Chapter 1
The hot sun scorched the deserted surface of the planet mercilessly. The vast sands stretched in every direction as far as the eye could see. The monotonous landscape was broken only occasionally by weathered rocks and the dried remains of long-dead animals.
Suddenly a growing rumble pierced the silence. It grew louder and louder until a rapidly falling dot appeared in the sky. It was a starship hurtling toward the planet’s surface.
— Damn it! — The pilot swore, trying unsuccessfully to level the ship’s descent.
The hull of the starship was red-hot as it entered the planet’s atmosphere. A plume of smoke and flames followed the ship. The pilot struggled with the controls, but gravity pulled the starship inexorably downward.
A huge cloud of sand rose into the air as the ship crashed onto the planet’s surface. For several long and minutes, clouds of dust obscured the crash site. When the sandstorm subsided, a depressing picture was revealed to the eye — the mangled wreckage of a starship scattered across the scorched earth.
The scorching rays of the planet’s two suns quickly heated the hull metal. The air around the crash site shook with unbearable heat. Not a single sign of life could be seen around — just endless desert in all directions.
In the distance, the silhouettes of craggy mountains, scarred by winds and sandstorms, could be seen. Their jagged peaks jutted like sharp fangs into the pale blue sky. On the horizon hung two gas giants, the moons of the planet, giving the landscape a truly alien appearance.
The sand around the wreckage of the starship was strewn with bones. The skeletons of unknown creatures, white in the sun, were a reminder of how inhospitable this planet was. Only occasionally did a skittish lizard slip between the rocks, one of the few living things that could survive in this harsh environment.
A gust of hot wind blew over the wreckage, sending a cloud of sand into the air. Dust clogged every crevice of the wrecked ship. The planet itself seemed eager to swallow and bury the uninvited guest beneath the sands.
The only signs of life were sparse, stunted shrubs clinging by their roots to the meager soil. Their twisted branches reached for the sky, as if begging for a breath of water. But there was no mercy to be expected from this planet.
The air shook with unbearable heat. Even the shadows could not hide from the scorching rays of the two suns. The air itself seemed so hot that it was unbreathable. Any living creature that found itself here unprotected was doomed to die a painful death from thirst and heat.
The sand dunes stretched as far as the horizon. Their crests were constantly shifting in the hot wind, like the surface of a gigantic ocean. But instead of cool waves, there were only tons of hot sand, ready to swallow any careless traveler.
In the distance could be seen several skeletons of giant animals. Their bones, bleached by the merciless sun, were a reminder of a time when this planet had been more hospitable. Now the remains served only as a grim reminder of what awaited any creature that ventured into the desert.
