[If everyone looks up at the screens spread through the ship, you will see our next destination approaching.

The planet has a nearly identical atmospheric composition to that aboard Terminus, with no sentient population but a large mammal population and nearly complete plant life coverage.

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It was terraformed in the distant past, but the original colonists were evacuated centuries ago. They found the primitive living conditions that their forebearers had created to be intolerable, so when they managed to regain the technology to contact a passing ship, they requested evacuation.

Since then, the planet has been uninhabited, with few visitors, thanks to its location off the main trade routes and its lack of mineral resources. The planet itself was made almost entirely of basalt, with no other precious resources worth mentioning, making a mining colony or self-sustaining advanced civilization untenable.] Nico’s voice informed everyone.

With the announcement out, Max went looking for the Illithid group, as they would have all of the safety data that he would need to determine if it was actually safe enough to let the tourists go down to the planet. He had gathered as much data as possible from the ship’s sensors to make the determination, but they had more information than he did about themselves and the Innu, so they would know if he had overlooked something important.

Plus, it was basically a default setting Human terraformed colony. That wasn’t something that you get a chance to just come across every day. It would make an excellent addition to their records and a great segment for the video crew that was aboard Terminus if they could get down to the surface to video it properly.

They could rely on the drones to do the work, but that might not get all the footage that they wanted, and it might not be in the quality they were expecting since the technology was so much different between the two species.

[We see your data. It all looks safe, though we recommend that you cordon off the following areas. The woods north of sector C2, the base of the waterfall, where the impact of the falling water may cause injuries and trap swimmers underwater, and the cliffs in x9, where a toxic species of fungal life has been found.

It appears benign to humans, but it is a strong hallucinogen to the Innu.]

The Illithid warning about not letting the Innu have magic mushrooms made Max laugh, which confused the mind readers.

[Are hallucinogenic drugs not a thing in your Alliance? Humans are known to use them recreationally.] Max informed them.

[Interesting. No, I don’t think I know of any species that ingest toxins recreationally for the side effects. Even the toxic smoke that many of the infantrymen are fond of is unheard of elsewhere. Humans really are an interesting species, developing their own resistances forcefully as a form of recreation and relying on their Artificial Intelligence augmentations to heal and prevent damage to their bodies.]

When they put it that way, it did sound a bit extreme. Especially since humans did that even knowing that it would lead them to a slow death.

Max posted the guidelines for the excursion, following the Illithid’s advice, and added an option for guests to sign up for a shore excursion.

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The result was unanimous. Everyone wanted to go, and Max was pretty sure that would include most of his own crew if they were given the choice.

But someone needed to remain on Terminus, and someone needed to guard the tourists, so he couldn’t just give everyone the day off. But what he could do was rotate them. Have them operate in shifts since they each had their own Cutter to get around in. Three off to begin with, with one active on the surface and one on Terminus, then two on guard and one returning to Terminus for the evening.

"Is it really fine for us to take shore leave with all that has gone on?" One of the infantry officers asked when Max passed their barracks.

"Of course it is. Transit time has always been personal time unless training duties are assigned by the Regimental Commander. So, as long as he doesn’t object, there is no part of the regulations that say that you can’t accompany the teams to the surface for the day." Max informed the Corporal.

"Sweet. Cliff diving it is, and we only have to convince the Commander." The man’s squad mates cheered.

Max didn’t have the heart to tell the man that the cliffs were in the areas designated as off-limits. They could either find out or find a way around the rules when they got there. The infantry was good like that.

They were truly impressive too. Twenty meters high, with crystals lining the bottom pool, they sent shimmering rainbows through the air around them. It would be an incredible experience to dive off of them.

The planet’s vicinity was as vacant as expected when they arrived, without even signs of recent warp travel within the solar system. The desolation was perfect for their purposes, and Max double-checked the itineraries while he checked the ship data to ensure that the vacationers would be able to withstand travel in the Cutters. It was a given for humans, but it was worth at least verifying for their very first orbital entry with new species.

[Commander. You’re going down with the first shift off duty. Admiral Drake and his staff have declined the opportunity to leave Terminus. They said that they preferred a moment of peace and quiet to an insane group of Pilots who haven’t had a day off in too long.] Nico informed him just as they settled into orbit.

[Then I will meet you down there. Don’t forget to bring a bathing suit.]

[You had better believe it. I am totally going cliff diving.] Nico replied.

Of course, she wanted to. He might have to just label the cliffs as dangerous and not recommended instead of fully off-limits. Maybe he could station a medical crew by the pond as well. That might be for the best.

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