2298
Gertok Galaxy
Planet Celestine
The Celestine Kingdom

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The obsidian dragon arrived in the Gertox Galaxy. Hara, Logan, Chenoa, Summer Dawn, Varian, and Luna looked around at the broken planets. The desolation of the galaxy around them, the sun and moon rotating out of balance, often eclipsing each other.

Varian's eyes widened as he looked around at the unfamiliar territory. Just moments before they were leaving Earth and now they were here. "Where are we?" He asked, turning to Luna who he knew had the answers.

Luna frowned, looking down at her lap and playing with her fingers. "The Gertox Galaxy . . ." She hesitantly responded, feeling a bit uncomfortable even though she couldn't see their bewildered faces. "Not too far from my home planet, Celestine."

"It's so desolate . . . did the Cerkoik do all this?" Hara asked as she took I the ruined plants and broken pieces from moons and unstable sun's that flickered like a light about to go out.

Luna solemnly nodded, not being able to bring herself to look up. "Yes, they did all this. We watched it all happen, one by one, each planet destroyed until it came time for our planet . . ." She trailed off, her breathing hitched.

"But we were just on Earth not even -" Logan pulled out his phone and clicked on the screen. "Ten minutes ago?" He looked up at the others with wide eyes when it hit him. "Ten minutes ago!"

Varian gripped Logan's wrist and pulled his hand toward his direction to see the phone. "Ten minutes ago was the last notification that he received about not having service." He clarified, especially for Luna.

Logan jerked his hand away from Varian and rubbed his wrist. "Don't do that again." He snapped, shoving his phone into his back pocket and crossing his arms.

Chenoa crossed her arms and leaned against the dashboard. "How is that even possible? There is no way we could travel such a long distance in ten minutes. It took three years for the astronauts to make it to Charon!" She exclaimed, running a hand through her hair.

Hara tipped her head back and groaned. "Nothing about this whole thing makes sense. I thought we'd already gone over this and that logic is failing us. We should just take it with a grain of salt." She reasoned with the others.

Chenoa nodded her head in agreement with her sister. "Yes. We should prepare ourselves for more bizarre things that may come our way." She said, flashing a smug smile.

Summer Dawn has remained pretty quiet, taking everything in and adjusting better than anyone else. "Luna," She asked, leaning forward and placing her hands on the shoulder rest of the chair. "You've been rather quiet.'

Luna glanced back at them and pressed her lips into a thin line. "Oh, I am sorry, I did not hear you. It is just . . . never mind," She took a deep breath and looked up through the window.

The obsidian dragon inched closer to Planet Celestine.

Luna was the first to look at her planet. She couldn't believe her beautiful planet had come to this. The houses, gardens, fields, valleys, waterfalls, springs, mountains, and even the lakes, were nothing but overgrown ruin, riot, and desolation.

Her heart sank heavily in her chest and tears pricked in her eyes, the overwhelming feeling of sadness overtaking her. The tears spilled over and down her cheeks silently as her lower lip trembled.

Hara turned to Luna, her gaze softening at how much pain she was in. 'I can't imagine the pain she's going through right now.' She thought to herself. "Luna?" She asked softly, placing her hand on her shoulder. "Luna I'm so sorry this happened."

Luna quickly wiped away her tears and took a shaky breath. "Sorry, sorry, it's just overwhelming. The last time I saw my planet it wasn't in ruins. It's just hard to fathom and-and everyone who I had known is probably long dead."

Logan looked down at the floor, rubbing the side of his arm. "I can't imagine how that would feel, going back to earth and realizing everyone we love is gone . . ." He frowned at his words, thinking about it weighed heavy on his heart.

Chenoa looked around, the atmosphere had changed drastically. "Is there a slight chance they could still be alive? I mean does that mean Emperor Oucxian is probably still alive? Then that means there is a chance your people could still be alive. Whether on their own or in captivity?"

"Um, maybe," Luna replied, a small spark of hope ignited. "He had lived for much longer than my father had been alive, he's what one would call semi-immortal, as long as he doesn't get fatal wounded, he will live on and on."

"Lunari and Solari, on the other hand, our average lifespan is 200 to 300 uinarians - er, years." She clarified, noticing their bewildered expressions everything she said uinarians." She replied, gripping the fabric of her skirt tightly in her hands.

Summer Dawn unzipped her backpack and pulled out the osmanthus cakes. "When I was little and was having a hard day, I'd make osmanthus cakes with my lăo lao. Osmanthus is a type of flower, native to China and it's made into a traditional Chinese pastry." She offered the box to Luna.

Luna met Summer Dawn's eyes. A grateful smile graced her lips as she took one of the osmanthus cakes. "Thank you," She said, taking a bite out of it and immediately feeling better. "They are quite good. They taste similar to something we have which is made from the moonsia flower."

Summer Dawn smiled softly, seeing Luna's face light up made her feel better. "Moonsia flower? You're gonna have to show us around your planet before we go back home, because it's very beautiful, despite the destruction." She mused, looking around at the overgrown city.

Luna's eyes scanned the once beautiful city, now in overgrown ruins. "Yes. You should have seen it how I remember it, it was a sight to behold." She fondly reminisced. "I will show you around, but first there are a few things I have to do."

Chenoa was intrigued by Luna's words, leaning closer. "What are the few things you have to do? If you don't mind me asking, that is." She flashed an innocent smile that turned into a pained one when Hara elbowed her in the side. "Hara!"

Luna looked at the two sisters and faintly smiled at their interactions. "It is quite all right." She reassured the two girls. "I will hopefully meet up with my sister, Solana. If I am here, she must be too."

The obsidian dragon flew over the ruins of the palace.

It still held beauty despite the overgrowth. The palace itself fluctuated between the dark blues and purples of the Lunari night, to the bright yellow and oranges of the Solari day. The tower where the rotation takes place was surprisingly still intact, although the roof was no longer there.

Everyone remained quiet in the cockpit, simply taking in the scene before them. Trying to imagine what the kingdom would've looked like in its prime.

Chenoa spoke up after a while, pointing her finger through the windshield towards what looked like a mountain. "What's that?" She asked, pulling out her phone and using her camera to zoom in.

Hara looked at her sister's screen, tilting her head to the side. "It looks like a mountain, but it's dark blue and has a metallic sheen to it . . . I think?" She explained, turning towards Luna. "Do you have blue mountains on your planet?"

Luna leaned back and glanced at the screen. "Only in full bloom of the flowers, otherwise no, it is just gray or brown, depending on the season." She replied, studying it a bit more before adding on. "I do not recall ever being here though, this was just an open field. Father was planning on putting something there, but I do not think he did."

Varian wedged himself between the others to get a look at the screen as they inched closer. "That's not a mountain, it looks like - is that a door?" He asked, pointing to the sudden opening of a door on the side of the mountain-like object.

Logan squished himself under Varian's arm to look at the screen too, followed by Summer Dawn. "It is a door!" He exclaimed, looking up at the others with a toothy grin.

Chenoa shut off her phone and slipped out from everyone crowding around her. "Guys?" She mumbled, slipping her phone into her pocket. "Personal space people, it's not that hard to respect! Arms length."

Summer Dawn noticed the neon blue flashing lights at the top of the door, which seemed to echo the glowing eyes of the dragon from the reflection above. "I think the dragon wants to go in like it's a hanger?" She asked, pressing her lips as a thin line.

Luna looked up and wracked her brain for what it could be. "I think - now this is just speculation and it's probably silly - I think that is the secret project General Nox accidentally mentioned in passing to Father." She quickly began to piece together her memories, something she was rather good at.

Varian had always been interested in anything secretive, including Area 51, which turned out to be nothing but advanced secret military planes and weapons. "Secret project? You mean that it connects to the Celestial Dragons?" He asked, also connecting the dots.

Luna nodded, gripping the fabric of her dress in her hands. "Indeed. Mother mentioned we'd know why we were giving the artifacts, now I understand. At least, I think I understand. I must consult with Solana first."

The dragon entered through the door, landed on the floor, and lay down, powering off while opening up its mouth.

The door closed, eloping everyone in complete darkness, safe for the backup lights inside the cockpit of the dragon.

Everyone filed out of the dragon, being very careful since it was unfamiliar territory as they turned on their flashlights on their phones, except for Luna who Chenoa gave her a pocket flashlight.

Luna flicked the flashlight around, her eyes following the light in whatever pattern she did. "Oh, brilliant! How does it give light? I did not know earthlings had powers." She marveled at the small silver device in her hand.

Chenoa turned and flashed her light at Luna's chest so she could see her face. "It's not powers, we are as powerless as you get. It's more like engineering and the power of lithium batteries and a lot of complicated stuff you wouldn't understand." She passively replied, turning her attention to the room around her.

"You must teach me about earth stuff before you return home. There is a great deal I must learn." Luna flashed a smile, shining the light at the others.

Chenoa didn't know how long they'd be staying, but she could promise to teach her at least some stuff. "Sure. I'd be happy too." She returned the smile to Luna, turning her attention back to the floor.

Varian walked up to a door that seemed similar to an elevator. "I think this could be our way up." He called to the others, Logan walked beside him and flashed his flashlight illuminating the shoot that went up into the high vaulted ceiling.

Hara held her flashlight over a consul and tapped on the buttons. "Good luck with that," She sarcastically commented, flicking the light eye level around the circular hanger. "There's no power. No reboot or reset switch, at least not in this hanger." She hummed softly. "There might be a bridge above us. If Chenoa can assess the control panel there maybe she can reboot the system."

Chenoa turned towards her sister. It was a challenge. "I could try. I don't know how different alien tech is on our own, but, if it's anything like the Obsidian Dragon, it's gonna be a pickle." She flashed her light on the consul her sister had just looked at. "But it's not impossible."

Luna smiled softly at how they all wanted to help, even if they would be leaving back to earth. "You would honestly do that? I mm not sure Solana would be too keen on that since you're not staying and I am not sure what she would want to do going forward now we are back together."

Summer Dawn placed her hand on Luna's shoulder. "Let's try not to worry about that. Right now we must focus on getting out of the hangar and when the time comes, you can talk to her about it, okay?" She smiled, earning a nod from Luna.

Logan pulled down on a handle off to the side and pulled with all his might. The metal door creaked painfully pitchy as it slowly opened up. He flashed his flashlight around inside the door. "We can use the stairs. It seems like a backup entrance with a rung ladder leading up."

Summer Dawn walked up beside Logan and flashed her light up. "Yeah, a very old ladder that looks like it could break at any time." She sarcastically commented, tapping her hand on the rungs, which were covered in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs. "Ew," She wiped her hands on her skirt.

Hara gripped the rungs and pulled on it. She tapped around the rungs and bolts with her flashlight. "It will hold long enough for us to make it up to the top. We will have to space out climbing so too much weight doesn't get into one spot."

Luna looked up at the ladder and then at the others. "Are you positive this is safe? I don't know how I feel about this. I don't think it's ever been used, if it had, it's been over 10,000 years. Can you truly trust it will hold all seven of us?" She asked skeptically.

Hara matter-of-factly nodded, setting her backpack on the ground. "Positive. If you can trust anyone, trust me, this is kinda my domain." She said, pulling out several headbands. "Here, put these on your heads and stuff your phone there so we can have light as we climb."

Varian did what Hara suggested, the others following him. "Who wants to go first? I would say ladies first but some are wearing skirts," He looked at Summer Dawn and Luna. "I don't think it'd be appropriate if you went first."

Luna tilted her head to the side. That had never crossed her mind. "That is very thoughtful of you. I would not mind you going first, if anything is there you can protect us." She smiled, looking at the others.

Hara exchanged looks with Chenoa and Summer Dawn. "Yeah. You two can go up first. Remember, we need to be at least six feet apart from each other, or else the ladder could give way. This is just to be on the safe side with my calculations." She told Logan and Varian.

Logan pulled out his eyeglasses cord and attached it to the legs, tightening it around his head so they wouldn't fall off. "Varian you wanna go first or should I?" He asked, being the polite person he was.

Varian rolled his eyes and ignored Logan's question. He started to climb up the ladder, keeping his feet and hands equally apart. He looked straight up and the light from his phone on his forehead illuminated above him, making it easy for him to see.

One by one, Logan climbed up after Varian, then Chenoa, Hara, Summer Dawn, and lastly Luna. They did their best to follow Hara's suggestion so the ladder wouldn't give way under their weight.

After a few minutes, Varian turned a wheel on a door and pushed it open, revealing a darkened hallway. He climbed out and helped the others get into the hallway, closing the door after Luna.

Luna flicked her flashlight to the left and the right. "Which way should we go?" She asked, not knowing which way would bring them to where they needed to be. "I do not know where I should meet Solana! We never spoke about a meeting place!" She exclaimed, her chest tightening.

Summer Dawn once again placed her hand on Luna's shoulder. "Take a deep breath. Chances are the best place to meet up is on the bridge. It's the first place I'd think of going since we can boot this place up."

Chenoa scanned her light along the wall, flickering her light back and forth. "I'm sure all the hallways will meet up at the bridge, it's purely logical." She motioned for them to follow her.

Hara dashed in front of her sister and held her arms out in front of her. "No way, you are not going to first. Leave that to someone older, like Varian or me." She chided her sister, crossing her arms over her chest.

Chenoa pushed her sister's arms away with her shoulder, brushing past her. "Stop being so bossy. I can take care of myself. I do it every day without any trouble. We only see each other for lunch and the dorm, goodness, don't be Mom." She snapped, walking down the hallway.

Hara took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She wasn't going to let her sister get to her. "Fine, fine, just stay close and don't go too fast." She said, pivoting on her heels and following after her sister.

Luna followed behind the others, flicking her flashlight around. "This is extraordinary! I cannot imagine how long it took to build this! I wonder if Solana knew about the secret project . . . I would not be surprised if she knew and I did not." She trailed off with a crestfallen expression.

Logan could understand what Luna was going through. "I have three older sisters, so I can understand what it's like to be kept in the dark about things." He flashed an encouraging smile.

Luna realized she didn't know much about them. "Before you leave, I would like to know more about you. I do not have any friends, even before I was sent away. So, it would mean a lot to me if we could perhaps make some memories before you return to earth." She hesitantly asked, fidgeting with the strap of the flashlight.

Summer Dawn exchanged looks with the others before turning her head towards Luna. "Yeah, we can do that. You also need to tell us more about the Lunari and Solari, I mean, it's like our first time meeting an alien so we gotta have stories to take back home."

Varian remained silent as the others chatted away. 'Go home? To what? There's more out here than back home will ever be. What if I don't want to go home?' He asked himself in his head, pressing his lips together in a line.

Hara nudged Varian, pulling him out of his daydream. "Earth to Varian, we were talking to you." She informed him, putting her hands on her hips and raising her eyebrows.

Varian furrowed his brows, not realizing they were talking to him. "To me? Why? It's not like we're friends or something." He snapped, pulling up his defensive demeanor at the slightest hint of someone caring.

Hara let it go by taking a deep breath and pushing any feelings of angst away. "We were asking you which door we should enter." She replied, pointing to two doors beside each other.

Varian flashed his light at the doors and scoffed. "It's one door." He sarcastically commented, putting his fingers in the seam between the doors and pulling them apart with all his might.

Logan reached out and began to help Varian pull the doors open. The metal slowly creaked as the gap between the doors slowly opened, getting bigger until it was open enough that everyone could fit inside.

The group walked through the doors, it was silent and darkness shrouded them. It was hard for any of them to see, even with flashlights.

"I do not think anyone is here." Luna's disappointed voice spoke up. She flicked her flashlight around slowly while she frowned slightly. Her heart grew heavy that her sister wasn't here.

Chenoa went over to the center of the room at the control desk and placed her hand on a hand print. When nothing happened she tapped it with her hand a few times. "Luna, call me crazy but I think this will only work on a Lunari or Solari."

Luna walked over and looked at the hand print off to the side on the desk. "Yes. You would be right." She placed her hand on the handprint and suddenly the ship whirled to life, lights flickering on but nothing else came on.

Chenoa popped it open, looking around inside she whistled. "The wires are a mess and something's been eating on it. I'm going to have to splice some of the wires and rewire them and then maybe the rest will work. Hara I'm gonna need your help." She said as Hara walked over to her sister and set her backpack down.

All they had to do was wait for Solana to come and then they could figure out the next move.

🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑

A/N:
Sorry this took so long. I had planned to finish but my cat passed away and sent me into a deep dark hole. I'm finally bouncing back, still have my moments, but it's getting better. So, bare with me.

Chapter Talk:
I forgot Logan wears glasses. His eyesight is really bad, he can't see his hand in front of his face without his glasses. He's practically blind, and it's strange since no one else in his family has bad vision. See, in my family, I'm the only one without glasses.

Thanks for reading!