Narchi exclaimed,"The sword is Sub-matter,no doubt! That's useful. Nice hat." Rose shook her head and smiled. "NOT hat--TSMA emitter" Captain Dokka Tkarroasked, "What? Like a Time-Space-Matrix-Distorter?" Rose shrugged. "The OPPOSITE, actually. It AFFECTS space in a way to FLATTEN it out, NOT to distort it! Prevents TSMD engines usage , teleportation and phase-shifts within it's range ...which is about thirty kilometers." Narchi said, "Holy CRAP! A new fun toy. HOW does it 'flatten space'? That is sort of impossible, I thought!" Rose said,"You're the physicist, you figure it out! Super advanced alien artifact technology to me." Dokka asked,"Phase-shift...that's a new one! What does that really mean for us?" Rose said,"I learned a way we can shift to and from SUB-SPACE on the FLY, with OUT using the TSMD engines! It has to do with Sub-space frequency and the Relative-Inertial-Frame engine." Dokka and Narchi looked shocked. Dokka asked,"YOU MEAN LIKE DUCKING BLOWS in COMBAT? Shifting to avoid missile hits and such? Immunity to TSMD cannon fire?" Rose nodded. "ONLY the ship with the Challenger drive crystals, though. This is NOT universally applicable." Dokka exclaimed,"HOLY SON OF A BITCH! I'll take what we can! We might actually survive this upcoming invasion by a whole fleet of Asuran ships! Look, Rose? Keep your little visit to the Nunera System Node a secret for right now. I do NOT want anyone outside of this ship knowing ANYTHING is different...AT ALL!" Lime sighed,"I just wanted someone to notice my hair." Narchi and Dokka laughed. Narchi said, "We noticed, but why is that significant?" Lime jerked a thumb over at her adopted mother and exclaimed,"HER HAIR IS TWICE AS LONG,NOW! Someone will notice THAT! The golden crown dealy can be stuck in the HSD until needed, but the hair?" Rose shrugged."Part of my space-stress sensor suite,now. NO lopping off my curls!" A chime from the door, and a pilot walked in. Rose said,"Sapphire needs to talk to you, Captain." She began without preamble,"Fifteen minutes ago, my flight privileges were revoked when my DEMOTION went into effect. ALL the Cyclops women who were involved in protesting the treatment of Toxic and Neon, MEMBERS OF YOUR crew, have ALL been demoted and reprimanded. If I was a white human man, nothing would have been done! This is racial AND gender based discrimination of the vilest form!" Dokka paled. he said in a low voice,"Snowflake told me about how Toxic fought for an hour not to change into a DRAGON or SOMETHING! When she hears this...she might freak out and go KILL ALL the joint chiefs by herself right before the Asurans show up! DAMMIT! DAMMIT! Give me some options people!" Narchi sighed. "The power of bullshit will NOT work on Toxic! Awww, CRAPO! Order EVERYONE not to talk of it! We have to deal with invaders FIRST then Toxic! IF she freaks out and goes ballistic...we COULD end up with River Prince, AND the River King AND the Leviathan ALL dog-piling USCOMM command! That could lead to an end of our world. PERIOD. Remember just ten million of her kind wiped out the WHOLE Triangulum galaxy while the ALtha-Krommiums and Naga tried to stop them!" Dokka looked over at Lime and whispered,"You can NOT mention this to Toxic! Is this clear?" Lime got a conniving look on her face, and said,"IF I was busy doing something ELSE that kept me too busy to say anything..." Narchi said,"You want to help Violet and them with welding the extra missile mounts on the inner frame hull, don't you?" She smiled,"It'd keep me busy! To busy to flap my lips!" Dokka shook his head and laughed."If that's all you want, done and done! If all problems were THIS easy!" Sapphire asked,"What of me? Need a pilot without wings?" Dokka asked,"Want to be a pirate?" Sapphire looked shocked as the others burst into laughter. --To be continued!--