As the sun set, Kanata called for a meeting. Ulgar only reluctantly left his room and tried to stay as far away as possible from Luca who was chatting with Aries and Quitterie. Everyone had gathered in the lounge and lucky for him, the only empty seat was far away from the purple-haired teen.

"Zack has finished building the filter so our water supply is secured", the captain announced. "But the rain is definitely still a problem. Essentially, we are trapped inside the Astra until it stops."

"According to our data, it should be cloudy tomorrow with a 10% risk of precipitation", Zack explained.

"We don't have a lot of food left", Charce said having checked their stock. His tone was more cheerful than appropriate given the gravity of the situation. "We'll have to go out tomorrow whether it is raining or not."

"I'll pass on having my skin burned", Quitterie replied. Despite having applied a soothing lotion on her skin, the affected areas still burned. And a glance at the others showed her that they were no different.

Yun Hua nodded. Somehow her skin had been especially sensitive, the rash affected nearly her entire skin and small pustules had formed. However, when asked the shy girl vehemently denied any pain or discomfort.

"I was thinking of making raincapes from the leaves of the plants on this planet", Luca voiced his idea. The leaves under which Ulgar and he had been hiding had been thick and robust with a wax-like coating. They had been their perfect shelter. Furthermore, the leaves on the ground had not been wilted. The purple-haired teen imaged sewing them together would not be too much trouble.

"Ok, we will be prioritising gathering leaves and stocking up our food supplies tomorrow", Kanata summarised their action plan for the next day. He paused. Unfortunately, there were more news that needed to be discussed. "There is also the matter of the footprints Quitterie and Yun Hua discovered today."

"They looked like they were human", Quitterie described their discovery. However, now the blonde was not sure anymore. The rain had surprised her and she had been more focused on returning to the Astra safely. "Well, at least they were similar."

"Can we make friends with them?", Funicia asked her sister.

Quitterie thought about it. "They probably don't even speak our language. If they even have language. I don't want to get involved with stone-age savages. They might as well be apes."

Ulgar saw that Charce was about to begin a probably lengthy explanation about the differences between human and apes. Before the other could start, he cut in. "There is also this beast, the terror, that we encountered in the woodland." Luca's lips suddenly popped into his mind, but he forced himself to remain serious. "It's dangerous. We need to stay clear of the woodland."

"Terror?", Quitterie repeated. "That's really poor naming sense. You want me to get nightmares?"

Kanata looked up. It was not like Ulgar to get scared easily, especially given that he was carrying a gun. Briefly, he thought about moving the Astra but then became distracted. "We really need a better name for it, otherwise we'll be scared before we even see it."

"How about 'teddy'?", Aries offered. "You know, from 'terror' and because it looks like a bear?"

Ulgar did not know what to say. That thing he had seen in the woodland had nothing in common with a stuffed toy. But it was not that anyone would understand. There was nothing he could do except for trying to avoid a future encounter. As he returned to his room, the black-haired teen heard the others laughing over a joke. It was a lost cause. They would all die if he did not stay vigilant.

xxx

The next morning, Quitterie woke up to a knocking sound. Increasingly becoming more urgent, the blonde yawned and slowly moved towards the door. If this was Kanata, he better had a good reason. If it was Zack, then…. Maybe the Astra's pilot had started to miss her overnight. How scandalous! However, when Quitterie opened her door, she was disappointed. It was Kanata after all, his face unusually pale.

"Quitterie, I have these stomach pains and feel dizzy. I think I am going to die", the captain said and his face told her that he meant it.

Yet it was highly unlikely that Kanata would suddenly drop dead. Guys! Surely he was exaggerating. "It's probably just the stress from being on this stupid planet", she remarked calmly. "Did you eat or touch anything funny?"

The other thought about it. "The fruits from the storage unit. I asked Charce to cook them for us for breakfast", he then replied with a voice that lacked his usual energy.

"I see", Quitterie answered. But then she realised. "Those were meant to be fabric dye! The container was clearly labelled 'inedible'. Are you an idiot?" Sometimes the blonde could not believe that she had agreed to elect this idiot to be their captain. How had they even managed to make it this far with a captain who served poisonous food? "Wait a minute", Quitterie added, suddenly realising the meaning of Kanata's words. "Did you say 'us'? Who else ate the food?"

"Well", Kanata had difficulty focusing. His stomach rumbled and he leaned against the wall for support. "Everyone, I guess. You and Yun Hua were late for breakfast and Luca and Ulgar are still recovering from yesterday—"

"Funi! Zack!" Quitterie left Kanata standing in the doorframe and hurried into the lounge. From Kanata, she had not expected any better, but Zack and Charce should have been smart enough to check the food before eating it.

"Bringing food that is detrimental for our health on board of the Astra is illogical. Why would I assume anyone would do this?", Zack calmly explained his lack of action, even though his face was pale and he felt the need to vomit.

Quitterie remained silent. Better not to tell him that she was the culprit who had brought the fruits onboard! She hoped Yun Hua would not mention anything. But there were other things the blonde had to worry about now.

"Quitterie, my belly is hurting", Funicia said weakly. She was sitting next to Zack, the unfinished meal still in front of her.

"Perhaps some water will help", Charce offered and put a cup in front of the girl. He was sparkling, as usual, with no sign of any foodborne illness. "I thought these fruits were delicious, I had no idea they were not edible. What a shame…."

Seeing Charce being completely fine, Quitterie calmed down. While she could not be absolutely sure, it was a sign that the fruits were probably not lethal. Which, in turn, meant that with a bit of rest, the others would be fine. That was all she could hope as they were doomed otherwise.

"I'm glad I didn't eat anything", Aries said as the two girls were helping the others to their beds. "I was waiting for you and Yun Hua. I was worried about her skin getting worse."

xxx

Ulgar sighed. He had managed to avoid Luca all day. The purple-haired teen had been out with Aries to collect leaves, while Charce and he had been fishing. It had been difficult for the five of them, including Quitterie, to cover for their ill teammates. Yun Hua, it had turned out had not been as well as she had pretended and had also spent most of the day sleeping. Their chances of survival were getting slimmer and slimmer and still, nobody took the looming danger seriously.

Now, dark outside, there was nothing else he could do than to polish his gun, waiting for tomorrow. The fish had never been plentiful and their only reliable source of food was probably hidden in the dark woodland. The plain, in which the Astra still resided, was devoid of any life except for the Horfants which remained untouchable.

When Ulgar was about to go to bed, a knock on his door made him look up. Luca. Who else would enter his room at this time while pretending it was the most normal thing in the world?

"Hi", Luca said smiling.

So much for the plan to avoid his purple-haired friend. Ulgar still had not come to a conclusion on how to deal with the other. Moreover, what would the others think if they found out that Luca was in his room at this time?

"I made your clothes!" Luca proudly held out the pieces of fabric. "Ah, I'm sorry about the colour", he continued, noting Ulgar's questioning glance. "I haven't found out how to make them black yet."

The beige colouration was lighter than Ulgar would have prefered, but he did not care about looks enough to be bothered. More worried about the group's survival and Luca being in his room, he sighed. The latter was on his mind more than the former which was worrying in itself.

"I couldn't finish taking your measurements, so I would appreciate if you could try them on", Luca suggested with an innocent voice.

Without a word, Ulgar took the shirt Luca had made. He was embarrassed to think back to that incident when Luca had touched him. Worse, he was sure Luca knew exactly how he felt and had come back to embarrass him even more. The best Ulgar could do was to get it over with as soon as possible. He looked at his friend, expecting him to go outside while he was changing.

"What's the problem?", Luca asked amused as if he did not get the hint. It was fun and he loved the expression in Ulgar's eyes, a mix of confusion and frustration. "We're both guys after all."

Everything was the problem. Ulgar did not understand how Luca could be so ignorant about his own impact on him. Tease had turned into torture. And there was no escape, Luca was always gravitating around him like a mosquito having found the perfect victim. The black-haired teen sighed, surrendering. "Whatever." Choiceless, Ulgar took off his shirt. He hated to be Luca's plaything, hated how he was pleased to see that the other was happy.

Having imagined that Ulgar would kick him out, Luca was surprised. Recently, the other's reactions had become more and more unpredictable. Like when he had said he would not mind to see him in a dress. Luca blushed at the memory and focused his gaze on the ground. When he looked back up again, the purple-haired teen was surprised to see Ulgar half-naked in front of him.

He had thought little further than teasing the other, but now Luca found himself staring at his friend. Ulgar shirtless was hot. His gaze shifted over his upper body, marvelling at his muscles. Too soon for Luca's liking, the other slipped on the newly sewn shirt.

"What about the trousers?", Ulgar asked. The new top was more comfortable than he had thought. Sleeveless with a raised collar and perfectly fitting. It was not that he liked stripping in front of Luca, but at least they were even now.

Ulgar's question broke the spell and Luca shook his head. Damn, his black-haired friend was more dangerous than he had thought. Especially when he was shirtless. Trousers? Luca did not know whether he would survive this. How come that Ulgar beat him at his own game?

Luca did not manage to answer. A loud noise abruptly interrupted the silence. Scratching. Something hitting solid metal. The ground shook. The sounds were coming from outside.

"Something is attacking the Astra", Ulgar said and fear was showing in his eyes. What if the beast had found them? What if it was damaging the Astra beyond repair?