Chapter 27

Chapter 27 is the twenty-seventh chapter of the Astra Lost in Space manga. It is the first chapter of the Icriss Arc and, in the compiled volumes, the ninth chapter of the third volume.

Synopsis
Their twenty-three-day journey at faster-than-light speed done, the Astra and its crew arrive at the Icriss. In celebration, Aries, Kanata, and Luca sing a portion of Caird High School's anthem, "Stars Are Turning"; Zack feels led to remark that, contrary to the song's implication, Icriss does not turn.

He goes on to explain to the rest of the crew several key details about Icriss: the planet is tidally locked, forcing the same side of the planet to always face its star; that star itself is a red dwarf, with a light intensity around one-tenth of that of their own sun; and Icriss is very close to the star. The combination of these details results in a hellish world: its sunny side is continuously scorched by its sun, while its dark side is a frozen wasteland. Neither side is capable of supporting life, but the narrow band where the light and dark sides meet can.

Kanata gives the order to descend into the atmosphere of Icriss. The ship's atmospheric entry places it in the middle of a violent windstorm, a result of the clash of cold and hot air from opposite sides of the planet. The ships shake in the wind, knocking a defiant Kanata off his feet on the bridge, but the ship soon breaks into calm air, revealing a rugged, desolate landscape dotted by towering plant-like organisms. Four large, insectoid creatures with six transparent wings fly around the ship as well, but they do not attack the ship. Conversely, as they fly near a massive "tree", the round top of the plant opens like a mouth and attempts to eat the ship; Zack barely has enough time to take evasive action and avoid the plant. Seconds later, the ship encounters a gathering of aerial plants, which consist of an umbrella-like top and a dangling tendril underneath; the tendrils electrocute the insectoids as they come into contact with them. Kanata panics, yelling incoherently for Zack to evade again, and Zack does so while yelling back at Kanata to give orders that make sense.

The crew briefly discusses the overabundance of carnivorous plants, ultimately deciding to move the ship farther toward the dark side of the planet in the hopes that the number of plants will be lesser there. Before they can arrive there, however, a large plant below them senses the ship passing near it and extends its body upward toward the Astra, stretching long fingerlike tendrils around the body of the ship. Zack throttles up the ship in an effort to escape, but the plant's grip does not break; Zack then opts to roll the ship rapidly, twisting the plant's arm until the muscle-like fibers that compose the arm rupture and tear. The ship breaks free, shooting away as the crew cheers Zack's success.

Seconds later, a warning on the console signals that the plant's grip has broken the ship. Zack recognizes that the ship's stabilizers and braking systems have been damaged, rendering the ship nearly uncontrollable even as it speeds toward the side of a cliff. Zack finds the rudder unresponsive as he tries to wrestle the ship away from a collision with the cliffside, and he remarks to the crew that their luck may have finally run out. despite Kanata's pleading with Zack to keep the ship from hitting the ground, a gust of wind pushes the ship into the cliff. The forward part of the ship impacts inward and bends to the right, smoke billowing from the damaged aft hull as Zack coaxes the ship to the ground.

Zack tests a few buttons on the control stick, while the others watch in disbelieving silence. After a few quiet moments, he takes his hand off the stick, leans back in his seat, and declares in an empty voice that the Astra can no longer fly.