Alex Xu was a Solarian citizen and recording technician. In 1922 PD, he was employed as Xavier Conde's cameraman, and travelled with him and his producer Vittoria Daramy‏‎ to the planet Mesa for a report on the situation of the seccies. As a native of a water planet and child of fishermen, he was aware that nothing would be left of the bombed ocean liner Magellan out on the open ocean, but he was unable to convince Conde and Daramy of that fact.