Star Quest

Chapter 4 - Vestron

The vast ocean of orange sand was made visible by the plethora of Bhaddo beetles. These beetles glowed a magnificent turquoise, and from a distance, one could mistake a stretch of sand for an untouched lake. For as long as the planet harbored life, the Bhaddo beetles would nestle their heads into the sand to soak up the nutrients that the planet offered. Their hindsides, the sides that would glow, stuck out of the sand. The horizon was also glowing tonight; shooting stars and spaceships traveled all across the sky. In the distance, too, the dimly lit lights of houses and apartments introduced a warm feeling of being home. Saros has always felt a coldness towards the outer lands of his home. He found comfort with his people and his neighborhood.

Still, tonight was different, for he felt he had deserved the coldness of the outer lands. The numbing feeling of loneliness was made more tremendous by the cold wind splashing onto Saros' red face. His thoughts were chasing each other, but they always found Pandora. Visceral images of her beautiful raven dark hair sparkling in the night with purple highlights made Saros regret the time he took for granted. Tears streamed like rivers, and Saros didn't even know why she had left him.

Manual riding was never something Saros found interest in, but tonight Saros felt less lonely by riding aimlessly in the Great Desert of Bhaddo. Saros remembered learning about the desert in his history classes he took decades ago. He recognized the hills and tufts of grass that he was forced to memorize for his geography classes. Saros did not, however, notice the small group of Dune Punks walking in front of where his bike was heading. Panicking, used all the force in his upper body to twist the front of his bike.

The hoverbike maintained its balance superbly, but Saros was sent flying meters away in the sand. The hot sand rushed into his clothes as Saros rolled across the sand. Finally, a larger hill of sand stopped Saros' trajectory. Orange sand had gotten into his hair and shoes and everywhere in between. Groaning, Saros pushed himself up from his lying position. He saw the Dune Punks stroll across the desert as if nothing had happened. The glowing eyes that had protruded from their eye sockets were always the subject of Saros' nightmares.

Realizing Saros had lost his hoverbike rod, he stood up and began searching. Using the light embedded in his Gadgy-Jacky (a jacket with multiple gadgets), Saros followed the path of his fall. "You dropped this," a deep voice from the dark said.

Saros' heart jumped, and he turned around to look at who talked. His light shone on a Desert Walker. These were a faction of people that lived in the desert. Their skin was as orange as the sand, and their clothing was as dirty as they liked. Desert Walkers wore more baggy clothing, but the cloth on their chests was usually strapped with pelt from some animal. Various embroideries decorated the pelts, but no one from the city really understood the traditions of the Desert Walkers. These people were apparently here before the city was founded.

The Desert Walker glared at Saros. He had bushy eyebrows, and his jaw was sharply defined. "You are crying. Why?" the Desert Walker calmly asked.

Saros snapped back into reality and grabbed the hoverbike rod from the man. "Thank you, sir. I- I don't know." The tears were relentless, even more now than ever.

A Bhaddo camel moaned behind the Desert Walker; this was Saros' first time ever seeing one. Seeing one of the Desert People was a rare occurrence, but their camels were practically extinct. The animal was taller than Saros had thought, and it had a really long snout. Its eyes were emerald-colored, and there were three humps on its dorsal side.

"Sit with me," demanded the Desert Walker.

Saros didn't think he had a choice, so the two sat right where they were standing. The Desert Walker held a lead for the camel so that it wouldn't stray. "What is your name?"