The man stared out the window into the face of an alien planet, examining its mountains and valleys, which were mere bumps and dents from a light year away. Stars shot past as the tin can of a ship hurtled through space faster than the speed of light. The planet grew ever larger as the ship approached it. Soon he would break its atmosphere, and land on the flattest piece of land he could find. He decided that it was time to get ready.

The man walked away from the window and towards a metal door on the opposite end of the corridor. He waved his hand in front of a small circle just to the right of it. The door rose with a quiet click. It slid back down behind him as he entered the room. To his left was a long, silver bench with extravagant arm rests on each end. To his right was a tall dresser with translucent doors and a small black box attached to its side. Through the doors the man could see a suit made of a metal material. The helmet was a round, dark sphere with antennae protruding from either side. The chest had many buttons and dials, no doubt used for many complicated functions. The legs and arms were long and thick, with thin ribs around the ankles and wrists.

The man approached the black box. He removed the lid and found a number pad. His fingers moved at a surprising speed, entering a long and complicated code. At the click of the last button, there was a loud crack. The doors on the dresser were sliding into the ground. The man retrieved the suit and began to pull it over his body. After putting on the suit the man connected many tubes from the helmet to the body. After connecting all the tubes the man pressed a large yellow button on his chest. Several lights came to life on the chest and inside the helmet. The man turned back towards the dresser. Hanging from a hook behind the suits previous resting place was a bag. He grabbed it and attached it to a hook on his shoulder.

Wearing his suit, the man left the room and approached the window again. The planet was only about a mile away. He was ready to land. He turned to his right and saw a door similar to the one leading to the dressing room. He waved his hand in front of the circle and entered. In here was a control panel with hundreds of knobs, buttons and levers. The man sat at a chair in front of the control panel. He pulled a red lever and the ship lurched backward. He raised it slowly to a point lower than before. The ship began to move at a slower speed. The man looked to a monitor on his right and saw the surface of the planet. It was only five hundred feet away according to a number on the top left of the monitor. The man pressed a button and a steering wheel emerged from a panel in the ground. The man grabbed the wheel and pulled back on it. The ship moved with the wheel, and was now aligned with the horizon. The man slowly pulled the red lever back. The ship’s speed slowed, and it fell towards the planet.

The ship landed gently on a large patch of grass surrounded by trees. After successfully landing the man stepped out of the ship and took a look around. As far as he could see there were tall, lush trees. The man pushed a blue button on his chest, and a flash of light shone from the ship. The man turned to the forest and began walking towards the clearest path he could take. He traveled for several minutes before he reached another clearing. Here, grazing the grass was an animal. It had short legs, and a plump body. Its neck was long and thick, its tail short and skinny. Its body was covered in a dark brown fur. The man took a step forward and the creature ran away at a surprising speed. The man jumped as it ran past him. He had not anticipated such speed from its short legs and fat body. He continued on through the forest in the direction he was originally going.

After another twenty minutes of walking, the man hit another clearing. He stayed in the bushes this time, not wanting to scare any creatures potentially grazing the grass. Through the leaves and twigs he saw an entire ecosystem. There were more of the speedy creatures he had seen before, all in a large group of about twenty. There were small green creatures scampering across the ground, carrying nuts and fruit to their homes. Hundreds of birds swooped in and out of the clearing, catching insects in their mouths. Large, hairless creatures with huge claws and jagged teeth basked in the sun. The man took a path around the clearing, careful not to disturb any of the wildlife.
The man travelled for another hour. The trees were becoming less frequent. As he went west there were more patches of soil and less grass. Eventually, he was out of the forest. In the distance were the mountains he had admired from afar earlier. He continued toward them, traversing rocks and bumps as he went. The mountains were nearer and nearer, until the man had to stop. Directly in front of him was a drop of at least three thousand feet.

He looked down into the canyon and saw a river flowing through it. Every hundred or so feet the river branched off into a small lake or pond, until it reached the eastern end of the canyon, where it flowed into an ocean. The man looked to the west and saw the source of the river, a large waterfall. It was about five hundred feet across. The size of the waterfall was almost absurd. The landing water produced a constant crashing sound. Had the man not worn his helmet, he would have had to cover his ears. The man headed towards the waterfall. He looked past it and saw another vast ocean, not unlike the one on the other end. The ocean was wide, and became thinner near the waterfall. The man grabbed a nearby stick and poked it into the thinnest section. It was very shallow, only knee high. The man walked across the river.

The man advanced towards the mountains. A line of them filled the horizon, jutting up like razors. To the left were larger ones, stretching higher than the man could see. To the right they were much smaller, simple hills compared to the others. The man headed for the smaller ones. After twenty minutes, he was at the base of the mountain. He picked this one because it rose gradually, while the others were very steep. The man moved from ledge to ledge up the mountain, until he reached the top.

Standing atop the mountain gave the man an incredible view of the surround area. Though it was not the tallest mountain, he could still see the canyon and forest from which he came. On the opposite side of the mountain was a low valley. It was filled with animals of all shapes and sizes. There were animals he had seen before, and all new ones. There was life everywhere. Insects flew about. Large buffalo like creatures with legs longer than their bodies grazed the grass. Birds roosted in trees and bushes. Creatures that looked like very short men with gray hair covering their bodies sat in the shade of the mountains. Plants were everywhere. There were bushes with berries growing on them, and trees bearing fruit. Life was abundant here.

The man began down the mountain again. He was now heading towards the valley. He moved slowly from ledge to ledge, careful not to lose his footing. He was now nearing the base of the mountain. He stopped on the third ledge from the bottom. Something had caught his eye. This ledge was larger than he others, and on it were several large boulders. One stood out in particular. It was about 3 feet wide and 5 feet tall. A shiny yellow metal seemed to protrude from it.

The man approached the boulder and unhooked the bag from his shoulder. He reached in and pulled out a pickaxe. The man began to slowly chip away at the metal, and with each strike the metal threw sparks toward him. The man was impatient. He drew back the pickaxe and struck the metal with great force. There was a flash and a loud bang, and the man was thrown back.

He landed at the base of the mountain, thrown back by the explosion. The precious metal was apparently explosive. He rose to his feet and looked around. There was total devastation. It seemed as if the entire valley was on fire. Animals ran in every direction, some on fire. The trees and plants were engulfed in flame. The fire was spreading. The man had landed on the west side of the mountain, close to where he came from. He ran as fast as he could towards where he came.

The canyon was no better. Boulders had fallen into the river, creating a dam. All the water from the waterfall was being backed up, causing mass flooding. Luckily for the man, the top of the waterfall was unaffected. He ran across the same shallow water he had walked across before. He was almost to the ship.

The forest was in a similar state to the valley. Almost everything was on fire. There were no live animals to be seen. Every few moments the man had to make a detour around another flaming tree, or away from where he saw smoke. After nearly an hour of running, he finally saw the ship. As he ran toward it, he reached to his chest and hit a blue button. The ships lights flashed and stairs fell from the entrance. The man climbed aboard and went to the control panel.

The man frantically hit many buttons and levers. The ship rose into the sky and zoomed off. As he left the atmosphere at a speed faster than light, the man looked out the window. It seemed as if the whole planet was on fire. In a few days the entire thing would be dead. The man went back to the control room and hit an orange button. From a circle on the ceiling appeared a hug star map. Planets were everywhere. The man looked to one nearby and set his course. He went back to his window and watched as he approached the new planet, examining its bumps and grooves, its colors and details. This time would be better.