The holoslate was cold in Valerie’s hands.

“You’re not actually considering this, are you?” Calla looked over Valerie’s shoulder, scowling as the other woman hid the holoslate from her. “If they find out―if the old bastards at Eudaimonia hear about this―”

“They’d have to deal with DPIP then,” said Valerie, pausing as she turned back to the bar and twirled an empty shot glass in her hands. Neon lights flickered around her, illuminating the ever-diverse club she had been frequenting since her initial arrival on whatever planet this was―she hadn’t learned its name. She rarely did, these days. Calla was her only connection to Eudaimonia since the initial leak, the path their tests took that strayed from willing ignorance to active malice for the sake of science. 

Even now, though, she wasn’t sure if they had known the extent of what they had done. It didn’t change the harm they caused.

“Suns, you’re stubborn,” said Calla, taking a shot of whiskey as she winced slightly, shaking her head. “Do you even know where you’re going?”

“They didn’t say. Just a new planet.” Valeria huffed, standing up as she spun the holoslate in her hand. “Gave it to me yesterday. I don’t know if I have a limited amount of time to answer.”

“And they didn’t bring up, you know… literally everything about you?”

“If they knew, they wouldn’t have approached me in the first place.” Valeria paused. “There’s better ways to lure me out in the open than this.”

“I guess.” Calla looked back, purple lights turning her dyed white hair the same shade as them. “Just don’t try and enforce your will on this planet, alright? We know how that ended up for those within Eudaimonia’s reach.” Calla shuddered.

“I’m not gonna lead the place. I’m just gonna… turn my sights to a new anthropology project, I suppose. Or whatever it’d be called for the inhabitants there, I guess.” Valerie shrugged. “It’s not my place to tell them how to live, as long as things don’t become dangerous.”

She knew too well how that could end. Far too well… Shaking her head, Valerie stood once more, feeling the flashing lights and the quiet, near eternal darkness of whatever planet she was on fade away around her.

She held the holoslate close, opening the message once more. Please respond via the hyperlink if you wish to proceed with this arrangement.

If this meant she could rest for even a few months before having to take flight again, then it’d be worth it. She tapped the hyperlink.

Xiunus felt more like Earth than Valerie had expected.

She had asked the transport ship about the place, though most of them simply told her to wait until they got to the DPIP site in the desert region of the continent. They had landed a bit away from a nearby city, and the blistering suns nearly tanned Valerie more than she already was as she stepped off.

“Over here, miss!” a person called, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sitting in an off road vehicle. Probably something DPIP themselves made. As she made her way over, Valerie inspected the sky, protecting her eyes with her hand. A slight lavender tint remained in the air; she had been told that was a result of the lower gravity of Xiunus and the thinner atmosphere that resulted from it.

“Nice to see you Dr…” Checking their notes, the person with the wide-brimmed at nodded, blonde curls bouncing slightly. Valerie tried to focus on their face, but each detail jumped out at her, from their brown eyes to the way they smiled. She looked away, shaking her hands a bit. “Dr. Valerie Caro. You have quite the résumé, you know?”

So, they had done some research on her. Valerie nodded, but the person said nothing more about it, extending a hand and saying, “Name’s Avery. Sorry you had to land this far out from Naveh. Our closer landing port is under maintenance, so I’m here to drive you to the city and get you set up with the department’s equipment. And your colonist, of course.” 

Valerie froze, her hands staying at her sides for a moment before Avery nodded. “Right, right, that’s fine! Should’ve asked if handshakes were alright.” Hopping into their vehicle, Avery patted the other seat and said, “Jump in, we’ll be there in just a few.”

Valerie grabbed the small pack she had brought with her, settling into her seat as she watched the sky. They drove away from the transport ship, which began closing up to return to space once more.

“So, you travel light, eh?” Avery focused on the desert ahead of them, though they glanced at Valerie every few moments. “Don’t blame you, though Issiq’s a bit harsh. Wish they had told you where you’d be setting up camp beforehand, but they’ll get you the supplies you need.”

“Yeah. I… just like being able to move quickly if I want to.”

If I have to.

“Well, in time you’ll probably get more things here. They won’t let you set up in Naveh, obviously, but you don’t have to be too far from the city compared to some of the other Issiq tribes. They’re hardy out here.”

Valerie nodded, only partially listening as her thoughts swam, but they suddenly all stopped as she watched the sand slowly shift colors, from the typical golden to something more akin to the sky above. Sharp, tooth-like crags and strange arches dotted the distance, though Valerie had seen the same ones on Earth when she was still there. It felt like some sort of fantasy story, but this was real.

She had seen strange people and planets in her time on the run, and even when she still did every little thing her supervisors asked of her. This, though, felt different. A land mostly untouched by other species, one that had survived on its own just fine.

It felt odd to be here with the goal of researching them, like they were some sort of lab animals. Perhaps DPIP didn’t see it like that, but, truth be told, not everyone saw things the way Valerie did. It wasn’t something that she expected these days.

But they’re not lab animals, and you are not that kind of researcher, Valerie thought, leaning back as the city loomed over them. You know anthropology, you always have, even when you were still working as a biologist. This is a chance to finally put that passion into use when you never felt able to before.

Still felt unreal, though, being here now, with dual suns overhead and purple sand and lavender skies. Like she had teleported into some strange watercolor painting.

In time she’d adjust to it, but for now, she let the novelty of it all wash over her.