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[center][h1]Gabriel Rojas[/h1][/center]

The funny thing about sleep is that it’s elusive when we want it and comes when we don’t need it. Even worse, our brains seem to see it as an opportunity to show us all of the subconscious shit that we store away without thinking about it, mish-mashing it together into a carnival of senselessness. Happy, sad, terrifying, whatever, but always senseless. Maybe he'd be able to ponder over it more if he had woken up in a more calm situation.

Gabriel didn’t sleep often, but he was a [i]hard[/i] sleeper. He didn’t wake until the second tumultuous vibration rocked through the airship, eyes flying open as panic made his heart seize into his throat. Instinct told him not to move, despite the dizzying spinning sensation that pressed his stomach up against his spine and his brain to roll around in his skull. Sirens and lights were going off, and through the thick glass pane in front of him he could see others in their similar prisons looking just as terrified. What was happening? One moment they’d been fine, everything was running smoothly, and now [i]this.[/i]

It occurred to him for the first time that it was entirely possible that he and everyone else were about to die. His throat and tongue went dry, his eyes squeezing shut. A litany of quiet Spanish ran out of his lips, as if he were trying to bargain with the universe to either make his death swift and painless or to at least keep most of his limbs when they inevitably crashed into something or the whole ship burst into flames. Maybe he already was dead and this was his own personal brand of Hell; spinning indefinitely through space and nothing he could do about it.

Then suddenly, abruptly, and painfully, it was over. Gabriel nearly bit the hell out of his tongue as his body was suddenly thrown against the ceiling of his pod as the ship seemed to make contact with something and come to a screeching halt. The electricity seemed to give out and triggered the pods to open, dumping him several other people into the floor. Save for the shuffling and groaning of his fellow inmates, the ship held a hollow silence. It was a rather stark contrast to the deafening cacophony that had filled the air only moments ago. Gabriel lifted a hand and grimaced as he rubbed the tender spot on the back of his head, desperately trying to hold his stomach within his body as he dizzily gathered his bearings. He carefully stood, gripping the sides of his pod. Dim lights flickered on as others found what seemed to be portable emergency lights inside their pods, gradually migrating towards the causeway. He groped along the inside walls of his pod until he found his own light, clicking it on with a small sense of relief. At least they wouldn’t be trapped in the dark.

Gabriel’s steps felt unusually solid as he followed along with the others searching for better things than the hold they’d just left. Feeling his own weight so densely against the floor was definitely a sensation he would have to get used to. The group seemed to reach a dead end, a heavy door standing between them and.. whatever was outside. Whispers of doubt circulated over the pairs and small groups of people who had clustered together, all their lights beaming around the sealed entryway. There was a sudden hiss in the air as someone seemed to have found the hatch release, and as it slowly creaked open Gabriel swore that maybe he really had died.

Light had never been so blinding and.. warm. Tentatively, those closest to the exit crept out onto an alien planet; the sky a brilliant blue and nearly everything else the lushest green he had ever seen. Awestruck, the dark-skinned  man craned his head up as he looked up at what looked like and endless expanse of blue above them, his heart racing with nervousness and a foreign feeling of excitement. Where in the hell had they landed? He’d never seen or even heard of anything even remotely similar to whatever this place was. Other kids started to slowly spread out, tentatively exploring the nearby grasses and foliage. Some looked curious, others pale in shock and terrified. Some were even crying. He spotted one girl who was just sitting on the ground, staring at the grass and seeming to struggle to comprehend what it was. 

Another slight commotion caught his attention, a man, much older than all the rest of them were, appeared. He seemed pretty miffed that A: his ship had crashed, and B:, he had a lot of.. unexpected cargo. Gabriel raised his eyebrows slightly as he watched two rather energetic slips of teenagers confronting the man about his gun. Wait, shit, a [i]gun[/i]? His eyes locked onto the weapon nervously. Sure the lot of them could overpower the man with a couple of casualties, but the guy could also pick them off whenever he felt suited him. Gabriel turned his flashlight off and slipped the device into his back pocket, deciding to save it for later and let out a rather tired sigh. Realizing he’d been standing in the same spot for a few minutes, he slowly began walking in an aimless direction, trying to gather his bearings. They’d stowed away on a ship, and escaped their death penalties. Well, [i]he[/i] definitely had. His trial had been lurking dangerously close. Okay, all of that was simple enough. Now, their ship had crash landed on a bizarrely beautiful and unknown planet. They had no resources that he knew of and it seemed like their only was [i]off[/i]  of the planet was basically a tin can for now. And all of them were criminals. Right, got it.

“[i]Dios mío.[/i].” He sighed, running a hand over his face and scratching absently at his jawline. What were they all going to do? More importantly, what was [i]he[/i] going to do? His dark eyes turned back to the ship, where the disgruntled older man had disappeared under the hull. He didn’t really know much about ships, but he knew how to work and fix metal. If the ship was even repairable, one guy definitely couldn’t do it by himself. In the very least it would give Gabriel something to keep busy with. And hey, it would be a good move to be on the good side of the guy with the gun.

Gabriel followed after the older guy, keeping a cautious distance to avoid startling the man and getting shot.  When he found the man, who was muttering something he couldn’t hear, Gabriel lightly tapped a knuckle against the underside of the hull to get the man’s attention. “Oi, [i]anciano.[/i]”  he said. His voice was a rough tenor and slightly accented. “You need help with anything? I don’t know shit about ships but I’m pretty good at fixing anything that has to do with metal .”