Zero-Option
he began.
"You can't be serious," said Wethers, the first officer. "Even doing skip jumps involves an element of risk. And they're only short distances. You're talking about light-years of phase-shifting outside of the Matrix. Two hundred and fifty light-years beyond the Fringes, as a matter-of-fact."
"I agree."
Imbrahim glanced over at the navigation officer, Seria Talud.
"In the Matrix we're pretty well guaranteed safe passage," she continued. "The use of transit points has made interstellar travel much more efficient and safe. There's little fear of passing through a planet or a sun or dropping out into one. The lines we use are generally clear of mass and debris. Blind phase-shifting doesn't guarantee that."
"But it was practiced for more than two centuries after the development of the Pearson FTL," Imbrahim reminded them all. "I grant you that use of transit points is preferable, but the only two points that connect to the sector we need to jump to are suspect."

