Chapter One

[mech_and_mutt]

Who: Red Savarin and special guest, you!
Broadcast: Live, coast to coast
Action: The grand entrance of a new cast member on the Marsiva
When: Half past April 28th

"Come onnn...!"

Oddly-hurried footsteps followed the frustrated muttering on the video feed; those who glanced up as the sounds grew louder might have caught a moment of that bipedal canine- one fairly well dressed for piloting work, at that- jogging right through and past the frame before those sounds of movement hesitated.

"There's gotta be-- ah, maybe...?"

A soft, dull mechanical noise came through the speakers... followed by a wet, sopping plop. To those more familiarized ears, it sounded a bit like one of the food dispensers issuing out some of its--

"Ughhh!!"

Oh yeah. It was a food dispenser. And soon, it was Red rushing past the camera once again, his expression looking all the more frustrated on the second pass.

"Where're they keepin' the real food?!"

Comments

[this_loser]

So there's humans where you're from? Er, I mean, no offense, just ... we don't have anyone like you where I'm from. Outside of cartoons and stuff.

[And honest to Shiva, if Kenny Crow were an actual thing, he'd probably need new pants every time they encountered one.]

You're a pilot?

[mech_and_mutt]

It's... kinda complicated. There used to be more, but all the ones I saw were... [Unusual? Tailor-made? Trouble?] ...a bit different.

[But the last bit of that brought him into a grin.]

Trust me, there's nobody else like me where I come from either. But I'm not the only Caninu if that's what'cha mean. Did a lot of mecha piloting back home, too, but... those are a bit smaller than spaceships.

[this_loser]

Used to be. Like, something happened to them?

[That's unsettling. What does he mean by "a bit different"? Considering his own background, though, he's afraid to ask.]

Mecha. That's like a big robot, right? [He watches cartoons. He knows what's up.]

[mech_and_mutt]

They... uh. They called it quits.

[Hopefully he could leave it at that. Besides, a better topic just came up. Time to brag for the cameras a bit.]

Well, mine was a little on the small side, but it was enough to get me the title of arena champ.

[this_loser]

[He knows better than to press, and takes up the other topic readily.]

You competed with it? What did you have to do?