laws of physics.

"Remarkable..." Admiral Ross murmured, his eyes reflecting the cosmic spectacle unfolding before them. Even with all his years of service, he had never seen anything like this. It was a moment that would forever be etched into his memory.

Admiral Cole sat just as mesmerized, his usual stoic demeanor giving way to a rare show of astonishment. The sheer speed and smoothness of their travel surpassed everything he'd hoped for. In his head he was glad that he had adopted Axel when he was young since his investment was paying off well.

The warp drive was living up to its promise. This wasn't just a mere technological upgrade; it was a quantum leap for humanity. Of course their would have to be some changes to what happens during warp unlike slipspace.

In Slipspace they could remain standing while the ship initiated the jump, but with the ward drive everybody onboard would need to be strapped in before they could start the jump. This wasn't a major problem for them as the positives severely outweighed the negatives.

But for Axel he found this to be a slight problem since it would affect medical procedure that would need to be conducted and prevent the crew from repairing the ship while they are at warp speed.

Once he get's back he would look to fix those problems so that normal operations can be conducted on the ship even while at warp speed.

As the ship continued to carve its way through space, Axel kept his eyes on the navigation console, monitoring the progress. Everything seemed to be working perfectly.

And before they knew it 45 minutes had passed since they went into warp speed and before they knew it, the radiant blue sphere of Earth came into view. They had arrived.

The ship decelerated with incredible smoothness, coming out of warp without any adverse effects commonly associated with slipspace jumps. No nausea. No disorientation.

Axel glanced back at the Admirals who were still staring slack-jawed at Earth's orbit now filling up the ship's view screen.

"Welcome to Earth Admirals" Axel Said. The way their faces lit up at the sight, he could tell the admirals were just as amazed by the success of the warp drive as he was.

"Phenomenal," Ross finally managed to say, still unable to tear his eyes away from the view. He had traversed across star systems numerous times, but today's experience was entirely unique. The whole universe suddenly felt smaller, within reach.

"Outstanding job," Admiral Cole added after a moment, turning his steely gaze onto Axel. There was a newfound respect in his eyes. "You've just ushered in a new era."

Axel nodded understanding the Admirals amazement at the Warp drives. But they were far from what he had planned for the future. Today he may have made history but within the next 2 decades, his name would be ushered into history and talked about for the next centuries.

"But we can't rest now," Admiral Cole continued, his expression growing serious again. "We need to ensure this technology remains with us and doesn't fall into enemy hands." Admiral Cole was referring to the insurrectionists since if they got their hands on this then they would be able to truly cause a lot of problems all across the Outer colonies.

"Yes, sir," Axel replied understanding what could potentially happen, but also not caring too much since that problem rested in the hands of Admiral Ross and the rest of the Top Brass. For now at least.

"Yes we must keep the secrecy of this technology" Said Admiral Ross looking at Axel wondering what his response would be to his next statement.

"As such I would like the UNSC to control this technology for now until it can be publicly released" Stated Admiral Ross.

For Axel this wasn't a problem since even of the warp drive fell into enemy hands, He would have in his possession another more powerful warp drive then the current one that he just made.

"I was always going to hand the technology over to the UNSC Admiral so it's not a problem" Stated Axel.

"Very good Captain" Replied Admiral Ross. "Though it has been 2 years since you had been promoted and I don't see a problem with promoting you once again. But if I do that then I would have you deal with the insurrectionists in the outer colonies to promote your fame and show other's your ability to lead and that you deserve the rank of Rear Admiral" Announced Admiral Ross.

Admiral Cole was not surprised by this announcement since Axel had done something that would reshape warfare and increase their ability to combat the Insurrectionists in the outer colonies.

"Very well Admiral, If I must prove myself then I am more than willing to do it" Replied Axel.

"Good, within the next few months I will announce your promotion and put you in charge of a battlegroup which will be assigned to the Outer colonies" Said Admiral Ross.

"Thank you, Admiral," Axel said, as in his mind he was growing closer and closer to to potentially becoming the Leader of the UNSC.

Being assigned to the Outer Colonies would not only ease any doubts about his leadership abilities, but also boost his reputation within the UNSC. He saw this as an opportunity to prove himself and make a difference in the messy war zone where rebellious groups constantly fought against the UNSC for independence.

"Anything else for now?" Axel asked after a moment, glancing from Ross to Cole.

"No," Admiral Ross finally said, his gaze returning to Axel. "You've done well today. Keep innovating, keep pushing; our future rests in hands like yours."

Axel nodded at the heavy words. But they were not entirely new to him - he had always known that his work could change the course of humanity's destiny. This was just firm confirmation of that fact.

With another nod at the admirals, Axel had returned to his console while Admiral Ross was escorted to the hanger where he would take his Pelican back to Earth. Once the Pelican Returned Axel and Admiral Cole would jump back to Algolis where Admiral Cole would return to his ship and Axel to his lab.