TRAITOR - Book 1 Warlord and Multiverse Series

Chapter 11 - Dangerous Dimensions

"It seems that I've plenty of time to get a crystal. Eight days gives me ample time to both get a crystal and then adapt to it. I'm going to contact Lucia now.

"That was a very interesting briefing, thank you very much Connie. I expect I'll see all of you in a day at the most."

Jason contacted Lucia.

"Lucia when you've some time I'd like to meet with you to get your help to get a crystal. We have a window of opportunity where we have eight days' travel before we face our next set of enemies. Is that enough time to get a crystal and adapt for a primitive savage?"

"Go and have some lunch as soon you can, so you can eat and digest it, as you will become nauseous in the trans-dimensional room. I'll come to your canteen at two thirty. I've a few things that I need to do first and then I'll help you with this, with the greatest of pleasure. Eight days is tons of time, even in the worst possible case.

"My crystal helps me recover more quickly after injuries, and yours may do the same if you are lucky. I was able to use my crystal after less than one day. The longest I've ever heard of is a week, and that's only a rumor. In our group of two hundred everyone was functioning in two days. Few people are in the trans-dimensional room for longer than a day. The longest I've ever heard of someone being there was for two and a half days. There's much that I can say to prepare you, but I shall do my best."

Lucia ordered a small meal when she arrived at the canteen.

"The computer spans eleven different trans-dimensional rooms. They are clustered around the computer which has different parts of itself in different dimensions to take advantage of the different characteristics of each dimension or universe. We only find crystals in one of the rooms. I've used the room I'm sending you into on the ship for marines, previously. They went to get their crystals, when we have done training on the ship.

"I'll take you to the room where you will find crystals. The beasties that live in that dimension attack people but they don't meddle with the computer.

"The first thing that I need to make you aware of, is that the ship was correct, in warning you, about the dangers of the trans-dimensional room. The room connects to a much bigger space. It's simply one room as part of a much larger whole. When you go into the room the denizens of that dimension slowly become aware of your presence and the longer you are there the more likely someone or something will attack you. I don't know how you can defend yourself. I don't know anyone who can tell you. I do know that weapons are ineffective. No one I know has ever fought them, but certainly people have not emerged. It's usually one in three hundred who don't get out of there alive.

"Some physicists refuse to talk about them as trans-dimensional facilities. They say that they are entry points to different universes where different rules of physics apply. They don't know the physics of those universes fully, but do know enough to construct the electronics and programs that use the unique properties of the universe or dimension appropriately. I still call them dimensions as do most people.

"When you go into the room everything looks very strange. You feel strange as well. You will feel as if you are standing on an irregularly moving surface. Look down and make sure that you walk on a firm surface. The firm surface looks like planks. Things look strange and fractured. You will feel unbalanced and nauseated. Look for a table and move to it as quickly as you can while balancing carefully. I only had one crystal on the table. I managed to fit my crystal quickly into the slot. Pick up the crystal and look at the base and it'll give you an idea what to look for as a slot. For most people the slot is on the table. It's pretty weird that something that's part of you is out of you.