The Lost Artifact Of Spode

011

Mel lands on the sunny side of the planet. He may have been exhausted for staying up for so long, but his excitement for arriving washed away the sleepiness. The ship read that the planet is safe for him to step onto, so without a second to waste he ran to the door. The cold, crisp air flooded into the chamber once the door opened.

Surprisingly, the scene he was met with wasn't all that different from Earth. However, something still looks different. Was it the colours? Or the shape the plants grew in? He couldn't put his finger on it, but something felt different.

The grass crunches under his feet as he took his first step off of the ship. Instantly, his body felt lighter. As though if he weren't careful, he could fly away into the atmosphere just by tripping over a rock.

The air is light and fresh, and smells of 3AM. A very particular scent, but one of Mel's favourite. There's little to no humidity floating around and not a sign of any clouds in the dust coloured sky.

This planet reminds Mel of Mars, except with actual vegetation. Granted, the plants were dry, but very much alive.

Mel shoves his hands into the pockets of his labcoat and walks further into the field, fully taking in this new environment he landed on. The cold wind gently blows around him, creating soft sounds as it sways the plants. Giant hills surround him, hiding the horizon from him.

Although he only explored a few meters from the ship, Mel felt to be the only living creature on the entire planet.

"OK, I'm here," he spoke aloud. "What now?" Only the wind answered him. He looks around on the mountain he's landed on, and his eyes land on a higher spot just ahead of him.

It wouldn't hurt to get a higher vantage point, he thought.

Normally, Mel wouldn't even consider a hike that steep, but with this planet's much lower gravity he made it to the top pretty easily. He didn't make it to the peak of the mountain, though. In fact, from his vantage point he discovered the peak is in the complete opposite direction. But from here, he's able to look down on much more of this world.

He's nowhere near water, but grass covers the entire land below. A few, strangely shaped trees and round bushes dot the ground below. In the distance, he can see something that looks almost like... man-made structures?

But that can't be right, this planet is supposed to be vacant.

He opens his EyePhy and magnifies what he's having trouble identifying off in the distance. His glasses, however, didn't help him all that much. He can tell they're definitely not made by nature, but whatever they were he couldn't decipher.

Maybe he should have invested in glasses with a better quality camera.

Suddenly, something obstructs his view. From how zoomed in his glasses' camera was ,all Mel can see is a giant blob of grey. He unfocuses his eyes and looks beyond his screen to what placed itself in front of him.

Silently suspended in the air is another spacecraft, staring right down at Mel. He froze at the sight. He didn't dare to even breathe as the voices of his supervisors played in his head.

*"Don't you know how territorial Proximians are?"*

*"They'll destroy us on sight!"*

*"Do you honestly think they'll care why we're in their system?"*

*"Not Proxima-A. It's too risky."*

He's dead.

Mel just had to dismiss their words.

He really thought he would be fine with Spode on his side. Spode sent him here afterall. Why wouldn't Spode look after him?

Why didn't Spode look after him?!