Beeza and the peaceful race she lead were petite blue aliens with white irises and black sclera and were commonly known as Leisurians. The Leisurians dedicated themselves to providing rest and relaxation for weary travelers and as travelers, Wander and Sylvia benefited from this service one day before a giant dog named 'Buster' attacked Beeza's home planet. With Wander and Sylvia's help, Buster's fur would eventually become home to Beeza and her Leisurians.
On another day, this same dog would pay a visit to Gardenia in the skies of which it could be seen scratching and biting at his fur. During this visit, The Leisurians descended down to the surface where they enjoyed the peace and quiet of Gardenia and quickly made friends with Citrus and Blossom. At the same time, Beeza meets with Wander, Sylvia, and a few of the many, many Dombots that watched over the planet.
"Beeza! How have you been!?" Wander asked happily with Sylvia by his side.
"We have been swell. Especially after the taming of Buster" Beeza reveals with pride.
"Thank goodness. Don't want him attacking Gardenia" Sylvia remarks.
"Indeed. Now dear Wander, we come seeking your help" Beeza asked bowing respectfully.
"Helping folks is my middle name! What seems to be the problem?" Wander asked eager to lend a hand.
"I think the problem is pretty obvious" Sylvia intercepts. "Buster's got fleas?"
"I am afraid Buster has fleas" Beeza confirms under sounds of Buster whining and scratching away.
"Ooh, we had a bit of a problem like that ourselves not too long ago" Sylvia recalls.
"And we had just the solution to the problem! Anti-flea shampoo" Wander says pulling out a bottle out of his hat and handing it to Beeza.
Beeza looks at the bottle and then up at Buster.
"I think Buster's gonna need more than one bottle" Sylvia points out.
Wander reaches into his hat to pull out many more bottles. Then Buster is lead to a wide river where many Dombots get to work: armed with brushes, the Dombots lathered and scrubbed at Buster's fur as many Leisurians admired from afar.
Then Dominator descends from the Domship to observe the giant dog being bathed in the river.
"Heya Dee" Sylvia greets approaching. "Done fixing up Dombots?"
"For now" Dominator updates. "What's with the giant dog? Something I should know about?"
"Bit of a long story" Sylvia answers before giving Dominator a swift history lesson. Wander then notices Dominator and is quick to approach with Beeza following.
"Dee!" Wander lets out. "This is Beeza! Beeza, this is Dee!"
"Wander has told me of you. A pleasure to finally meet you" Beeza says bowing.
"Likewise" Dominator bows back. "I understand Wander helped you with this giant dog here?"
"Indeed he did. We are forever in his debt" Beeza confirms.
"Never hurts to help!" Wander announces.
"And I understand Wander helped you with a reformation of sorts?" Beeza asks.
"You could say that" Dominator responds not fond of recalling what she used to be. "You could say Wander saved my life" she adds while Wander walks up to Dominator to grasp her hand gently.
"Goodness! That sounds most noble" Beeza praises. "You must fill me in on the details."
"I would love to" Dominator agrees as Wander raises his hand, "but I think Wander's trying to say something."
"Dee, I was just thinking while Buster is being treated for fleas, we could welcome Beeza and her folks to this planet" Wander suggests. "We have Citrus and Blossom so far but there's still so much room here!"
"Oh! We do not wish to intrude" Beeza objects.
"Nonsense! There's plenty of room here on Gardenia!" Wander points out.
"Beeza and her folks are good people" Sylvia directs Dominator's way. "Can't go wrong."
"I don't see why not" Dominator shrugs.
"Great! Thank you Dee!" Wander says before landing a kiss on Dominator's lips. "You haven't lived 'til you've relaxed at a relaxatorium! Beeza! We gotta build one on this planet! Build one and so much more!"
"Wander, you are most righteous" Beeza compliments and several moments later, Wander, some Dombots, Beeza, and other Leisurians were carrying out construction on a relaxatorium, Sylvia and Dominator watching from a distance away.
"You look lost in thought" Sylvia directs at Dominator. "What's on your mind?"
"It's been almost a whole year since we first met" Dominator observes. "Almost feels like an anniversary so I wanna do something nice for the occasion. Something he'll like."
"That would be very considerate!" Sylvia compliments.
"You remember the first time we met?"
"Ha! How could I forget?" Sylvia chuckles. "Wander just insisted on entering the Domship, friendship basket at the ready! And most of what you did was give him, give us the cold shoulder."
"I was focused on drilling the planet under us at the time" Dominator recalls. "The little orange guy with big green hat and basket in hand was the last thing I could concern myself with at the time. I thought of him as just another dunce who I'd make kneel before my onslaught!.. Little did I know I'd owe him my life one day and he'd become my better half" Dominator finishes in a gentler tone.
Sylvia smiled at Dominator and Dominator smiled back.
"So!.. Ideas! Always the toughest part... I'd like some help with ideas" Dominator says.
"Wander's not a complicated fella, Dee. A small gesture can leave a big impact as long as it's from right here" Sylvia says with one hand over her heart.
"...The heart?"
"The heart. That's right" Sylvia confirms. The two then get lost in thought again. "Still feels like we're at square one here huh?" Sylvia admits.
"...Not quite" Dominator says with a clever look in her eye. "You've known him longer than me. Tell me about a time you saw him super happy."
"The time he thought you were coming around and giving up your evil ways" Sylvia answers.
"That sounds like Wander but I'm not going bad just to go good again."
"Alright" Sylvia says. "Another time was when I took him with me to see my family: my mother, grandma, and brothers. He was so happy, his hat popped!"
"A family visit huh?" Dominator voices. "...I think I've found my battle plan."
"Yeah, I admit this isn't gonna be easy... Wait... What?"
A tense quiet takes over.
"Dee, your family? A visit to YOUR family!?" Sylvia almost gasps.
"If Wander will love it, why not?" Dominator asks. A shocked Sylvia opens her mouth before closing it again.
-=episode title=-
THE HIDDEN PLANET
-=episode title=-
"Ooh! I like surprises!" Wander said when he, Sylvia, Beep Boop, and Dominator loaded into Sylvia's ship Sylver Lightning.
"Then I hope you will love it where we're going" Dominator says as Sylvia piloted.
"If it's coming from you Dee, I will love it wherever it is" Wander assures while he, Dominator, and Beep Boop gathered around a table where a tabletop game had been set up.
"I hope so" Dominator remarks as Sylvia returns from the cockpit.
"Sylver's on auto-pilot" Sylvia informs. "I'm ready to get my game on!"
Wander, Dominator, Sylvia, and Beep Boop played a game of "Oiram's Party", a tabletop game featuring a game board atop which players advanced after a rolling of dice and cards that offered items for use during board traversal. In between rounds, minigames like ring toss, bowling pin knockdown, and Simon says games were played for in-game currency.
Thirty minutes later, Sylvia was standing with a throw dart in hand and a bullseye at the other side of the room.
"Watch me hit dead center!" Sylvia boasts.
"Get it Syl!" Wander cheers on.
"We're supposed to be trying to beat her, Wander" Dominator reminds.
"And I'm just trying to have fun. Everyone wins if they just aim to have fun" Wander advises sagely.
Sylvia tosses her dart for it to land below center.
"Rats!" Sylvia lets out snapping her fingers.
"Not bad Syl!" Wander praises.
"Yeah but could have been better" Sylvia laments.
"My turn" Beep Boop says before taking aim.
"Good luck Beep Boop!" Wander cheers.
"Here's hoping I didn't design you guys too well" Dominator jokes before Beep Boop's dart lands very close to center.
"Wow! So close" Wander says. "Good one Beep Boop!"
"Calculations not entirely accurate. Arm not optimal for dart tossing" Beep Boop excuses.
"Just have fun, Beep Boop" Wander says patting Beep Boop.
"Fun was had, Lord Wander" Beep Boop replies.
"Good!" Wander says with a smile.
"You two have the fun all you want. Competition is what I find fun" Sylvia voices upbeat.
"And I'm up. Syl, watch me hit center!" Dominator says aiming her throw dart.
"Miss! Miss! Miss!" Sylvia chants pumping her arms.
Dominator's dart hits center.
"Haha! How you like that, Syl!?" Dominator celebrates.
"Yeah yeah. Ya got lucky!" Sylvia waves off.
All four return to the table to start next round.
"Whatever. It's time I use my warp pipe" Sylvia boasts tossing a card down with a pipe pictured on it.
"You get your diamonds while you can" Dominator challenges. "I'm still winning in the end."
"We'll see about that" Sylvia counters while trading in 15 gold coins for a diamond.
A beeping is then heard from the cockpit prompting Sylvia to check on it.
"Sounds like we're closing in on destination" Sylvia announces.
"Okay, we're hitting pause on the game" Dominator says before she, Beep Boop, and Wander join Sylvia in the cockpit.
"We're close according to Sylver's navigator... But I don't see much" Sylvia says looking out Sylver's front window.
"Trust my coordinates" Dominator advises, she too scanning the star-filled expanse of space before Sylver.
After a minute of searching by naked eye, Wander spots what at first looked like a speck of dust.
"There!" a pointing Wander lets out.
All four focus and the speck of dust began to grow larger in their sights. In moments, it reveals itself to be a planet. This planet looked very much like most other habitable planets with their typical blue and green and the white on mountain tops. Of note however was the numerous volcanoes that dotted the land, their mouths glowing with molten rock.
"D-D-Dee! DEE!" Wander starts with mounting excitement. "I-i-is this where I THINK IT IS!?"
"My home planet?" Dominator questions. "Yes."
"WOW!" Wander exclaims holding his head, his smile almost threatening to leave his face. Wander rushes towards a window eager to start exploring. "I can't believe it!"
Sylvia retakes control of Sylver and eases it into the planet's atmosphere.
"Dominator, what do you call this planet?" Sylvia asks as Sylver flew above terrain Wander was hungrily surveying.
"We call this planet Atena" Dominator reveals. "And just like you call yourself a Zbornak, we call ourselves Nefai."
"Nefai? That's the first time I've ever heard of your species" Sylvia admits.
"There's a reason for it. People on Atena try to keep to themselves. They're very isolationist" Dominator explains.
"Eh, most of the galaxy is if you think about it" Sylvia says shrugging. "This planet isn't on any planetary charts though. Never seen anything like that with previous planets."
Sylvia lands Sylver Lightning in a clearing and Wander was the first to burst out of it. His eyes darted all over the place eager to take in as much as they could.
The first thing Wander and Sylvia noted was how dim the local star in the sky was compared to most other local stars in the skies of other planets. Despite Atena's star being directly above, the sky still looked dark almost as though it were night. Another thing to note was how alike plant life on Atena was to plant life on other planets. Plants on Atena were a noticeably darker green however, likely to absorb as much light as possible from the dim star above.
Sylvia was also the first to feel how unusually warm the ground felt on her bare feet though she kept this to herself at first. In one direction there was a thin forest and in another direction, clearing for days save for what she was sure was a volcano rising out of the horizon.
"Wander, what do you think so far?" Dominator asks.
"Dee, let's get going!" Wander exclaims almost running off.
"Slow down buddy" Sylvia intercepts picking Wander up with her tail. "Dominator's our tour guide. Let her take lead."
"That's right" Dominator confirms. "You've been my tour guide before on other planets. Figured it'd be nice I be your tour guide for a change."
"Dee, please lead the way" Wander requests as Sylvia hands him over.
"It would be an honor" Dominator says placing Wander on her shoulder.
The three walk on with Beep Boop hovering by. Sylvia had her phone out snapping photos of the faint sun above and all that proved interesting enough. Wander meanwhile was more than satisfied riding Dominator's shoulder and taking in the sights.
"Where will we be heading?" Wander ventures to ask.
"That's another surprise awaiting you" Dominator tempts.
"Dee! You spoil me!" Wander praises. Shortly after, he notices a field filled with flower buds that sat on the ground and had petals that reminded Wander of flames. "Dee, can we go check those out?"
"As you wish" Dominator says.
All four begin a stroll through said field and from atop Dominator's shoulder, Wander could see a faint glow of some sort in between the seams of the flower buds. Having never seen such a phenomena, Wander hops down to get a closer look.
"Dee, what's in these buds?" Wander asks gently probing the flower bud.
"Guess" Dominator answers simply.
"Magma?" Sylvia guesses while taking pictures.
"Maybe. Wanna pry one open?" Dominator asks.
"Goodness no!" Wander objects. "One should never rush a flower bud! We shall leave it closed" he declares while caressing a flower bud. "I'm sure they'll open when ready."
"Always so considerate" Sylvia and Dominator say at the same time while Beep Boop approaches another bud and taps at the topmost tip.
"Open for Lord Wander" Beep Boop orders and almost at once, the flower bud lets out what sounded like a burp, expelling what looked like glowing embers up into the air.
"Ya hear that!?" Sylvia asks.
"I think we all heard it" Dominator says as the same bud opened up to reveal what looked like glowing magma at the center of the now-open flower.
"Is that magma!?" Wander gasps approaching.
"Dee? These some sort of magma flower?" Sylvia asks as she took photos.
"I'm not sure" Dominator admits. "I may have grown up on this planet but I never took much interest in flowers..."
"Wander! What are you doing!?" Sylvia lets out upon seeing Wander tap at the magma center of the flower.
"Seems okay, Syl. It looks like magma but it's not hot like it" Wander learns. "It's warm."
"No radiation detected" Beep Boop informs after a scan. "Lord Wander, no danger of radiation detected."
"Ah, good to hear!" Wander acclaims.
"But what if it's poisonous?" Sylvia alerts pulling Wander back.
"No poison detected" Beep Boop informs after another scanning.
"...Good" Sylvia approves again before another burp-like ejection is heard with more embers expelled up into the air by another newly-opened flower.
"Maybe that's how these flowers bloom?" Wander says with wonder and more unfurlings are heard before anyone can respond.
"Probably so" Sylvia says making sure to record the bloomings now going on around them.
Not long after, all four move on towards the volcano in the distance at Dominator's recommendation. During this trek, Wander looks up to behold flocks of birds that looked like crows covered in ash and glowing like fading coals.
The volcano drew close, the terrain the party was traversing starting to feel warmer to Sylvia's bare feet.
"Ground's getting sort of warm on my feet" Sylvia finally lets it be known.
"Makes sense. There's magma underground, it's how this planet gets most of its warmth" Dominator says recalling some of her school days years ago. "You want me to make you some rock shoes?"
"If it gets unbearable, I'll let you know. Thanks" Sylvia says. "Why are we heading towards this volcano anyways?"
"You'll see in a bit" Dominator answers when Wander notices the head of a crocodile-like creature poking its head out of the ground a distance away along with magma oozing out of the same hole.
"Crocodile!" Wander alerts after a gasp.
"Looks like one doesn't it?" Dominator responds as the creature climbed out revealing its great length and armor-like scales. Its eyes then focused on Wander. "We call 'em Lava Lizards and I think that one thinks of you as lunch."
"Oh dear. Sorry Mister Lava Lizard but I'm afraid I'm not lunch" Wander explained to the lizard which seemed close to dashing towards Wander. Dominator then steps protectively in front of Wander.
"Sorry buddy but he's spoken for" Dominator proclaims only for the Lava Lizard to start growling amid occasional flicks of its forked tongue. "You want a piece of me, bub!?" she challenges staring the wild creature down.
"Dee, please be careful!" Wander urges as the Lava Lizard opened its crocodile-like jaws only to snap them shut menacingly.
"Yeah, why risk it?" Sylvia adds.
"Relax you two. I used to play with these guys all the time" Dominator informs. "Just watch and learn" she goes on before approaching her opponent. The lizard keeps its long jaws open and ready to close on whatever limb came within reach. Dominator steps closer only to hop back quickly with a "whoa!" after a lunge from the giant jaws.
"Be careful!" Wander shouts.
"These things are clumsy and slow if they're not swimming. I got this" Dominator assures gently pushing away another lunge with her palm. She then places hands on top and bottom jaw to force the mouth shut. "These jaws are only strong when closing. They're weak when opening so I can hold these shut with my bare hands."
Unable to open its mouth, the Lava Lizard seems to go docile for a moment and Dominator releases her hold.
"See guys? No big deal" Dominator says just before the lizard begins to thrash about angrily and managing to actually bite down on Dominator's arm.
"AAAAAAAHHhh!" Wander and Sylvia scream in terror as Beep Boop deploys robotic claws of his own to help.
"Did you guys forget I've got armor?" Dominator asks deploying said armor which proved too strong for the lizard's bite. Dominator lifts her armored arm lifting the heavy lizard up with it effortlessly. "Okay, you bore me. Now get out of here" Dominator orders before blasting the lizard with frigid air causing the cold-blooded lizard to release and scurry away. "Lava Lizards were among my favorite growing up. They still are: such fearsome apex predators!"
Dominator withdraws her armor and rejoins Wander and Sylvia.
"Didn't scare you guys too badly I hope" Dominator says.
"Dee, please don't do that again" Wander asks hopping up into Dominator's arms.
"I won't. I've had my fill now" Dominator says.
Beep Boop then flies ahead nearing the mouth of the volcano and returns shortly after a scan.
"Lord Wander, several Lava Lizards detected ahead. For your safety, please retreat from this area" the Probe Dombot advised.
"I'd like some more photos. My brothers will love these I'm sure" Sylvia says wielding her phone.
"Let's sightsee out of harm's way" Wander suggests pulling out Orbble juice.
"And he's with me" Dominator adds. "I'll take care of him, rest assured."
"Understood. Thank you" Beep Boop accepts and soon, all four find themselves floating above the volcano. Down below, Lava Lizards were both digging into the ground and digging themselves out of it like gophers, lava oozing out all the while. Even more Lava Lizards were spotted swimming in the magma inside the volcano.
"What is with the magma on this planet?" Sylvia had to ask amid her picture-taking. "Doesn't seem to burn anything."
"Nope" Dominator says proudly. "The magma on this planet is life-giving."
"Like water?" Wander asks.
"Like water" Dominator confirms. "Our hot tubs have lava in 'em."
"That is odd" Sylvia comments.
"Can we go hot tubbing later?" Wander asks.
"You read my mind" Dominator answers.
"Hey, now I gotta ask" Sylvia speaks up. "What's the difference between magma and lava?"
"Magma is lava when it's underground" Dominator educates. "Lava is magma when it spurts out of the ground. One of the first things we all learn on this planet but they both mean the same thing in everyday usage" she shrugs.
"Thanks. I'll try to remember that" Sylvia answers.
Wander scans the horizon seeing storm clouds in the distance. "This place doesn't also rain lava does it?"
"Now you're just being silly" Dominator answers. "Just plain rain."
"City! Dee, there's a city! Let's go check it out!" Wander asks excitedly.
"Sylvia, Beep Boop, ready to move on?" Dominator asks.
"If Lord Wander is ready then so am I" Beep Boop says.
"Yeah, I think I got my fill of lizard photos" Sylvia says tapping at her phone.
"Alright! Later gators!" Dominator says waving at the Lava Lizards below.
"D-Dee!.. A-are we gonna MEET YOUR FAMILY!?" an excited Wander questions with one hand over his mouth, the other over his chest fearful his heart was about to stop.
"Maybe" Dominator teases watching Wander trembling from trying to contain himself. "Let's just take it easy for now and have fun sightseeing" she says and Wander nods with watery eyes.
All four head for the city on the horizon, Nefai Dominator eager to show them around a city on Atena. Though slightly less eager about it, she too looked forwards to eventually introducing Wander to her family and her family to Wander.
Author's note: Apologies, it sort of feels like I'm meandering but I don't want to just jump into the thick of the action. A nice build up to more meaningful moments is my preferred approach. That and I'm a fan of slice of life so I like including more tame and laid back moments. That said, thanks for reading! More to come.
