The suns were steadily marching their way through the sky when Onyx slipped from the shade of the canyon. Immediately the suns' warmth dropped heavily on her back and the sand tried its best to scorch her paws. But she had since grown used to both sensations and disregarded them without a thought. Besides, her mind found itself wandering elsewhere today.

Onyx glanced towards the suns' position, then to her watch to double check. From the looks of it she was right on time. Sure enough, there it was; a grey speck was just barely visible in the sky.

Yet as she continued to squint and watch it, the object grew larger and larger until you no longer had to rely on imagination to tell what it was. The vessel was fairly small, maybe a couple tonnes of storage, and banged up enough that it was clearly no longer new. Still, it proved plenty reliable enough to transport cargo and beings down to the young colony.

Onyx stood tall as she watched the dropship steadily descend lower through the sky. Sand and dust danced out of the way as the ship's thrusters fought to correct their course. A little to the left. A little to the right. Thunk! With a deep metal clang the heavy beast sank its weight into the ochre sand underfoot, grains audibly shifting and crunching against each other.

And then silence.

Apprehension hung heavy in the air as Onyx fought not to fidget. Next to nothing was known about the new researcher. Just their name, age, and connection to the previously assigned researcher. Everything else was up to them to figure out.

At last, the ramp lowered. Onyx craned her neck as a bipedal figure emerged from the ship's gullet. At first glance the newcomer resembled some kind of lizard. Beneath the clothes bipeds seemed to prefer, their body sported a pattern of cream and dark brown scales. Yet the tail idly waving behind them was a vibrant sky blue. Very interesting.

"Welcome, friend," Onyx strode forward, flashing a toothy smile. She gave a quick glance up and down. "Safe to say you're probably not Dr. Robinson."

"Ha, no," the lizard replied, almost bashfully. "Right now she's pretty… occupied."

Right. Onyx and the others had all heard whispers about some kind of scandal the good doctor had been involved in. The rumors ranged from plagiarizing another researcher to inhumane conditions to straight up trafficking. Yet as much as Onyx loved to soak in the drama, the details were never the same. A part of her doubted they might ever hear the true story.

Well, truth be told, none of that really mattered here.

The researcher before her stuck out a scaly hand. "Hi, uh, I'm Sam, they/them. I'm a grad student under Dr. Robinson so I'll be taking over her work from here on out."
"A pleasure to have you," Onyx smiled and shook the offered appendage. Their palm felt smooth and pleasantly warm against her own. "Onyx, she/her. Now come, let me show you around."

Formalities out of the way, she threw a forelimb around Sam's shoulders. They startled for a moment before letting her guide them wherever she decided. Good, there were a lot of people eager to meet them.

By now plenty more colonists had woken from their mid-day naps. The sight of a new neighbor coaxed them out from the cold shade into the open, faces appearing from the gaping cracks and hollows dotting the canyon walls. In a few moments Onyx and the newcomer were surrounded by curious snouts on almost every side.

Sam must have been a little nervous since Onyx felt them back up against her foreleg. She didn't blame them; finding yourself standing before a bunch of strangers with more limbs and twice your height would freak anyone out. She gave their shoulder a gentle squeeze, trying to be somewhat reassuring. "Don't worry, we don't bite. Much."