It was very pretty, blue and green glass orb swirling with big swatches of white and grey. Sunny pressed her face against the window as Earth grew in her vision. Captain Vir and Krill sat in the pilot and copilot seats as they approached speaking to each other over headsets as the roar of the engines rattled through the cabin. She was forced to buckle herself in as they careened towards the atmosphere. The Captain was a very good pilot though and kept their entry at the perfect angle, breaking into the stratosphere slowing the ship to a coasting speed as he spoke to one of the lading towards through his headset.

The shuttle was rather small, so he was cleared to take it to a designated landing zone of his choice.

The captain turned autopilot on for a moment and turned to look at Sunny, "Look Sunny, I know I promised you that we would do fun things while here, but my family is kind of..... Wary of the Drev after the war, so it might be best if you hang out in or around the shuttle when I'm with them. Can you do that?"

Sunny shrugged, a human expressive gesture she had picked up, and turned her head to look down at the passing forest. It was more beautiful than anything she had seen before. She had never seen anything like these trees, they were so green, and such pleasant colors for a death planet.

They banked over a low rise, cutting over a wide basin. Below her, Sunny could see signs of civilization, roadways cut in strict grids across the lush landscape, small settlements of houses peered up through stands of trees. Small ribbons of water trailed across areas of open grass. Captain Vir called in the position of his landing to one of the towers cutting low over the trees before setting down in a small clearing amidst the trees a few hundred yards away from one of the settlements.

Using two peddles and two joysticks, he lowered the craft to a soft thud on the grass before cutting the engines leaving the group of them in silence. Krill peered out the window likely scanning for something likely to kill him.

Captain Vir moved to open the hatch filling the cabin with a wash of crisp mountain air. Sunny tilted her head back to breathe in the fresh smells allowing the warm breeze to run across her skin. Vir grabbed a duffle-bag and unclipped the dog from her seat allowing the creature to bolt off into the woods. Vir clapped Sunny on the shoulder, "Take a look around stay safe, and I'll be back in an hour or two, sound good?"

She nodded excited to go explore the forest. Krill floated behind Captain Vir as he cut into the trees leaving Sunny standing alone in the long grass of the meadow. Turning her head towards the sky Sunny took a deep breath and fell back into the grass staring up at the delicate eggshell blue of the sky. The smells were incredible.

She lay there for what felt like hours napping softly in the gentle touch of the star overhead. When she finally decided to roam around, the clearing had enough strange life to entertain her for hours. She found a strange flower behind the shuttle and examined it for a moment before moving around to the other side and then stopping dead in her tracks.

There were three small creatures standing in front of her huddled together. They were maybe about krill's height with wide human-like eyes but oversized heads and short limbs. Sunny stepped back rising to her full height.

And the creatures let of a piercing scream.

***

They sat outside laughing and talking. The entire family was here ranged around the backyard as groups of children played towards the fringes of the yard. Captain Vir leaned back on the lawn chair enjoying the rays of an earth sun and breathing in the clear mountain air.

A sudden round of cheering broke around the yard and he opened his eyes to see his brother David and his fiancée walking down the stairs into the backyard. David was grinning his fiancée had on an awkward smile.

Vir cheered with the rest of them cupping his hands around his mouth, "It's about Damn time!"

The rest of the yard laughed, and he received a rap on the back of his head from his mother, "Adam! Watch your mouth."

He rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry mom." But he was grinning when he said it. Krill sat with the children at the back of the yard having been forced there by Vir's niece. She had recently moved from her princess phase into her superhero phase and was dressed up like Spiderman from the head down. Her mother hadn't let her wear her mask.

David walked across the yard towing his Fiancée, Jordan, behind him. Vir got up and hugged his brother.

"Glad you could make it." David grinned

"Glad you finally wised up." He peered around David at Jordan, "Finally managed to knock some sense into him."

Jordan was about to answer when, an ear splitting scream rocked the house.

Everyone turned towards the woods as three of the children came screaming from the trees half crying half gasping as they sprawled into the grass.

"MONSTER!" One of them yelled through his tears.

Vir felt his body go cold.

His father was already in motion whipping a shotgun from the nearby shed to storm into the woods engaging the pump with a crisp snap-snap. Vir bolted from his spot next to David and raced after his father. "Dad wait!" Just at the edge of the yard, he caught his prosthetic on the edge of a tree limb and went sprawling. His dad was fading further off into the forest, and the other members of the family were beginning to follow after. Vir leaped to his feet and raced through the foliage keeping his eyes on the ground in order to keep from tripping. He broke into the clearing just in time to see his dad frozen a few feet away.

Sunny stood in front of the shuttle blue metallic armor glittering in the sunlight.

She looked confused.

"DREV BASTARD!" His father roared voice full of more hatred than Adam had ever heard. He pulled the gun to his cheek.

"NO!" He dived forward tackling his father to the grass just as the shot went off missing Sunny by a good seven feet as the two sprawled into the grass. His father struggled underneath him gun lying feet away in the grass. Vir was thrown to the side father rolling on top of him fist pulled back. He paused looking confused to see his son there.

"Adam, what the hell?!"

"Get back in the shuttle Sunny!" Vir yelled ignoring his father.

The rest of the family was filtering into the clearing now just in time to see sunny back into the shuttle and close the door behind her. There were gasps of shock. David stepped in front of Jordan. Parents grabbed children. A barricade of humans formed around their weaker members. Adam shoved his father from him and scrambled to his feet turning his back to the shuttle and his front to the line of assembled humans.

Jeremy stood with his girlfriend just off to the side, "Adam, what the hell is that."

He squared himself up, "Her name is Sunny and she's a member of my crew."

"You let a Drev become a member of your crew." Thomas growled incredulous.

"Yeah, I did now BACK OFF!"

Thomas stalked forward craning his neck around his brother, "COME OUT YOU F****NG COWARD. LET ME SEE YOUR FACE."

Vir shoved his brother viciously back, "Knock it off, Thomas."

His brother's face grew red, "What if she was in the war, she could have been the one who did it Adam, the one that took your leg."

Captain Vir went very silent just then balled hands shaking.

"See you know it."

From behind him Vir watched his mother push from the crowd, her eyes were wide with anger and fear, "Adam.... What aren't you telling us?" When he didn't answer she continued, "I remember you telling your therapist that.... That the THING that hurt you had blue armor. Did that creature hurt you, Adam"

He felt his body flush red, "How could you." He whispered, "THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PRIVATE." His voice cracked

The entire clearing erupted.

***

Sunny sat with her back to the door knees to her chest listening.

"YOU MONSTER, YOU RUINED THIS FAMILY."

She turned her head to the side peering out the window. Vir stood there trying to push away his brothers blocking the doorway from his mother.

Sunny felt her stomach tighten she tried to cover her ears with one pair of hands as their voices echoed and throbbed inside her head.

***

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS AFTER WHAT IT DID TO OUR FAMILY?"

"DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW WHAT IT DID?" Was he really crying? His cheeks were wet with something, but he didn't care. He grabbed Jeremy by the front of his shirt and shoved him violently from the shuttle ramp. He landed on his back with a gasp wind knocked out of him. Thomas took a step back. David and his fiancée stood almost shell shocked at the edge of the clearing.

"DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW ALL OF THIS...... WHY.... Why do you have to.... Make it so hard for me, when it already was." He snarled cutting off a sob angry that he couldn't just keep his cool. He turned to look at his mother, "How could you.... Do that."

"I did what I thought I had to help you get better." her voice was trembling with the strength of her emotion.

"And I AM.... I can.... Be with her as a friend.... And I can trust her. Why do you have to take that away from me?" He felt lightheaded. It was just so loud, his heart hammered in his chest. The crowd broke for a furry four legged shape trailing Krill behind it.

He realized only a minute later that he was sitting on the ramp back to the door not understanding just how he got there. Waffles stood in front of him blocking him from the rest of the humans keeping his attention focused on her as he tried to calm his breathing. The moment anyone tried to approach she stepped in their way with a warning.

The clearing was silent.

***

Sunny sat on the floor of the shuttle hands over her mouth to keep from making any sounds. She felt like she was being squeezed from the inside, suddenly the bright blue planet wasn't so bright anymore. Words shouldn't make her feel his bad, should they? And to know that, her friend was still scare of her, that probably hurt the worst.

She had never thought of herself as a monster.

She peered out the window. The voices had died down again and most everyone had been cleared back towards the house. The only one left was a dark-haired human who resembled the captain in the face. he walked over and Sunny listened in on the conversation.

***

Vir felt David approach and sit next to him. He kept his arms wrapped around the dog trying to just breathe slowly. Waffles did as she was trained to do, and it helped.

"I'm sorry.... I ruined your wedding." his hands were shaking horribly. He could see their faces in his head, reproachful, fearful. He held the dog closer.

"Adam, I'm not getting married till next week, and even if it was today, I'm not mad."

Vir paused, "You're not?"

David shook his head, "No" A soft chuckle, "I'm actually proud of you." A hand rested on his shoulder, "To do something this tough, to forgive someone like you have. No one should be mad at you for that. And...., I'd be willing to meet her. If you trust her than I do too."

A soft tread of footsteps on the forest floor, and another person sat next to them.

Vir looked up surprised to see his father sitting next to him. The older man usually grey, silent and stoic, but now he seemed ashamed. His old grey eyes glistened a little more than they usually did, "I'm sorry son. I didn't mean for this to happen, and if this is what you think is best, than I trust you too." A tear trail down his cheek, which he quickly wiped away.

Vir took a long deep breath.

***

It had been quiet out there for some minutes. Sunny peered out the window... no one.

Hesitantly she reached out and engaged the release mechanism on the door. It hissed open with a quiet pop. Three humans sat with their backs to her, and as she stepped out, two of them turned to face her. She dropped her head a little stepping sideways from the ramp and into the grass. The humans followed her with their eyes as she circled around front.

The humans craned their necks up to look at her.

Captain Vir gave a forced, tired smile "Sunny." His eyes were red

Sunny slowly lowered herself into the grass, sitting like the humans just at their eye level.

The dark-hair human on the right cleared his throat awkwardly, "Sunny..... That's a nice name. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The old grey human didn't say much eyes wide gripping the edge of the ramp with white knuckles.

Sunny paused, and then held out a claw like she had seen humans to for each other, "And you are."

The human seemed surprised as if he hadn't expected her to be able to speak, "I uh, David."

"David, it's nice to meet you too."

He took her claw, and they shook hands.

Welcome to earth, Sunny.