"Lucienne, could you check the ship for external damage?" Rafael said.
"Of course. There appears to be only minor damage. I can repair it if we land, though if we do not, it should still hold for now," Lucienne replied.
"Then we land. You can fix it. Rita and I will find whoever dared scratch my flagship," Rafael declared.
Outside the ship…
Edra opened her many eyes.
"I'm okay? Or am I dead again? …Nope. Still falling, it seems. That ship, however, is probably not okay. Hopefully no hard feelings."
"All right. Looks like I'm about to pass the clouds. This has been a great ride… except for the part where I thought I was going to smash into a ship."
"And here I was thinking Sedrick had simply launched me and stopped caring. How thoughtful."
A voice entered Edra's head — one far too familiar.
It was Sedrick.
"This is close enough. You should be fine from here. Probably," Sedrick said.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Aim for trees. You got this," Sedrick replied.
Then the bubble popped.
Edra dropped hard and fast, but not before shouting—
"I hope they make a new layer of hell just for you, Sedrick!"
"Time to stick this landing."
Edra tried to steer herself through the air as best she could, determined to stick the landing.
Her long hair whipped violently around her face as the wind tore past her, the dark strands streaming behind her like a banner of obsidian and amber.
Just as she drew near the trees, she spread her arms in a desperate attempt to slow herself down, but gravity had other plans.
Her gown fluttered wildly around her legs, the open back catching the rushing air.
She crashed into what looked like an entire stand of trees, only to discover it was just one.
The leaves were thick, black, and strangely soft.
"That was not so bad. Weird, but comfy nonetheless," Edra muttered.
The branch broke. A loud crack followed.
"Seems I spoke too soon."
As she fell with it, she seemed determined to take the rest of the tree with her.
All she heard were thuds, cracks, and the repeated misery of striking what felt like every branch in existence.
Her hair tangled through the leaves as she fell, catching on branches before slipping free again.
"Phew. I made it. Unscathed? No. Alive? Yes. Hurt? Yes. But that's acceptable."
Edra spoke too soon.
The branch she had originally landed on, which had been caught above her, finally came crashing down.
She looked up as more branches began to crack overhead.
"What's that?"
"…Fuck me."
The branch hit her squarely on the head with one final, deeply personal thud.
The world went black.
"All right, coming in now," Rafael said.
"Lucienne," Rita asked, "what kind of creatures are we expecting down there?"
Lucienne shook her head.
"Honestly, I don't know anything about this planet. There wasn't any data. No one has ever come here before."
Rafael grinned.
"Perfect. That just means there's more for us to discover. Let's go."
As they stepped off the spacecraft, they immediately noticed the strange surroundings of the planet they had landed on.
"Whoa, look at these trees. Their leaves are black. Have you ever seen something like that, Rita?" Rafael said.
"Rafael, stop acting like a child. Have you never seen a tree before?" Rita replied.
"I have seen trees before, but these ones are different. I'm sure they would sell for a fortune."
Lucienne appeared at the top of the ramp leading back into the ship.
"Now, now, Rita, be nice to the captain," Lucienne said lightly. "He's just excited about seeing something he's never seen before. You used to be like that too."
Rita folded her arms.
"Fine. I understand this kind of excitement leads to danger. That's all I'm saying."
Rafael's grin widened.
"We must find the perpetrator who dared scratch my flagship."
Lucienne shook her head with a small laugh.
"Captain, Rita, have fun on your little adventure while I fix the ship. And be careful."
Rafael stepped forward dramatically and raised a hand.
"Onwards we go, in search of treasure and adventure!"
Rita snorted.
"Now you sound more like a pirate than a space captain."
Rafael straightened proudly.
"I am no pirate. I am Rafael — mighty captain and future Fleet Commander."
Lucienne stepped back into the ship as the ramp slowly closed behind her. A soft metallic hum echoed through the hull as the door sealed.
Outside, Rita and Rafael set off into the forest.
Within minutes the ship disappeared behind the trees, swallowed by the dark canopy.
Cold.
Wet.
A familiar sensation.
Enough time had passed that the sky had opened again. Rain poured steadily through the branches above.
Edra groaned.
"Oh… my head."
She rubbed the back of her skull.
Wet strands of her long hair clung to her neck and shoulders, heavy with rain.
"You know, despite its size, that tree didn't hurt as much as I thought it would."
She slowly pushed herself upright.
The fabric of her gown clung damply to her skin, the open back letting the cold rain slide down her spine.
"Now is not the time to be sitting around. I need to find some shelter from this rain."
Her stomach growled loudly.
"…And food."
As Edra trudged through the swampy forest, she struggled to adjust to her new body.
Her additional eyes made focusing difficult, and her new height made it hard to avoid the low branches hanging everywhere.
Her long hair snagged occasionally on twigs as she moved, forcing her to pull it free.
Thud.
"Ow!"
She rubbed her head again.
"And that's the third time I've hit my head."
Edra squinted up at the branches above her.
"You would think having more eyes would make it easier to dodge these things."
Black leaves shimmered faintly in the rain, their golden undersides catching flashes of lightning through the clouds.
Edra paused.
Something about them looked strangely familiar.
Then she noticed it.
Hanging from a low branch nearby was a small fruit.
Round.
Black.
"Is that … an apple?"
She stepped closer.
"Finally, something I can recognize. An apple. Well… the color's a little off, and it's smaller than usual, but it's better than nothing."
Her stomach growled again.
"Food is food."
As Edra reached toward the fruit—
Something approached.