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Thesmile he gives her,Iswear it sucks all the air out of the room, andIapparently stop breathing becauseBriarelbows me in the ribs, and it makes me cough. “Stopacting like a schoolgirl in love with her teacher.”

“Didyou see that?Howcould anyone resist?IthinkImight’ve had an out-of-body experience.”Luckily,Idon’t thinkDaRnoticed me nearly crumbling into a bundle of nerves while he rummaged through a drawer.Iglance over atCarlaand catch her biting her lip, while she’s trying hard not to laugh after evidently hearing me.Ishrug my shoulders, promptingCarlato smile at me and making me giggle.

WhentheCommanderturns back around, a holographic image appears in the center of the room. “Wewill begin our descent shortly, so in the meantime,Iwant all of you to observe so you can familiarize yourselves with this phaser.Afterwe land, each of you will receive a weapon, which will be temporarilyprogrammed for you and will not function for anyone else.Youwill collect it on your way out and then return it when we board once again.Uponour return toANDI,Iwill have each of you go through a simulator to assess your handling of this and other weapons.Followingthat, and if successful, you will be assigned a permanent weapon.Donot worry if the ride gets a bit bumpy on the way down.”

Themoment those words leave his mouth,Ifeel my stomach tie up in knots.Igrasp onto the armrest and close my eyes, asIabsolutely hate the feeling of falling.Itonly lasts a second or so, but whenIfinally open my eyes,IseeBriarbent over, gasping for breath.

Carlaappears to bounce back quicker than either of us, andIsee her immediately begin soothingBriarby softly rubbing her back.TheCommanderremains by the door, utterly unfazed, which makes me realize that everything is likely fine; there’s no reason for me to be concerned if he’s not.

Suddenly, a sizzling noise sounds andIswearIfeel the floor beneath my feet heating up.Ilift my legs, andBriarwraps her arms around her head, which she has tucked between her knees.JustasIstart to ask what’s happening,Ifeel the shuttle tremble, and then it’s as if someone simply set us down, and everything comes to a complete halt.

“Wehave landed safely, and the air onE-311 is breathable.However, the gravity is slightly heavier than you are used to and therefore, you may tire much quicker.Remember, stay together no matter what.”

Hereaches for a handleIhadn’t noticed when we got in, and a seal on the door hisses right before it opens.Evenfrom my seat,Ican see the technicolor’s in front of us.Weare over therainbow, for sure.Iget up from my seat and walk hesitantly to the doorway.TheCommanderandRickyare both standing next to the dropship’s ramp, scanning the area.WhenIstart to step out, theCommanderputs a hand back, stopping me. “Lacie, hold there a moment.LetRickyandIdo a perimeter walk, then you can come out once we make sure there is nothing in the area.James, watch over the females until we return.”I’mso intrigued by the sights in front of me, that this timeIam happy to letJamesbe the one concerned about us.

“Yes,Commander.”Jamessteps up in front of all of us, holding the phaser confidently in his hand.Carla,Briar, andIall stand behind him in the doorway, looking out at the unfamiliar, but beautiful landscape.Afew minutes pass before they come back.

“Youcan come out now, as there is nothing in the immediate area.Theone predator we know of that flourishes here is aSuet, and they will likely be more scared of you than you are of them.”

Weall walk out, andInever thoughtI’dbe so happy to stand on solid ground again or thatIhad taken things like this for granted until it was suddenly no longer an option.

Noone says anything at first because all of us are simply stunned by the sight before us.Standingwith my hands on my hips,Ilean back, looking up at the massive … whatI’massuming are trees.I’dvisited theRedwoodForestwithPapawwhenIwas little, and these things in front of me make those look small.Theircanopy tops must be as high as some skyscrapers back home.

Whenthey said the aesthetics were different fromEarth, they weren’t lying.Thesky has displayed several colors so far and seems to be changing constantly.Theground beneath my feet is covered in tall, knee-high blue and tan grass.ThestructuresIbelieve are trees, appear to be burnt orange in color; theirleaves a mix of bright pinks and purples.Thelight breeze flowing around us carries a faint floral scent.IfIhad to guess,I’dsay the temperature is somewhere in the seventies, which is shocking considering there are two suns in the distant sky.Butthe highlight in the sky above is the massive planet taking up most of the view.

IseeSCOUTand the others coming toward us, and beforeIthink about it,Iblurt out, “Ok, it’s beautiful so what’s the downside?”

SCOUTcomes up next to me answering, “Thereare issues,Lacie, but none thatIfeel are not manageable.Thetemperatures remain the same for the majority of the year, and that is great for farming.However, this moon, like many others, does not rotate; the dark side is completely uninhabitable, which makes expansion something that would need to be monitored in the future.Thisarea is enormous but limited to only being able to maintain a certain number of inhabitants safely.

Oneconcern is the constant light and how that is going to affect your race as a whole.Thereis no darkness every few tics like you are used to.Asthe moon rotates aroundEtherium, there is a short span when darkness will approach, and you will need to remain indoors as the temperatures will plummet and become deadly quickly.Mostplant life dies off within half a rotation when this phenomenon occurs.Thankfully, it is only half a lunar rotation before the light slowly starts returning, and the moon begins renewing itself.Theonly positive aspect of this occurrence is that it provides an appropriate time to relax and enjoy all the hard work you have done during the growing season.Avacation, so to speak.”

“Whyis the sky changing colors like that?”

“Whatyou are seeing is actually only a reflection.Thegases onEtheriumcontinuously mix, causing them to change in appearance.Dueto its size and location to our suns, their light is reflected directly to this moon.”

BriarandIboth follow behindSCOUT, as all the others seem to have chosen a different path forward.Unfortunatelyfor him, my questions are forming faster than he can answer them. “So, what is thisSuetthing theCommandermentioned before?”

“Theyare a large feline and the only thingIcan reference that would be familiar to you is aPumaorSabretoothTiger.Theyare mostly black, but their skin can easily camouflage to match its surroundings, making them hard to spot in extreme fauna.”

“Ok, so watch out for big damn cats we can’t see.That’sgoing to work out well in my future.So, now that we’re here, what’s the plan?Imean, this place is beautiful butIcan’t imagine how we would even start.Thereare no local electric company workers or construction crews setting poles, waiting for further instructions thatIcan see.Ihave no idea about your life experiences, but roughing it was never my thing.”

“Iam awaitingMeKandKyT’sarrival before laying out the exact plans for your race’s final approval.Thisis not the first time we have had to come in and build or rebuild an entire society.Disastersare common in all universes.Unfortunately, it will seem overwhelming in the beginning, but with each rising, you will see a change for the better.”

“Andthe guys you’re waiting for?”

“Twomore of theCommander’ssons.”

Briarhas been quiet this entire time but nevertheless,I’mglad she doesn’t seem to be green anymore.However, his wordsmust have triggered her curiosity. “Justhow many sons does he have?BecauseIcould’ve sworn the doctor and captain on theDestroyer, both announced they were also his sons when we first awakened from the pods.”

“TheCommanderhas twenty-three presently.”

Weboth glance at each other before turning our eyes away from him, searching for theCommander.I’mnot sure whoBriaris talking to right now, but she simply voices whatI’mthinking. “Hedoesn’t look old enough to have twenty-three kids.Imean damn, talk about getting around!He’snot stingy with that thing, is he?”

“Notall things stated are as they seem, but his story is not mine to tell.Heis the most admirable and honorable male you will ever meet in this life or the next.”

Ialmost whisper toBriarthat if he wants number twenty-four,I’mwilling but stop myself becauseIdon’t want anyone else to hear me.Wewalk a little further, and just asIstart to reach out to touch the tree in front of me,Istop. “Hey,SCOUT, is it all right for us to touch things?”

“Isee no harm in it.Myscanners are not picking up any abnormalities.”