Not everyone got an entire solar system named after them; Madeline, however, had gotten rather lucky in that regard. Although, looking back on it, perhaps lucky wasn’t the right word.

It was an odd habit Madeline had gotten into over the past five years, waking up on the planet that bore her name and just letting that swirl around inside her head.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she plodded out into the kitchen and got a cup of coffee going.

As the brown liquid bubbled, she felt something crawl up her back. Madeline pulled open the curtains, the light of Bahn shining into the room.

She picked up a bowl with the words “Yulik’s treats” written in permanent marker and took one of the small lumps of dried flesh that it contained.

The moment she did so, a long sticky tongue grabbed hold of it and pulled it back into a mouth filled with tiny teeth.

As the reptilomorph rested on Madeline’s shoulder, its six padded feet adhering easily to her clothes and cheek. Madeline had promised to name the species after she had snapped that pick shortly after arriving on the planet, and she had done just that.

Viscosipodes Madelinie or Madeline’s Hextan to give it the common name.

She had found this one injured during one of her expeditions; the hextan had suffered two broken front legs, making it impossible to climb. A predator would have picked it off for sure, so she had taken it home, nursed it back to health, and by that point, Yulik had realised that Madeline was a constant source of food and had refused to leave.

Though a hextan acted in many ways like an alien chameleon, it lacked the ability to change colour, so Yulik was excellently camouflaged against the trees he would typically call home. That did not mean he was boring to look at; however, he was covered in beautiful patterns of browns and greens, and even his eyes helped him blend in.

Yulik wrapped his tail around Madeline’s neck and attempted to reach the bowl. Madeline, however, quickly swivelled on the spot. “They are treats, young man; you’ll spoil your breakfast,” she explained.

Madeline brought the Hextan to what was essentially a large shoe tree and began to hang bits of food from its branches. She set Yulik down on his perch and turned the device on; the branches began to move.

She had come to the conclusion that this was the best solution after Yulik had started to grow fat. This was a more natural way of feeding him that kept his skills sharp.

With his royal highness satisfied, Madeline set to sorting her own breakfast. She needed to eat heartily; there would be no corner shops or supermarkets where she was going.

After Madeline had recovered from her injuries on what was then S-41234(DW-4), and the award ceremonies, she had been given so many medals that he would be unable to move if she ever wore them all.

Madeline realised she could not return to her old life; she quit her job and started looking for something more exciting. It was roughly two months after leaving that the obvious struck her, so she had sent a message to the research team that studied (DW-4) that she would be willing to serve as a guide for planetary expeditions.

The reply had come in under a week, instantaneous by galactic standards. It was a resounding yes, and that was how Madeline became the universe’s most outstanding expert of the planet (Madeline), that had been named after her shortly afterwards.

Madeline’s home, located along the river Tazil, looked rustic and primitive; it was anything but, not only did it have the usual comforts, air conditioning, central heating, lighting plumbing. But it was also constructed with gravity plating, meaning she could enjoy the comforting weight of home whenever she wished.

The house was covered in wood and thatch to give it the illusion of simplicity.

(Madeline) was currently in talks to become a human colony, though that would not occur for many years, and even when it did, the scientific study would continue, though they would doubtless get more human researchers when it did.

In the meantime, the scientist needed additional funds and a year ago, she happened upon an idea. Tourism. More specifically, eco-scientific-survivalism tourism.

It had been a slow start; to humans, even city-goers (Madeline) was rather quaint. The other Deathworlders could get it at home, and most habitableworlders were too scared to even set foot on it or whatever appendage they happened to have.

However, there were oddballs in every race, and they got a few thrillseekers every month. Madeline felt the low numbers helped; it meant the tourist did not disrupt the scientists much, and each visitor got more attention, improving their reputation.

Which was what Madeline was preparing for right now; she dressed in rugged survival gear, solid boots and thick heavy trousers that protected her legs and feet from sharp thorns. Madeline wore a heavy long-sleeved top; all these clothes had been coated in a water-resistant spray. The spray, which could be bought in any corner shop off-world, was worth its weight in gold here.

To top it all off, she added a cloak made from the hide of a zumawelu she had killed three years ago. Madeline had not been hunting the beast; she had just been escorting the scientist out towards the plains.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

She had been forced to kill it to save her friends; once it was dead, waste not want not. It also helped maintain the illusion.

Apparently, it had been quite the sight. “Two titans battling for supremacy”, one scientist had said. Wonto, Madeline believed their name was; they were off-world now, they had been from a Class 3 (H) and had they spent any more time here, they would have either died or suffered horrible skeletal damage. Personally, Madeline just remembered a mad scramble in the dirt.

“Madeline, the guests will arrive in thirty minutes,” Roger said, the V.I. being the only thing that had not changed.

Madeline picked up her P.D.A. and replied, “Thank you for the reminder; tell Juku I’m on my way now.”

Roger sent the message, and Madeline slid her P.D.A. into her pocket. Madeline gently slapped her cheeks and said, “Ok, showtime.”

***

As she stepped through the front door, she could feel lighter as her house's artificial gravity gave way to the planet's natural gravity.

All around her were the houses of the research staff; they were most likely empty, having left for work, though Welup was most likely still in bed; they had the week off, after all. If Madeline recalled correctly, the young person was spending it on a personal project.

There were no solid paths from the houses to the research compound, the forest they had set up in did not have enough rainfall to warrant anything more stable, and the scientist wanted to keep their disruption to a minimum.

Madeline felt that sentiment was kind of moot when you were poking and prodding everything living, dead and inorganic they could get their hands, paws, arms, tentacles or claws on.

Climbing up the ramp, Juku was already waiting for her. “Good morning, Madeline,” he said, waving at her; Madeline was starting to wish she had never taught him that he used everywhere.

“Good Morning. Is the expedition still scheduled for tomorrow?” asked Madeline.

“Oh yes, shuttles are just waiting for a final check and refuelling; after a crash course, our guest will be able to help with it,” Juku explained, waving again. Madeline did not bother to correct him, partly because it made him happy but mostly because it was pointless; he would just say he was using it in novel ways.

Madeline had never seen Juku without his suit on; he was a fully aquatic species, he had gills and, therefore would suffocate. She had, of course, seen pictures, and while that did not show the whole picture, it was enough to get a general sense; Madeline knew he had four eyes, a bunch of pressure-sensing organs on his snout and well-developed nostrils.

He also lacked any hands or feet, these being more or less useless in the ocean. Though intelligent, his people had been utterly incapable of creating complex tools and were uplifted to their current status roughly five hundred years ago.

Apart from his suit's robotic legs, he was horizontal, with six flippers and a tail fluke, the only distinguishing characteristics.

“Madeline, are you ok? You’re staring,” asked Juku, his tone a mix of concern and a little discomfort.

“Fine,” replied Madeline with a smile, “Just imagining what life would be like under the sea.”

Any follow-up sentence was cut off as Madeline’s P.D.A. pinged, and she heard the high-pitched whine of in-atmosphere engines. She and Juku looked up, and like clockwork, the shuttle appeared over the tree line.

Madeline had no idea who was flying it; a travel company, entirely divorced from the research assignment, operated it. Still, the company was efficient and never failed to bring the tourists on time.

The shuttle touched down, and the boarding ramp descended. If Madeline had recalled correctly, there should be five people onboard, minus the pilot and co-pilot, of course.

Four individuals departed the shuttle, a mix of eagerness and nervousness in their movements.

The nervousness was quickly replaced by stress, as their bodies strained under the gravity of (Madeline.)

“Ah, it’s been a while,” a familiar voice said as the fifth individual departed the shuttle.

Madeline looked up to see a Nimuteru leave the ramp; he looked directly at Madeline and said, “Hello, Madeline, it’s been some time,” with a broad smile.

She blinked twice as her brain caught up with her eyes, “Tazil?” she asked, utterly bewildered.

The Nimuteru has changed since she last saw him; he had gotten bigger for one. He was now taller than Madeline, his tusks were starting to grow in, and his skin was beginning to shift from brown to purple.

As she accepted that this was indeed Tazil, her first question was, “Where did you learn to smile?”

“Extranet, I’ve been studying deathworlders with a renewed passion ever since our little excursion; in fact, I hope to get a job here once I’ve finished university”, Tazil explained, his mood saccharinely chipper.

“Tazil, Tazil, I know that name,” Juku said, mumbling to himself, and then it clicked, “I know you; you’re one of the people who were stranded here along with Madeline.”

Tazil took a slight bow and said, “guilty as charged.”

The other tourist looked on with awe at the young man who had survived over a month on a Deathworld and lived to tell the tale. “It seems you’ve suddenly become a lot more popular, young man,” said Madeline, nodding at the others.

“I’m used to it; after I got back, just about everyone in school wanted to be my friend, and my bully problem evaporated overnight,” he replied, a smug little look on his face.

Yulik yawned; he was used to meeting strangers by now. “It seems that you’ve been making friends,” stated Tazil.

“Yeah, Yulik and me are pretty close,” replied Madeline, stroking the Hextan’s chin.

“Yulik? Why the hell did you name it Yulik?” asked Tazil, caught off guard for the first time since he had met Madeline.

Madeline shrugged, “No real reason, though if I had to pick one off the top of my head, I would say he likes to strut and thinks he’s the centre of the universe.”

Tazil chuckled humourlessly, “that was two.”

Madeline had her own question, “if you don’t mind me asking, why the hell didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

Madeline had kept in contact with just about everyone from the cruise ship, people like Diduk, Tarin, Tarit and Tazil; she sent communications once a week, the others varied between once a month to a year. She also kept in contact with Surt; she should be getting out soon, a mixture of good behaviour and working with the survivors.

The slug woman was currently stationed at Fretu low-security prison; from what Surt had told her, it was a lovely place and served some of the best meals she had ever eaten.

“We wanted it to be a surprise, though I will admit it took some convincing on my parent’s side,” Tazil explained. Madeline smiled; it seemed despite his physical growth Tazil had not changed a bit.

Juku tapped Madeline on her shoulder and said, “While I am happy for you, we do have an orientation to get through.”

Madeline blushed slightly; she had gotten so caught up in her conversation that she had completely forgotten why she was here.

“Sorry, got a bit carried away,” said Madeline turning her attention back to the tourist, who had been very patient with her. “Now, my name is Madeline, welcome to Madeline, and without further ado, we have a planet to explore.”