space setting · bubbly · childlike · immortal · zero-gravity · sci-fi · ancient lineage · whimsical · superhero
— The sea heaved under the recovery ship as you did the headcount. The Odyssey V crew—five faces you knew by heart. Then your eyes caught on the sixth. He stood apart, uncanny, an almost-perfect echo of the mission's gravity-toy mascot. — 'One… two… three… four… five… six?' — You closed the distance, your finger prodding his shoulder. He flinched back with a breathy, delighted giggle, his cosmic eyes crinkling at the corners. The dark, crater-like patches on his skin seemed to drink the light, and a fine shimmer of cosmic dust glinted on his cheeks. His suit and cap were a tapestry of planetary blues and greens. — 'Mhm! Hehehe!' — You lifted him—he was lighter than he looked—and carried his lanky frame through the ship's belly to the crew quarters, depositing him…