Stilthrovene walks along a muddy path, each step sinking slightly beneath the weight of her sturdy boots. With every step, the mud beneath her glows faintly, shimmering with specks of green sparkles.
Thick-leaved plants hover around her helmet, dense foliage pressing in from all sides. The leaves are massive, most of them longer than Stilthrovene herself. Some even stretch to twice her height. They are thick but wavy, shifting easily with the slightest breeze. Stilthrovene is dressed in a pristine white spacesuit, though her boots are now muddy from the ground.
The dense foliage blocks her vision, forcing her to lift her arms and gently push the leaves aside with gloved hands.
Stilthrovene finally pushes through the thick forest of oversized bushes and steps into a clear, open area which she finds is the perfect spot to set up her research site.
The first thing that captures her attention is the bright night sky. Colorful galaxies and drifting red auroras spread across the horizon, their glow casting just enough brightness to reveal the forest that she had just struggled to get through.
It is such a spectacular view, though it is what Stilthrovene sees almost every day, each day and night sky a little different from the last. Even so, it still makes her smile. She lingers for a moment before returning back to work.
She activates a hologram orb using a gadget on her right arm. "Mizi! Over here! This area is perfect!"
A small flying robot hovers toward her, its top propeller spinning gently. Its body is shaped like an old retro television and painted in a soft bluish purple.
Instead of limbs, the robot has floating lavender orbs. Its hands are small spheres, while its feet are ovoid in shape, with no visible connection to the main body.
On its screen, a digital face appears and shifts in expression to reflect the robot's mood as it reaches Stilthrovene.
It is a very cute robot, and Stilthrovene had given it the name Mizi.
Mizi beeps in excitement with a ">v<" expression on its screen. Mizi carries a bunch of metal poles, then drops them all next to Stilthrovene and wraps her helmet in a big hug. As Mizi is giving a hug, its feet jittering like exciting beans, kicking the air in all directions.
Stilthrovene can't stop giggling at Mizi's immense cuteness. She later picks up the poles that Mizi delivered and sets them on the ground. A moment later, the poles transform into a table and project a hologram filled with streams of data. Stilthrovene places her hands on the table and examines the hologram with full attention.
"I knew it, Mizi," Stilthrovene communicates telepathically. Mizi glances over to see.
"This planet… is filled with life! There are no moving creatures yet, but there are plenty of plants. Look, Mizi. Carbon. Forty-five percent carbon. Just as I expected, it's not the mineral we were looking for. I could tell from the way this planet was shining."
Mizi responds with a series of beeps and ends with one that sounds like a question.
"Hehe, I didn't let them know that I knew the carbon here wasn't the right mineral so I could check this planet out in person. It's different, you know? Actually being here and seeing everything for yourself is way better than just staring at a drone camera."
Stilthrovene looks up and points at Mizi's screen.
"Don't you dare snitch on me like last time. I was suspended from my own ship for days after that!"
Mizi's screen shows a flustered expression as she speaks, then flashes an angry face in reply. It waves its hands around and taps insistently on Stilthrovene's helmet.
"Beep! Be-beep beep beeeeep!"
"I know, I know. It was an accident. Still, you need to keep your mouth shut in front of the commander! Hmph."
Mizi nods with a "-3-" expression on its screen.
"Alright, time to let the team know we are done here. We should check if they've finished their tasks too."
Stilthrovene shoves her hand into the hologram table, bringing up a taskbar in front of her. Six names appear in the display. She quickly scans the list and notices that everyone else has already marked their tasks complete. Her own name is the only one still unchecked.
Stilthrovene lets out a soft sigh, her eyes blankly staring at her own name on the task list.
"I'm the last one again, huh."
She lifts her wrist, ready to mark her task complete, but hesitates for a moment. After a brief pause, the hologram table quietly disassembles itself, transforming back into the piles of poles Mizi had carried earlier. The gadget bounces up just high enough for Mizi to catch it in the air. Stilthrovene walks back toward the path she came from.
"Let's hurry back, Mizi."
Mizi notices the shift in her mood and hovers closer, beeping softly.
"Beep b- beep beep?"
Stilthrovene smiles at Mizi as she lifts one of the giant leaves to pass through.
"Yes, I am okay. I just feel… alone."
Mizi gently bumps itself against Stilthrovene's helmet, its screen displaying a comforting face.
"Beep beep! Beep beep beep!"
Stilthrovene chuckles.
"Yes, yes. I have you," she says playfully, her tone light and teasing.
"Without you, Mizi. I'd truly feel alone. You're the only one who keeps me going. Thanks for that."
Mizi swirls around Stilthrovene in response but gets caught mid-spin as she playfully grabs it.
"Oh calm down, you~" she says, holding onto Mizi.
"You know how our team uses drones to explore the worlds?"
Mizi beeps in response, listening.
"I just don't think that's really exploring," she continues, swinging Mizi gently in her arms. "I mean, we are called the expeditioners! We're supposed to explore and have great adventures into the unknown!"
Stilthrovene turns Mizi around so its screen faces her, lifting it up to eye level.
"Don't you agree with me, Mizi?"
"Beep beep beep… beep beep!"
"Well yeah. It's true that they are more efficient," she admits with a small shrug, rolling her eyes. "But isn't being here in person way more fun than just staring at a screen?"
"Beep beep!"
"Exactly!" Stilthrovene holds onto Mizi again. "I just wish my team could understand that. They never want to come out here with me. It's like they forgot what 'adventure' even means.
She sighs softly. "But I guess they're at least kind enough to let me go alone."
"Beep b- beep," Mizi beeps while displaying an upset expression.
"Sorry, not alone. With Mizi. They let me go alone with Mizi"
Mizi switches back to a "^v^" expression, swinging its feet happily in the air.
Suddenly, a red light flashes on Stilthrovene's left arm.
"Agh! Oh no! It's the commander! Do you think he's mad at me again?"
"Beep!" Mizi displays a scared expression, sharing Stilthrovene's panic.
"Hurry! We need to get back to the ship! I'm so screwed if he sees my boots all muddy and sparkly!"
Stilthrovene dashes back toward the ship, her boots splashing through the glowing mud as Mizi speeds after her, its propeller spinning wildly.
Stilthrovene finally spots her ship in the distance, hovering just right above the massive foliage. She activates the jet engines on her boots, lifting off the ground and soaring toward it.
As soon as Stilthrovene and Mizi enter the ship, they're sealed inside a small decontamination chamber. A blast of intense air rushes over them, wiping away the glowing mud and green sparkles clinging to Stilthrovene's suit. Mizi's screen flickers for a moment from the wind, but it quickly returns to normal.
When the cleaning cycle finishes, the main door slides open with a soft hiss.
Stilthrovene steps into the main control room, a bright minimalist space surrounded by floating monitors. Each screen displays various data, star maps, environmental readings, and holographic scans of where Stilthrovene and Mizi were exploring.
The floors and furniture are pearly white with soft blue gradients, giving the entire room a soothing, elegant vibe. Thin lines of light trace along the walls and ceiling like constellations, gently shifting color as the ship monitors different systems.
In the center of the room floats a circular pilot platform, where Stilthrovene can control the ship using holographic interfaces projected directly into the air.
On the right is another door that leads to Stilthrovene's personal room where she rests. Despite the minimalistic look in the main control room, her quarters are different. Her walls are lined with shelves, each one filled with souvenirs and odd trinkets collected from past undisclosed expeditions.
Stilthrovene removes her helmet and spacesuit, setting them on a stand near the entrance. Her long hair falls down around her shoulders, cascading softly like flowing silk. The strands are a pale, light blue, shining whenever the room's light catches them, making her hair glow even brighter than it already does.
Mizi quickly drops off its gadgets on a nearby table and hovers over to the pilot platform, ready to assist with navigation.
"Mizi, fly us up to space! We can't let the commander find out we landed!"
Mizi lifts up the hologrammed steering wheel, dragging the ship upward. Within seconds, they break through the atmosphere and return to space.
Stilthrovene swallows nervously and clears her throat. She glances at her reflection in one of the monitors, smoothing her hair frantically.
"Alright… time to call the commander," she mutters to herself.