The Neko's Tail (Book 2 of Astara)

The Hall of Blood

Artemis stretched out with a yawn, wincing as his back cracked. A week of sleeping in the pilot chair was killing him, but there was no way he would share the bed in the cabin with Elias. The neko deserved to have his own bed, and giving him that was worth some discomfort.

The tiger was reasonably certain he had found Elias' mystery fortress, but he needed to be positive before launching any kind of weapon at it. What he was planning was illegal, but with luck, no one would ever hear of it. He was more likely to get in trouble for abducting Elias.

Turning on his audio sensors, the tiger padded softly to the bathroom. Returning to the cockpit, he found Elias standing next to the pilot seat, listening to voices. The neko had a small smile on his face as he turned to face the tiger.

"That's the prince. Quarian is near."

"Good. Are they at the Hall yet?"

Elias shook his head, done talking. He had talked though, and Artemis was happy to hear his voice. Eventually, he'd talk more and if he didn't the tiger didn't mind. Maybe they could find other ways to communicate.

"At this location, the local time should be noon," Artemis said. "They are stopped for lunch?"

Elias nodded, startled that Artemis knew they were eating lunch.

"We have some time then. I think I know where the fortress is, but I don't want to do anything until we know for sure. For now, we'll keep following them. Is the other group still nearby?"

Elias nodded again.

"I wonder who they are. They're heading to the fortress at any rate, or they would have stopped in the city. And they, or at least some of them, are shapeshifters. This is going to get messy either way."

The tiger sat in the pilot's chair with a sigh.

"Elias, I've thought about this. I can get in trouble for helping you do this. You'll have to help your friends on your own. I will show you how to use the ship's mining laser because if you come with me you'll need to know how to use that anyways. If you just so happen to aim it at a certain fortress while practising, I don't think I'd be fast enough to stop you."

Elias smiled at the tiger's words and Artemis smiled back. He may be a bit of a mute, but no one could accuse the neko of being dumb.

A low whistle startled Elias as he lined up another shot on the dark side of the moon. He looked up from the strange window that showed the moon, meeting Artemis' eyes. Kind, gentle eyes that drew him in.

Elias glanced away, not noticing the look of admiration in the tiger's eyes.

"You are a natural at this," Artemis said, pointing at the target he had painted on the moon's surface.

Every one of Elias' shots had hit within ten feet of the centre, almost as close as Artemis could do with years of training.

"A... natural?" the neko repeated uncertainly.

"Yes, you are really good," Artemis explained.

Elias smiled, lowering his head in embarrassment.

"I marked the group's last location. We'll be back there in an hour, and you can set up on the fortress. Pick your shot carefully; you'll only get one."

Artemis returned to his seat and began manoeuvring the ship around the moon. Elias watched the tiger as he flew, studying his calm demeanour, and the way he constantly scanned his instruments to avoid hitting an obstacle.