(Half-assed) Intergalactic Engineer.
Art by me, drawn 10/18/2023
Do you ever find a character from a series and think "huh, I like their shape".
Moro is supposed to be some sort of sluggy alien...thing. I couldn't slap a species name to his design if I tried.
Moro knows his way around machines, from construction, dismantling, and wiring. He can identify individual parts quite easily as well.
"Just because I'm a little wide around the waist doesn't mean I don't know the difference between a nut and a nut!" - Moro
Servantes knew working with him would be dangerous. Moro needed to be able to survive.
Blessed by Servantes' Zedan genes, Moro gained the ability to regenerate possible wounds. Thanks, Serv.
"...That wound will heal with time. Do us both a favor and stop crying like a child." - Servantes
Someone so fat would need help getting into small spaces.
Blessed by Servantes' Zedan genes, Moro can bend and twist his bones as if they were nimble plant vines. Useful for getting his fat self into smaller seats or underneath machinery.
"Oi! Look how deep I can fit in here!" - Moro
"Ah yes, now you have more places to cower in." - Servantes
A bit of a slob that lacks manners yet surprisingly intelligent in his field. If you called him a coward, he'd say he's "pragmatic".
And he isn't too wrong. Moro tends to react with fear to anything unexpected first. He tries to avoid unnecessary fights (mostly out of laziness and wanting to avoid pain) and always attempts to think twice before heading into danger. When thrown into something he isn't prepared for, he prefers to run, hide, and let everything sort itself out.
He's so stubborn and impulsive that greed, anger, or curiosity can overwrite any possible fear he's experiencing in an instant. You could have him backed into a wall, begging for his life, you say something that irritates him, and all of a sudden you're begging for your life while he beats you with a wrench.
Its a coin flip on whether or not his decisions are motivated by emotion or logic.
"So I kindaaa deviated from the plan a bit, ain't nothing go too wrong! Sometimes life needs a little improv." - Moro
The rogue Zedan alien conquering a nearby planet was all over the news. The commercials on every channel became PSAs on what to do if you encounter one face to face, the best weapons to use against them, if you get infected; please "dispose of yourself" as to not be a part of the problem.
What he did care about was the planet that the Zedan inhabited. Fresh food right from the soil without any preparation, water that just emerges from the earth; that sounded like a glutton's dream come true. The cost of food had been getting a little too high for his liking; if he could acquire some of those homegrown meals from that planet, it would help cut some costs on his bills.
Maybe he could pay the place a visit.
Hopping into his transport ship with some supplies just in case the Zedan wanted blood or needed convincing, he set a course for the unknown planet. As he neared its surface, he received an automated warning from the Solar Guard.
"ALERT: YOU ARE ENTERING HOSTILE TERRITORY. TRAVEL THROUGH THIS AREA IS ALLOWED, BUT-"
Entering the planet's atmosphere, Moro found a clear field of grass to land his ship on and did so. He searched around looking for the planet's occupant but couldn't make out where he could possibly be. Opening his ship's cockpit, he was immediately grasped by the throat and dragged out of the ship before being tossed into a tree several yards away.
Before Moro could speak, the alien introduced himself. His name was Servantes. For the past few days, a lot of stupid, ignorant, idiotic, absolutely brain dead individuals had been landing on his planet trying to make demands or trying to end his life. The alien motioned towards his surroundings to show off the collection of corpses, abandoned ships, and destroyed machinery littering the planet. All those things can get in the way of clean water and grown food. He had grown sick and tired of the interferences and was beginning to grow very cranky. If Moro was about to attempt something stupid, Serv wanted him to make it clear right then and there so he could get the kill over with.
He had to say something convincing very very soon.
Moro introduced himself, said he had no interest in killing Servantes and was interrupted by Serv going through Moro's ship and finding the assortment of weapons he had brought along.
By the look Serv was giving him, he had to say something convincing NOW.
Cutting to the chase, Moro quickly excused the weapons as something he always brings along with him because space travel is unpredictable hahahaha anyway, he could help Servantes get rid of these bodies, the machinery, the ships, and could maybe even help Serv get his own base going.
That piqued the Zedan's interest. All Moro asked in return for his services was the occasional meals he could bring back home and maybe a shelter here so he could stay away from home if he needed to.
Servantes was hesitant on the first request and disgusted at the second. This pink and teal slug thing was already wide around the waist; who knows how much food he could put away.
AND SHELTER? SOMEONE ELSE LIVING ON HIS SECLUDED PLANET? EW. He already hated people.
So Moro compromised. He'll play clean up here, cobble together some neat electronics for Serv, and then re-propose having a little second home here after winning Serv over. Servantes reluctantly agreed to this.
Moro was in business! Needed a few more tools from home to clean up this mess though.
He informed Servantes of what he needed and told him he would need to head back home for the supplies. Servantes, wanting to make sure he would come back, relieved Moro of the supplies he had stashed in his ship beforehand.
"Wouldn't want you breaking any promises, now would we? Try not to get into any intergalactic firefights."
He'd be going home defenseless...no biggie, hopefully.
Moro got into his ship, set the coordinates for home, heard a weird noise come from the back that he disregarded, closed the cockpit, and took off.
There he was, cruising in space, when he received a video call from the Solar Guard. To Moro's surprise, declining the call wasn't an option and the face of a Solar Guard captain appeared. They had seen that Moro landed on the planet, spent a good amount of time there, and was still alive, so they wanted to know why that was. Moro gave the respectful and mature answer of "your mother". He tried hanging up the call only to find out that was impossible too.
His ship must've still had SG brand parts installed.
They informed him they would speak to him personally once he returned home before ending the call. He didn't know what that would entail and he was sort of scared.
He arrived home to find the landing pad surrounded by SG troops. They demanded him to actually land and not attempt to fly off because they DID have missiles trained on him already.
Moro asked himself two questions.
Would they really shoot him out of the sky and risk his ship crashing and harming innocents?
2. Who would he rather face the wrath of, the Solar Guard or Servantes?
Moro opened the cockpit and got out of his ship, getting his arms pinned behind his back by soldiers the moment he did. The captain he had spoken to before made an appearance and approached him directly. They asked again; What was he doing on that planet? Moro once again declined to respond because he was stubborn and he was kind of pissed about that call situation. Someone else decided to answer though.
"I'm afraid that's none of your business."
To everyone's surprise, Servantes emerged from the ship's cockpit, having climbed on-board as Moro was leaving the planet. Serv admitted that he had a feeling Moro would get into shit for being involved with him, so he decided to tag along. The Zedan was all but ready to explain to Moro what he was doing from the start, but when he realized Moro hadn't even noticed him get in, he decided to stay quiet because that was kind of funny.
Servantes told Moro to get his tools, prompting the soldiers holding him back to let go, then dared all of the Solar Guard present to attack Moro or himself, as in his words:
"If I hear even a knife being drawn, everyone here is going to have a very bad day."
Everyone backed off. Serv added on that he knows where this place is now; he can easily fly here if Moro doesn't show up for work. And they wouldn't want him to come visit.
Moro went inside, putting together all his tools and loaded them into the ship. No one said a word or tried to stop him. As he got the last of his necessities the Solar Guard captain grabbed his arm and told him that he's playing a very dangerous game. Moro responded by blowing a raspberry.
Tools in hand, Moro (and Servantes) got back into the ship and took off. Seemed like Moro secured his position as Serv's personal engineer!
A position that may be hard to leave...
"Can you believe my luck!? Got a banging job playing technician with a Zedan who has no problem protecting me from the rabble! Bringing food to the table without the ridiculous prices! I'm living the good life, see; all it took was a lil' curiosity." - Moro
