Dr. Marone hiked through the hills of Icaria, a planet he knew well from his previous visits. He was there in search of new medicines, but he appreciated the opportunity to explore new terrains. He paused and watched as the blue plant life waved in the breeze with a certain mystique.

At the top of the hill lay a meadow of peorias, a plant with thick blue stems and leaves and a small white flower spotted with pink and blue. The mucus inside the stem has great healing properties, stopping bleeding on even the deepest wounds.

Only a few samples of peorias have ever been taken, however, due to the fact that peorias are often accompanied by sultans, a small but vicious creature that hums about from meadow to meadow, drinking the flower’s nectar. Dr. Marone knew these creatures personally.

The doctor rounded the top of the hill and a patch of peorias were in sight, along with a swarm of sultans. The sultans buzzed through the air, flapping their leathery wings and swaying their scaly bodies.They were only the size of a fist, but after his last encounter, the sharp jaw and beady eyes struck fear in Dr. Marone. This time would be different.

Breathing heavily, he paused and reached into his bag to pull out a jar of nectar collected from a different species on Icaria. With the jar in hand, he put his bag back on and inched closer to the peorias. His oxygen mask fogged up and he could hardly see, but still he inched closer, determined to get his sample.

Just as he opened the jar of nectar, his foot caught on a rock and he fell to the ground, spilling the nectar all over his shirt.

The sultans darted toward him, pecking at his body. The doctor swatted them away, but there were too many.

He scrambled to his feet and ripped his shirt off, getting bitten as he did so. He tossed his shirt and the sultans swarmed it, leaving him free to gather the peoria stems. He scooped about a dozen of them, carelessly tearing at their root, before grabbing his bag and fleeing downhill.

Once the hum of the sultans was out of earshot, he stopped and looked down at himself to see he was spotted with blood.

He took a peoria, tore off the flower, and squeezed the tem. A yellow mucus oozed out of the end and he dabbed it on his wounds, giving him instant relief. He carried on down the hill toward camp, eager to replicate the medicine.

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