A Paradise World

The planet beyond the glass was... immaculate. Lush plains stretched away to the horizon, broken only by winding rivers and clumps of tall, fruit-laden trees. On the plains wandered countless strange animals in their thousands, looking something like a cross between a cow and an ostrich. The sky was a very pale blue, with two moons tracing parallel orbits on high.

Jenny let out a breath that she didn't know she'd been holding. God, it was gorgeous. There were always risks when colonising a new planet. Scans could be wrong, especially from a distance. They'd all heard the horror stories of colonists landing on supposedly habitable planets only to be confronted with barren wastes, unbreathable air or daily sun flares scorching all life from the surface. This time though, it seemed that their luck had held. New Nassau was everything that had been promised and more.

"Oh, thank god", she heard a voice behind her, and turned to see Mira staring out into the paradise of their new home. She'd met Mira in prep for the colony mission and they'd immediately got along, despite Jenny's background in alien biology and Mira's in security. The tough girl was looking rather flimsier than Jenny remembered, the rippling muscles she'd been so happy to show off before their lengthy cryosleep completely vanished. "It's actually habitable. When I saw that dopey look on your face I was afraid it was gonna be all water or something."

"Not all water," Jenny grinned at her friend, "Though there are some rivers, which makes our lives a lot easier. Fancy a swim?"

"Ugh, I can barely stand at the moment," Mira groaned, "It's gonna take forever to bulk up again. I hate cryo."

"Yeah, I feel like a wet noodle," Jenny agreed, "Let's go get some food in us. There's gonna be a lot to do to get this place up and running. Better to do it with a full stomach."

And with that, the two girls headed for the colony ship's canteen, following the general throng of defrosted colonists all heading in the same direction.