Many years ago, on my wide-eyed exploration of our new school library, the cover of one book entranced me. I picked it up to study the red moon — or planet? — rising above a rocky plain. The story 'The Earth is Near' stood up to the cover's promise: Czech author and space artist Ludèk Pešek invited me along on the first manned Mars expedition. Way back in a pre-star-wars era, young me was convinced this was a factual report.

This book lured me on a journey through a literary genre without a proper name in my mother tongue. From Asimov to Zelazny and back to Adams, I read myself through hundreds of science fiction stories. Yet I never tired of foreign worlds and cultures.

Through times when science fiction was 'en vogue' to moments it served as a refuge for escapists, nerds, and geeks, I stuck with it. Today, I give my tribute to all the great, famous, but also the unrecognised science fiction writers of planet Earth: Thank you for the exciting, fascinating, alarming, informative, fantastic, intriguing, and often funny stories that filled my life with wonder and colours from childhood on.

And if you, dear reader, like science fiction too, you might enjoy my version of a voyage to another undiscovered planet ...

Jinn, in April 2016

Note: This is the English version of my German story 'Dendro', published on Wattpad in 2014. I did the translation — or rather rewrite — myself and am aware of my shortcomings in the English language. I appreciate your help and try to give my best.

This translation is dedicated to Jedi Master @GeekAtlas - for all the motivation and support he sent my way. Lou, you rock.