Star-Lore

The Floranian ship was unlike anything Bobo or Sharmitha had ever seen.

It didn't look like a normal spaceship. No sharp metal, no glowing engines, no robotic panels. This thing looked like a giant living tree had decided to fly through space.

Thick, glowing branches curled around the outer shell like armor. The walls inside were made of soft, smooth bark that pulsed with green light. The ship even smelled like fresh leaves and honey. Instead of doors, there were hanging curtains made of silky plant strands.

Bobo, aka Space Bunny, wandered through it with wide, sparkly eyes, poking everything with a stick he found.

He bonked a moving vine.

"Is this a snake?!"

The vine gently pushed his face.

"AHH! IT MOVES! It's alive!

Sharmitha, following behind, sighed so hard it might've created wind.

"BoBo," she said gently, "that's a vine. Not a snake. Stop poking everything."

BoBo frowned like a disappointed puppy. "I missed Earth elevators. You just press a button and vroom! No vines... no plants... no weird breathing walls!"

Sharmitha laughed. "You don't even remember Earth, dummy."

"I know! That's why I miss it!" he said proudly.

She facepalmed. "You're impossible."

Then

They walked into a quiet back section of the ship, like a balcony platform that stuck out behind the main tree trunk. It had a clear glass floor and wall, giving a full view of deep space.

Stars glittered like falling sand. A distant purple nebula shimmered in the distance. Tiny meteors left soft trails behind them.

BoBo gasped. "Whoa... it's like... like... uhh... a sleeping disco ball?"

Sharmitha blinked. "What?"

"Yeah! If the disco ball had a nap and then exploded!"

BoBo just grinned, completely clueless. He ran around the balcony in circles, then laid down flat on the floor. "Look! I'm flying!"

Sharmitha smiled, finally giving in. She sat beside him. "You're such a little kid."

"I know. You're like my cool big sister now."

That made her pause.

For a moment, she stared at him, his messy hair, his goofy smile, the tiny glow still pulsing from his chest. He didn't remember much. He didn't even understand who he truly was. But he trusted her... completely.

Sharmitha's heart softened. She reached out and ruffled his hair.

"Yeah," she whispered. "Big sister. I like that."

Suddenly, FWOOOOSH!

the ship trembled slightly.

A Floranian with long vine-like hair and moss covering his arms walked onto the balcony.

"Get inside, quick," he said in a low voice. "We're entering the Invisible Zone. It can be... unstable."

"Unstable?" BoBo asked. "Like my brain?"

The Floranian stared at him blankly. "Yes."

Sharmitha pulled BoBo up. "Come on, let's go"

But just as they turned,

Sharmitha stopped. Her eyes widened.

There, behind them in the endless dark...

A shadow moved.

Not a meteor.

Not a star.

A ship.

Small, sharp, and fast.

Its metal surface was black as oil. No lights. No markings. It flew silently, hugging the side of the Invisible Zone like a shark stalking its prey.

Sharmitha's breath caught. "That ship... it's following us."

BoBo squinted. "Maybe they're just lost?"

Sharmitha pulled BoBo closer, her protective instinct kicking in.

Sharmitha grabbed his collar and dragged him away from the window. "You're lucky you have me, you walking brain glitch!"

He giggled as she yanked him inside. "You're such a fun big sister!"

But Suddenly

His wide, silly eyes weren't silly anymore.

They were serious.

His smile was gone.

He was staring at the mysterious ship in the distance.

Sharmitha noticed it first. "BoBo?" she asked, walking closer. "Are you okay?"

He didn't answer. His body stood still, like a statue.

Then it happened.

A soft blue glow began to spread from his chest. It started like a heartbeat, then grew brighter… stronger… hotter.

Sharmitha's eyes flew open. "N...No… n...no no no!" she panicked. "Not again!"

She grabbed his arms, shaking him. "BoBo! Don't explode! Please! Not here!"

But BoBo turned his head slowly, his voice low and calm.

"No," he said. "It's not a blast. It's… talking."

"Wh..,what?!"

"It talks inside me." He gently pressed a hand over his glowing chest. "It says... warning. Danger."

Sharmitha stared at him, frozen. The glowing veins under his skin pulsed like lightning trapped inside his body.

"I'm not blasting," BoBo whispered. "It's just… feeling. Like it knows that ship."

Sharmitha grabbed his hand and pulled him fast. "Come! We have to tell the others!"

"That ship… something's wrong with it." bobo whisphers