“What"s wrong?”
Satou stood at the bottom of the ramp, waiting for me.
“Is it OK for me to go out there?” I asked, gesturing beyond the ramp. “I guess what I mean is, will I be able to breathe?”
Satou smiled. “Yes, Nathan, that is the first thing we check before blindly running from the ship onto the planet.”
I slapped myself in the forehead. “Oh, of course you do.” I exited the ship and placed my hand over my eyes to ward off the sunlight as I looked around.
The alien world was breathtaking and I tried to take it all in. I marveled at the canvass of beauty spread around us. Pink leaves fell from the trees and were gathered at our feet. I raised my face toward the sky and admired the soft blue color accentuated with clouds of cotton and dotted with an orange sun. Two faded crescent mo
