23

23

The engines roared to life as the final countdown began.  Spencer, Grace, Rojan, Aeliana, Kat, and Rilfor where all strapped to chairs inside of the Corinian Dreadnaught, waiting for takeoff.  The countdown reached zero and the ship accelerated forward as the combined force of the engines and the launch pad's anti-gravity systems sent it flying.  The ground quickly fell away as Spencer was thrown back against his chair and began to feel a little light headed.  Then, it was over Almost as soon as it started, and the ship was in orbit ready for hyper-jump.

Kat, the only Corinian on the ship, climbed into the cockpit and said "Prepare for jump."

"Already-"  Spencer began but stopped as the ship around him slowly squeezed together and then stretched out quickly as they jumped.

"I hate space travel"  Spencer said as they reached the end of the jump.  He felt as if he'd been punched in the face.

"Don't worry"  Kat said grinning,  "We have to thrust the rest of the way.  Jumping makes too much noise and is too visible."

"Thank god."  Spencer said as he heard the quiet hum of the rear thrusters start moving the ship forward.

"Can you see anything out there?"  Rojan asked.

"Not yet,"  Aeliana said.  "We might just need to be closer though."

They sat in silence for about ten minutes when Rilfor spotted something.

"Look over there!"  Rilfor said.  "An asteroid, just sitting out here.  Hmm.  Seems odd."

"Left of the asteroid!"  Grace said.  "It's those ships from the picture I think."

"Cut engines!"  Rilfor said.  "Turn on stealth."

"Engines off"  Kat said.  "Stealth engaged."

Spencer watched as the ship turned invisible.  He had learned from Rilfor that the ship's surface in stealth, bends light around it making it appear as though it isn't there.

"Those ships,"  Spencer began,  "There nothing I've seen before."

"It's true"  Rilfor said,  "But what are they doing."

Spencer looked at the ships.  They were something else.  They weren't black and glossy like the Adican ships, white and gold like the Rapirian ships, or green and brown like the Corinian ships.  These ships were a navy blue and had an appealing sleekness to them.  They were shaped with two long downward hanging wings armed with weaponry, and a small spherical cockpit that was somehow magnetically suspended is the center of the wings.

The unidentified ships suddenly turned on their engines, causing a second of alarm in the Dreadnaught, then flew full speed straight at the asteroid.

The crew of the Dreadnaught watched as the ships crashed into the asteroid.  However, no crash came, there was a rippling effect as the ships flew at the asteroid and disappeared from sight.

"What the heck?"  Rilfor asked at loud.

"It is odd,"  Aeliana agrees,  "but there must be a logical explanation."

"Some sort of teleportation?"  Kat interjected,

"Possibly,"  Aeliana responded.  "They did have some sort of teleportation technology they used on Earth."

"Hold up everyone," Spencer said. He climbed into the turret on the side of the ship.  "I'll shoot the asteroid and see if the rippley, teleporty thing happens again."  He waited to see if anyone would object.

"Well get on with it then,"  Rilfor said.

Spencer turned the turret towards the asteroid and pulled the trigger once.  A small blue plasma bullet sped out at the asteroid and like the ships, seemed to teleport through.

"I'd say it's a portal,"  Spencer said.

"Even if it is,"  Grace interjected.  "What are we going to do?"

"I say we go in,"  Spencer said.  "We can't just go back now."

"I don't know Spencer,"  Said Rojan,  "It could be dangerous."

"But think of what could be in there!"  Aeliana shouted.  "Entirely new fields of science waiting to be discovered."

"Yes!" Kat shouted  "Let's go."

"Let's not" Grace said,  "We're dealing with things we don't understand."

"We're going in."  Rilfor said.  "Quietly though."

It was four against two and it was decided they would enter the portal.  Once on the other side they would kill the engines and g invisible.  Once invisible they would take a quick look around and slowly exit if needed.

"Okay,"  Kat said.  "Here we go."

The ship was set into motion and drifted towards the asteroid.  The crew braced for impact although they knew it was a portal.  The ship reached the asteroid and Spencer looked around as the ship rippled and the area turned black and then rippled again revealing a very peculiar section of space.