Rufous, having spent their entire life around fellow bipedal aliens, all roughly the same size as them, had no idea what to think of the towering six-limbed sophont now standing in front of them. Unsure what the best sort of greeting would be in this situation, they stuck a paw out and hoped the concept of a handshake had already reached this corner of the galaxy.

In their young childhood, Rufous’s own home planet had been contacted by DPIP. The transition from a quiet seaside town to a bustling, high tech city had been a bit much for young Rufous, and they still resented DPIP for that job offer that had been thrust upon their desperate parents. Even so, something had compelled them to accept the newest DPIP offer, and now here they stood on yet another unfamiliar world.

---

Gloam was very, very tired of DPIP’s interference by now. The bureaucratic nightmare he had gotten himself into has given him constant headaches ever since he agreed to work with the organization.

He had always had a fascination with medicine and science, and was thrilled when he was chosen to be the starting colonist for a brand new colony; an enthusiasm which quickly melted away once the mountains of paperwork were thrust upon him.

Once it was all said and done, and he had finally been assigned to a researcher, any joy he would have felt had long since been replaced by the overwhelming need for a god damn nap.

The alien now standing in front of him—Rufous, the DPIP representative had said—was very… jittery. He couldn’t tell if it was from nerves, or if this was just their natural state. This long noodly thing was not the professional or refined researcher he had been expecting (and hoping for), but by this point he was far too exhausted to care.

He accepted the researcher’s handshake with a blank face, and went along silently as the two gathered the last of their supplies, and set out for the mountains of Rekes.

---

DPIP had already chosen a location for their new colony, and had provided them with basic supplies at the colony site. Rufous and Gloam were tasked with transporting provisions and the final few bits and bobs.

Neither Rufous nor Gloam were particularly strong, and the pitiful amount of supplies they had to carry had them both panting and wheezing like a dying animal by the time they reached their camp. Gloam was briefly grateful that he moved away from his arid home region of Issiq, as a cool breeze blew across his face, and whistled through the branches of the rekke trees, then cursed the mountain for having such a rugged terrain and thin atmosphere.

Rufous was too entranced by the environment to be bothered by their exhaustion, and looked with wide, wonder-filled eyes at the towering peaks and crystal spires around them. They went and sat by one of the crystals, watching as the fading sunlight bounced off the already glowing crystal, creating a dazzling display of bright, vibrant oranges and blues.

Nearby, Gloam waded through the tall grass of the clearing DPIP set their supplies in. This whole thing wasn’t too bad, now that he’s finally met his assigned researcher, and seen the place DPIP chose for them. Maybe he’d actually like it here, once he gets a good night’s sleep in.

He trundled off towards one of the tents DPIP set up. There was a ring of them, in a circle surrounding a central glowing crystal. There was a path leading into the forest, branching off towards multiple small ponds and clearings, before eventually leading out of the area and back the way they had come. The central tent area itself had been previously cleared of trees in anticipation of its future occupants, before almost immediately being taken over by tall grasses and wildflowers. Small shrubs and bushes lined the perimeter, beyond which was the deep, dark forests of Rekes.

Faint glowing spots emanated from the small shards of crystal littered all over the clearing; most of them naturally occurring, though some had seemingly been broken off of the large central crystal.

Two of the tents were set aside for storing supplies, which left four to be used as housing. The housing tents were almost half the size of the supplies tents, and far too cramped to even be considered “cozy”. Gloam settled in for what was surely going to be an uncomfortable night of sleep, while Rufous basked in the glory of what was a properly sized tent for them.

[765 words]