text: On the edge of our neighboring galaxy, we found a planet, wild and untamed. We looked from far up above the atmosphere, in awe of this beautiful new world. It was a marble of swirling colors with a spiraling dance in its alien sky, as if it were inviting us in. As the space shuttle landed, a small capsule of only 45 souls, we took our first steps on the foreign soil. We were pioneers like never before, extending humanity's reach to the beyond the galaxy, confident in our ability to conquer it like our home planet. Not only was it a goal, it was a necessity. Either we would make it our new home, or this strange planet would devour us. Our journey began. The planet seemed barren as our caravan trekked the land. A vibrant orange sky, with vast plains of yellow soil, with looming mountains in the far distance. What little grew was meek and insubstantial. The days were long, bright, and hot, as night only came after 46 hours of unrelenting sun. When the sun did hide itself, it was behind massive swirling clouds, often followed by a heavy fall of acidic rain. The thick air was almost unbreathable, breathing apparatus was kept on almost constantly. Pieces of equipment that were supposed to last us months had shut down within weeks due to unforeseen levels of shifting radiation. Traversing this world became difficult as terrain became more and more rugged. This wasteland did not want us on it, and it made sure to make us aware of it. Yet even with all of these struggles, we were still invigorated, persistent to keep moving forward. We thought of the stories of Lewis and Clark, the tales of Ponce de Leon, Magellan and Columbus, the greatest pioneers to have ever lived. We would never say it aloud, but we knew we had them all beat at their own game. We would make history among the greatest. That is, if we could survive the constant treachery of this planet. We knew the risks, knew we would be met with the terrifying and the untamed. Together, we stood the course. Several months had passed since our landing, and we had created a base camp for ourselves. After weeks of hard labor and sweat, we unloaded what tech survived the journey and had finally set up the base. It was a small, rugged base of operations, but it was our new home, a place that was completely ours. We had finally started to make progress on taming this wild planet, this was our fresh start. Purification systems were set in place, and clean water became plentiful. Crops were a slow process, but began to grow in the harsh, acidic soil. With all these newfound successes, new problems arose. We had time now, time to ourselves, time to think without constant work or tasks to keep us busy. We all imagined our future on this planet. The flight here was a one-way trip, and we all knew that this planet would keep us for the rest of our lives. We thought of home. Who could have known it would be so difficult without our menial comforts. One of us just wants a cup of fresh coffee. Another is longing to sit on a sunny shore. One just wanted to see their mother, for just one last time. These things are gone. This planet was home now, and we were all we had left. Pioneers had to sacrifice. Our pointless mourning had diverted our attention, allowing us to be the perfect victims for a surprise assault from nature itself. Looming in the distance, a storm was coming, bigger than we could have ever anticipated. Sixty-thousand feet tall, the radiant clouds rolled low and heavy, thunder clapped in its swirling clouds. Like an omen, the sun was completely swallowed as we were thrown into darkness. We hunkered down best we could, bracing ourselves for the disaster to come. It was imperative to protect the home we had built, allowing our efforts to be destroyed before us was unfathomable. Our home base was built for storms, but this was something else. Just like that, we were in the middle of it, and nature’s fury came tearing through us. Many of the smaller buildings began to collapse, ending whoever poor souls were inside. Our crops were torn straight from the ground, and whatever survived would be flooded with the rain. Vital equipment was flung and destroyed, solar panels were quickly thrown ripped from their base. Our largest building, the main base of operations, swayed sickeningly as the hurricane’s forces tried to knock it over. The heavy concentration of acid rain would tear away through its protective plating, letting radiation creep inside. This storm would last for fifteen hours before it finally passed over, robbing our budding ambition with it. The planet had conquered us in a single act. From the 45 of us who joined aboard the crew, only 26 of us would survive the storm. We sent a final distress signal out into the stars, our admittal of defeat. This harsh world had won. The signal itself would take years to reach Earth and our failures would be but a speck in this planet's vicious history by the time anyone would learn of it. The entire voyage felt short, surreal. Each of us truly believed we were going to succeed on this wild planet, yet here we were hopeless to its apathetic order. In one swift blow, it proved to us that it would never let us be its master. Our last visions were the same, the view of it’s beautiful dancing sky, still in awe of its impossible colors. We now know it was never an invitation, but a trap, it was a siren's call to lead us into its depths. It took us in as a part of itself, our new home forever.