Lost In Stardust

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"We're approaching the other side".
"I can see the tree line",Ace yelled in to his coms link.

The trees of Oberon stretched up to sixty feet. The full height of a mature tree was usually between a hundred to a hundred and twelve feet. Ace gently lowered the ship to the ground. He had found a nice clearing in the middle of the dense vegetation.

"Good job",Alpha patted him on the back.

The doors opened with a hiss and they all stumbled out. A nice breeze was blowing from the east. Delta stretched her legs and jogged around the ship for a bit.The sky was painted with purple stardust. Stars twinkled extremely close to the atmosphere. Dax could hear rumbling coming from somewhere within the ground. He stomped the ground with his shoe.

"Thats not gonna help",Justus told him before slinging a duffle bag over her shoulder. She took a sip from her water bottle and smirked at him.
"Underground ice volcanos".
"They're scary but harmless".

She gave him a smile before walking away.  Dax stared at the ground,refusing to move.
"What we should really be worried about is getting arrested",Delta spoke.

Alpha nodded.
"If anything happens,start a small fire",he winked at Omega. His brother nodded slowly,smiling slightly.
"I don't like that look",Beta spoke.

"You don't have to",Alpha replied.
He spoke no further but started to walk towards the tall trees. It was beginning to rain slightly so the tiny group sprinted toward the shelter of the trees.

"I can't see shit",Delta hissed.
"Keep walking",Alpha commanded her.
"Alpha,you're being ridiculous",Delta grumbled.

The forest was pitch black. It smelt funny. Dax couldn't decide whether the sounds he was hearing were real or whether his mind was filling out the blanks in the silent void by providing its very own soundtrack.

Alpha had commanded them to walk slowly and carefully. To not step on any branches or twigs or animals. It was becoming hard navigating through the dense forest with very little light. His vision felt like as if his eyes had been covered by a very thin blindfold. Enough to see,but not enough to see clearly.

"Stop",Haze commanded.
The group came to an abrupt stop.
He dropped his backpack and shuffled through it. Ordering Ace to do the same. He took out what looked like a pair of very ugly glasses. The lenses were made of very thick,transparent glass. It was attached to a black band.
He pressed a button on the side of the glasses and lenses lit up with a dull glow. They handed them to Alpha before distributing it to the rest of the group.

Dax put the glasses on and adjusted the band. He gasped at what he saw. The forest was illuminated by a bright light. He could make out each and every little detail.
"What in the..?"
"Dont ask,just walk".

He silently followed without uttering a single word. The leaves of these trees were a deep,dark red. The bark was black and smooth. The ground was littered with green leaves that had been shed from the trees. Bushes of various colors populated the forest floor.

They came to a little clearing and Alpha motioned to them to be quiet.The ground had changed from the black dirt they had been walking through to a grey cement. He crouched down and peered down at the little town below. Dax slowly followed his lead. He could hear people talking and laughing. A happy,upbeat tune was being played by a little band at the centre of the town. The smell of roasted pear nuts and fairy floss wafted through the air and filled Dax's nostrils. The streets were lit with dozens of golden twinkling lights. The cobbled stones had glazed over with frosted water. The homes were three or four storeys high. Most were stores that were still open. People filled the sidewalks and little cafes. Sipping from drinks and talking loudly.

"Are we standing on a building?",Taya asked.
"Yup".
Alpha slowly stood up and backed away from the edge of the roof.
"Okay listen up,a friend of mine lives here and I know he can help,the people here won't do anything unless you do something to them,or they recognize you,so don't give them the opportunity",he commanded.

Everyone nodded their heads.
"I'm cold".
"Follow me".