Halfway Point 31. Halfway Point Pilot Bill Stein announced to a full bridge, “The Alcubierre—Haruto drive is now off-line, we are at full stop.” Captain Charles asked the second most important question of the day to navigator Tommy Star: “What is our position?” “Captain, computer analysis of our star charts confirms that we are thirteen light-years from Earth and roughly nine light-years from the Gliese system.” “Captain Charles,” Leanne Warner spoke from her station, “I am measuring a powerful mass of charged particles dead ahead, moving away from our location.” He answered, “Remember your briefing, Ms. Warner. As we manipulated space, particles collected on the gravity envelope protecting the ship. Space straightened again when we stopped, throwing those particles forward. Fortunately there is nothing out here.” The Captain then activated an overhead screen with the jab of a finger and asked Professor Coffman in engineering a question more important than the one he had asked Starr.
