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Withhesitation,Iplace my fingers and then my whole palm against the tree, andIswearIcan sense a pulse beneath its thin bark.That’swhen it dawns on me that we are the pioneers, the first humans to ever walk on this moon.It’sincredibly overwhelming and a blessing to have this second chance to be more than we once were.Previously,Ifelt voiceless and powerless, but nowIrefuse to step aside and let history repeat itself.Thiswill be my home, andI’mready to protect it with mylife if necessary.AsIrun my hand along the smooth surface,Itake a moment to truly observe my surroundings, realizing that most of the trees standing around me are the same height.

“SCOUT, where are all the baby trees?”

“Youmean saplings?”

“Yeah…Ijust noticed how clear the underbrush is and the fact that there are no baby trees.”

“Wewill have to wait forKyTto answer that question.Hehas a way with fauna that goes beyond scientific reasoning.”

“Yousaid two guys were coming?Ifone is the tree whisperer, who is the other one, and what does he do?”

“MeKserves as the chief engineer for the majority of newly installed residences … dwellings or ‘homes’ as you call them.Hisplanet produces and manufactures nearly everything required in our section of the solar system, ranging from medical chambers to the bots we utilize each rotation.MeKuremjust recently started fabricating all the intelligent and sentient dwellings as our sector is advancing rapidly.Atone time, his home planet even assembledFalcorwithin its airspace.Ifwe need it, he is the male to see it designed and then built for our needs.”

JustasI’mgetting ready to ask him what the houses will look like,Briarcomes running toward me. “Whatare you doing all the way back here?”

“Lookingaround, what do you thinkI’mdoing?Wheredid you go?Ihad no idea you were even gone.”

“Comeon!Youcan look at trees later.You’vegot to see this beach and the water.”

Shegrabs my hand, pulling me along, and that’s when it hits me thatSCOUTandIwere completely by ourselves, roaming around.Gigglingat her impatienceItell her, “I’mcoming crazy ass, you’re gonna pull my arm off.”

Steppingthrough what feels like a rocky fairy gate,Istop dead in my tracks at the sight before me.I’mnot sure if it’s an ocean or a lake, butIcan’t see the other side.Thewater shimmers like a mirror, reflecting the ever-changing colors of the sky above.Thesand around me is a flawless pearl color with a powdery texture.NoticingCarlastanding at the water’s edge, we walk toward her, our feet sinking deep into the sand as we get closer to the water’s edge.Sheglances over at me as we all stand there in awe.

“Girls, no one could have dreamed this up.”

Istart to lean down to put my hand in the water when a huge black hand grabs my arm, stopping me right before my fingers touch. “Wehave not tested the water yet, and your human skin is overly sensitive to some things.”

TheCommanderpulls me up, andIswearIjust swallowed my tongue.Istand there in a daze, staring at his massive hand wrapped around my arm.That’sthe first timeI’venoticed something moving along his arms.JustasIstart to ask him what’s attached to him,Briarbumps my hip with hers, andIjerk out of my own thoughts, mumbling, “Thanksfor the save there.Ishould have thought to ask first.”Ricky, walking up to talk to theCommander, has him releasing my arm, andIstumble back, only to watchBriarroll her eyes when an unexpected and unwanted voice makes both of us jump.

“Whatdo you guys think?Ican see some skinny dipping in these waters after they say it’s clear, of course.”

Bothof us turn towardEric, butBriarinstantly goes on the defensive. “Ibelieve we all be a little too busy to frolic around like kids,Eric.”

“Allwork and no play makes for a bad environment.Youhave to have things to look forward to.”

“Walleringaround naked when we don’t have a pot to piss in isn’t on the top of my list right now.Ifyou’d stop thinking with your dick, it wouldn’t be on yours either.Ihave no idea what you did onEarth, andIdon’t care, but here, being the playboy isn’t going to get you laid.So, stop trying so hard and maybe try impressing a girl with your actions instead.”

Theexpression on his face is unforgettable, andI’mwilling to wager that no one has ever addressed him in that manner before.Reflectingon his actions alone,Ibelieve he must have been the son of someone important back home.Becausefor some reason, he feels entitled and like we should be grateful to have his attention here.

Ericstarts to open his mouth whenJameswalks up, his voice catching my attention and prompting me to turn away. “Commander,Iunderstand that we can only see a small portion of the area around us in the time frame we’re going to be here.Isthere a way that you can scan or possibly map the rest of the locations we might relocate to?Thisplace is beautiful, but is the soil capable of growth, especially for things not originally from here?”

“SCOUTwill be able to answer that more accurately.”Andjust like you flipped a switch he appears right out of the air again.

“James, we are still processing all the components in this soil, but our preliminary scans show the soil to be rich in many of thesame minerals your plants needed to grow successfully onEarth.Icannot say that all plants will flourish here, butIdo believe, worst case scenario, we can find additional ways if need be.Soilscan be brought in and greenhouses built.”

Jamesnods his head then walks over toCarla, taking her hand in his.Theystand together looking out over the water, andIwonder how much easier all this would be to take in ifIhad someone to lean on right now.TheCommander’svoice echoes around us.

“Wehave a little more time if you want to spread out and explore further.”

I’vealways been a beach girl, but something about these massive trees seems to call to me.Withoutthinking,Istart to head back into the cool, calm atmosphere their canopies provide.Lookingback at where most of the others are still gathered,Isuddenly feel very melancholy and extremely alone.EventhoughIdidn’t have many friends, and my family consisted ofPapaw, at leastIknew that ifIneeded anything, he was only a phone call away.Now, … well,Ican’t let myself think about it, orI’llfall apart.So,Itake a deep breath and make myself focus on what’s around me.Myfootsteps are silent on the soft forest floor as my fingers trace the base of the monster trees.Lookingaround,Itry my best to find anything familiar, but there is nothing, not a random ant on a tree or a butterfly in the sky.Inever thoughtI’dmiss the aggravation of a gnat or a mosquito, but in this silence,Iwould love to hear a cricket or the screech of a blue jay.

OnlywhenIhear someone calling my name, doIturn back.Afew minutes later,IfindBriarstanding at the edge of the forest with a frown on her face. “Ok, what part did you not understand when they told us not to wander off?”

“Ididn’t go that far,Mooommm.”

“IfIwas your mother,I’dbust your ass.So, from now on, you stay whereIcan see you.”Onceagain, we’re interrupted.

“Ididn’t know you two were kinky like that.CanIplay along?Iwould hate to miss anything, andI’dlove to hand out the spankings.”