(Recommended listening: Mombasa by Hans Zimmer, from Inception)
Within twenty minutes, the Gemini team entered the X0032 system, the Solar System the Tribals called home.
"Powering down the Warp Drive down from eighty percent to twenty-five percent," Vela announced. "We're ready to begin our approach to Goldwood."
"Aye," Juno acknowledged. "Taking manual control, and taking the ship into geosynchronous orbit around planet Goldwood."
Juno's display lit up, and he began the procedure for orbit around Goldwood, something he could have merely let the computer do for him. The meticulous older twin didn't like the idea of someone (or something) doing his work for him, though. Easing the ship into a stable orbit underneath it's asteroid belt felt good, and he almost did it automatically. Everything proceeded smoothly… almost smoothly.
"It's good to see you haven't lost your touch, Captain Juno," Vela teased, as a small meteorite bumped off the Starship's force field. "I'm sure that was just a fluke."
"Oh really?" Feeling a healthy amount of his competitive spirit returning, Juno decided to wipe the smug grin off of Vela's face. "Why don't we test it out and be sure, eh?"
He began typing at the main console, and the computer's voice came over the intercom. "Force field de-activated. Danger. Moving into vicinity of Goldwood's asteroid belt."
"Uh… Juno," Vela's smile was long gone. "What are you doing?"
"Flying," Juno responded.
The ship veered up, away from the region between Goldwood and it's asteroid belt, into the deadly labyrinth of rocks that orbited the planet. Juno grasped the joysticks that controlled the ship's thrusters, and rocketed the Starship forward at a speed that almost made Vela scream. She would have, too, it she wasn't paralyzed with fear.
With incredible speed and dexterity, Juno manipulated the controls, easing around rocks as big as houses, avoiding catastrophic collisions by mere feet. Smaller asteroids, normally much harder to see and avoid, almost seemed to move out of the way of the ship, as if Juno was intimidating them somehow.
After a minute or two, Vela began to calm down. It's okay… it's okay… he's using the targeting system on the console… using that, even I should be able to drive the ship without hitting something. Vela forced herself to look over towards Juno, who was looking straight forward towards the front window. The targeting console on Juno's left was completely dark.
"What the hell are you doing?" she screamed. "You're not even using the targeting system? Are you trying to get us killed?"
"And now, for the finale…" Juno announced. He pulled up, driving the out of the asteroid field and away from the planet for a few seconds, then flipping the ship to look directly at the planet. He set the power rating for the main thrusters to one hundred percent and glanced over at Vela. "Are you ready?"
"No." Vela shook her head as she realized what he was going to do. "No, no, no, no…"
"Aaaaaaaaand… GO!" Juno pushed forward with the joysticks, propelling the Starship straight towards the asteroid belt. Bits of Goldwood's lush forests peeked through openings between the asteroids. Bits that quickly became larger as the planet and belt rushed to meet them.
"Nononononononononono!" Vela freaked. The ship blew through the asteroid belt in a millisecond, passing through unscathed. Now past the belt, the planet itself loomed in front of them. Vela knew if Juno didn't activate the shields soon, the Starship would burn to a crisp in Goldwood's atmosphere in seconds, due to the increased friction caused by their insane speed.
"Juno!" Vela screamed.
"Almost there," Juno ignored her.
"JUNO!" Vela screamed louder.
"Now!" Juno flipped the ship one hundred and eighty degrees, and punched the thrusters to maximum in the opposite direction. The sudden opposing forced caused the ship to shake and buckle, but in mere moments, the ship had stopped, held in place above Goldwood by continuous thruster burn.
"Computer, engage the force field and take us down to Goldwood on a normal flight path." Juno ordered while sighing. He unbuckled his straps as the ship righted itself, standing up and facing Vela. "Now, was that some fancy flying or what, sis?"
SLAP!
Vela breathed in and out slowly in large, shaky breaths. Tears streamed down her clearly pissed face. "How could you?" she yelled at him. "I was scared for my life! And yours! And you just ignored me?"
Juno rubbed his face with his hand. It smarted, and he hadn't seen it coming at all. Now that it was over, though, Juno felt waves of guilt crash over him. "I… I'm sorry."
Vela scoffed, then turned and strode off the bridge, still crying.
"Shhhhhhhhhhit," Juno swore at himself. He let himself get carried away, like he always used to… before… he shook his head. He didn't want to remember that. Being cooped up on Earth for a year had made him careless. Not with his abilities, but with his relationship with his sister.
I decided I wouldn't be that guy… not anymore.
Juno was about to go after Vela when a certain lack of presence caught his attention. "Lupus?"
he called out. Juno ran over to the front of the bridge where Lupus had been sitting before the warp jump.
Lupus was laying down in front of the console, his legs twitching and his eyes completely shut. Exhausted from the warp jump, Lupus had slept through the entire ordeal.
"Jeez… get yourself together, Lupus," Juno shook his head as he left the bridge after Vela.
Author's Note: Had gigantic bursts of inspiration for this story, so the material has literally been flowing from my fingertips like pus from an open sore. It's grossing my friends out. Anyway, to those of you expecting more Shadow the Hedgehog, you'll have to wait a bit longer. Sorry...