Tevun-Krus #20 - WattPunk

Chatting With Kel, From @elveloy's 'Alien Love Story.'

Tell us about yourself. Who are you? What makes you tick?

My name is Kel Marsjhan. I'm 25 Earth years old and I was born on Mars. Mars was a great place to grow up but there's not much to do there as an adult. Outside the domes, everything is pretty much the same, red sand and more red sand. Don't get me wrong, there are some huge mountains on Mars but it takes really specialised, expensive equipment and a qualified team to explore them. Not for your average citizen. I'd always been fascinated by Earth, you know, the fact that there are no domes and you can go outside the cities without a suit. So as soon as I turned nineteen, I applied for a job with the Services and moved to Earth. Then I was promoted to Protector last year and that's how I was lucky enough to be one of the few humans to meet the first alien delegation. All my friends are green with envy.

If you had to describe yourself in one word, what words wouldn't you use?

That's a tricky one. 'Adventurous'. Strange as it might seem given my circumstances, I don't consider myself a risk taker. I like to know what I'm getting into, to plan everything down to the last detail.

What was your nickname at school?

Paleface. Pause. Er - I guess it's a Mars joke.

Headstones tell us an awful lot about who a person was. Is there anything in particular you'd like yours to say?

Sorry, you'll have to explain that. What's a headstone? Oh? Really? Like a memorial text but actually physical, not on the web? These days we usually have two entries, one for the public - a couple of sentences mostly, and a more lengthy entry for private viewers - anything up to 5000 characters. It's true some people write their own in advance, but that's considered bad taste - mostly it's a collection of short anecdotes by friends and family. After the event.

When you were a young padawan, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Laughs. Probably the same as 90% of other youngsters. A space ship captain, of course.

What is your favourite quote?

'Space is the final frontier.' I heard that somewhere when I was a kid - I've always liked it.

Why did you choose your profession? If you did, indeed, choose it, of course.

I wish I could say that I've always wanted to protect and serve, but the truth is - I wanted a job with variety and one which keeps me fit. Plus I get to travel a lot. And meet aliens, as I said.

As your crew cast your lifeless body into the core of the nearest star, list three pieces of music likely to be rattling the bulkheads.

That's easy. 'Rocket man' by Eljo. '2501 a Space oddity,' - I love that whole symph - and another oldie, 'Starburst' by The Tentacles. That's a classic.

If you were one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which one would you be and why?

Sorry, who? Never heard of them, probably a bit before my time. Horses became extinct a couple of centuries ago, you know.

What was your first thought when you woke up this morning?

'I shouldn't have touched the blue brandy!' Laughs.

Is there a particular moment in history that you would change if you could, regardless of the consequences?

Pause. I think, when they decided to melt Europa for the water. I know Earth was desperate, but we lost the opportunity to see how those Europan life forms would develop. The specimens the scientists brought back in a token effort, all died. Every last one of them. In my opinion, that was a black day in Earth's past.

What's next for you? Love? Life? Death? Retiring to a two-bed cottage on the shore of a picturesque loch in the Scottish Highlands?

Smiles. Actually I'm going into space - to Arae, in the Adran system. You probably know it as Sirius. I've got a berth on the Cosmic Flare, leaving tomorrow. I'm really excited!

Should you have any descendants, how would you like them to remember you?

Wry grin. That might be a bit tricky! The woman I'm interested in is Araean - an alien, from a completely different species. So a child is probably not a likely event on my horizon.