Penny had been getting closer to Vitala for two months. She was glad that Vitala decided not to continue with the shipping lines for now. She dreaded that Vitala might decide to flake off again and do her own thing. Being queen made it difficult to get in a relationship and maintain it.
Vitala was instrumental in helping some of the capital's engineers boost output on their new magnetic propulsion system. The speed made smaller crafts fly at thirty percent faster speed, which would help with travelling within their own star system. A prototype shuttle was commissioned in order to test for flight.
Oola volunteered to be the pilot. She had logged up enough flight hours, and she was excited about being able to get up into space as much as possible. She spent a long time in the simulator in order to learn the new controls.
Penny got Groovi aside to discuss plans. "Groovi, the wedding is coming up soon, and I thought we should throw you a bachelorette party! What do you think?"
Groovi scrunched up her nose. "I have not heard of this
batcha larat
party before! What do we do?"
"Drink, eat, talk smack about boys, play games, laugh," Penny listed off. "You gotta learn what
freedom
feels like! Even for just one night."
Oola got word of the party, and decided to let Groovi have one night of freedom. Penny had decided to host it while Oola would be doing her test flight of the new shuttle, just to play it totally safe.
When the test flight came around, Oola prepared all of her flight logs and initial checks. When she was satisfied, she got clearance to launch. She fired thrusters and lifted off past the atmosphere. The real test would come when she got past the gas giant orbits and out near the ice planet of Cheol.
Oola was eating a bag of snack crackers when she got an alert from her panel. She quickly got her earpiece in and sat upright at the console. "T-97 calling mission control. Unusual energy buildup."
The transmission was not getting through due to radiation scattering. The small point in space was now expanding out to a purple swirl. Oola tried her best to fire reverse thrusters, but the shuttle was losing power. Oola tried to activate the new emergency transponder, but the shuttle was not changing course.
Oola felt herself pulled ahead as the shuttle entered the vortex. After ten seconds, a flash of light burst out, making Oola squint.
When she opened her eyes, she saw before her a wonder of engineering. There was what appeared to be a giant meteoroid, very long and flat, that seemed to stretch on for thousands of kilometres. The surface was lush with greenery and blue water. Small homes appeared to be dotting the area. The whole structure was protected by hexagon windows, forming a dome over the top.
Oola's shuttle moved forward again, and she was worried now that her small craft would crash right into the dome. She braced herself for impact.
The shuttle slowed down, then one of the windows opened up nearby. Oola's craft drifted right in, then the glass hexagon panel closed in behind her. The prototype shuttle landed carefully in a grassy clearing, with a few tall, shady trees growing in spots.
Oola tried to hit the panel to make it work, but the vessel was now dead. Feeling brave and impatient, she opened the shuttle door and poked her head outside. Not only was the air breathable, but it felt fresh and invigorating.
Oola stepped outside and looked around. There was a humble cottage near the shuttle, and a river flowed just alongside it. The sun appeared to be shining down, although the meteoroid did not appear to be close to any star. Oola looked around for any signs of life.
"New friend?" said a growlish voice.
Oola whipped around. "Show yourself!"
The creature did show herself. Oola stood ready to do combat with this beast.
The creature was a feline species, covered in a black fur, although it was so fine that describing it as a fuzz was more accurate. She had unusually long legs and a wispy tail nearly half the length of her body. Her neck was long and thin, and she had a cute kitty face with ears on top of her head. The tips had fine hairs sticking out, similar to a bobcat. Her eyes were yellow. She wore a simple white dress that went past her knees.
"Who are you?" demanded Oola.
The cat lady tended to move in fluid motions, as if she was getting ready to pounce. "You came through the windows," she said. The cat lady had a throaty kind of speech that sounded as if she was constantly purring.
"What happened to me?" asked Oola. "Why did you bring me here?"
"I did no such thing," the cat lady replied. "I do not control here. I just live. I eat, I sleep, I play. That is my life."
Oola grunted. "What is your name?"
"I am Pamdo, of the planet Ffrell," she said.
"I have not heard of this Fuh-fuh-rell," Oola grunted. "I am Oola, of the Kanasar people. We live on planet Bok." She looked up at the sky. "I need to know where I am. I must return to my home system."
"No one leaves," Pamdo warned. "They do not wish to, after so many years."
"Years?!" Oola started to breathe heavily. "I cannot do such things."
"Do not worry," Pamdo said in her purr-fect speaking voice. "Time has no meaning here. The people, they live for thousands, sometimes millions of years. It is as if we are all preserved here."
Oola snarled. "I am not going to be a prisoner here! You will show me the leaders here, so that I may destroy them!"
Out of nowhere, a white pod descended down next to the two women. It was shaped like an egg, and had a viewing window in the front. There was no obvious propulsion system.
"Aha!" Oola ran to the pod. "They have accepted my challenge! I will make them pay for kidnapping me!" The front viewshield opened, and Oola was able to jump in. The interior was entirely black. Oola sat and waited, then the pod lifted up into the sky and whisked Oola away.
She had to travel for some time, as the complex was enormous. The buildings were getting more intricate the closer she got to the centre. In the middle of the entire complex was a huge temple, carved out of white stone. It sparkled in distinction to all of the other structures.
The pod brought Oola to the top of the stairs of the temple. As soon as the screen opened, Oola jumped out and charged forward. She ran past the giant support columns, then took a good look up to try to see how high they went, and they seemed not to end.
Oola ran into the main concourse. Waiting for her was a lovely woman in a yellow dress, wearing a blindfold over her eyes.