#rovarians

[the-rovarians]

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Mars! (yes, we do celebrate some aspects of Christmas such as family and giving.)

[the-rovarians]

hey so if this ever became a movie or TV show, who would play the voices of the rovers?

Aah, great question anon, and have I got answers for you. Here we go:

Spirit - Mandy Moore (based off her performance as Mara in Tron Uprising)

Opportunity - Jonathan Del Arco (based on his performance as Hugh/Third of Five in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard)

Captain Kiali - Kate Mulgrew (based on her performance as Captain Janeway in Star Trek Voyager)

Commander Taurus - Bruce Boxleitner (based on his performance as Tron in the Tron franchise)

Lieutenant Gemini - Laura Bertram (based on her performance as Trance Gemini on the TV show Andromeda)

Ambassador Carina - Marina Sirtis (based on her performance as Counselor Troi in Star Trek TNG)

Ensign Cygnus - Elijah Wood (based on his performance as Beck in Tron Uprising)

Admiral Ceres - Lance Henriksen (based on his performance as General Tesler in Tron Uprising)

Centaurus and Crux - James and Oliver Phelps (based on their performances as the Weasley twins in the Harry Potter movies)

Amity - Brent Spiner (based on his performance as Data in Star Trek TNG)**I included him because I had an idea for him. Amity is not mine, he belongs to @darklinespectra 

Find a brief description of each character here

[the-rovarians]

Excerpt from Opportunity's accounts of the War for Mars

Personal log, stardate 215004.05

My sister is stubborn. She has a good heart and means well, but sometimes I wish she wasn't so stubborn.

She refused to leave anyone still living behind. In the midst of my rapid disruptor fire, I saw her rush over and lift a severely injured human soldier into her arms. I also saw what she didn't. Red laser dots converged on her head.

In a flash, I jumped between Spirit and the enemy, firing into the haze from which the lasers came.

"Go, Spirit!" I yelled at her over my shoulder, "Get to the shuttle and get out of here!”

“But-” Dammit, Spirit, now wasn't the time for this!

“GO!! I’ll meet you back at base!” I urged. She stood there, shaking her head at me.

“That wasn’t the plan, Oppy!” Her voice cracked slightly, but it was enough for me to notice, and to realize she wasn't just being stubborn. She was scared. For me.

“I know," I said softer, "but plans change. Please trust me, sis.”

“I do, Oppy, you know I do, but-” I hugged her with one arm, trying to reassure her or at least offer some comfort, while still shooting with my other hand.

“I love you, Spirit. Never forget that." I said gently, before releasing her from the embrace, "Now go, those people need you…..I’ll be right behind you. I promise.”

But I wasn't.

As I turned around to face the enemy again, I caught a burst of heat with my secondary eyes. Before I could process it, something slammed into my chest, knocking me backward, my disruptors sent spinning. Before I could recover, five more slammed into me. Pain lanced through me as I turned to make sure the shuttle was escaping. Already, my vision was blurring, even as I locked onto the eyes of my sister as a terrible screech tore out of her.

It was the last sound I heard before I fell.

I passed in and out of hazy consciousness, distantly hearing and seeing things. I didn't recognize most of it, but what I could make out was Spirit. I knew it was her arms that held me, her voice that kept talking to me, her eyes that begged me to hold on.

When I woke up, I was back on the main construction floor at JPL, off to one side. I could see monitors of some kind hooked up to me, and I was on a battery charger. At least one electric blanket was laid over me, keeping me warm. I was on my side, laying on something soft, my head resting on what humans called a 'pillow'.

And at my side, where she'd been ever since I was brought out (as I was informed later) was Spirit, holding my hand in both of hers. She apparently didn't realize I was awake yet. I could hear soft weeping sounds coming from her.

"Please, Oppy," she whispered, "Please be okay. I love you."

"....mmm....I love you, too." I groaned softly to put her at ease.

"Oppy!" Spirit hugged me close, "Oh Oppy, I thought you were gone!"

"I promised I'd be back." I said slowly, "And you know about me and promises."

"You never break a promise. You never have." She said. I nodded and squeezed her hand.

"And I never, ever will."

*Unlike Star Trek, I have a complete system for the RovarIan stardates. The first two digits indicate the century, the second two indicate the exact year (Earth year**), the third two are the Earth month, and the decimal point is the exact day. For example, this stardate, 215004.05, translates to April 5, 2050, in the 21st century. **They use Earth time because Mars time is only practical for those actually on Mars. For those on ships, it doesn't make much sense. //this is just a cryptic way of saying the mun is too hopeless at math to convert everything to Mars time. There's lots of decimals involved in that.//

[multiverse-of-misfits]

Headcanon for Hal and Rovarians

In this universe, Hal is now a humandroid and calls himself by one of his human aliases. He is welcomed by the Rovarian people and made a citizen of their world. Knowing his greatest desires, and what he's programmed for, Hal is awarded a captaincy and given his own ship; the Leeandra.

It's not a heavy cruiser Saturn class, like the Artax is. Instead, the Leeandra is specifically a science and exploration vessel. So who better to command it than a computer designed for science and exploration?

[the-rovarians]

To our two new followers, hello and welcome! Don't be shy, we don't bite. (No, seriously, we don't have actual mouths. Or teeth)

[the-rovarians]

Alien Parenting: You're Doing It Right

"Smiley Spock!" The little girl giggled happily as, sure enough, the Vulcan on the screen was smiling bigger than any other appearance he ever made on the show.

Opportunity smiled at this. This scene was little Andromeda's favorite part of one of her favorite episodes. "Look, Sa-Mekh, he all smiley!"

"I know, sweetie," Opportunity replied, "He's happy. The person he loves is safe and not hurt."

"Like Daddy does when Sa-Mekh come home from a twip?" Opportunity looked over to Amity at his side, who nodded and hugged the big MER.

"Yes. Exactly like that, honey." Amity bent down and hugged his daughter, her little arms wrapped around him in return.

Both children were now in their first frame after the Sojourner type infant frame. Andromeda's little brown solar panels flapped gently, like they usually did when she was happy.

"I wuv you, Daddy." she said sweetly, which still made Amity's heart melt.

"I love you, too, Andromeda."

“Gwumpy Bones!” came Antares’ voice, drawing all three’s attention back to him and the screen. The child was scrunching his apertures in his best imitation of the medical officer’s face, which made his sister giggle more. 

“Silly ‘Tares,” she said, “You make funny face!” She went back to join her brother, the two making faces at each other, and laughing about them.

It had been a year since the two were born and everyone back at NASA had fallen in love with them immediately, watching them chase each other around the lab or playing in the Mars yard with each other when they got their new frames. Antares, like most little boys on Earth, immediately liked playing with trucks and other big machines. His sister was the same, but with spaceships and aliens. Which was why they were watching Star Trek.

Their parents watched with an arm around each other as the little twins giggled and played. They had tiny MER frames, but one could easily see Amity in them, too. Andromeda still had his eyes, and her brother was a bit smaller than the average Rovarian his age (but still perfectly healthy, as the doctor had assured them when he received his new frame), echoing his Terran father's size. The two parents still sometimes found themselves awestruck at what their love had created, Spirit remarking once that they had too much love to create one new life, and that's why they'd had twins. Many agreed with this, as the power of love and family was a large part of the Rovarian beliefs and values. After all, the force of their love had pulled them together from two different planets.

"And to think," Opportunity said to the rover beside him, "you were so nervous, you could barely talk when we first met. Bet you're glad you talked to me now."

"I'm more than glad." Amity replied, "I've never been so happy before. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Oppy, and I'm so lucky you're mine." He moved closer, hugging Opportunity close with both arms, even as he felt the strong arms of the Rovarian wrap around him and hold him, almost lifting him off the ground. With a contented sigh, he nuzzled into the crook of Opportunity's neck, the MER's head resting atop his own. Amity whispered, so softly that none but his Oppy could hear, a special word he'd recently learned

"I love you....my t'hy'la."

[the-rovarians]

Centaurus and Crux: I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.

Opportunity, now covered in pink glitter: CENTAURUS!! CRUX!! GET BACK HERE NOW!!

Centaurus and Crux, running away laughing: Mischief managed.

[the-rovarians]

Lost Love and Heavy Hearts

For once, Opportunity was glad he didn’t need to breathe, because he didn’t think he’d have been able to. While it didn’t physically happen, he felt like he had the proverbial lump in his throat, as well as the aching chest feeling that came with a broken heart. It was all he could do to keep himself from breaking down and sobbing as he proceeded to the citadel, Spirit at his side. Both wore black bands on their arms in addition to their gold ones. 

In his hands, Opportunity carried a wreath of metal and glass roses that matched the single one he had stuck in the collar of his armor. The single rose stood for the beginning, and the wreath stood for what they guessed was most certainly an end. The wreath took the place of the body they didn’t have, because no one knew where it was. Inside the wreath was a photo of the person it honored, on his wedding day with his flower crown on. Beneath it were the words “My love for you will live on forever. Even when everything else has ceased to exist, my love for you will always remain, my dear Amity.” on a metal plate attached to the picture. A golden band still shone on Opportunity’s left ring finger, a stark contrast to the black cape attached to his shoulders.

Beside him, Spirit wore a black tunic and cape. Her eyes were either downcast or on her twin. She'd watched him spend hours lovingly crafting the wreath, and she'd held him when he'd fall apart sobbing in the middle of working on it, offering whatever comfort and all the love she could. And she was ready to do that again if it happened here.

They didn't know what had happened. Amity had left their home to go somewhere and had never come back. Neither the Rovarians or NASA could reach him. Both had launched searches of all kinds, and neither had found any trace of the little rover. Reluctantly, Opportunity had called off Rovarian searches, saying that Amity wouldn't want them to use up their resources for him, though Spirit knew Opportunity would've found a way to harness a black hole if he thought it would help find Amity.

She couldn't imagine the pain her poor twin was feeling. He'd been distraught ever since Amity went missing, and he cried himself to sleep at night. She just let him, because in truth, Spirit didn't know what she should do, and she feared doing something wrong and possibly hurting her brother more. No one had ever seen him like this before, not even her, and she worried about him.

As they stopped in front of the citadel and Opportunity set the wreath up on a stand, Spirit wrapped an arm around him and gave his shoulders a gentle squeeze when she heard soft sniffing sounds from him. His hand went to the single rose he wore. It was the one Amity had made him as a Valentine’s gift, the day they professed their love for each other. The smaller rover had been so nervous then, and afraid to tell him his feelings, until Opportunity had coaxed it out of him. Since then, Amity had become more confident and open, especially when “Oppy” was with him.

If only Amity could see him now.

He wasn’t standing up tall and strong anymore. The sun didn’t set him on fire anymore. His eyes didn’t shine anymore like Amity had made them do. Spirit found herself softly weeping, for Amity, her brother-in-law, yes, but also for her twin, who seemed to have died inside. 

She heard Opportunity try to give the loving eulogy he’d written, but when he broke down in the middle of it, she rushed out to take him in her arms, holding him close and gently guiding him back to his place by the wreath before she continued it herself. She didn’t remember a word of it or hear any of it. She was focused on Opportunity. The moment she finished, Spirit was back at his side, hugging him close, whispering soft, soothing words of comfort to him. She didn’t even hear the words their friends from NASA had to say as she held her brother close.

She just hoped that somehow, someday, Opportunity would be okay again.

--------------------------

@darklinespectra tell me what you think. (I had it be Amity instead of Oppy because I’m not comfortable writing someone else’s OC)