Mushroom World

On the edge of a swirling galaxy containing billions of stars, a race of highly intelligent interstellar explorers discover a planet on the far side of their galaxy that was unlike anything that they had ever seen before. Their purpose was to discover life on other planets from microscopic algae and bacteria, to highly advanced civilizations. Of the hundreds of catalogued planets this one was totally unique. Their powerful telescopes detected no water, which is crucial for life to exist, but this planet appeared to have a plethora of huge mushrooms strewn across the landscape. The distance was staggering, but with their Shrink-Space technology, and their flagship vessel the TRIP, they could make the journey in two months. They gather a team of scientists from neighboring worlds and begin their trip. Espionage and deceit plague the mission from the beginning. Why?