New Arrival

The shuttle landed on a Persea 4 at midday. Their coordinates put them in the flat center of a large amphitheater carved into a plateau of tan rock. The plateau seemed like a lone rocky island amidst a sea of trees stretching for miles in every direction. The only building in sight was a small one-story building near the edge of the plateau.

Alastair took a deep breath of the recycled shuttle air as the bay door hissed and started to open. The smell of sulfur assaulted him instantly. His nose tingled and he resisted the urge to sneeze as his cybernetic filters adjusted to the new atmosphere. He stepped out onto the gangplank and hesitated at the bottom. The first step onto foreign soil was the most important, or at least that’s what his grandfather had always said. It set the tone for the entire stay. Alastair smoothed down his ceremonial frock coat and stepped off the ship. A stone shifted under his foot and he stumbled, nearly falling. He frowned. It was just a silly superstition anyways.

Four figures emerged from the building and descended the amphitheater steps towards the shuttle. Alastair smiled. It came out slightly strained, but he blamed that on nerves. Very little was known about Persea 4 and its inhabitants. He was used to having far more information to work with. The opportunity for misstep was plentiful and he desperately wanted to prove himself on his first solo assignment. He was, for the most part, the first point of contact with the Persea 4 civilization and the success or failure of his visit would color all future dealings.

The four reached the bottom of the stairs, forming an intimidating tower in front of him. They were all taller than Alastair – not that that was hard, he was short even by human standards – but all but one of them was taller by at least a foot if not more.