Previously: Jin informed Theo that Xiao and Mei, his wife and daughter respectively, were deported ten years ago to Community 5.

 Sunlight filtered through the leaves as Xiao tended her garden. Her daughter Mei, now fifteen, helped her put away the gardening tools. It was one of those peaceful days that strangely contrasted with their reality.
Xiao stood up, gazing at the artificial sky that stretched over their community. Still no message from Jin today.
-  Mei, I’m going inside to record a message for Daddy. Will you join me in a few minutes to say hi?
-  Yes, Mom.
Xiao entered their pavilion and sat on the couch facing the large wall screen. With a simple thought, thanks to her neural chip, she activated the video recording. Her face appeared on screen, serene but marked by a subtle fatigue that only ten years of separation could etch.
-  Hello, my love. How are you? Everything’s going well here. Mei will join me in a moment, she’s just finishing up in the garden.
Her voice carried that particular tenderness reserved for loved ones separated by distance and circumstance.
-  I was thinking about you while looking at the sky, imagining I was looking straight into your eyes. It made me realize it’s been almost ten years since we were separated. The hope of seeing you again soon remains as strong as ever, even though a routine has settled in here.
She paused, her fingers nervously playing with the hem of her tunic.
-  Sometimes there are incidents, like last week, when some people tried to leave, but UbiRight caught them and placed them in quarantine. No news since. I’m starting to think that the idea of returning home is extremely risky, maybe even impossible, especially with Mei, even though she’s grown so much. I’m holding on. The stars still whisper hope to me... even if they’re not the same, seen from here. Thankfully, life expectancy has increased significantly. As always, I’ve spent a lot of time in the lab continuing our research, and it confirms our intuition about the massive amount of energy needed to achieve such a feat. Here, I don’t have access to as many resources. I’m a bit stuck on that part, but I’ll focus more on the learning aspect. Ah, I almost forgot! I got a message from your mother. Everyone is doing well in Community 4.
The door opened gently and Mei entered, her hair still decorated with blades of grass.
-  Hi, Daddy! How are you?
Suddenly, an amplified voice echoed from the external speakers: Attention, attention. SineSol ahead. Four-hour stop. For those interested in an exploration outing, please proceed to Gate 3. Departure in 30 minutes. Thank you for your attention.
Mei turned to the screen with a reassuring smile.
-  Don’t worry, Daddy. It’s just a scheduled stop set up by the previous communities.
-  Exactly, added Xiao. “SineSol is full of special resources useful in our daily lives. Go on Mei, tell Daddy about your week.”
The teenager then launched into an animated account of her adventures with her human and humanoid friends, her athletic achievements, and her latest artistic creations. Life had resumed its course, gradually masking the dramatic origins of their exile.
Mei eventually slipped away to return to the garden, leaving Xiao to finish her message alone.
-  That’s all the news for now. We think of you constantly. We miss you terribly. I hope this message will find you well. See you very soon, my love.
She ended the recording and went outside to join her daughter.
-  Mei, what if we joined the outing to SineSol?
-  Oh yes, Mom! Great idea, it’s been so long since we’ve gone out!
-  I’ll ask Georges and Katya to come with us.
Xiao contacted them mentally through her neural chip. Her friends accepted enthusiastically. The two families prepared separately, putting on their special protective suits, accompanied by their respective humanoid assistants.
They met at Gate 3, where around fifty people had gathered. When the gate opened, they discovered a spectacular observation platform stretching into the darkness of space, far beyond the artificial sky of their habitat.
Earth was now just a glowing dot lost in the vastness.
As they boarded the shuttle that would take them to SineSol, Xiao, Mei, Georges, and Katya stood speechless before the giant planet unfolding before them, painted in reds and purples.
-  It’s really beautiful, isn’t it, Mom?
-  Yes, so much, sweetheart.

Next: The Plain stretches as far as the eye can see. In the center: Omni's fortress. Jin realizes what he's getting himself into.
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