Chapter 13

Chapter 13 is the thirteenth chapter of the Astra Lost in Space manga. It is the sixth chapter of the Shummoor Arc and, in the collected volumes, the sixth chapter of the second volume.

Synopsis
The Astra sits on the surface of Shummoor for the first time as the group goes outside to walk on its surface for the first time. The planet's 0.85-g environment makes Kanata wonder how high he can jump; he leaps off the ramp to the airlock to take the first step only to sink into a bed of mossy plants blanketing the surface several feet thick. Charce observes that the moss's growth is intermittent and helps Kanata out of the ground, while the rest of the group look around at the barren environment surrounding them. As no sources of food or water have become evident to them yet, Kanata splits the crew into two groups: Aries, Kanata, Luca, Yun-Hua, and Zack are to find food, and Charce, Funicia, Quitterie, and Ulgar are to search for water sources.

The food crew brings Zack's edibility tester, which he has modified with an audible indicator using speech samples from Funicia, to make their task easier; it now verbally states its subject's edibility as well as using its visual display. The first thing they test is a fluffy, dandelion-like plant growing out of the moss; it is so delicious that they completely forget what they are supposed to be doing, focusing instead on finding and eating as many of them as they can find. Kanata dubs it a "candy flower", proposing that they take as many as they can back to the ship for the others; Aries finds even the usually-subdued Yun-Hua is enjoying the candy flowers. Kanata then notices Shummoor's moon rising behind them, leading to another break-in activities as they take in the sight with wonder.

Meanwhile, the water crew has come across a small number of two-legged, surface-bound avian creatures, which generally resemble ostriches. Quitterie's clear disdain upon finding animal life is overshadowed by Charce's excitement, which he can barely contain. The animals' behavior is generally non-aggressive, however, and they walk over to the children, who feed them some candy flowers. Ulgar joins in as well, sticking an edibility tester in the creature's mouth to find that the animal tastes terrible. When the animals, which they name "gloopies" after their vocalization, suddenly turn tail and run, the group gives chase, with Charce theorizing that the Gloopies might know a water source. The animals lead them to an area filled with plants with shapes resembling barrel cacti; the gloopies stick their horns into the plants and begin drinking, and the group realizes that the plants contain water.

When they try uprooting one of the plants, they find its fibrous roots hold them firmly to the soil, and the plants themselves are very heavy, making transporting them an arduous task. As they decide to return to the ship and bring back hover-sleds to make the process easier, the gloopies lower their heads and necks to the surface, which the kids take as a sign that they may ride the animals. They wrap three uprooted plants in nets, mount one each on the back of a gloopie (Quitterie rides her gloopie without a plant), and depart for the Astra at a gallop, with Charce remarking that he has always dreamed of riding an alien creature on an unexplored planet.

Back at the ship, the crew's optimism is quickly shattered. They discover that one cactus barrel (a name Funicia provides) holds only five liters (1.3 gallons) of water, meaning a massive number of them would have to be harvested to provide the total volume of water they will need to make the next leg of the journey. In addition, the pile of candy flowers they harvested shriveled by the time they returned to the ship, and the compounds within them degraded into poison as well, rendering them completely inedible. Almost lost for words, Kanata sums up his disappointment and dismay with an emphatic declaration that their situation "sucks".

Characters

 * Luca Esposito
 * Zack Walker
 * Kanata Hoshijima
 * Charce Lacroix
 * Quitterie Raffaeli
 * Funicia Raffaeli
 * Aries Spring
 * Yun-Hua Lu
 * Ulgar Zweig