Alexander Maximus Brullen's Story

Aboard the massive ship, The Ambition, the crew forms up a team to be the first to go planet side to make sure it's safe to inhabit. Donning an armored suit, Alexander Brullen has volunteered to be the leader of the expedition. Despite being an engineer, Alex has proven to be a capable leader to the crew. As it was yet unknown if the air was safe for humans to breathe, all those going are required to wear full suits with oxygen helmets. Alex looks at the monitor to see the planet...and the first soil any of them are ever going to step on. "Alright, everyone. This is it. Years of floating in this vacuum and we're finally setting foot on a planet. Don't fuck this one up like the last planet, okay?" he said, chuckling. He regains his serious composure "Our mission is to gather samples of the flora and take readings of the planet's air to make sure we can breathe the stuff. If we can, we'll begin setting up an area for the Ambition to land." he said.

Deep down, Alex was ecstatic. While he loved this ship and...most people on it, he couldn't wait to be one of the first stepping on what could potentially be their new home. With this though, were also worries. He worried what some would try to do to the natives. He worried what some would do to the environment. He was scared of repeating humanity's past mistakes. Regardless, he wore a confident face, knowing that if anything happened, there would be a way to fix it. There was always a way to fix a problem.

There was a series of metallic thuds from above the landing team just as a panel in the ceiling suddenly swung open. A woman with wild hair tumbled most of the way out with a surprised cry, only to have a foot get caught in the wiring that tangled through the crawlspace and end up suspended a few feet above the floor. She gasped a couple of times, catching her breath, before starting to giggle.
Mismatched eyes looked up at Alexander under a wide grin, "Sorry to be late, Brullen. Someone locked the hatch out in the corridor and of course there is not a straightforward way to get from there to here without having to to bypass like three las-filters and a very tricky bit of door machinery. Tech Officer Niala Callaghan reporting for duty!" She saluted smartly, setting herself swaying back and forth with the motion. "Anyway, Drop Shuttle Alpha Zero Niner Niner is ready in the O-Seven starboard air-lock, all prepped and ready to go. I swear that A-Nine-Niner's autopilot AI has the best engineer jokes of the bunch. That said, how's it hanging?" Niala laughed, looking perfectly comfortable in her rather precarious position as she swayed gently.

Alex sighed as he heard the series of thuds, knowing exactly the cause. As Niala tumbled out with her foot caught on wire, Alex laughed "Niala! I thought so. You always did like an unorthodox entrance." he said, reaching up to free her foot from the wire. He caught her as she fell and helped her on her feet. He patted her on the back "Thanks for the report, and I'm glad to hear you're still chatting it up with the AI like the nut you are." he said in a teasing fashion. On a more serious note, he says "We're ready to head out ASAP. How's your arm and leg? You up for going planet side?" They needed her down there to make sure the equipment worked, so he wanted to make sure the limbs he made for her are in top condition.

As he waited for a response, he saw some of the defense crew examining their weapons "Hey! Don't go swinging those around at anything you see. If it isn't hostile and you attack it, I'll kick your ass personally, got that? We're not here to take over. We just want a new home, and any attack from any dumbass could jeopardize it. Do I make myself clear?" he said. Some scoffed and others saluted, letting out a "Yes sir!"

"Hey hey hey. I see ya there. I know where y'all sleep. If you disobey Brullen, not only will you have his boot up your ass, you'll also need to keep you eyes peeled for me." Niala glared at the ones who had scoffed before turning a sweet smile on the mission commander, "Well-a-day, my appendages, both organic and inorganic are doing well," She peeled back her suit's left hand glove to reveal the metallic sheen of the cybernetics underneath. She had spurned synth-skin when it was offered, preferring the easy access and look of the mechanics naked of covering. "Everything has been perfect since last tune up. I'm looking forward to see what non-artificial gravity has to offer." She grinned mischievously, "And it's not like you could've kept me off this trip anyway. Though I would'a like to have seen you try."

She winked at him, before climbing up to grab onto one of the many handholds that littered the ship's walls and ceiling on the off chance they had to work in zero-gravity. Tucking her comm-tablet between her cheek and shoulder, she reached back up into the duct she had come from and pulled out her suit's helmet. It was quick work after that to clip it onto her belt and close up the hatch. Coming back down to the floor in a controlled fall, she twirled the helmet on a finger. "We waitin' on anyone else?" the tech asked.

Julius stood outside the door with his ear pressed up against the cold metal. He had been given instructions to meet with the rest of the surface crew or "surfies" as he had dubbed them. Julius had seen pictures and video clips of these "surfies" standing on long floating boards back on Earth before the oceans had become too polluted for human contact. He remembered thinking how he may have fit in with his own long hair and knack for coordination. That is, if steering a board through the water had anything to give in exchange other than fun. For him, the time to be spent on the dying planet should have been used for the furthering of human accomplishments. Sure, there was time for a little relaxation and enjoyment, but what use was paddling a board out, only to be brought back by some waves? The very same waves which would become toxic as pollution and waste took their toll. The very same waves which, as you expended all that energy to get somewhere, would push and push, bringing you right back to where you started, a little more tired and with nothing to show for it. These thoughts rushed through his head as he had to stop and catch himself for a moment. All this brought on by a small humorous connotation. "Damn!" He thought, "Here I am, about to descend to the surface of a planet with confirmed life and I'm thinking about that trash-heap we left behind." He gathered himself as he opened the door to meet the people he would be sharing this monumental experience with.

Julius' first feelings were those of apprehension. He could feel all the eyes in the room turning to meet him. There was a sizable security detail gearing up along with two others. The first, a decently built man with softer eyes, was easily recognizable as Alexander Maximus Brullen, one of the ship's lead engineers. After making sure he was acquainted with the logistics of moving his equipment to the surface, Julius was aware that this was the man who would be responsible for the safe transport of priceless machines and data. The other was a smaller, younger woman. The first thing he noticed about her was the shocking amount of auburn hair. He dropped his gaze to her face and saw that one of her eyes was not as it should be. "Genetic?" He instantly thought, "No, artificial. Probably teched out." He knew that he should introduce himself, politely. "Hello everyone, my name is Julius Andriessen and I'll be taking care of Biology. I hope everything is set and ready to descend. This is a marvelous occasion, don't you think? Mr Alexander Brullen, it's a pleasure to meet you," he said, extending a steady hand, "I hope you don't mind but I've been following your career aboard The Ambition, I hope you're up to the task today." He smiled politely while studying the man before him. He then turned to the woman next to him and extended his hand towards her. "And you are..?"

Alex laughed at Niala's challenge "Oh come on Nia, you know I wouldn't keep you from going with us...I'd totally win that fight though." he said, chuckling. Alex then turned to Julius when he introduced himself and shook his hand, squeezing slightly hard as was his habit with people he generally didn't get a good feeling from. "I'm more than capable of my job, thank you, Jule." he didn't like how he was gauging everyone or how he felt that everyone should move on his schedule "I'm more concerned if you're up to the task today. You're not in charge here, I am. Now let's get going." he said, walking with everyone to the shuttle bay. The drop shuttle was prepped and ready to go just as Niala said. The doors slid open and the crew got on board. Most of them were understandably excited about finally being on the surface of a planet. Alex laughed "Settle down, team. We'll be there before you know it." he waited for Julius and Niala to get on board before the shuttle doors closed, pressurizing the room appropriately.

The AI turned on and initiated the launch. The shuttle's engines roared to life before lifting off and drifting out of the bay. The shuttle gently drifted along before they hit the atmosphere, which caused the shuttle to start trembling "Ooh boy here's the fun part! Brace yourselves everybody!" Alex ordered. Everyone held on tight as they pushed through the atmosphere. After they got passed the worst of it, they could see it. Neryas in its glory. Below them was a large grassland and in the distance were snow covered mountains. One of the crew spotted a lake. Alex just stared out in disbelief "Oh my god...we're here, everyone. We're home." The shuttle descended quickly into the plains, landing on a grassy hill. Alex called out "Okay, everyone, get everything set up! I want those air readings ASAP!" he said, taking some of the gear and setting foot on solid ground for the first time. The sound of real wind...Alex regained his composure as he began setting up some of the equipment to do the soil samples.

(Transitioning to the Northern Plains of Beginnings.)

Julius braced himself as the ship touched down. His whole body was tensed and he could feel his heart racing. Here they were, the first humans to land on Neryas and he was part of the initial expedition. Grinning like a madman, he quickly followed Alex, stepping onto the surface of the planet. Alien grass gave way underfoot as Julius whirled around, taking in the sight of the plains before him, complete with snowy mountains and lakes in the distance. The team was setting up some equipment as he rushed back and forth, booting up various machines. While flicking levers and pushing buttons in a blur, Julius arranged a series of collection vials and measuring instruments on a row of low tables brought out by the others. Excited, he knelt down and with a scalpel, cut some of the grass, making sure he was careful with the gloves of his suit.

He worked in a frenzy, collecting samples from all around the landing site, making sure each was being carefully catalogued and placed in sample bags, grinning the whole time. "This is amazing!" he cried, "Definitely carbon-based, so similar to Earth's!" He rushed about the place, inserting clumps of dirt and grass into different machines. "Just wait until I sequence them! You there," he shouted, pointing at one of the guards, "Watch this screen and notify me if anything changes, you two come with me and scout for mobile specimens. I want a perimeter sweep, and do be careful!" The others could only look on as Julius dashed about, often hearing exclamations of wonder over the intercom.

The aforementioned woman smiled, lightly tossing her helmet from her right hand to her left. Her grip was pleasantly strong against the slightly taller man's hand, "Niala Callaghan, Head Tech. Yeh can call me Nia, most do. It's a pleasure to formally meet'cha, Doctor Andriessen. Guien tells me you run a tight lab," She smiled up at him, revealing that the lighter eye was actually the organic one, though the cybernetic was a good facsimile. Heterochromia of the iris actually ran in her family, so she elected to keep the color when they had made the replacement, even though it, paired with her rather wild hair, made her look a bit off kilter. "Ah, sorry, Guien is the Genetic Lab's sanitation and containment system, Gamma one three dash Nu. One of the more strict of the S'n'C systems actually." She turned to follow Brullen to the airlock, ignoring the tension between the two. "Anyway, I'm in charge of making sure we get down and back up safe and the general systems management planet side. Making sure that we get through the planet's ionosphere without damaging any of the tech aboard."

When they reached the shuttle Niala all but skipped in, settling comfortably in the copilot's chair with her comm-tablet in hand, already typing away. "How's it going A-NineNiner? Ready for a trip away from momma?" She said, speaking directly at her small screen. Lights on the dash blinked to life as the tech laughed and pulled her helmet on, containing her mess of hair. "All systems ready when you are Brullen. I hope everyone has their seat belts on, because inertial dampeners only do so much!" Her comment seemed without ground with the way the shuttle smoothly rose from the airlock floor and out into space, but quickly gained truth with their entry into the planet's atmosphere. Once they had switched to aerodynamic flight though, everything smoothed out again. "All systems green, Brullen. I'll have A-Nineniner put us down on those plains, eh? Looks like the best place to put down the Ambition anyway."

The landing was soft. Despite centuries of dis-use while the crew was in cryosleep, the shuttle was still perfectly in order for atmospheric landing. While the rest of the crew scrambled, Niala sat back, checking out the ship's sensor array. "Well, A-Nineniner, what'd'ya think. This place habitable for us organics?" Symbols streamed across her comm-tablet and the tech grinned. "Ay Brullen, A-Nineniner's sensors say that the atmosphere is breathable, comparable to historical records of earth prior to the twenty-first century. Carbon and carbon-dioxide levels are even lower than that. We're lookin' good!"

(Continued from the Grove of the Spirits)

Connor looked to the man who yanked Fleur away. Hearing his commands and seeing him draw blood from Fleur made Connor's blood come to a boil. Hit him, degrade him, call him worthless....but never touch anyone he cares about. With blinding speed he closes the distance between them, staring at him with cold eyes. He grabs that hand that clawed Fleur's face "I have had to put up with degradation...I have been kicked, clawed, and bludgeoned..." he presses his thumb against one of the bear's fingers hard, snapping the finger backwards, the pain making him drop Fleur. "That's because I did not have anything to protect." he jumped and kneed the bear in the chest, causing him to bend forward before delivering a strong high kick to his jaw, sending him flying backwards. Connor's normally shy nature had been overpowered by his need to be a guardian, giving him the courage to attack. However, the chief witnessed this and ordered the warriors to attack and kill him if necessary. Picking up Fleur and carrying her on his back, Connor began running with insane speed. "Hold on Fleur! We'll get out of this!" he shouted. The other Naturan weren't far behind...

Alex grunted in annoyance at Julius barking orders at everyone, but he wasn't hurting anyone. He'd let it slide this once. After hearing Niala's report on the air, Alex smiled "Perfect." he said. just as he was about to remove his helmet, he heard something from the trees not far from them. He gestured for some of the guards to come with him, though he had a feeling that Niala's curiosity would have her join as well. As they approached the trees, Alex sees Connor appear from the trees. "What are...?" he sees the attacking group. Even though he had no idea what was going on, he sided with the one who had the kid with him "Protect the guy with the kid!" he ordered as the soldiers took formation behind Connor and Fleur, brandishing their weapons with Alex at the head of the group. Since the humans were still wearing their helmets, the Naturan stopped in fear of these strange people. One of them mentioned they could be spirits, and the strange armor and 'faceless' helmets brought them to the conclusion. Alex raised a fist and hammer-fist a small tree to his right, which cracked and fell over. This caused the Naturan to run in panic. When they were out of ear shot, Alex took a deep breath before shouting "Oooow that hurt! God damn I think I broke a finger...or two...I hope not, I liked that finger." he flexed his fingers, verifying that his fingers were fine. The soldiers eased up and Alex walked over to Connor and Fleur "Hey...you two alright...?" he asked. First few minutes on the surface and already they meet an alien species.

Connor put down Fleur, but kept her close. He was sweating and looking around at these people "W-what are you?! Demons? Spirits? Why did you help?" he asked, but to the humans what he was saying was gibberish. He had a hard time standing up, the shock of the situation getting to him and his adrenaline wearing off. Soon he fell to his knees, panting heavily. Alex scratched the back of his head, not understanding a word he said "Look, I don't know what you just said...hey, get these two some water. I don't care if you have to give them something from your own supplies." he said. A couple of the soldiers gave them bottles of water, showing them how to twist the cap off. Connor sniffed the water, but it didn't seem any different. He took a drink and was relieved that it was indeed water. The best Alex could do was gesture at himself "Alexander Brullen." he then gestured at the others and named them "Niala Callaghan. Julius Andriessen." he pointed at the two "You?" Connor understood what he meant "Connor Tavarin..." he said. He then pointed at Fleur "Fleur." he thought she wouldn't want to talk after the ordeal, so he introduced her for her. Alex nodded. "Well this is a predicament. We got two natives here chased by others for some reason." he said, taking off his helmet. Connor looked at the man's face "Elf...? No...your ears are too short." he said. Alex just shrugged, unsure how to respond. He took a deep breathe of the air, grinning widely. "Yeah...the air here's good." Alex said.

Back at Vistara, the Naturan that attacked came to the Chief's house with their literal tails between their legs "S-Spirits! Spirits have arrived! They protected the rabbits! They were made of metal and had no faces! They're spirits!" one of them shouted. The chief growled "Silence! You come back without the weaklings...you are trash! Spirits or no, any proud Naturan would stand and fight!" he shouted. Rubbing his temple, frustrated, the chief said "If those two are smart, they will stay away. They've committed a grave offense to my authority."

As they were surrounded by these new beings, she hid behind Connor, her small hand still gripping his shirt tightly from when she was being carried on his back. Her ebony ears were folded back as she watched the people cautiously. She moved away when the people came near her, but still stayed close to Connor. Her cheek was bleeding but she hadn't noticed because she didn't want to let her guard down around these things. Fleur began shaking as more people came near her and she broke out into tears when one touched her head where her ears were. She cried out, afraid of the new people. I mean, the girl was afraid of water and this little encounter didn't help with anything in the little girl's mental state. She was going to need some serious therapy, even though that doesn't exist on this planet.

Niala, who had come out of the shuttle at the commotion, coughed as she pulled her helmet off and took a breath. "What in nine hells of dark space. I thought you said it was good? It smells funny and is moving every which way!" She screwed her nose up as the breeze tugged at her wild mass of hair, looking just as messy as it had before she had put the helmet on. "Anyhow, Brullen! What was with your stunt there with the tree and the breaking it with your fist? Now you're suit's all yellin' med-alert at me." She typed into her comm-tablet and the glove on those fingers stiffened into a splint, releasing analgesics. "Organic digits are a lot harder to repair than mecha, so unless you wanna get them replaced, be more careful." She admonished, before turning around to the real news.

She saw the younger looking creature hiding in what looked to be fear behind the taller one, while some of the curious crew tried to touch her. "Hey now!" She exclaimed, pulling them back by the collars of their suits. "Whatcha' trying to do, traumatize the poor thing?" Niala huffed, "Men." before shooing them away to take samples or something and leave the poor child alone. With them out of the way and leaving the taller one, Connor, to Brullen, she plopped herself down on the grass, giving the girl the height advantage. "Hiya! My name's Niala, but you can call me Nia. Your name's Fleur, right? Pleasure to meet you!" She smiled widely and held out her hand, waiting to see the girl's reaction.

Julius watched the sudden outburst from where he was, a little further away from the line of trees. When he saw the Naturans his heart almost skipped a beat. His mouth was dry and he noticed himself holding his breath. "Amazing," he muttered, "simply amazing." It looked like a fight had broken out between the two smaller ones and the others for some reason. As the larger humanoids retreated, he heard shouting between the parties. Everybody was tense, the situation rather unexpected. He took a breath, calming himself. The two smaller ones had engaged in a verbal exchange with the crew, so at least they understood basic communication. Julius examined the bodies of the two, noting the size and structure of their faces and limbs. Their ears, almost feline in appearance, were at least one major difference. He would need a sample to confirm the possible history of their genetic makeup.

As far as Julius could tell, both humanoids seemed physically sound though one had a small cut on her cheek. After spending years in laboratories where even the slightest cut could prove fatal, he knew this was something to be wary of. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to try and help. "Niala!" He called out through the suit's intercom, "I strongly advise you not to touch her. This is an alien planet and we don't know what pathogens or microbes there could be. Besides, she is bleeding, don't you think that physical contact would be too risky right now? Let me take a look at her first, I am a biologist after all." These things had just come crashing out of the trees, obviously in a state of aggression and the crew were already disregarding protocol. Even Julius could see that, although being the defending party, these things could still be a threat to the safety of his fellow crew-members and possibly himself.

Niala looked at Julius over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow before reaching up with her left hand so that she could press the button for the suit intercom rather than have to raise her voice, "Dr. Andriessen, you did notice that my gloves are still on. I have read the manual. I'm just as safe from pathogens as the rest of you that took your helmets off. But feel free to join me." She patted the ground next to her, "There's both social and physical safety to be taken into account, ya know. Peaceful relations are high on that list for both. Anyway, if they bite I'll give them my left arm and no harm done!"

"I'm sorry to inform you Nia, but airborne pathogens are also a major threat, especially when one is so close to the mouth of a foreign species." Julius cautioned, "I, however, am still wearing my helmet so I think it would be best if I handle this until it's safe for you to approach." He motioned for himself to move closer and warily glanced at the smaller female humanoid. "Alien friends are fine and well once we know they wish us no harm."

Connor tensed up when Niala got close, but her wide smile comforted him somewhat and he allowed her to come close. Alex heard Julius' message over the intercom and marched over to him "Why don't you stop right there, Jule? Those two, regardless of the circumstance, are tired and hurt. The kid's scared half to death and you want to study them. Yes, I understand this is an important find, but we have to be careful of how we handle this situation. You can get near them, but if I see you get invasive I'm stopping you. Study what you can, but don't do something that will leave a bad first impression, are we clear?" he says.

Connor leans over to hug Fleur "It will be okay, Fleur. They do not seem like they mean us harm, whatever they are. What they gave you was water. It's safe to drink." he says, doing his best to comfort her. He looks at Niala and is surprised to see the scars on her face and her different colored eyes. He doesn't say anything, but he goes back to comforting Fleur.

Julius cautiously approached, making sure to move with slow, deliberate movements. He slowly squatted next to Nia and looked square into Fleur's face. He gestured to himself, saying, "As you may be aware, my name is Julius. I'm just going to grab something from behind my back." He knew the thing couldn't understand a word he was saying but he tried keeping his tone even as he held out both his hands. He slowly reached behind himself to grab a small, standard-issue medical kit. He could see Fleur tense as he reached back and pulled it out. Then he took out one of the antiseptic pads and a small adhesive bandage. "Hold still Nia," he said, "I'm just demonstrating." Before she could react he ran a gloved finger down one of Nia's scars on her face and drew the antiseptic pad down her cheek. He pointed to the pad, then to the bandage then back at Nia's scar. He then gestured towards Fleur's face with the pad and hoped she understood she was bleeding. "I hope they know basic wound treatment," he thought to himself as he took the pad into one hand and the bandage into another. "This is going to hurt, watch out Nia" he said as he quickly pressed the pad up to Fleur's cheek to wipe away as much as he could then quickly pulled his hand back to show her the blood. He offered the pad again while also gesturing towards the bandage.

The young Naturan was still scared to death and even with Connor trying to calm her down, she was still very scared. She watched as the new people spoke to each other but Fleur couldn't understand any of them. Fleur's small hand made it's way to Connor's giving her a sense of security. The young Naturan was startled when a new man came up with a white cloth in his hand. While he was talking to the woman, Fleur sniffed it. It smelled harsh and she didn't like it. When the man was running the cloth against the woman's face, Fleur's ears were twitching and moving as she watched. When the new male approached her with the cloth, she tried to move away but he set it on her face. She hissed at the pain and did something she had never done before.

Fleur bit Julius. Not hard but she still bit him. She moved away from Connor as Julius yelled at her. She couldn't understand any of it but it couldn't be good. Fleur backed up, not wanting to get too far away from Connor but she couldn't help it when a few men came after her, under Julius's orders. Fleur wailed and ran quickly towards one of the nearby trees and climbed it, looking down at the other people, trying to get her.

"Damn it!" Julius cried as he cradled his hand. "Damn thing bit me!" He remained where he was, glad that the others couldn't see the grimace on his face from where they were. "With all the trouble I go to..." he mumbled. At least the thing hadn't broken the suit's layers. "I'm alright, thanks for asking." He said through gritted teeth. Out of all the things they could have met on this planet, the one he tries to help ends up biting him. "Stupid creature, how could they possibly understand?" He thought to himself, backing away from the commotion. "Nevermind the girl...thing," he said to no-one in particular, "Coddle them if you want, just watch for the teeth." He knew the others would take this as some fault of his but he didn't care. "At least I didn't strike it." He thought, that would at least keep him somewhat innocent. It had been a split-second decision to hold his arm where it was and even harder to ignore the instinct to retaliate. He imagined how difficult it would be to refrain from any outburst in the future.

Alex laughed at Julius' situation, then walked over to him "You had that coming. I know you were trying to do the right thing...even though it was probably for your own benefit, but you treated her as if she wasn't even there. Like she wasn't important. Your cold, stiff attitude scared her even more than was necessary. Next time, treat her like a person and stop calling her a thing like a smug asshole, alright?" he said, with a more serious tone near the end. He looked to the men trying to get to her "You guys, get over here! You're scaring her even more." he shouted as they dispersed and came back. "Your orders now are to start setting a perimeter for the Ambition. Hop to it, double time!" he orders as the crew gets to work on the perimeter.

Connor was about to outright punch Julius, but noticed Alex speaking to him in a stern voice and he didn't look happy. Grinning slightly, he goes to the tree that Fleur climbed up. He decides it was best to wait until she came down herself, so he sits down with his back against the tree before singing a lullaby his mother used to sing to him. Alex heard Connor sing and turned back to Julius "Huh, looks like they understand the concept of song, Jule. That convince you of anything, or are you going to say the native tribes of Earth were 'things' too?"

Fleur held onto the branch, too frightened to move. Her ears were plastered to her head and she had closed her eyes tight. Her ears twitched as the soft song lifted into her ears. She opened her eyes, looking down to see Connor sitting down at the base of the tree. She slowly, let her ears rise and her face go back to the soft face she had. Fleur watched as the new people moved away, setting to do something else. She crawled out on one of the branches, grabbing two fruits and landing on the ground, making a thump. She kneeled beside Connor, handing him the other fruit.