The light aircraft powered up with only a light hum of its electric engines. With a buzz, it zoomed off the launch rails and into the open air over the short cliff. In a few seconds, she was out over the ocean on the heading marked on the compass.

The question of whether a tiny craft like hers could reach the height of the floating continent was never in question. This plane would never reach ten kilometers in height.

But Rachel could get there anyway. What everyone was forgetting was that the weather conditions, and air and humidity at the floating continent was that of a low mountain, not high atmosphere. If her airplane hugged the sea surface until it was inside the radar disruption range, she would be able to slip past on a cloudy day and climb easily.

Right as the storm was worsening and everyone was watching the Cielans at Contact. Luckily, Rachel was good flyer, wilderness survivalist and had all sorts of supplies. She even knew basic Cielan and had the current dictionary.

This intrepid reporter would get the scoop of the century!


The light aircraft hung over the floating continent, serenely taking in the sights of the green land below. It studiously recorded everything in all directions with its cameras, ignoring the triumphant laughter echoing in its cockpit.

"I made it! Look at this, the continent must be almost half the size of California. There's forests, there's a mountain, there's even a lake! By the gods, how did these people get it up here?"

She gazed around with sparkling eyes, steering her plane studiously away from any Cielan aircraft or settlements. She wasn't about to get arrested without an on the ground report at least!

It was that action that spotted something rising out of the nearby mountain peak and heading her way. Whatever the dot was, wasn't an aircraft. Most aircraft didn't have flapping wings after all, yet it was way too big to be a bird.

She turned away but the dot just seemed to get closer. It was a bird after all. A huge bird at that. And it was faster than her!

"I hope the cameras caught it, this bird must be the size of dinosaurs!" she muttered for the benefit of the cameras as she tried to shake the approaching giant eagle. It looked sort of like an eagle.

"Look at that! The bird is keeping pace with my aircraft and seems to be-" Screech!

Her commentary was interrupted when the bird began to buffet her aircraft by flapping... gusts of wind at her? The ripples from the birds' wings was actually visible as thin green lines that tore into the fragile aircraft.

Oh no! Rachel fought the control stick as the aircraft began to list left and lose height. The bird screeched once more above her, victoriously, and mercifully decided to fly away.

It was a good five minutes of desperate flying as she tried to right the aircraft's tilt but she ran out of altitude first. At least the landing in the forest would be survivable, she wasn't even going that fast-


Rachel considered her options. Rifle and ammunition check, water filter bottle check, pistols, utility knife, rations, a sleeping bag, firestarter, all there. Her basic needs were fine. She wasn't even injured beyond a few scrapes that she had taken antibiotics for and sprayed antispectics on from her kit.

Temperature was a nice temperate 15 degrees celsius though the trees here looked like it was summer.

Next, her recorders. The two wings and the one nose cameras were all destroyed, though their memory cards had thankfully survived. Her digital camera and solar panel charger kit were all fine, so were the hundred or so memory cards to fill. Backup mechanical camera and rolls of film, also fine.

Needless to say, her aircraft was totaled.

Less optimally, the tiny inflatable raft and parachute were punctured, so there wasn't the option of parachuting off the side of the land with her basic survival kit and memory cards. She would eventually have to turn herself in to get back and hope the Cielans didn't confiscate her recordings. That meant not peeking around sensitive areas, but Rachel could live with that.

It looked like Plan B was a go! She just had to remember to shoot those birds with her hunting rifle before they got close. As well as not get turned away from the direction of the closest village she had seen. Rachel could tell her records would be well worth her time and trouble.

She had always liked to explore after all.


Nyo~?

Rachel stared at the fluffy... thing.

The animal sniffled around her legs curiously, looking nothing more like a small pig with a massive squirrelly tail hanging above it. In the tail was clutched a shiny green stone. The tail came up to Rachel's knees but the main body was only half that height. It was covered in a soft yellow fur with a strip of brown down its spine.

Nyo?

It made the same trill again and looked up at her inquisitively, as if begging for something. It was cute, but Rachel didn't know what the wildlife here was like.

"It seems the local wildlife has taken an interest in me," Rachel said, following the actions of the animal with her camera as it ignored her words and sniffed at her trousers again, "I wonder if they're just curious? This species seem to be unafraid of humans, they're almost as friendly as my housecat. "

Nyo...

The animal looked up at her and begged again. Strangely, she felt as if she should feed it. Rachel paused, shrugged and took out a candy bar from her pocket. Breaking off a small piece, she held it out on her hand for it to sniff at.

It licked the chocolate once then suddenly pounced at the candy, even putting two forelegs into her hand to wolf down the treat. Rachel laughed. What a golden opportunity! It was cute and PR friendly.

Nyo! Nyo! Nyo?

The animal licked her palm clean with its surprisingly smooth tongue then glanced up at her again. It sniffed and followed the scrape on her arm, or perhaps just the scent of the antisceptics underneath the white gauze. If she didn't know better, Rachel would have thought it was confused.

Then it shook itself, unfurled its tail to reveal that the gem was physically attached. And the tail was very very long. Long enough to reach her waist.

Nyo!

With a cry, the gem lit up green and shot sparkles at Rachel's arm. She jerked back but not in time to avoid the stream of green light. Soothing waves of warmth shot up her arm from where the light hit her.

...

She stared at the most valuable animal in the world as it sniffed at her again and begged for another treat. Her arm didn't hurt any more. Rachel gingerly unwrapped the rest of the candy bar and set it on the forest floor for the animal to eat, while she peeled off the gauze and tape to reveal perfectly smooth and undamaged skin.

"Wow. That animal... just healed me! Just like that!" Rachel was aware that her commentary was less than ideal for her recording camera, but she was testing out her arm's range of motions to find not a single trace of pain remaining.

Holy shit. This was going to make waves.

Her records were going to be worth millions.