Don't know what you think.
Too contrived?

(and short too:)

==

.

At last the suits were satisfied.

“We have defined suitable coordinates and will start our descend, approximated time estimate to landing, 10 minutes 39 seconds. ”

Jeff felt a great relief hearing it. Into the last he had worried that the suits would find some reason to wait, and maybe even proclaim this survival mode. But now he knew they would at least get down on a planet.

“Did you hear Your Highness?”

“Jeff I told you to stop, I’m no Highness. A countess maybe, or at least I will be one in time, but a princess I’m not.”

Jeff felt himself redden as he sat there staring at the Tri-D.

“And what happened with calling me Janelle?” she continued.

Damn, he still had trouble with saying that.

“I’m sorry My, Janelle, I’m not good with rank, Keep mixing it up.”

“Don’t worry, nobody but us here.”

As they descended the continent the suits had chosen slowly came into focus, growing larger, and larger. The suits seemed to be aiming for a mountainous region, very green at places but mostly of a grey, yellow or brown color interspersed with spots of intense blue, unlike anything Jeff ever had seen.

“Oh, it looks so much like Earth, only bigger.” He heard Janelle say in a surprised voice.

So this is what Earth would look like then. He looked at it with newfound interest, watching the patches of green growing into forest’s and fields, with sprinkles and patches of blue everywhere. Could it be water he wondered as he leaned forward to see better, not that he really had a window to look through. The suit had just placed a holo of the planet, linked to his eyes. So he could, in principle, look anywhere he liked the Tri-D always being in front of him. But he kept forgetting it as he tried to catch a better view.

Finally they landed, on a height, with a green field sloping away from them down into a valley deep under them. And all over this green he could see strange colorful dots, he wondered over them when he once more heard Janelle.

“Flowers Jeff, and so many. There must be wild life here. A whole ecosystem to explore. I wish mother was here to see it.” Then she stopped, struck again by her memories of her, and her mother, exploring the botanic delights of a new planet together with their retinue. Jeff who could feel something amiss, cleared his throat saying.

“Yes, there must be Janelle, ah, when do you think we can get out of the suits?”

He thought he heard something suspiciously alike a snivel, but then her voice came back, as cool as ever.

“I don’t know Jeff, it’s up to our suits.”

“I know, but I really need to get out and breathe some air that hasn't been recycled.”

In fact he needed it badly. He was feeling like a sardine in a tin can, and it had become much worse since they had landed. Not that he minded traveling, without that he would still have been a fugitive, constantly running from authority and the mines. But being enclosed in a suit made him claustrophobic, and he wanted out.

“Can’t see any dangers here.” He muttered to himself as he tried to relax.

“It’s only a couple of days Jeff, give them some time to prepare.”

“I’m sorry My Lady, but I really need to get out. I don’t think I can stand this much longer”

Jeff’s suit who constantly was monitoring his levels had noticed signs of adrenaline, as well as other signal substances rising, indicating a state of elevating unease. He communicated his findings to the Royal who already had started to erect a building, using the same type of wrap as he had seen them use in Space. But it wasn’t the same. This one, once inflated, started to change color blending in with the background making it difficult to see where the ground ended and the wrap began. Once up the Royal said.

“My Lady, there is no need for you being in your suits, as long as you stay inside the wrap you will be safe. And you too Jeff.”

So, for the first time since the ship they were able to meet in person. The inside of the wrap wasn’t much to see though, there was something resembling beds and it was divided into two rooms and one small closet, that he guessed, probably was just that as it had something most reminding him of a openended tube stretching up from the floor. There was one wonderful thing about the wrap though. It let in air and light. By touching the frame you could make a part of it transparent , only a small patch, but it still gave you that feeling of not being locked in, but in a tent.

“Ahh, at last I can breathe.” Jeff said as he sat down. “I was starting to feel buried alive.”

“Yes, I know, it’s better now.” Janelle hadn’t had the same experience but then again, she had grown up with her suit, using it for extended periods in dangerous milieus, accompanying her mother and her retinue, in search for new fauna to bring home. And her suit was much more comfortable, spacious, offering a better comfort. But she could understand that, to someone not used to it, it might become a disquieting experience.

As he looked at her he could see how tired she was. He guessed it had to be the ringlet, because ever since waking up in that sickbay he had gotten flashes of how she felt, growing in intensity. Sometimes they happened without him noticing, being first as he looked back at it that he would realize that he had been somewhere else. It was a most unnerving experience, but it also gave him a much deeper understanding of her feelings and needs. He was normally more of a offstandish sort of guy. Didn’t really need, or want, others company to make the time pass. Much of it learnt on the streets of course where your friend could become your betrayer, in a instant, at the mere sight of a gem. So he had learnt to keep people at a distance from an early age, detaching himself, but he knew that she felt it different.

“Janelle, can you take a look. I think I bumped my head.”

It was the first thing that came into his mind, and not particularly clever either. But it seemed to work, or maybe she too wanted it. As she looked he could feel her fingers light touch on his skin and without thinking about it he laid his hand over her and pulled her down to him.

“Hi.” Was all he found to say, then he lost himself in her eyes again, just as that first time.

Janelle, who knew she should feel enraged at his audacity, in its place only found a great relief.

“Hi you too.” She said, relaxing a little as he didn’t try to do anything more than gaze, his eyes having a intensity to them that seemed to peel her away, layer by layer. But it was a nice feeling, she could feel that he meant her no harm with it. After some time she could see his intensity diminish as he seemed to get sleepy but as she tried to move away he held her closer to him.

“Please stay, just for a while. It’s nice, you beside me.”

And she, she found that she had to agree.

It was nice.