Time went by quickly and the day came where they were going to depart for Carvina. Juniper jumped aboard the smaller ship that he would take down to the planet with Demetrius and Gio, they were currently in the bridge ready to disembark. "Is everyone seated?'' Demetrius asked, turning on the engines.
Juniper and Gio were sitting further back and gave a nod.
"All right then, let's get underway." Demetrius pressed a button and the ship began to move forward. "Just sit tight, I'll explain everything once we hit atmosphere."
Juniper and Gio sat together on the seats opposite each other, both leaning against the wall. Gio leaned forward and tapped Juniper gently on the leg, pointing towards the screens above the captain's chair. Juniper looked up at the display and saw a close up of the planet they were going to land on. The screen showed a small green planet with a large red moon in orbit, it was surrounded by various shrouds of cloud.
Juniper remembered some of the information from the briefing with Demetrius earlier on. They would need to go into the atmosphere of the planet to find a suitable place to set down and visability would be poor at this time of day. The ship was travelling at a speed that allowed them to enter the atmosphere without much trouble, the gentle rocking of the ship made him feel slightly dizzy and he closed his eyes to focus. There was a loud rumble in his ears and he opened his eyes again to see a bright light streaming through a window. Finally they reached the planet, Demetrius shut off the engines and they slowly descended towards the surface.
The ship landed smoothly in a clearing between two mountains, just as Demetrius predicted visibility was poor. It took several minutes before they spotted a river flowing across their path. ''We will set up here," Demetrius said, setting the ship down carefully. ''We can camp out here tonight.
Juniper nodded, there was no point arguing because Demetrius knew what he was talking about, so they all got up to stretch and walk around.
''Let's gather wood and start a fire, also it may be beneficial to collect some food before dusk'' Demetrius suggested after walking over to the edge of the clearing. Juniper had been leaning against the wall and he followed Demetrius with his eyes. Gio was already collecting kindling and Juniper picked up a few twigs. Soon enough Demetrius returned with a pile of wood. He stacked the logs neatly near the fire pit and laid out the bedrolls and tents for himself.
''Um.. is there anything I can do?'' Juniper asked demurely.
Demetrius turned towards Juniper and smiled. "Yes, you can collect some food if you recognise it however don't go too far away, there should be enough in this forested area here.'' He pointed to a nearby trees and bushes.
Juniper went ahead and then felt awkward he didn't know if he could identify plants and trees. Luckily a bird flew past, carrying something in its beak, Juniper guessed it was a fruit. He ran towards the bird and caught up with it quickly. The bird dropped whatever it was and Juniper grabbed it with both hands, after walking further he soon found the tree with the fruit. It still made Juniper question why they didnt harvest these sorts of things elsewhere, it seemed like such a waste not to utilise the resources. He took off the outer shell and ate the flesh inside. It was sweet, refreshing and he loved the taste. He ended up eating one of the fruits before he returned back to where Demetrius and Gio were waiting, all of them gathered now.
"Found quite a haul I see" Demetrius said
Juniper walked next to him, looking into the basket Gio had brought. Some fish that he must have got from the river nearby, Juniper thought about what he could make using the fish and decided to do a simple stew. They deboned the fish and removed the organs before putting it in a pot and filled it with water, as soon as the water boiled, he poured it over the fish and herbs, adding more water once the vegetables floated to the top. Then finally when the steam began coming out of the pot he covered it, leaving it for awhile before serving. The smell wafting through the air tickled his nose and he sniffed appreciatively. It wasn't long until everyone had their own plate of food prepared, some even had seconds, Juniper was proud of himself. While everyone chatted together and ate, Juniper busied himself by tending to the fire. After the meal, he picked up some of the fruit he picked earlier and was about to take a bite when Demetrius stopped him.
"Don't eat that.'' Demetrius warned before taking it away
"What?" Juniper questioned
"It's called Vida Fruit." Demetrius explained "Its not that its poisonous... it was used in history as an aphrodisiac for females, back when people lived in a tribal society it was easier to copulate if the female ate the fruit.''
Juniper froze. "I-is it... then how long until the effects take place?'' Juniper asked worriedly he already felt warm, originally he thought it was from the hot food...
Demetrius furrowed his brows. "Well… you'll start feeling it in a couple hours, your body will begin responding to the stimulating ingredients in the fruit.''
Demetrius gave him a knowing look. "Did you eat it?''
Juniper nodded sheepishly.
Demetrius paused for a bit then sighed "We don't have much of a choice, were far away from Capital star we wont be able to get you medical assistance so,... we will need to deal with it.''