Two hours into Frag and Sparx's watch the ship's sensors detected the planet. The alarms went off waking the crew from their cryo sleep.
The lid of the cryo tube lifted. Rubbing his eyes, Rath sat up. With his fingers interlocked and over his head, he popped his arm and shoulder joints.
Sighing, "Time to earn our keep," he remarked getting out of the tube.
"Few more minutes," mumbled Raven laying on her stomach.
Pushing her shoulders, "Can't. The clock has been punched."
"Go away," covering her head with the pillow.
"You never were a morning person," he mumbled walking to their foot locker.
Opening it, he pulled out his and Raven's coveralls, shirts, and boots. Putting his clothes on, he kept his eyes on the still sleeping Raven. They shouldn't been sharing the same tube, but there wasn't enough time to finish their little discuss so it got carried over to his tube.
Tying his shoes, he stared at her again. Her head was still under the pillow. Gripping the edge of the white sheet, he pulled it away to revealing Raven's bare feet. Continuing, he saw her legs then her bare butt. Stopping, he raised his left hand and brought it across Raven's rump.
"Hey!" shooting straight up.
"Get dressed," kissing her cheek, "I'll be outside waiting," walking out of the room.
"If I hate him so much," she thought staring at the closed door, "then why do I love him just as much?"
Getting up, she got dressed quickly never getting her answer.
Arriving on the bridge with Rath, Raven stared at the six of the ten other members of this expedition that Rath got her on.
Deckland, the leader of this expedition, was a Chameleo. His skin color changed according to room temperature. Currently his skin was blue green. His assistant, Frag, was a batgaroo. Her head was a bat, but her legs were like a kangaroo occasionally her feet were used as hands.
Desmond, Sparx, Loria, and Geist were armadiles and the hired guns. Their brown scaled skin acted like armor.
The remaining members were in the engine room. Gog was amalawian while Vril was a robot. Gog's head remained Raven of a frog and his neck couldn't move unless he turned his waist.
With help from Rath, Raven discovered Frag, Sparx, and Loria were the females. She didn't believe him cause how in the hell could he know the difference.
They strapped themselves to their chairs before the ship started to enter the planet's atmosphere. The shaking ship reminded Raven how much she hated flying in ships. Sparx and Geist piloted the ship during reentry.
Shaking stopped allowing the sensors to be turned on.
"No storms to report," said Sparx.
"And our destination?" asked Deckland.
"At least hundred miles from us," reported Geist, "Surrounded by ten miles of proof dirt."
"Proof dirt?" thought Raven.
"Soft, loose, dry dirt that like act like quicksand," answered Rath inside Raven's head.
"How many times did I tell you not to enter my mind without asking?"
"Enough to know when to answer your question."
"Please ask next time."
"I'll try to remember."
"You better or you won't be able to walk next time."
"Sounds interesting."
"Shut up."
"Bring the pyramid on the screen," from Deckland stopped Rath's reply.
Sparx flipped the switch for the crew to see the pyramid.
"There's the reason why we're here," said Deckland.
"Stacked boxes," mumbled Raven.
"Not again," thought Rath.