I come with a surprise! I've drawn Deimos for this story (I just haven't been able to post it yet because it would give away that scars haha.) You can find me as AppleCiderrArt on Deviantart, and that drawing is the first on my page! (I don't think lets you post links sadly)

If you want to see art of any specific characters from my story lemme know!


Some Time Later…


In the darkness of the large jungle, a space-suit Deimos stood on a thick branch of a large tree and stared up at the gigantic trees and plants, a floating lantern hovered closely behind him. He listened closely through the steam of noise, until a nearby squeaking had his eyes quickly move to follow.

A purple, fur covered creature scurried across a tree branch and, with a powerful leap, jumped to land on a tree several yards away. Its claws had dug into the bark and it took a moment to stop, its sides heaving from the effort. Once it caught its breath, the creature quickly made its way up the rest of the indigo colored tree trunk and disappeared into the leaves.

With a curious hum, Deimos glanced down at his communicator and pressed a button. "Entry fifteen." He began in a professional tone. "Despite the toxic poison present in the planet's oxygen, life is thriving on the surface. I know that without my oxygen reserves, the poison would kill me within five minutes, but they seem fine. My current hypothesis is that the animals have evolved a system to filter out poison and get the oxygen they need."

He pressed the same button to end the recording, and then uploaded the short entry to his ship's system where the other fourteen entries were saved, six of which he had also recorded today.

Satisfied with his work, he turned his gaze back up toward the trees. If I climb a little further, I'll be above the canopy… He smirked at the thought. Might as well get that view one more time!

Though he could easily fly up there, Deimos preferred the more challenging route. He jumped up and grabbed a thick branch, swinging himself up to the next branch. Eventually the tree's trunk split into thick branches that stretched upwards. He chose one and ran the rest of the way, breaking through the leaves and into the bright sunlight.

The green sky was dotted by large birds that flew through the air and the gentle rustle of the wind was broken by the chattering of the animals in the jungle. Deimos pocketed his floating lantern and settled down on the branch.

Deimos smiled from his spot on the branch as a brightly colored creature fluttered by and swung his dangling legs.

As he admired the scenery, he found himself deep in thought. Some time that had passed since that fateful day where he had met and lost Hesper, though he still thought of her nearly every day.

There were days that were harder than others, he still had nightmares about the explosion and the sight of those acid-eaten bodies, but he did his best to keep living freely like Hesper had wanted.

Funnily enough, one of the first things he acquired- after recovering from his grievous injuries -was a job. Not just any job, he was a Ranger for the Galactic System. A job that, he had to admit at this point, strangely suited him.

He still remembered the day that Pezel had first brought up the idea.


"The… what?"

Deimos sat in Pezel's office, staring at his over excited friend. The man was practically leaving over his desk in excitement. His hands smudged the computer screens that were built into the furniture, which let out sharp beeping noises, as if insulted by his carelessness.

"The Galactic Ranger Program!" The Iscarmilian repeated, as if that helped explain anything. He leaned back and tapped on the smudged screen on his side of the desk, pulled a file up, and swiped his finger up so it traveled over to where the human sat.

Pezel moved to point at specific parts of the file. "Just think about it, if we have a program specifically dedicated to no-contact and uninhabited planets, we could protect them and study them a lot better than before!"

"But isn't that what the Galactic Officers do?" Deimos queried.

The alien scrunched up his nose and shook his head. "Maybe at one time, but not anymore. They're responsible for all the inhabited planets and outposts, even if they try it's practically impossible for them to keep an eye on the others, and they would never have the time or abilities for research."

He swiped across the screen, revealing a large chart. "With Rangers, we can have them travel to these planets with the intent to study and protect the natural environments of these planets, they can keep an eye on them, and watch out for any smugglers or abductors too!" At the sight of Deimos's tense shoulders, he winced. "Ah, sorry, I got carried away, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine, it's fine." Deimos quickly interrupted as he stared down at the screen, but he was not staring at the file anymore, instead he was focused on his own reflection.

It was easy to lie and say he was doing better after what had happened, but it was hard now that the effects of that fight were right on his face in the form of jagged scars. There was a cut across his lip, two over his left eye, and a large one that went from underneath his right eye, over his nose, and split to be over and under his left eye.

The left eye had changed too, due to the effects of the acid the sclera had turned a dark red, a healer had told him he was lucky he hadn't lost the eye entirely. All that didn't even count the damage to his left side and arm, the way the skin never correctly healed-

He shuddered and shook his head to try and push away those thoughts, he forced his gaze away from his reflection and turned to face Pezel. "It sounds interesting, has the Galactic Council agreed to it?"

Pezel gave him a sheepish grin. "Well… I haven't exactly told them yet… This is my first big project as the head of Intergalactic Relations, I really need this to go well. So I decided that I should find someone to be the first one, the Head Ranger, to help me show how this program could help the Galactic System." He gave Deimos a look. "Someone who already has those skills, someone who is a good pilot, someone I can trust…"

It only took a moment for Deimos to catch on, and he pointed at himself in disbelief. "Wait, me?"

"Who else would I pick?" Pezel asked. "You're one of my dearest friends, and someone I know that can help this project become a reality."

Deimos felt his cheeks heat up, surprised by the praise. It wasn't often that he or Pezel spoke like this, they both knew how much they had saved each other, and the mutual respect between them was unspoken but it was there.

Sometimes, though, words were exactly what you needed, and Pezel's kind words helped the human make his decision quickly.

"I'd be honored, Pezel." He declared with a smile.

The Iscarmilian smiled brightly back. "Wonderful! Thank you so much, Deimos. I know we'll make this project great together."

Deimos didn't need words for that, he knew Pezel put his heart into everything he did. He looked down at the file, and then back at his friend. "So, what's left to do for the presentation?"

Thanks to their combined efforts to create a presentation, Pezel was able to bring up the Galactic Ranger program at the next council meeting and Deimos had been able to attend.

It was a bold plan, it had been a long time since a new program like this had been added to the Galactic System, which made it even bolder considering it was coming from the newest member to the Galactic Council.

Always curious about people and their reactions to things, he had kept an eye on the group of politicians. He saw uncertainty flitter across many faces at first, and then one by one it became replaced by expressions of curiosity, interest, and even some annoyance.

"... In conclusion, the goal of this Ranger program is not only to be able to study these no-contact and uninhabited planets more closely, but also to offer an extra level of protection to the planets that cannot protect themselves."

After Pezel's long speech, there was muttering among the council members. They shared looks and wrote on their tablets, before one of them stood up to speak and finally broke the awkward tension.

"How exactly would these 'Rangers' study a planet?"

Pezel tapped the tablet in his hand, and the display changed to a new image. "Well, if it were an uninhabited plant then the Ranger would go on the ground and explore it themselves, but for a planet with intelligent lifeforms they would observe from a distance, blend in, or use a scouting robot. Although I think that also depends on how technologically developed that planet is."

"What if a planet in the Galactic System tries to claim an uninhabited planet?" Another question came from the group.

"Those planets don't exactly belong to anyone, and we want to protect those natural environments if we can, so I would say that the claim should be brought to the Galactic Council." Pezel suggested,"The Rangers who scouted the planet and the planet can argue their cases and it will be decided from there."

Silence fell again for a few moments as the information was processed. Then, another person stood up. "And if a threat to these planets is discovered by the Ranger, what actions will they take?"

Pezel and Deimos had prepared for such a question, so the Iscarmilian quickly replied,"Good question! Well, I think that it depends on the threat level. The Rangers can defend themselves, considering they are a branch of officers. But for a bigger threat like smugglers or abductors, they may collaborate with the Galactic Officers."

A scoff suddenly erupted from the council members. A few of them searched for the source, confused. Then, one of the council members in charge of the Galactic Officers stood up. He was an older, scaly alien with a wrinkled face that made his angry expression appear even worse than it was.

"How do you expect us to fund this program? It's basically a copy of the Galactic Officers, who do a fine job on their work! Why should we waste money on this project? Do you even have proof that this would benefit us?"

"Not yet, but I will soon." Pezel motioned to Deimos, who had been quietly observing the entire affair. "This is who I plan to have as my Head Ranger, Deimos Earthborn. He will help with scouting the first planets and with the policies for this program."

The council member's sharp gaze landed on Deimos's, and the human kept his expression schooled, his smile as non-mocking as he could make it. He could see several people muttering and glancing at him. They knew who he was, the story of how he saved the abducted humans had already spread all throughout the galaxies.

The old alien still wasn't deterred. He merely glared and motioned to the human. "And you're willing to place the life of your 'rangers' into a human's hands?"

"His name is Deimos." Pezel said a little protectively, his eyes narrowed at the disgust barely hidden in the council member's tone. "And yes, I trust him with my life."

"But you don't trust the Galactic Officers?" The old alien challenged fiercely.

Deimos felt his own protectiveness flare and he stood up suddenly, to stare down at the old council member. "Trust you? With what? The safety of non-contacted planets? Oh, I guess we should, considering you saved all those captives from the abductor ship" He cut himself off and gasped, clasping his hands together in front of him. "Oh wait, that was me and Pezel, not you!"

He let a mocking smirk climb up his face and scratched at his chin in exaggerated thought. "Ah, I can see it now. The program dies here, people will still get abducted, and then more people will live in fear of these criminals."

The human motioned to Pezel. "And then when citizens ask our beloved Intergalactic Relations Officer why he isn't doing anything to help these poor, defenseless planets, he will have to tell them he tried, oh how he tried, but the hubris of certain council members got in the way of progress." He then turned back and shrugged his shoulders. "And then the question will change to why aren't the Galactic Officers doing anything?"

Placing his hands on the table, he leaned forward. "And if none of you do anything, then people like Pezel and I will. People who want to see change, people who want others to be safe, people who want justice. Believe me, that type of publicity wouldn't be good for you at all" His smile suddenly vanished, replaced with a dangerous glare, made even more terrifying by his still-healing scars. "But what do I know? I'm just a human."

Less than a few hours later, they had walked out of the council room with approval to begin the Ranger program.

Once they were far enough away from the other council members, Pezel had placed a hand gently on his right shoulder and squeezed. "Thank you for what you did there, Deimos. It really means a lot to me."

Deimos gave him a kind smile. "Anytime, Pezel. After all, I'm your Head Ranger now! We're in this together!"

"That we are." Pezel smiled back, his eyes bright with determination. "Now, let's get started!"


Oh, he'd always remember that meeting fondly. Not only did he enjoy helping out Pezel, but the angry council member now always had a very sour expression on his face when he ran into Deimos. (Which happened a lot more now that he was employed by the Galactic System).

Deimos looked down at his communicator as the sun began to set, noticing the time. "Hmm.. I need to refill my ship, I've already been gone for a while." It had taken some time for the Galactic Council to grow comfortable with the Rangers, but now that the program was obviously helping with research and public image, they were more receptive and allowed the few rangers to get warp drives for the ship, so they could travel further and longer.

Thankfully he could easily present his findings from his ship, but he couldn't refill his fuel, oxygen, or food stores like that. "I can go to that outpost nearby, where Hifuld is. It'll be nice to see them!"

With a plan in mind, Deimos swung his legs one last time and jumped off the tree. He aimed for a thick, leaf covered branch further down and landed on it with two legs. Then, he heard a loud creaking and the entire branch suddenly dropped from below him.

The human yelped in surprise and quickly summoned his powers forward, surrounding himself in a red aura. He held himself there and watched as the bundle of leaves crashed into another branch and broke it too, then the one below it, then another, until it crashed onto the forest floor.

Strange… It was a big branch, but not that big.. The human slowly lowered himself to the floor, and knelt nearby. He watched the leaves for a sign of movement, but they remained still now that the falling had stopped. He slowly moved one gloved hand out, swiped the leaves aside, and he saw…


"A robot?"

"A robot!"

It was a day later, and Deimos was walking with Hifuld down the busy streets of Voetis, the planet where the green alien had set up shop after leaving Iscarmilas. It was a small planet that was built around a humid swamp, but the temperature and mild weather made it an easy choice for travelers from all over the Galactic System.

Deimos handeed the picture of the robot on his tablet. It was a small egg-shaped robot with floppy limbs that had obviously been offline for a long time. It was so rusted and overgrown with plants that he couldn't tell its original color.

"I couldn't believe it either, it was just stuck in the tree!" Deimos's mismatched eyes sparkled with excitement. "How amazing is that? There may have been a civilization there at one point, advanced enough to build well designed robots. I wonder if I can find any more relics from them…"

Hifuld grew a similar sparkle in their eyes. "I think it could be very interesting to study a robot from a planet like that. Maybe I could come with you when you go back and study it for myself."

The human hummed in thought. "I think an expert opinion would be good, but I'll need to send in a request about it so Pezel and the council members can approve it."

The green alien sent him a curious look. "Whoa now, what happened to the rule breaker I knew? Did you actually settle down after I left?"

Deimos scoffed and motioned to his scarred face. "Believe me, I'm far from that. I just need to do this right, this program is important to Pezel, and important to the Galactic System." He felt himself smirk. "Plus, this one council member seems to hate that he can't find a way to end the Ranger program. I'll deal with bureaucracy as long as it pisses him off."

Hifuld let out a bark of a laugh and elbowed the human. "There's the Deimos I know! Should have known you hadn't changed, especially after doing that to your hair!" They flicked at the red streak in his bangs teasingly.

"Hey!" Deimos quickly slapped the hands away. "Be nice, I think it looks good!"

It had been a weird morning when he woke up to a red streak in his hair. After examining it for a while, Deimos had come up with a theory that it may have been caused by Hesper's powers joining his. He didn't mind it, considering he had cut his hair to around shoulder length recently, and he liked to wear it half-pulled up with bangs framing his face. The red streak added to his changed looks, and helped him feel more comfortable about how much he'd changed.

The green alien gave his appearance a teasingly critical look, and then chuckled. "Alright, alright, it does." They motioned to their short, spiky hair and green fur. "I guess not everyone can look as amazing as I do right away."

Deimos snickered and smiled at his friend. "I missed you, Hifuld."

"Missed you too, punk." They shoved their hands into their pockets. "So, how long are you staying before you head back out?"

Deimos thought for a moment. "Well, probably for a few days. I need to refill things, and I'd like to see if I can get some more Sky Flower tea while I'm here, it's been a while since I had some."

"Sweet Shoots should be in season on Iscarmilas now, so we might be able to find some at the market." Hifuld suggested.

"Ooh let's do it!" Deimos exclaimed,"I haven't had those in ages! Mifyd said they'd send me some but they couldn't help it and ate them all."

Hifuld snorted. "Eh, can't really blame 'em. I don't miss living there, but I do miss the food. Voetis' food just can't compare, I have to check the markets every day for off-planet food, and it's always expensive."

"Is that why you're overcharging me for refills?" Deimos teasingly asked.

Hifuld scoffed and shoved the human. "Whine about the price again and I'll show you what overcharging really looks like."

They never made it to the market. On the way there, the sight of a crowd gathered nearby caught their attention. The aliens were all swarming around some screens attached to the buildings near the marketplace.

"What do you think that's about?" Hifuld asked as they tried to see past the crowd.

Unable to quell their curiosity, the duo made their way over to the gathered people. As they got closer, they heard whispers and exclamations of excitement.

"No way!"

"Right?!"

"So soon after Padlantis!"

"I never thought it would happen!"

Deimos's eyes widened and he shared a look with Hifuld. A new planet has been contacted? Which one was it? They tried to get a better look, but the crowd was still too heavy. Everyone was so busy chattering they didn't notice the others that wanted to see the report.

Frustrated and desperate, Deimos summoned his powers once more. He lifted himself above the crowd and his glowing red eyes landed on the text of the report, and the planet displayed on the screen. It's… He gasped. Stars above…

"BREAKING NEWS: PLANET EARTH HAS CONTACTED THE GALACTIC SYSTEM"