Overview
Joaquim Abrahamson is the council member responsible for engineering and infrastructure. A Brazilian-born civil engineer who designed many of the colony’s original structures, he approaches every challenge with a builder’s mindset: problems exist to be solved, and solutions should last. During the Galinstanian crisis, his philosophy of “build around, not through” became the guiding principle for infrastructure development that respects subterranean neighbors. His arc explores the question: How do you build a home when you’re not the only one who lives there? His answer—that construction is covenant, not conquest—becomes foundational to colony culture.
Physical Description
Abrahamson is a large man with the solid build of someone who has spent decades inspecting construction sites and lifting materials despite having subordinates for that purpose. His dark skin shows the deep lines of frequent smiling, and his graying beard is kept neatly trimmed. His eyes are warm brown, and they crinkle generously when he laughs—which is often, even in difficult circumstances. He typically wears durable work clothes with multiple pockets, each containing tools, tablets, or snacks he’s accumulated throughout the day.
Personality & Skills
Practical Optimism: Abrahamson believes in solutions. Not hopeful wishes, but actual, buildable, testable solutions. This makes him a grounding presence when discussions become abstract or fearful.
Collaborative Leadership: He doesn’t command; he coordinates. His teams work harder for him because they feel ownership of the work, not obligation.
Structural Intuition: He can look at a building and sense stress points, load distributions, and potential failure modes. This intuition extends to social structures as well—he reads group dynamics with similar accuracy.
Generational Thinking: He builds for people he’ll never meet. His decisions account for decades of future use, not immediate convenience.
Relationships
- Alex Cruiz: They collaborate frequently on safety protocols; Abrahamson respects Alex’s medical expertise and integrates it into structural planning.
- Sebastiani: They clash occasionally—she wants redundant failsafes; she wants elegant simplicity—but ultimately produce stronger designs through their tension.
- Celectra: He treats her as a consultant on Galinstanian matters, genuinely interested in her perspective on how structures affect subterranean residents.
- Santos: Trusts her leadership completely; they share a vision of the colony as a lasting civilization, not a temporary outpost.
Key Moments
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The Foundation Audit: He personally inspects every major structure, identifying potential conflicts with Galinstanian territory before they become crises.
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The Plenum Redesign: His modification to the colony’s central gathering space creates a symbolic and practical acknowledgment of shared space—human activity above, Galinstanian freedom below.
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The Builder’s Oath: He institutes a new tradition where all colony engineers swear to “build around, not through”—a pledge that becomes sacred within the profession.
Philosophy
“We don’t conquer ground. We inhabit it together.”
Abrahamson views construction as a form of relationship-building. Every beam placed, every foundation poured, is a statement about how humans intend to exist in this world. His work is driven by the conviction that good building honors both the land and its existing inhabitants.
Quotes
- “Build around, not through.”
- “A structure that harms its neighbors will eventually harm itself.”
- “We’re not planting flags. We’re making a home. There’s a difference.”
- “The best engineering leaves room for others.”
Themes
- Construction as Covenant: What obligations do builders have to the places they build?
- Adaptation vs. Domination: Can humanity learn to fit into worlds rather than reshape them?
- Legacy: What do we owe the future when we build today?
Trivia
- Designed the Plenum, the colony’s largest public space
- Kept a physical model of every building he designed, stored in a warehouse he calls “the city of miniatures”
- Learned geology specifically to better understand Ares’s unique composition
- Has a running joke with Sebastiani about “over-engineering” vs. “elegant sufficiency”
- His first construction job on Earth was rebuilding schools after the Fusion Wars
Book 1 — The Builder's Covenant
Abrahamson appears in council sessions as a steady, supportive presence. During the Galinstanian disclosure, he listens carefully to the implications for infrastructure and immediately begins considering modifications:
- He asks about load-bearing concerns in areas above Galinstanian chambers
- He volunteers to audit all existing structures for potential conflicts
- He votes in favor of coexistence, seeing it as an engineering challenge rather than a philosophical crisis
His most significant contribution comes after the session ends, when he approaches Roan and Alex with preliminary sketches for non-invasive scanning equipment that could map Galinstanian territory without physical intrusion.
Book 2 —
Abrahamson’s role expands as the colony undertakes infrastructure modifications to accommodate Galinstanian coexistence. His projects include:
- Redesigning foundation systems to avoid subterranean chambers - Developing “living buildings” that can adjust to geological shifts caused by Galinstanian movement - Creating the “Abrahamson Protocols” for all future construction—guidelines that prioritize coexistence over convenience - Mentoring young engineers in the ethics of building on inhabited worlds