Artemis let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.
"When you're finished with your hoka come speak with me. We have a lot to discuss, you and I," he smiled.
Standing, the tiger left the kitchen and sat at the pilot chair. He pointed the ship away from the planet below and switched seats, sitting at a computer in the cockpit. Artemis began typing rapidly on a holographic keyboard, listening to the hum of the ship as it reacted to his touch. The portal was powering up, preparing to jump them into the other universe.
Spinning his seat to the right, Artemis powered up his light drive, slowly increasing the throttle of the ship until it approached the speed of light.
The tiger walked around the ship, ensuring every view port was closed. There would be nothing to see outside when they hit light speed, and already, just fifteen minutes into speeding up, the stars outside were dimming as the ship caught up to the light they emitted.
Locking the door to the landing bay, the tiger ran into Elias as he reentered the cockpit.
"Do you need me to do anything?" the neko asked.
"Not this time. This is your first jump, and I want you to enjoy it," Artemis said. "The next time we jump, you can help out."
Striding to the computers, the tiger sat down and typed in the command to create a portal. The computer whirred and the air around them seemed to thicken. Heat enveloped the ship, and Elias hissed in pain as his hand brushed against one of the walls.
"This is the worst part of every jump, getting the portal created. Once we're through, the ship will cool down gradually."
Artemis increased the speed of the ship just slightly, and the heat increased with their speed, nearly roasting the two. Suddenly the computer whirred down and fell silent once more.
The heat slowly dissapated, though it left both Elias and Artemis glistening with sweat.
"Welcome to a new universe," Artemis grinned.
Elias stared at him, his eyes widening.
"It's a parallel dimension, though not everything is the same. There's a risk coming through the portals that you'll run into a body, but the risk is astronomically low."
Artemis turned to the other computer, bringing their speed down to normal space. Checking the radar, he found that thy were around a light minute from the sun, an M class star of some heat.
"Perfect," he smiled with satisfaction. "We'll refuel and I'll get us going on our way. It will take us about an hour to fuel up. Not to be a perv, but you might want to remove your shirt for this," he added. "We need to get rather close to the star to scoop."
The tiger turned back to his work, aiming the ship toward the star. Increasing their speed to a quarter light speed, he waited about twenty seconds before shutting the throttle down.
The ship coasted to a stop, heating up again. Artemis flipped a switch, and Elias heard a thunk from somewhere in the bowels of the ship.
"Fuel scoop," Artemis explained. "We have to get the hydrogen somehow."
The neko looked more confused than before, and Artemis had to remind himself that the translator didn't always have the words needed to explain certain procedures. That would change when they reached the port.
Elias entered the cabin and removed the shirt Artemis had given him. He lay in the bed, careful not to touch the walls.
YOU ARE READING
The Neko's Tail (Book 2 of Astara)
Science FictionElias has gone missing from the pack of werewolves that took him in. While they believe him dead, the truth is far more startling. Elias has been kidnapped by an alien. Lost in a strange reality, the neko must learn who he can trust. He must grow if...
