Pixel, short for Ixlbezermedileer (ICKS-uhl-Beh-zer-MED-uh-Leer) is an avian Neptunian and a member of the Timberwolf crew. Being an astronautics engineer, Pixel acts as the all-purpose mechanical caretaker for the Ermine and its warp drive, serving roles that overlap what Amy and Lydia do on their rival ship, the Jackrabbit II. Martian hardware is generally pretty rugged but the Ermine's specialized cargo hold depends on a number of overlapping systems functioning perfectly in order to operate in the vacuum of space, and Pixel takes great pride in assuring his crew that everything will work just fine. Part of his quality assurance can be attributed to his somewhat nervous personality; Pixel tends to imagine the worst outcome of a given situation, but rather than panic about it he sets to work finding pre-emptive solutions to prevent those outcomes from happening. He triple- and quadruple-checks all of his work and is so consistent in his nervous habits he will step back into the ship's kitchen to make sure he didn't forget to close the fridge door all the way, twice, before taking food back to his quarters. It can be somewhat annoying for other crewmembers but there's no denying what an asset having such an attention to detail is when traveling off-world on a job.
Unique among the Sol system's major worlds, Neptune has two dominant sentient lifeforms instead of just one. The long-eared Neptunian tunnelers share their world with the feathery avian Neptunians of the surface. Where Red Raven's Bell is a member of the former group, Pixel represents the latter; avian Neptunians have sharp beaks, long tails and brightly-colored plumage all over their bodies, thick enough to keep them warm on the chilly surface of their home planet. These Neptunians developed their sentience during the process of evolving flight, where they can't fully flap their wings and fly like birds but they can use their feathered bodies to glide on a wind current, even after running for a bit to get started. Their feet have two front toes and one back toe which provide a strong enough grip to lift and carry moderately-heavy objects on a breeze, and their footwear is designed with a hinged midsole to allow this grip to maintain its usefulness.
While they're not quite as rugged as their tunneling counterparts, they have inherent knowledge of flight and have combined their talents with their neighbors to develop some of the Sol system's earliest starship technology. It is because of this collaborate effort, combined with their planet's unique mineral resources, that Neptunian corporations such as Quasar Galactic Systems Specialists are the leading name in starfaring hardware, rivaling or surpassing even Terran starship companies. It is from this rich engineering tradition that Pixel has developed his very thorough skillset.
Pixel came to become a member of Timberwolf after a rather embarrassing encounter by the nascent crew. Bryce, Mahnoor and Alan had claimed salvage rights to a lucrative shipwreck ahead of Amy, Haley, Keera and Slug, boasting over ship comms about showing up late with all that engine power. Red Raven was a bit miffed but they buzzed off, and Timberwolf set about collecting valuables and cutting down bulkheads to store in their cargo hold. They were just about at the end of the job when the Ermine's robotic arm seized up while its claw was inside the cargo hold, depositing a load of scrap metal. They couldn't fly with their bay door open like this so Bryce called in to Titan Garden on the emergency frequency, specifying that they didn't need a tow job, they needed repair assistance. Carol had been on radio dispatch duties that day and, after a bit of a wait, assistance arrived at the Ermine's location- it was Red Raven again! Amy and Slug suited up to spacewalk and repair the malfunctioning hardware while Haley and Keera sat in the bridge and made jokes about Timberwolf getting its hand stuck inside a cookie jar.
Mahnoor was a little embarrassed but Bryce was so mad at this twist of fate, once the service call was completed and Red Raven went home- after offering to tow the Ermine back to Titan- Timberwolf set off right to Neptune to find the best mechanic they could get a hold of. Better than a Mercurian gift is a very high water mark to reach and, unfortunately, a tremendous amount of Neptunian aeronautics talent is already employed by Neptunian companies, but they lucked out in that Pixel had just finished apprenticing with an outfit doing maintenance on transport ships that service Neptune's orbital lake-busting cannons. Bryce, having a cargo hold full of salvage, promised Pixel an adventurous career fixing and dismantling ships all over the Sol system; Pixel very carefully made sure to negotiate a good salary instead of the offered commission percentage, as well as ample vacation time and the autonomy to make executive safety decisions on his own. It is probably one of the comfiest contracts between Red Raven and Timberwolf, but Bryce was willing to make those bargains to get himself a Neptunian mechanic, because he simply couldn't bear to see Amy smile at him like that again. It hasn't happened since on Pixel's watch, but Timberwolf has still run jobs during Pixel's contractually-designated vacation time, and sure enough, once or twice the Ermine has needed a visit from Red Raven, and Amy's smile has gotten smarmier each time Bryce has had to make that video call.