Futuristic Stardust Frontier

[Hippu]

"I don't know what my availability will be like but you'll be as welcome as anyone to talk to me when we get to the colony, and until then I'm not exactly too busy. I can't promise anything, but the best you can do is show people who you are and consider the people that take you as you are with friendliness like pure neutronium. It can't be that hard to look past or appreciate someone all that fur to see your value as a person, and from a more pragmatic point of view, your skill set and what your unique anatomy can offer. They should at least find you easier to relate to than actual aliens, especially when other humans are becoming stranger every day for fashion or something." She would end up pretty lonely herself if she didn't put herself out there for all it may bring, and it was part of her job to make people feel safe and comfortable now anyway.

Fiore looked in the rough direction the section of river seemed to be in and tried to make it out, but whether she managed or not, the direction seemed clear enough from what she could see. With their mark left by Shane to tell where they went from here, their chances might have gotten a little better and it would seem they had done all they had left to around here. "River might lead us to the garenians and the garenians might lead us to the colony. Every reason to go and hardly any to stay." She finds something to put on her head after figuring out the goggles and then hefts the bag in a fluid motion. The weight was a familiar and comforting feeling in a way, though it wasn't as evenly distributed and it would still be tiring to carry it a long way. Once they had everything distributed, it was time to set off, with Fiore letting Shane take the lead.

 

[Pokeking]

Shane had put everything they decided to not bring back in the shuttle which glistened like a giant beetle in the sun. He made sure that it was locked tight, not that it mattered. “It’s keyed to my handprint and those of select others who are authorized by ship’s computer. It’s something that has to be programed in.”

He looked back and said, “Yup. I can seem relatable. I’m not human but still Hominid. The only major difference is my feet. Imagine if Mom though of making me a humanoid tiger or a bull. Out here, colonists can’t afford to be too choosy when it comes to services or who dispenses them.”

Shane touched the shuttle one more time, “I’ll be back. I promise.” The shuttle couldn’t respond since that particular aspect of the computer was offline. There was only enough computing strength to handle the door authorization and other bare minimum functions. “Let’s head out.”

They began to walk towards their destination which would take a couple hours at the pace they were going. Running would make no sense. He hadn’t said anything. There was no need yet and speaking might attract unwanted attention. Native fauna appeared every now and then but most either ignored them or scurried away. He kept his eyes and ears out for signs of sentient life. Meanwhile, his brain was going over the disaster. It was an accident, right?