Extraterrestrial Exploration

chapter 2

I didn't even care where I was going at this point nor did I pay much attention to my surroundings as I stomped off into the forest. I just couldn't believe that Jake had the audacity to snap at me.

The past few days have been rough for all of us, this was never supposed to happen. We are just a small science vessel used to explore and research alien planets from above. We were lucky just To have survived the crash landing without any severe physical damage to ourselves.

The fact we haven't gotten communications up yet leads me to think we might not be getting rescued anytime soon... our oxygen will eventually run out as well as our food and water supply so our first priority needs to be those three essentials. We can continue to use to ship for shelter, as long as no wild animals or anything attack us we will be fine.

None of us could have known that this would happen so We don't exactly have the necessary supplies for surviving on this planet for an extended amount of time, rations will only last another few days between the three of us.

That's Why I'm out here now. We need food and water if we are going to survive. Jack may think that the computer is the most important thing right now since it will help us get home but it won't last until a rescue team finds us if we don't get proper resources.

Stopping in my tracks I took a deep breath to relax and calm myself down. I need to calm down and focus. I can't do my job if I'm too busy worrying about Jack's attitude.

Holding up my arm I looked at the scanner on my wrist, holding my hand out I scanned the surrounding area to get an idea of the terrain, moisture level, soil components, and oxygen levels. I was a bit intrigued when I saw the oxygen levels Were relatively stable with no traces of any kind of toxic pollen or other gasses. I had been testing it every day for the past few days wondering if it would stay at stable levels or fluctuate over time but surprisingly it had stayed relatively the same. Were all these alien plants producing oxygen like the ones on Earth?

Glancing around i found myself surrounded by so many unfamiliar specimens. We had spent most of our time on the ship in the past few days with the rare occasion of going outside to fix something on the hull of our vessel so I never really looked into our surroundings that much, i wanted to take samples and look into each and every plant and creature here to get an idea of their composition but i didnt exactly have he means or time for that.

Not to mention Jack would just get more pissed off and yell at me for playing with flowers again... i groaned just at the thought.

A slight movement from the corner of my eye grabbed my attention and I turned to look at the treeline, only to see nothing out of the ordinary. I waited to see if there was any other moment but when nothing appeared, I brushed it off as just a spooked small animal.

Looking back to my wrist comm, I debated on risking the removal of my helmet. There was always a chance that there was some unknown chemical in the air that couldn't be picked up by our scanners. But we didn't exactly have an infinite amount of oxygen on the ship or in our suits so we would have to test the air quality eventually or risk suffocating inside the cramped space of the ship.

Looking up at my surroundings I couldn't help but Admire the beauty of it all. if I'm going to have to choose between risking the air quality or dying inside of a metal coffin, I'd rather enjoy my last moments out in the forest.

Reaching up I undid the seal for my helmet hearing it hiss as The pressure was released. Pulling it off I shook my head to free my hair and let it cascade down over my shoulders.

Taking a deep breath I could smell the scent of fresh rain hit Me and the damp humidity of the air washed over my skin.

I waited a few minutes looking around, waiting for something to happen while I took Calm and steady breaths through my nose.

'Well, my skin isn't burning, and I'm not bleeding from my orifices so there's a good chance that the air is safe here.' I thought to myself with a smile.

Looking around I couldn't help but appreciate seeing the forest with my own eyes instead of through a filtered screen, everything was so brightly colored and lush. This Place truly Looked like a paradise, i could imagine it being a popular tourist attraction or place to live if it was ever deemed habitable.

Stuffing my helmet under my arm I stepped towards some of the ferns and plants before me and scanned them to get an idea of their chemical composition.

After scanning about two dozen different plants I finally came across some purple-colored mushrooms that seemed like they might be edible. I collected as many samples as I could into a pouch to take back to the ship for testing. This wasn't much but it was definitely a start, I'd need to run a few tests before I could completely determine if this stuff was indeed edible, back on the ship but just finding fungus growing here was quite promising...

So what if I can't rewire a ship or build a computer? If I can provide us with food and water then my abilities are far from useless.

As I stood up, I froze, hearing the sound of rustling in the bushes behind me. Turning my head back I could see the ferns that had been disrupted by something, sway back into place, near the tree line. but what really caught my attention was the big blue-colored orange on the ground near the ferns.

It was very out of place and as I looked around even glancing Up into the treeline I found no source for the strange fruit. Tentatively I stepped towards it and used my scanner to get a reading on the fruit, to my astonishment, the overall composition of the object suggested it was edible. 'but where did it come from?'

Cautiously I kneeled down and picked up the strange orange before looking through the ferns from Where it appeared. As I sat there looking through the various branches and leaves I could nearly make out a figure hiding amidst the foliage a few feet ahead of me. I froze, unsure what to do as it sat there, hiding amidst the shadows, watching me.

"Nala!" Matt's voice called out and I jumped turning to look towards him as he came striding out of the treeline towards me.

"there you are! W-why arent you wearing your helmet?! The air–"

"It's safe, oxygen levels have been stable since we arrived and i haven't had any reactions..." i assured him, but he still seemed a bit worried.

Deciding it wasn't worth arguing about he sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Nala, please come back to the ship, it's dangerous to be out here. And don't mind Jack's outburst. We are all just a bit stressed, he'll calm down soon enough."

"I was just out here looking for food and water–" I glanced back towards the bushes but whatever I must've seen before was now long gone. 'strange.' I thought to myself and I got back to my feet.

"Come on Let's head back, this place gives me the creeps." Matt shuddered.

I couldn't help but stare at the bushes in a daze as I walked over to Matt. "Nala? Hello? Are you okay?"

"yeah, I just...I thought I saw Something." i placed the orange back in my pouch before hesitantly turning to walk back to the ship. 'What was that?'