Three years later

It was my 9th birthday and you said you wanted to give me a birthday present. You didn’t care how many times I told you I didn’t need anything, you were determined to give me something. We went to the beach at night like so many times before. That was and will always be our special place. It was the place where we first met and it would become the place where we said “I love you” for the first time. Although, if they had told me back when we were kids that we would confess to each other there, I would have told them that they belonged in an asylum.

When we sat down looking at the sea of stars, you gave me a little present without looking at me since you were too embarrassed. I opened it and found a small plastic hairpin. The hairpin had the face of a pink pig on it.

-I know you like the color pink so… -, you said timidly.

-Thank you Nyco, it’s really cute-, I said putting the hairpin on.

-I know it’s made of plastic and that it may break soon but…

-I don’t care. I like it-, I told you with a smile. I knew you couldn’t afford anything else, I was just happy you gave me anything. Hearing me say I liked it really cheered you up.

-You know… I heard that some Planet-Gazers get the privilege of naming the planets and stars. One day, when I’m older, I will write your name in the sky. That will be your… Mmmmm. Your 20th birthday present. Would you like it?

-Wow. You think you’ll be a Planet-Gazer when you are 18 years old?-, I asked, teasing you.

-Yep. I will train really hard in order to give you the best present ever. Your name will be written in the stars-, you said with excitement.

-Well, ok. I will accept that present. But for now. Hairpins are perfect-, I reassured.

I ended up really liking that little pig design on the hairpin. I didn’t know it back then but, I probably liked it because it came from you.

You, Nyco. You were the best gift I could have ever asked for. I don’t care how you were born or made. It’s you, Nyco, the boy that gave me that little pig hairpin. You were my special gift from the stars.

I hate that they took you back from me.

---

Monday 23rd of April 3021

Nyco opened his eyes and stretched in his bed. That was without a doubt the worst night he’d had in years. The 20 year old had only slept for 4 hours, something terrible considering today was his first mission as a Planet-Gazer. He tried to go to sleep early but he couldn’t, his mind just wouldn’t stop thinking about Emma. Today was her birthday after all.

Nyco got out of bed as a call from Alan startled him. His mentor appeared on a screen before him and the 20 year old assumed the military position.

-Morning, Nyco. Ready for your first mission?-, the proud Planet-Gazer asked.

-Yes, sir. I won’t let you down-, Nyco assured him.

-Mmmm, you don’t look that good. Did you sleep well?-, Alan asked with a worried tone when he saw his dark baggy eyes that indicated his lack of sleep.

-I… I could hardly sleep with all the excitement-, he lied. He knew Alan hated him mentioning his past life… He could not mention that it was the thought of Emma that had kept him up.

-That’s good to hear. Have a strong coffee and some energy bars-, Alan told him -We can’t afford any distractions.

-Of course-, the boy agreed.

-Awesome. Meet Levi at the dining room and he’ll guide you to the portal. Have a great first mission, Nyco.

-Thank you, sir!-, said Nyco.

The boy took a quick shower and got his Planet-Gazer uniform on, which was a white tight jumpsuit. He had to wear comfortable gear since he would later get the Star-Fly suit on.

Nyco ran to the dining room and saw Levi having breakfast with a girl called Silvy. She was also a Star-finder like Nyco, but she had a different combination of genes from other Planet-Gazers, so they didn’t look alike. The only thing they had in common was their blue eyes.
Nyco grabbed a tangerine, an energy bar and a cup of strong coffee. He then went with his tray to their table and sat down.

-Good morning-, Nyco greeted.

-Hi-, Silvy answered.

-What’s wrong with your face?-asked Levi, as direct as ever.

-I couldn’t sleep last night. But don’t worry, I won’t be a burden to the mission.

-You better not be. 5 Planet-Gazer’s have already died trying to rescue these scientists-, Silvy remembered him.

-I know... I won't let you down, I promise

-Did you write your will in case you die?-, Silvy asked bluntly.

-Wha?... Auch!-, Nyco complained as a bit of juice from the tangerine got in his eye. That question surprised him so much he accidentally squeezed the skin too hard. Levi sighed and gave him a handkerchief so Nyco could clean his teary right eye.

-You should write it before we land on Verdant-43-, Silvy suggested.

-I… I’ll think about it-, Nyco said even though he knew he wouldn’t do it. He considered it bad luck if you went in thinking it could be your last mission.

After they had breakfast it was time to start the mission. The three Star-finders went to the locker room and put their Star-Fly suits on. Nyco looked in the mirror as he adjusted his helmet. “Time to prove to them what you are made of”, he thought.

Nyco had been training for the past 3 years under Alan’s supervision. He felt confident in his capabilities but he was still nervous as he knew how dangerous that mission was.

Their mission was to rescue 3 scientists that had gone to Verdant-43 in order to study the planet’s greatest attraction, the sap from the planet’s biggest organism.

The scientist’s believed that the sap from that plant had amazing healing capabilities that would advance human medicine in hundreds of years. Unfortunately, it came in one of the most dangerous plants humanity had ever encountered.

This plant covered half the surface of the planet with its roots. It had no predator to stop it and the biologists believed that it would completely engulf that planet in no more than 2 years. The scientists decided to call this plant: Green Glutton.

All contact with these scientists had been lost, nobody knew why they didn’t use their jumping orbs to get back from that dangerous planet. The specifics on how the Planet-Gazers died trying to rescue them was also a mystery.
It could be that these three scientists they were trying to rescue were already dead, but they had to make sure and that’s why they sent their most elite assets. Star-finders.

Nyco was excited to see this dangerous organism in person, but that was not the only reason he wanted to go to that specific planet. Verdant-43 had a special characteristic that made it unique from all other planets. Nyco couldn’t help but smile just thinking about it.

The 3 Star-finders got into a portal and teleported to a mothership that orbited near the planet. Nyco grinned remembering how he used to get dizzy when teleporting. He appreciated that he no longer had that issue.

After the Planet-Gazer’s gave them the exact location of the missing scientists, the three of them got into a little spaceship and flew to the green planet.

Through the window, Nyco saw their biggest threat in that mission, the Green Glutton. The plant that covered 50% of the planet’s surface could be seen from outer space. If it wasn’t for the Green Glutton, the planet would have had a brown color in all its surface, but now it was a multicolor planet. Nyco thought that it looked like a mint and chocolate candy, half green, half brown. He smiled at that thought but quickly got serious when he saw Levi’s face. This was no time for silly thoughts, he had to get serious.

“Pull yourself together, Nyco. This is not like the 5-S experience. If you die here it will really be Game Over”, Nyco acknowledged.