Sophia had synched ship day to local planetary daytime. The difference happened to be small, barely noticeable.

And the day had been a busy one for Pete. Incoming reports from Sophia and from crew members confirmed that the landing was a full success, with only minor issues. One of the hydroponic tanks had not closed correctly, its water spilling over a section of the farming department, making a complete mess of things. But people were already taking care of that. A few passengers had suffered minor injuries during deceleration, the worst one being the broken leg of a woman who seemed to have failed to close her cot properly.

Claudio, the Head Scientist, had started briefing Pete on the next steps they had to take, citing from the protocols for settlement that had been prepared decades ago on another planet. Pete was mildly astonished how much Claudio knew about this because the science crew was known to spend most of its time devising new ways to distill unholy liquids from anything fermented.

Pete quickly decided that the complex settlement protocol even topped Ship Law on his list of least favorite topics. Passive observation of the surroundings for weeks, it suggested, only then followed by short exploratory trips, all under careful surveillance from the observation satellites that Sophia had left in orbit.

Pete wanted to see what was outside, right now.

He had no plans to spend the next weeks in passive observation.

When he returned to his cabin in the evening, he was exhausted, but there was an urge stirring within him, a yearning to step out and to explore.

Janet had rearranged the furniture, trying to adapt it to the fact that the wall was now the floor. After he had clambered through the door, which was now wider than high, she greeted him with a kiss. "Hello," she said, "my valiant explorer. Explorer of a new world."

Yes, he realized, this is who they were now. Explorers. And he was their leader. He grinned. Then he kissed Janet some more.

Later, they were lying in bed. Janet was sleeping soundly beside him, but Pete's thoughts of the adventures awaiting him didn't let him sleep.

Ralph may have had a point with his idea of the descent. This is what they were here for, after all.

"Sophia!" he whispered into his comm unit.

"Yes, Captain."

"Where's Ralph?"

"Ralph Marker has abandoned the vessel, Captain. "

"What?" Pete sat up at the edge of the bed, evoking a muttering from Janet. "You mean he has gone... outside?"

"Yes, he has gone outside. He exited through one of the airlocks. Images from the observation satellites show him heading east. Then he disappears into a forest."

"Do you know where he is now?"

"No. The images show no trace of him until sunset. And now it's dark outside, so visual tracking doesn't work. And the infrared images don't have sufficient resolution to detect an individual human planetside."

"Keep looking for him, as soon as the sun rises again. And report immediately when you locate him."

"Understood, Captain."

What was Ralph doing out there?