Sol Santos

## Background

Sol Santos was born on Lailatos in a year now known as -39PC. He grew up with a reportedly very distanced family. Santos was born with severe deformations in his left leg, which had to be removed entirely when he was three years old. He wore generic prosthetics until his sophomore year of high school, when he began construction of a more advanced prosthetic that also functioned to help him carry things and was more flexible. His leg was one of the projects he presented when applying to prestigious science colleges. He ended up receiving a full-ride scholarship to the Lilatian School of Science on an eight year career path. Santos created another leg, more versatile than the other. He studied engineering and space exploration and after eight long years, earned his engineering doctorate and graduated valedictorian of his class. During Santos’ 6th year of college, he was contacted in secret by the Lilatian government and leading astrophysicists who after having him sign a non-disclosure document, told him that an asteroid found on a direct course for Lailatos was set to destroy the planet in roughly 15 years. They requested that should he be needed, he would accept a mission to scout out a new planet once he graduated. Santos accepted these terms, and two years later he was admitted to an astronaut training program, just a week after his graduation.

In this program, Sol Santos was introduced to Jay Garitty, a 37 year old marine veteran with significant flying experience, and his partner should the mission be a go. Santos wasn’t too fond of Garitty from the start, a very loud and reckless man that he didn’t really get along with. After the first team of astronauts sent to a seemingly habitable planet went missing, Santos and Garitty were officially set to be sent into space.

## The New World Mission

The second expedition launched in -12PC, arriving in a crash landing with no major injuries on June 16th, -12PC. Santos determined that the crash landing was the result of a miscalculation in the rotational pattern of the planet by teams on Lailatos. From the day the ship landed, Sol Santos began to keep a journal of his findings on the new planet. The ship’s navigation and communication systems had been damaged in the crash, leaving no way to send any sort of message to Lailatos or leave the planet. Santos writes,

> “We do have the power to physically take off, yes, but there’s no way we could dream to find our way home if we did. The other Lilation predictions of this planet appear to be accurate. I’ve tested the air, which falls within a range fit for human life. I’ve taken a great start to fixing our broken systems, but my true challenge has been Garitty. I knew before I ever left Lailatos that Garitty would perhaps numb my mind a little more for every second I remain in his presence, and he has taken great energy to prove me right. He’s very reckless, and has taken to climbing the trees in the surrounding area while watching me hard at work on our survival, almost taunting me. We meandered around the area earlier today at Garitty’s request, and found a strange set of buildings. I’ve inadvertently avoided thinking of them, as they only raise further questions. But now as I lie in bed, I feel I can’t help it. They may have been built by our first team, if they have managed to survive. That must be the only logical explanation. I pray this world lacks some other intelligent life form which created them. Or if it does, I hope I shan’t encounter them. I’ve found myself writing in my boredom, as I remain unable to contact Lailatos, and have no desire to make conversation with Garitty. Perhaps if I survive I could sell this.”  (June 16, -12PC)
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Hundreds and even thousands of years into the future, Santos’ journal is one of the most purchased books in modern history. The only record of what happened to these men over the next five years remains in this writing.

> “Garitty wishes to return to the buildings. I would like to keep far away from them myself, but I refuse to let him wander off on his own. I’ve almost instantaneously become a sort of chaperone of his. It mildly disgusts me, I don’t wish to feel as though I’m establishing a position of power over him, but I worry that it may be necessary for the time being, at least to keep him safe and under control. I won’t let him wander off recklessly and die, not just for his sake, but for mine as well. I don’t wish to ponder the thought of Garitty dying, leaving me likely the sole person on this planet. I’ve made an agreement with him. He will come with me to help find a source of food and water, our provisions can’t last forever. And if he helps, then later on I’ll go with him to the strange buildings.” (June 17, -12PC)
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As Santos reluctantly agreed to follow Garitty into the buildings, he discovered what we now know as a hidden gateway to something of a circle of hell, the location of which has been lost today.

> “We went up, I’m not sure how far, before Garitty found something. A pit. A seemingly random pit in the floor, carved out in a perfect square. A thick metal bar stretched across, the only way to bridge that gap. Garitty and I both managed to cross and climb down a nearby wall to leave, but he seems to have become infatuated with that pit.” (June 17, -12PC)
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Garitty brought Santos back to the pit later and in an attempt to prove that entering it would be safe, dropped a rock into it which made a splash after roughly five seconds. While Garitty saw this for the safety of landing in water, Santos paid more attention to the five seconds before the splash, indicating the sheer depth of the pit. Santos notes several instances where he reluctantly feels in an unwanted position of power over Garitty, in this circumstance having the means with which to enter the pit and refusing them, an extensive spool of strong rope looped up and down inside his left leg. It doesn’t take long for tensions to rise between the two.

> “Day 5. Garitty had a slight outburst today. He yelled at me for continuing to refuse him rope with which to inadvertently kill himself or get lost. I don’t have much to miss back home. But of those minimal things, I miss them all greatly. I miss peace. I miss quiet. I miss my achievements and titles meaning something. I fear I’ve already become mildly paranoid, paranoid that in his anger Garitty will take off without me, as he has already pitched taking off several times to me, which I informed him would be a stupid way of committing suicide. I removed a piece of the transmitter from the ship, and have kept it in my leg, disabling the ship’s capability of liftoff.”  (June 20, -12PC)
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> “Day 7. I have given up on governing Garitty’s movements. He wanders off on his own, I get a horrible sinking feeling, and he returns. I told myself back from greeting him at the door like a parent, worried sick about where he’s been. I simply hear him come in, and greet him upstairs with a gun, wary of intruders, or whatever demons of hell built that horrible building. Most nights he’s met my gun with a laugh, or some ignorant remark about how I’ve already gone insane. I don’t reply, but simply retreat downstairs to my room and try my best to clear him from my mind so I may sleep in peace.” (June 22, -12PC)
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Finally, the tension hit a breaking point, and Santos awoke around 2:00 to find Garitty gone, narrowly missing him before watching him throw himself into the pit. He claims that after the splash, he heard Garitty’s panicked cries come from the pit, which then slowly faded away.

> “I’ve returned to the ship. I feel selfish for doing so, but I don’t have a clue what else to do. Perhaps I’ll forget about it all, wall myself up in this ship, and try to do something, anything productive. I did wish to be rid of him, after all. But that isn’t fair to Garitty’s family, or my superiors. I arrived here for the purpose of rescue. Coming back with less than I began with would be a catastrophic failure. And should I return I’d be regarded as a coward who abandoned his teammate and left him to die. But if I come back with Garitty at the very least, I may be a hero despite my failure. And Garitty shall be the reckless bastard who nearly led me to my end.” (June 23, -12PC)
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Santos gathered up all his weapons and whatever resources he could fit on himself and returned to the pit.

> “If this journal is recovered by someone and ends here, either I never entered the pit, or was killed in the fall.” (June 23, -12PC)
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Santos entered the pit to find that the liquid had been a trap, a vat of oil. Reaching the bottom had opened up a whole underground world, villages and civilizations filled with alien life forms. Santos described them as nearly humanoid with pale blue skin, large milky eyes, and ominously slender bodies clothed in white robes with silky white hair. Luckily for Santos, the creatures had sub-par eyesight.

> “I think I’m finally in the clear for now. I snuck between their buildings, making sure I wasn’t noticed for the longest time. I found a little spot behind one of these buildings where I can hide. The weathered back of the building has let me squeeze into the attic of this somewhat official-looking building. I’m not sure what my next step is. I need to do something to make it so I can actually navigate this place without being immediately spotted. I don’t know where they took Garitty, but I doubt I’ll find him if all I have access to is the backs of buildings and alleyways.” (June 23, -12PC)
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> “I don’t know what I’m doing. There’s a little hole in the ceiling, and I’ve been watching these things. I think of attempting to impersonate one of them, but they’re far too tall for me to pass as anything but a child. Besides that, I don’t know whatever language they speak. From what I’ve seen, they communicate largely in some kind of sign language. I’m doing my best to pick some of it up. I should be able to survive up here for at least a week with what I have.” (June 24, -12PC)
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Once the week was near an end, Santos started to get desperate. He began following his target, a proportionally short creature that seemed to have some sort of authority over the others. After learning what he could of the language and beginning to go mad with hunger, he ambushed the creature he had been stalking. After killing it, he proceeded to carefully flay off all of its skin in one large, misshapen chunk. He then proceeded to use a needle and thread to sew its skin over his own, a process he described as painful enough to numb his mind to the point he forgot he was ever hungry. He discarded the skinned body of the creature, and began to do his best to blend in. Santos discovered horrible farms that these aliens had put together, where some of the species were worked to the point of an emaciated, exhausted death. After a month of searching, he found Garitty in one of these death farms. Using his feigned position of authority, Santos moved schedules to grant Garitty longer breaks and more food. He writes about the people who first touched down on the planet.

> “They had in fact touched down on the planet. I can only assume they went the same way we did. I don’t have the records on their deaths, but I can assume they were either murdered or worked to death. It is only because of my efforts today that Garitty hasn’t been worked to death himself.” (August 3, -12PC)
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Santos made his way through the society, continually moving Garitty’s position to keep him alive. Seemingly in both “the blink of an eye and twenty thousand lifetimes” five years of this had passed.

> “I worry I’ve lost my humanity. Minchinda help me.” (November ?, -8PC)
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Santos made plans to retire. Around this time, Garitty saw Santos up close while secretly being passed food and recognized him. Garitty was furious with Santos for not pulling him out sooner and simply leaving him to rot away nearly to death. Santos argued that Garitty should be grateful for his life and that he couldn’t do anything to draw suspicion. He said that in the end, Garitty’s life was under his hand either way, so he should act in his best interest. Upon retiring, Santos requested to take Garitty with him as a personal servant, which was approved. In -7PC, Santos retired to a home close to the pit. As soon as the two were alone, they made a run for the exit. Using the rope Santos had set up five years prior, they were able to breach the surface and return to the ship, along with supplies that Santos had gathered in his time underground in the hope of repairing the ship. After expending all his resources, the repairs Santos made left the ship able to fly with some navigation, but communications still remained offline.

> “Garitty and I have had a fight. I broke the news to him and told him that attempting to return to Lailatos would be a death sentence. Our communication system and navigation systems remain offline. It would be impossible to try to find Lailatos or call for help without those things. I told him the reality was that we would have to remain on this alien world until our deaths. He didn’t take it well. I didn’t expect him to, but his reaction is more than I expected. Eventually, he stormed off. I don’t know where he’s gone. I fear being left here all alone after all this time. I don’t want to be the sole person of this planet.” (July 8, -7PC)
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> “He’s entitled. And it stops him from being appreciative. I’ve worked to save him the past [five] years of my life and I’m worried about little payoff. I’ve already received no thanks at all from him. I haven’t spoken to a human in years, let alone spoken at all. I don’t know what my own skin looks like anymore. I haven’t seen it in years. I’ve started peeling this blue skin off of myself. It hurts terribly, but I can’t take it anymore.” (July 8, -7PC)
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> “I could have never jumped into that hole and just sat out here. Maybe I should’ve. But I was just in too deep at some point I didn’t want to turn back.” (July 8, -7PC)
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While Garitty was gone, Santos continued attempting to fix the ship and in “some sort of miracle” managed to repair the communication systems enough to send a SOS message to Lailatos. The message was picked up by a janitor at the space station and authorities were alerted to immediately dispatch a crew to the planet.

> “I never thought I’d see the day, but I’ve got word from Lailatos. This is all so surreal. I can’t even begin to f—ing describe how relieved I am. I’ll find Garitty, Lailatos will arrive in two days, they’ll find us here, two broken men covered in scars and mud. One emaciated man with a broken leg and one man covered in scars, the seams of his skin ripped from his body, stretched out. They’ll find their saviors, two men on the brink of insanity. My heart is pounding right now. I need to find Garitty quickly. He’ll get to see his family again, and I’ll never have to see him again. If we ever happen to cross paths again I’ll shoot him through the brain and the world will simply have to deal with it. Going back does scare me. I have no family to speak of on Lailatos. When Garitty returns he’ll be cheered on by the people that knew him, he’ll be celebrated. And how will I be celebrated, the added blood on my hands, the things this journey has done to my mind and body? I know even now I’ll never be the same. How will I ever sleep at night again? Even when I return to Lailatos, I fear I will be left behind after my work. I wish-” (July 8, -7PC)
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The writing cuts off here. Presumably, Garitty was spotted returning to the ship. The next entry begins.

> “My hope has been lost. Garitty has killed us. He’s led those bastards back to us. All he can do right now is defend himself, screaming to me that wasn’t some act of self-sabotage. I don’t believe a word of it. We ran back to the building and talked for a while. I left him there. He begged me not to leave him, but I’ve run out of compassion for him anymore. I won’t kill Garitty directly, no matter how much I want to. I’d do nothing but tarnish the last five years of my work. I’ve returned to the ship now. I’m not running away anymore. I’m too tired to try. I’ll have my last stand at this spot and die before Lailatos arrives to see what’s become of me. The insane man that I’ve become, sitting here with blood on my hands, accepting violence and death with open arms. With my last breath here I pray and beg for Minchinda to finally allow me peace in heaven. I can hear them coming. Let whoever finds this journal know that I died fighting. Goodbye.” (July 8, -7PC, Final Entry)
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In Season Three, we also received more than any other Ithemban citizen ever got to hear in the form of a direct conversation between Garitty and Santos after Garitty returned to the ship.

> “After all this time. After every little fucking thing I’ve done to save your life, to save both of us… you kill me like this? I’m tired of running, Garitty. Go to the ruins. Let me have my last stand right here. If I can take at least one thing away from you, I can let them kill the insane man you’ve made of me. But I won’t run anymore.” -Sol Santos (Third World Planet S3E14, The World and Very Night Sky)
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Santos and Garitty were both found dead upon the arrival of Lailatos. Before they disappeared, after the ship’s navigation systems were repaired, the connected motion-sensing camera of the ship took two photos, each of their faces. There are no photos of either of the men between when they left and these.

## The Remembrance of Sol Santos

Hundreds and thousands of years into the future, Sol Santos still remains an important symbol for Ithembans, often remembered as such; a symbol more than a human or historical figure. To some he represents hiding one's true self, or losing sight of who you are in an attempt to help others. For the Codumati people he tends to be viewed in a negative light, a finger being pointed at him for the murder of ancient Ithembans both by his own hands with the murder and skinning of one and the massacre committed in his final moments, and indirectly leading to the genocide of the race of aliens. When Lilatian Commander in Chief Ezra Dergo led a group of soldiers to the planet, he found and read Santos’ journal, which directed him on how to find the aliens. He proceeded to take the group of soldiers into the pit and completely wipe out every single one within two days, killing over forty million of these aliens in ways some of which were considered “unnecessarily brutal and inhumane.” However, it has been reasonably argued that not only were Santos’ actions morally correct in that he was doing what he needed to in order to survive, but he had no way to predict what Dergo would do with his information. Dergo also claimed that the brutality of his actions was also in order to get revenge for Santos, whom he had a very positive professional relationship with. Others argue that the genocide of the ancient Ithembans was just, which is another moral alleyway to explore. Santos’ life became very romanticized, an attractive and smart young man with one leg accepting a mission to go off to a new world and doing whatever it took to help his happy-go-lucky teammate. His image has mutated into that of a fictional character more than a real human who lived and died.

He also became a figure that people who felt outcast by society felt entitled to claim to relate to, a disgusting comparison to make of someone who struggles to make friends and a man whose entire experience is defined by the inability to be compared or related to. You, the reader, are not like Sol Santos.

If there is anybody in history that can be compared to Sol Santos, it is Cyrus Incrania, a man who puts this liberty to use.

> “Since I was a child all I have done for these people is to help them. And I was just a child. A child in the world inadvertently making himself a second Sol Santos.” -Cyrus Incrania
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Cyrus has the experience of living what Sol Santos feared he’d live if he returned to Lailatos. He has spent even longer than Santos had without seeing his own skin, and having to feign a different identity. And as Santos feared, when he returns nobody cares about his accomplishments, and instead he becomes isolated and unapproachable from the drastic changes the past has forced onto his mind and body, never to be the same again. Cyrus desires and advocates for recognition for the unimaginable sacrifices he’s made, and as such is labeled as entitled and narcissistic, nobody able to understand what he’s been through or relive a similar experience. Instead, he feels that he’s given the equivalent of a pat on the back, but as Sol Santos feared, discarded as soon as it's evident that the journey has left him scared.

> “And those that understand? She’s discarded me for someone who can shout a little louder. Someone who can’t be a burden on her shoulders by wanting some sort of payoff for a lifetime of devotion. Someone who I’ve trusted with the most important thing I’ve recovered, and keeps it from me. She has no fucking clue what that means to me. The fucking disrespect I’ve received from everyone I’ve grown to trust simply because they know no better. I am alone in my experiences, another Sol Santos. And just like Sol Santos, will my Lilatians arrive in time before I go crazy? So far, there is no end in sight.” -Cyrus Incrania
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Cyrus also refers to Everest as “his Garitty.” A man who could throw his life around like he had a second one, be reckless and loud. But also a man that Cyrus and Sol both wanted to cathartically destroy.

> “No matter what I do anymore, I have resigned myself to being alone in this world. Such a cruel fate for their savior. Why? Why do they hate me? I miss my Garitty. As delusional and fucked up as it sounds. That reckless bastard who could throw his life around. But god how I wanted to get away from him.” -Cyrus Incrania
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In his final words, Cyrus makes another comparison of Santos’ life which can be interpreted whichever way you’d like to.

“You(Jiang Tao)… you are my Lailatos…”  -Cyrus Incrania, Final Words.

## Trivia

* Sol Santos’ story originally comes from playing a game of astronauts in the park across the street from the author’s grandma’s house. And in an ironic comparison, he was Sol Santos.

Sol Santos before leaving Lailatos, 27 (-12PC)The Last Recorded Photo Of Sol Santos, 32 (-7PC)