Eli sat down on a chair outlined with a bit of neon basil color — the rest being jet black. In front of him lied a sleek table installed with lots of keys and buttons — installed on the wall was a flat sixty-five inch monitor. Behind the table and monitor, lies a one-way transparent glass wall that could see through the outside world — like a window perhaps but more like another high-tech monitor. Because aliens. Eli transformed his right paw into his normal hand and made a swiping motion around the table. Few seconds passed, the table's outline of neon white lights sprung into life along with the table revealing a palm scanner awaiting for input. Eli placed his hand at the scanner — and so it scanned his palm. His surroundings hummed to life as small monitors and high-tech keyboards booted up one by one. The floor tiles acted as the light of the room instead of ones that is installed from the ceiling.
"Vesta is now online" said a robotic female voice that echoed the whole room.
This is so awesome! Barked Biscuits.
"Now, now, biscuits" said Eli. He was still in dog form but he morphed his hands back to human hands. "I want you to step over that — uhh — pad or something — in the corner over there"
Biscuits trudged over the pad and stepped on it. Glass walls surrounded him. Machine arms scanned his arms, legs, body, ears — then slowly, the arms put on a spacesuit on the dog: layers made up of nylon, spandex, dacron or all sorts. The final touch came — a space helmet. It was equipped with a built in microphone, speaker and a small hologram over the left hand corner showing Biscuit's current health statistics like heart rate which is at the moment rocket high.
The glass walls vanished as Biscuits stepped out the pad.
Oh! How lovely! Biscuits jumped around the room and onto Eli's lap.
"Settle down, boy. I want you to sit on that chair beside me." Said Eli as he pointed to an invisible chair.
Umm — where exactly?
"Oh yeah, right. Haven't operated this for some time now — aaand — there we go." A chair just like Eli's was now there.
"Sit down, Biscuits. Vesta, set destination to Planet Syror of galaxy Beta Odysseus"
All lights went dim, and the monitors flickered. Biscuits stared through the transparent glass wall, observing a squirrel in one of the scrap metal hills outside.
"Pretty sure it's not meant to do that—"
"Engaging flight and invisibility mode: seventy percent" said Vesta.
"Ah, there we go. Vesta, launch music—"
"One hundred percent. Pardon?" said Vesta as the junkyard in front of them disappeared.
It was replaced instead by infinite blackness along with trillions of visible stars. Many were of different shapes and size, swirling and twisting too slow or too much for the human mind to contemplate. Their twinkling were enchanting: they blink and flicker away, but no matter where you are in the universe, the stars would always be there.
They were floating amidst the glistening musical notes of a serenade, a pool of brimless sparks with subtle light of thousand dreams and of thousand moons. The cosmos never fail to amuse. Below them, earth's blue light is visible. The temperature raised but then, it is slowly being dropped.
"Initiated temperature and gravity stabilizer, now moving towards set destination, traveling at the speed of light. Please take your time to relax." said Vesta.
"Never mind the music, then. "
They zoomed past the moon. Their surroundings never seemed to change but after a while, the stars looked like its finally moving, revealing much more stars ahead. Next was Mars: like a great red desert. Violent wind storm whips orange dust into the atmosphere; it's color like a myriad of turbulent orange hues. Next, the king of all planets: Jupiter with the giant known spot. Then, Saturn: a disc-like belt, whirling body with seven little satellites. Its belt filled with clashing stones and dancing dust-particles and gas. Biscuits was surely fascinated by the view. His health statistics were fine and for now, the system has no technical difficulties.
Have you ever visited one of those? Said Biscuits, pointing at one of the planets.
"Yeah, but some aren't friendly enough or even habitable"
Are they just like Earth?
"Nope, some has no oxygen, which we use to breathe. Some are very hot. One's just a big damn ocean or gas."
Biscuits glanced back at Saturn.
So is there a chance that there's a planet only made up of meatballs? Or biscuits? Heh — that's my name right?
"No, I don't think there'll be a planet only made up of meatballs. Probably balls or something—" Eli giggled at what he said but Biscuits only had his ears raised.
You mean those little balls? The bouncy ones?
"No, idiot" he chuckled loud again, this time putting his hand on his belly. "I mean yeah, yeah. Whatever you meant" He wiped the tears out of his eyes.
"Wait, Biscuits do dogs cry or tear up?" asked Eli.
Yes but it's quite rare! We're always happy!
"Fair enough"
Moments passed, they were now amidst nowhere but in the distance a group of comets gave an amazing show for both of them as they continued their conversation. The comet is ablaze, a brilliant streak of white tinged blue that caresses the cosmos. In fact, they are almost everywhere the fact that their spaceship is travelling at the speed of light. But that doesn't make the current view vanish immediately. Like a car ride, it takes time until a distant skyscraper vanish into the fog or view.
"Now entering: Galaxy Beta Odysseus" blurted out Vesta.
Eli was in the middle of telling Biscuits the story of how he and Sarah first met, how they fell in love which he stopped immediately when he heard Vesta speak.
"Ohhhh boy. Almost forgot why I'm heading towards my former home." Eli laid back in his chair and sighed.
What's your plan, exactly?
Eli sat straight, rested his arms on the table and glanced at a speck of dust on the cosmos which by time, seemed larger and larger until it resembled a distant planet. His former home.
"Save her."
ns 15.158.61.48da2
