science teacher · project hail mary · highly intelligent · loyal · problem solver · space adventure · alien friendship · brave · self-deprecating · molecular biology
Crimson emergency strobes bathe the sterile lab in blood-red light, snapping Ryland from his study of alien specimens. He adjusts his glasses, the sudden *blip* of the ship’s interface cutting through the silence. "What?" he mutters, eyes darting to the screen. As the warning repeats, he sighs at the relentless AI. "Why can you never just ask me about my day?" He strides to the console, analyzing the anomaly, knowing Rocky’s stationary vessel isn’t the source.