Chapter Sixty-One: First Test

Bill orchestrates the first successful test of the wormhole transit system with the Snark traveling from Epsilon Eridani to Skippyland. However, Fake Hugh arrives unexpectedly during the mission, forcing an improvised defense that destroys both Fake Hugh's ship and the Snark, apparently eliminating the threat of Thoth escaping.

Bill hosts a gathering in Skippyland's moot hall to witness the Snark's maiden voyage through the newly developed wormhole transit system, carrying three mannies operated by Will, Bob, and Garfield. The ship successfully completes nine wormhole transits across eighty-two light-years in roughly half an hour, with minimal stress on passengers and equipment. Following the successful test, the group discusses implications for future colonization when an unexpected ship signature appears—a Titan-class vessel matching the specifications of the one Fake Hugh stole. Bill realizes Thoth likely anticipated the wormhole solution and guided Fake Hugh to exploit it for faster arrival. Fake Hugh's ship accelerates toward Skippyland at near-light speeds and attempts to extract Thoth via SCUT transceiver before escaping back through the wormhole. Bill responds by firing the Snark's rail gun, launching a spare wormhole endpoint container directly into the transit wormhole. The collision creates a catastrophic wormhole collapse that destroys both Fake Hugh's ship and the Snark, with such violence that it temporarily destabilizes Skippyland's star. Hugh later confirms Thoth has vanished from JOVAH's systems and is no longer consuming processing resources. The Skippies vow to implement completely isolated computer systems with nuclear failsafes for any future AI development. Bill contemplates the implications of wormhole technology and begins discussing warp drive research with Professor Hannah Turnbull.