Liam returned to the Voyager, a proud smile still on his face, the maintenance drones following dutifully. The bay doors closed behind him, atmosphere flooding back into the space. He made his way to the flight deck, still pleased with how the upgrade had gone.
Settling into the captain's chair, he pulled up their position. "Lucy, current coordinates."
"We're 24.5 billion kilometers from Earth, approximately 164 astronomical units. Heliopause boundary crossed successfully."
Liam nodded, then called up the navigation display showing their trajectory and the fact that they had reached their destination. He thought of how much time it would take them to reach the Voidling coordinate, and his smile faded as the numbers processed.
The coordinate was far beyond the heliopause—that much he'd known. But looking at the actual distance, accounting for the Oort Cloud's vast expanse, the reality hit him like a physical blow.
