"Preparing for departure."
"Energie level, checked."
"Controls, checked."
"Internal systems, checked."
"Life indicator, checked."
"Shield, checked."
"We are good to go. Starting lockdown, now."
"Departure in five, four, three, two, one, zero."
No loud, deafening noise followed. The spaceship from the bridge of which the voices were coming levitated upward with the whirrs of the working gears of its engine, the blue of energy running through its body brightening for a moment to give the required initial push.
The vessel, shaped like a bird, was neither big nor small, though still rivaling a football stadium in size. It was like a fish joining the school of fish moving to and fro in the air. It oriented itself following the instructions transmitted to the onboard computer by the ground control, then slowly moved toward the entrance of the Path opposite to sector 316.
