Characters in the Cosmos: Meet Ali Brehan
This week we welcome author Tia-Louise Way's Ali Brehan to the interview table! Brehan can be found in the manuscript Out from the Deep, a serious passion project just in its first draft stage that Way has "hit my stride" on. You can follow Tia-Louise Way on Twitter, @theoryofrome to keep up with her progress!
Who are you? What do you do?
I'm Ali Brehan, I'm an engineer for the Hauean fleet. Or I'm trying to be. I don't want to be part of the war my friends are trying to drag me into.
What is your greatest fear?
I'm scared of dying. There's so much more to experience and lost time to make up for, I'm not ready to go just yet.
What's the worst thing that's happened in your life? What did you learn from it?
When I was fifteen some of my closest loved ones were involved in a rebellion. It was bad enough they were sentenced to death, then they tried to get me executed with them. Since then I've been selfish with anyone else close to me. Everything's on my terms. If anyone gets hurt, I'll be the one hurting them.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
That's a touchy subject. I have a girlfriend, but we sort of had an understanding that things wouldn't get too far...
When and where were you happiest?
When I was a kid my best friend and I would sneak down to the scrap room and build robots or repair machinery. There's a purity to that kind of joy I miss.
What is your most treasured possession?
Kinda fluffy, but my mam gave me a screwdriver set for my fifth birthday and I've always got it on me. Reminds me of home.
What do you most value in your friends?
Honesty. I'm sick of being lied to. I'm sick of being left in the dark. I don't care what kind of person they are, long as I know about it.
Tell me about your best friend. How did you meet? What do you like about this person? What do you think they like about you?
Then or now or will be? Let's go with the guy who saved me. Edison. He's pretty tough and he doesn't really like people, but he's not scared of anything and he likes taking risks. He's the only person who doesn't think I'm rash or wasting the 'precious' time I have left. He likes that I'm as crazy as he is.
What's the worst thing you've ever done to someone? Why?
I could have stopped a bomb that destroyed a rebel base. I should have stopped it. But I was angry that they'd lied to me about rescuing my people. The worst thing is I don't really feel guilty.
What is your ideal world?
The one I'm trying to help win back. Where humans can be safe and grow again without making the same mistakes we did before. But my ideal world includes all humans, not just the fleet. It includes the ones that got left behind.
