The words of the counsel of scientific affairs poured over me. Their disapproving eyes gazed wearily into mine from across the table. This was the fourth time I had requested scientific leave.

“Scans have repeatedly failed to tell us if the planet is inhabitable. Even if you do not die there is the risk you will not be able to make it back up through the atmosphere to return to us.”

“That's a risk I am willing to take. None of our probes are transmitting back. We need to find out why. Please do not deny my request.”

The council members muttered among each other. After what felt like a tense eternity they turned back to me.

“We will reconsider your application. Please get your affairs sorted. Session adjourned.”

My heart leapt for joy. This was as close to a yes as I knew I would get. When the official notification arrived I was practically floating. My dream was going to come true. I would be the first to set foot on a truly alien world.

The trip was unremarkable. I was set into the secure sleeping capsule and the craft achieved liftoff on autopilot. I awoke to shaking and trembling as I entered the atmosphere. The control panels blinked brightly. The heat gauge was off the charts. My ship was burning up and breaking apart!

Impact nearly jarred me out of my capsule. The panels blacked out from the force of hitting the soil. Wires hung loosely. Chips buckled and popped out of their settings. Panels were fractured. Only the dimmest safety lights and most basic life support functions were online.

I exited the sleeping capsule and attempted some repairs. After much effort the controls flashed feebly to life. Surface scans said the air was breathable even if rich with substances not found at home. I managed to send the scan results back home, but that's all I could do. The machinery was heating up. The crash had done too much damage. I would need to exit before the craft caught on fire.

I re-entered the sleeping capsule and activated the emergency exit protocol. My craft broke open like an egg, flinging me and my cushioned capsule to safety. I took one last look at my craft from a safe distance. The air was already causing corrosion of the metal. Whatever the fire didn't consume was going to be eaten by the world itself. I sighed deeply. No turning back now.

As I took my first step into a brave new world I found something curious. My feet didn't touch the ground! I hovered delicately where I stood. I pushed myself forward with my arms and tipped head over heels. The momentum flung me gently into a tall, rough skinned organism. It rattled it's long limbs at me shaking wide shield-like defensive weaponry. I pushed back in fear and soon was pinballing in the other direction. I flipped my tail desperately seeking equilibrium. My attempt was rewarded with tenuous stability.

There was a strange crashing sound. Something was coming. I looked to the very tall organisms. They held still. Perhaps they were entirely defensive? I flipped my tail for momentum and propelled myself into their dense shield clusters.

“Hey, I think it landed over here. Jorge, Manuel, come see!”

“Oh wow, a real meteor! It's still burning and everything! Amazing!”

The noise they made assaulted my ears like rocks clattering together. How could I understand them?

“Look, there's more over here! I think it broke off when it landed or something. It almost looks like metal.”

The creatures walked on two legs as we do but the body proportions were strange. For one they were easily four times my size if not more. Elongated legs covered in glistening smooth tan and brown skin stretched up from small flat feet to narrow hips. Billowing flesh of bright hues draped down from the shoulders changing colors near the waist. Long arms with equally long hands moved to and fro as they poked at the wreckage with a long stick. Stick. That was a new word. Sticks come from trees. The thing I was hiding in was a plant. The ideas flowed into my brain.

I blinked a few times. Their minds were being reached by mine. I let out a soft gasp. “Mew.”

“Jorge, did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“I think it came from the trees. Sounds like a kitten lost out there! I'm going to check.”

Kitten. Child of a small but very capable predator around my size. I shivered at the thought. Getting between a mother predator and her child could be fatal! I fled through the leaves floating away into the blue sky.

“Woah! Did you see that?”

“Crap. Stupid camera didn't focus fast enough. It's all blurred...”

My head was spinning. I needed some rest. Eventually I managed to land inside of a crumbling structure of red stone and oxidized metal. I found a hiding place amid thin, leaf-like objects and drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

Bricks. The building was made of old red bricks. It was an abandoned gas station. The unfamiliar concepts streaming into my brain woke me, alerting me to the presence of another being. I peeked out from a pile of old, yellowed papers. It was another one of them. A human. Hu-man. Interesting sound.

It opened a side door to an old bathroom. It looked into a cracked mirror and frowned. The human pushed at the cloud of hair on it's lower face then shook its head, causing long hair to fall into its eyes. It exited the bathroom and went into the back room seeking something. I followed as the impression struck me. Cutting tools. Apparently it wanted to remove the excess hair. Perhaps I could show some friendship towards this human?

I focused my mind carefully. An image of a long tool joined at the center filled my mind. It had two cutting edges facing each other on one side and handles on the other. Scissors. I shuffled through an old desk eventually finding some forgotten scissors. I floated to the human, hovering behind him.

Clearing my voice, I spoke up. “Mrew? (Is it this?)”

The human turned around suddenly. Its dark amber eyes blinked.

“WHAT. THE. FUCK….?”

I repeated myself as politely as I could. “Mrew, myiew. (This is what you needed, I think.)”

I held the scissors towards the creature, handle pointed in his direction.

Its mouth hung open revealing rounded teeth of ivory. “No way.”

The human circled me carefully, looking over every inch. “This can't be real. How are you hanging there like that?” It waved its hands above and below me. “No strings.”

I turned slowly in place to face him, then offered the scissors again. “Mriew Mew. (Here, please take it.)”

At last the human slowly reached out and took the scissors, immediately tapping them against an old rusted shelving unit. “They're real. YOU are real. Oh my god. You're real!”

I carefully floated towards the distressed human. I remembered how we would calm our young. I gently touched the long shaggy hair of its head, stroking it with care. I began to sing our comfort song. “Miew, Miew, mew. Miew, Mrew mew. (This too will pass. Find peace, my child.)”

A strange “D'Awwwwww” sound rumbled from the human's throat. “You can sing! You're adorable!”

It turned around in place, taking my hands in its own “They're so tiny. Look at you, with those big blue eyes. You're so sweet! Like a tiny kitten only pink.”

Images of kittens filled my mind. I tilted my head to the side in confusion. I could barely see the vague resemblance. “Meh-ew...? (What the...?)”

“That's it. I'll call you Mew! Poor little thing, are you hungry? Let me clean up and I'll find us some food. I promise.” He smiled brightly. I could feel the excitement and delight radiating from his heart. This human was very lonely.

“Mew, Mri-eau. (Actually, I'm called Skysong.)”

“I'm glad you like your name! See you in a few minutes, Mew. Don't go outside. Ok? Oh, yeah: I'm named Luiz. Be right back soon.” The human said before hurrying off.

As Luiz exited the building I felt its thoughts fade. I sighed with relief. There were so many thoughts in Luiz's head! Luiz had been alone for a long time. Luiz had no home. This is where he had decided to stay for now. Nobody ever really paid attention to Luiz. At best people would just shake their heads. I didn't fully understand it all at the time, but the feeling of intense sorrow and loneliness lingered. How could humans do this to each other?

Luiz returned lugging a huge plastic bucket of water. It struggled to carry the bucket, one leg dragging behind the rest of the body a little. The weight was clearly causing pain. My heart ached. If only I could make the bucket lighter so it could float like me. Then the bucket could rise up and Luiz could just push it. I began to imagine the bucket rising and, much to my shock, it did. Luiz cried out in surprise causing me to lose my focus. The bucket began to fall. Luiz winced, but caught it. I cleared my mind and tried again. The bucket began to rise and Luiz pushed it into the bathroom, locking the door once inside.

I felt the happiness flowing from Luiz as it took care of itself. What emerged from the bathroom was a very different creature. Luiz's wet clothing was slung over one arm revealing that most of it's body was covered in a fine mist of dark hair through which brown skin shined. Pink scars darted along Luiz's leg. The once messy long dark hair was now tied back, it's sleek shape framing a clean shaved heart-shaped face. Dark amber eyes offset the pink of lips. Luiz was beautiful.

“Ok, Mew. I'm all clean! Great news: I found berries! I tossed them in the bucket so they wouldn't get squished. I wasn't sure what you eat, but I hope you like them.” Luiz said as he hung the clothing up to dry on an old coat hook.

Luiz re-entered the bathroom emerging with the bucket in its hands. Small orange berries in thin tan husks lined the bottom of the bucket. Luiz removed the husk from a berry and held it out for me in the flat of his palm. A small smile graced its face.

I gently took the berry in my hand and examined it, sniffing carefully. Then I cautiously took a bite. Delightfully sweet juice filled my mouth offset by a hint of tartness. I quickly finished the rest of the berry off.

Warm feelings flowed from Luiz. “You like that, Mew?” Luiz reached out and touched behind my ear with his great big hand. Its fingers ruffled my fur in a most pleasant way. I scanned Luiz's mind for how to agree non-verbally, then gave a quick little nod.

“Ooh! You can understand me, mew?” Luiz asked, reaching into the bucket to pick up and husk more berries. Luiz's eyes followed me as it worked. I nodded again. “Ok, what's two plus two.”

I thought on how to answer. After a few moments I clapped my feet four times. Luiz's eyes went wide.

“No way. Now what's the square root of 36?” I clapped my feet six times in reply.

“Amazing! Now, what color is this?” Luiz said, holding up a berry.

“Mriew! (orange!)” I said. Luiz's smile fell a little.

“I guess you can only make mew-sounds, huh?” I nodded again in reply.

“That's OK. Maybe I can teach you to write or you can draw pictures or something.” Luiz said before handing me another berry.

Luiz scattered some old papers on the ground and sat down to eat. I hovered by the edge of the bucket so it wouldn't have to reach far to offer me berries. As we ate I could feel the thoughts flowing through. Most of them seemed happy. It had been so long since Luiz had a friend that it didn't seem to care I'm not of this world. Luiz wondered if I was a male or female. Wait, humans have two separate halves to their species? How odd. He. Not it. I imagine he will be surprised when he learns my race doesn't have this distinction.

He was hopeful about my being a vegetarian and hopeful that I would stay if fed and cared for. His eyes glistened with water. Just not being along anymore meant more to him than any of the work it would take to keep me. The pain was seeping back. So much pain.

I reached out to comfort Luiz and touched the raised pink marks along his leg. They were soft and radiated heat. Scars. There was a fight. Loud noises, blood and violence. So much suffering! There was a sudden force and blinding light. Ringing sounds filled his ears. Luiz was left alone in the mud before being dragged away. The wound healed, but his leg never recovered.

“What is it, Mew? Curious about my leg? Don't worry, it doesn't hurt anymore.”

The water was flowing down his cheeks now in small unsteady drops.

“It was a very long time ago. I was barely out of school. They needed soldiers... It's been so long… Don't you worry: I can still get us food and a place to sleep. It will all be OK.”

Fear. He didn't want me to leave him like everyone else did.

The pain, the scars- it all changed him. Society drifted away leaving him bleeding in the mud. This time there was no medic to pick him up. He didn't want to die alone like so many others.

I floated up to Luiz and kissed his cheeks licking the salty water away. It was incredible to think that so many humans were suffering just like Luiz. Nobody should have to suffer like this. Not here, not anywhere.

Another thought suddenly occurred to me: I was also alone here. The counsel didn't want me to go begin with. Even if they eventually did decide to send a rescue mission, it might be a long time coming. I was the only one of my kind in the entire world. We both were alone out here.

What if I could fix both problems at once?

Perhaps if we worked together I could attempt to re-create some of the machinery we use at home to create new members of our kind. Luiz knows this world and could help me find the parts. I could draw schematics and he could help me build. It wouldn't be easy, but it still could be doable.

I thought about making an army of me to help heal the world, but that seemed like a poor idea. If I used just myself it would only create more like me: sterile creatures of indeterminate lifespans. Clearly the local life-forms aren't advanced enough to help humanity grow so that wouldn't work, either. Perhaps if I could create some sort of hybrid...?

While working I could tweak the genetics a little. These new intelligent life forms will seek out humans and befriend them. They will fill the earth, water, and skies. Nobody will have to be alone if they don't want to be. They can help each other learn and grow. There still will be bad people, but where there are bad people good people arise to fight them. That is the nature of life.

I stroked Luiz's hair. Poor Luiz worried about dying alone and forgotten. Don't you know you will help birth the salvation of your race?

Luiz started to laugh. “You are so soft! It tickles!”

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked across the room at Luiz' things. I was feeling a little embarrassed. Luiz made a soft “Oh?” sound, then walked over to his bag. He came back holding something shiny. It was a metal tag on a cheap, durable chain.

“I want you to hold on to this for me, OK Mew? Wear this so people don't think you are a stray. Think of it as a protective symbol of friendship. A gift.”

Luiz put the chain around my beck, carefully clicking it into place so it would fit. The tag had words punched into the metal: ARCEUS, LUIZ