Plutonian

Chapter 47

The floors shake the moment we enter the turbulent atmosphere that surround Cixin, nearly knocking me off my feet.

"Hold on tight," Lucian orders and the rest of us grab onto the various handles that protrude from the walls.

I clutch the smooth steel tightly but my eyes never leave the screen. The only word that comes to mind is magic as the Black Star dives towards Cixin. It feels like the ship is free falling taking us down with it through the dense particles of dust. 

The sky is a clear lime green, it's vibrant color calms my nerves. It is a beautiful contrast to the dull grey skies I'm used to. 

We charge towards the ground at an unimaginable speed and for a fleeting moment I fear we are about to crash but the Black Star suddenly halts and then we glide over the vast greenery below. 

My eyes are full of wonder as I see vibrant colors of red, orange and green that cover the leaves and trees. Nature is so abundant on this planet and it surely is a sight for sore eyes. The trees are bigger than the ones I remember from Earth and the flowers glow under the light like diamonds. 

Everything is so beautiful here. Even the lakes and rivers are are bedazzling clear pink.

The mash of colors soon turn to a uniform grey and I realize we are gliding over a landing strip that leads to a tall white building. It is the only building here and it sticks out like a sore thumb among st the plants and flowers. My mouth turns sour when I see the large Plutonian symbol plastered over it's top. 

The ship lands with a soft thud and Remulus pulls a lever that lowers the ramp. We exit the ship with Lucian leading the way and I'm surprised to see a small welcome party waiting for us below.

Two Plutonian's stand at the edge of the ramp along with five green beings with faces that resemble humans and saucer shaped heads. They only reach up to the hips of the Plutonian's and they remind me of mushrooms. 

"Welcome PG Lucian and squad," One of the Plutonian's greets us. Her hair is slicked back into a tight ponytail and she immediately grabs Lucian's hand for a shake. 

She smiles at him eagerly and holds on for much longer than necessary, Lucian has to subtly force his hand out of hers. 

"Welcome, hope your journey went well." The little green being standing next to her says and Lucian smiles. 

"Your Plutonian has improved, Jar," Lucian addresses him. "Come we have to go over a few things."

The two Plutonian girls nod at Lucian and then smile at the rest of us. The girl who shook Lucian's hand nods her head at all the officers but the moment her eyes meet mine she grimaces. 

"You have a human in your squad now?" She asks, the disgust on her face is so apparent, I wonder if Lucian notices. 

"Yes, since she's my lover, it's only customary that she joins my squad."

The girl stumbles slightly as if she got punched by his answer but she quickly recovers. 

"Oh, I thought it was just a silly rumor. My apologies," She casts a fake smile my way. "Please follow us everyone." 

She slips her arm around Lucian and leads us towards the white building while she briefs him on some trade issues. My eyes can't help but narrow on their interlinked arms and my skin prickles with irritation.

"Who is she?" I ask Remulus, who is walking beside me. 

"Her names Vera and she's the Plutonian ambassador in Cixin. Very highly ranked, good family and of course her role is pivotal to the empire since Cixin's natural resources are invaluable to us," Remulus replies and then he turns to look at me.