Professor Renier Androbos did not enjoy space travel. Long ago he had decided that his body was designed for comfort and his mind for a quiet life. He liked books, discussion and good food. The closest he ever wanted to come to conflict was a challenging game of chess or an academic debate. It was not that he didn't enjoy fieldwork, it was just that he would have preferred something a little closer to the university.
Androbos was average in height, well padded and middle-aged. His hair was wiry and unkempt, just because he liked it that way. He had a wild and bushy beard which acted as a frame for tiny piercing blue eyes and a broad toothy smile. His students found him faintly amusing and he liked to nurture a reputation for eccentricity. He was, in fact, fairly moderate in his personal habits, and even-tempered in personality. He tended to dress conservatively but wore tiny round metal-rimmed glasses, even though his eyesight was perfectly fine.
He had chosen an aisle seat in the shuttle because the view through a spacecraft window tended to unnerve him. He preferred to get these things over with as simply as possible and with minimal fuss. His red canvas bag remained on his lap throughout the flight and he clutched the arm rests every time the craft banked or was buffeted by the atmosphere.
He was pleased that the shuttle had been half empty. He was slightly claustrophobic and disliked being crammed into any form of transport. Back home he avoided monorails and subways, preferring to walk to his office whenever he could.
Although he was pleased that the shuttle was half empty, it also brought to mind the potentially hazardous situation into which his small team would be entering. Apart from his four colleagues, there were very few people on board. There were a couple of Rymerian officials who looked slightly nervous and a number of boisterous Trucanni traders, instantly identifiable by their distinctive fake fur and decorative leather straps. Most of the seats were empty, although he suspected that the shuttle would return to orbit with a full load. Off-worlders were all too keen to leave Dorian's World before any trouble could begin.
YOU ARE READING
Fragments 1: Devolution Landing
Science FictionA team of archeologists are sent to investigate the site of a old mystery, but they don't have much time to complete their work as diplomacy begins to fail... What can they learn before the fighting starts... How did people arrive on Dorian's World...
