The Galactic Heap lurched toward the small planet the crew had discovered just in time. Their relief at successfully changing course lasted only a few seconds.
“I hope this planet has at least something we can generously call a landing site,” Kira said, desperately trying to control the remaining thrusters.
“Or a large ocean,” Axl added dryly. “Then at least only half of us will sink.”
“Let's not mess anything else up now,” Ziggy muttered, gripping the control console.
At that very moment, a red warning light began flashing frantically.
“What now?” Kira shouted.
“The shields are failing!” Axl reported. “We're losing the entire protective barrier!”
“Perfect timing,” Ziggy groaned. “Right before the crash landing.”
The Galactic Heap shot into the atmosphere. The outer hull began to glow, the cockpit shook violently, and their view disappeared behind shimmering heat.
“We need a plan!” Axl shouted.
“I have one,” Kira replied. “Survive!”
“That's not a plan. That's a desperate prayer!”
Suddenly, one of the steering systems came back online. The ship stabilized – but only for a fraction of a second.
“Uh... Kira?” Axl said cautiously. “There's a mountain range directly ahead of us.”
“Of course there's a mountain range,” Ziggy muttered. “Why would anything be easy?”
“Hold on!” Kira screamed, yanking the controls to the side.
The Galactic Heap missed the rocks by only a few meters, but immediately began spinning uncontrollably on its own axis. At the same time, the last functioning engines gave up with a loud bang.
“We're going to die!” Ziggy shouted.
“No,” Axl said. “But the ship might.”
At the very last moment, Kira managed to redirect their descent into a long slide down a sandy slope. With a tremendous crash, the Galactic Heap skidded through sand and loose rocks until it finally came to a stop in a massive cloud of dust.
Silence.
Only the quiet hiss of hot metal could be heard.
“Are we... dead?” Ziggy asked cautiously.
“No,” Axl replied after a quick system check. “But the repair bill probably will kill me.”
“We're alive,” Kira said with relief as she freed herself from her seat. “That's all I ask for right now.”
Together, they opened the hatch.
But instead of a dry desert, they found a dense, alien jungle. Enormous plants towered over the wreckage, glowing flowers shimmered between the trees, and strange animal calls echoed all around them.
“I definitely didn't expect this,” Ziggy said.
“At least it's not a volcanic planet,” Axl replied, immediately beginning to search the surroundings for useful materials.
“Maybe we can find everything we need for the repairs here,” Kira said. “But we stay cautious.”
She had barely finished speaking when a strange creature emerged from the bushes. It looked like a mixture of a squirrel, a dinosaur, and an overly enthusiastic vacuum cleaner. It studied the newcomers curiously, let out an astonishingly loud scream, and disappeared back into the undergrowth.
“I hope that was a greeting,” Ziggy said.
“Or it just called its friends,” Axl replied.
Cautiously, the three of them made their way through the jungle. Everywhere they looked, they discovered strange plants, glowing fungi, and creatures that watched them with just as much curiosity as they watched in return.
“This planet is completely different from anything we've seen before,” Axl observed as a glowing blue mushroom reacted to his touch.
“Maybe we're finally lucky,” Kira said.
“Or this is just the calm before the storm,” Ziggy muttered.
At that exact moment, something rustled loudly in the bushes.
All three of them turned around in alarm.
A gigantic insect stood before them, almost as large as Axl.
“It's going to eat us,” Ziggy whispered.
But the insect barely paid any attention to them. Instead, it calmly began devouring an enormous leaf.
“Good,” Axl said with relief. “Apparently, we're not on its menu.”
“Not yet,” Kira added. “We should still find a safe place to set up camp.”
Back at the Galactic Heap, they inspected the damage. The ship had suffered badly, but Kira refused to let that discourage her.
“We're going to have to improvise,” she said, already sorting through the first cables.
“At least we're experts at that by now,” Axl said.
Ziggy looked at the battered junk pile and smiled for the first time in a long while. “Then let's get our Heap flying again.”