To the Ground

1.5 Survival Of The Fittest

The group gathered around Jasper and Dahlia, standing inside the firepit, though Ezra was an exception as he was now inside the dropship mourning his recent loss. Jasper could hear faint sobs, despite the ship's closed door. He felt sad, though he couldn't imagine how Aster felt being the one to kill a man.

The rain had thankfully came to a drizzle, however the teens still disliked the water running down their bodies and dripping onto their eyelashes. They stared at Jasper and Dahlia. He played with his fingers as he gathered his words and attempted to prepare his voice for announcing. Dahlia put a gentle hand on his shoulder. It didn't rid him of anxiety, but the gesture was welcome.

"We've been on Earth for almost three days now, and unimaginable things have happened." Jasper began. His voice was noticeably unsteady, "I want to make a promise, as your leader, to put your lives before mine and protect you with everything I have. Those people -- we don't know who they are... yet. But I want to make plans to get to know them and settle their issue with us without causing more problems. We're all human -- I guess -- and we should all live in peace."

A grin grew on Aster's face. He was genuinely proud, from his loud voice to his reassuring words. Perhaps the only thing he needed was a reality check. Still, Aster couldn't help but wish he was the one giving orders. Surely, he would be better.

"With that, I also want to make some rules clear. You're not allowed to leave camp without telling Dahlia or me where you're going and when you will return, and you're also not allowed to go alone. Safety in numbers, right?" He let out a nervous chuckle before clearing his throat. "Violence of any kind is absolutely not allowed. Be nice to everybody, whether or not you like them."

His eyes darted to Aster for a moment before looking around the crowd once more.

"Just treat people with basic human decency and we'll get through this together. Failure to follow the rules will vary in consequences. Little things such as being unkind mean you must do chores for everyone like getting food and water for the entire group until I say you can stop. Things like theft, violence, and murder will ban you from camp." Once more, Jasper looked to Aster who gave him a small thumbs up.

The crowd spoke concurrently.

"Remember, we are in this together." Dahlia chimed in. "We only have each other."

"That's all. I think the sun will set soon, so let's get an early rest. It's been a tough day and tomorrow we're moving campsites." Jasper concluded, stepping away from the firepit.

The group went their separate ways. Aster approached Jasper and Dahlia, nodding his head and arms crossed behind his back.

"Way to go, chief. You're getting better at this whole thing."

"It was Dahlia's idea to go with your consequence." Jasper motioned towards the shorter girl.

"It was a good idea. I still don't agree with your act, though." Dahlia said.

Aster shrugged, "Doesn't hurt my feelings any."

"But those rules apply to you, too. You can't be mean." She went on. "I don't care if you were some sort of celebrity or special person in space. Down here, you have just as much authority as everybody else."

"Got it," Aster winked, "Boss."

"So, we've cleared things up and from this point forward we're going to forget the past." Jasper hesitantly added.

"Deal." Aster shook their hands one at a time. "I'm sorry for being a shit to you when I was yelling at you about being leader. Though, it looks like it worked."