red walked to the other side of the camp and returned with a legless humanoid. The humanoid seemed from another era, damaged by the passage of time. However, when Fred pressed the button on its back, the humanoid’s eyes opened. The individuals from Community 5 remained intrigued and silent.
- Play the last message, Fred asked the humanoid.

The humanoid’s eyes projected a 3D holographic video. A man of respectable age, dressed in a war uniform, appeared. His face was tired and stern. He then spoke in an austere tone:
- I am Director Ravi Patel of Community 1. This is a message for the leaders of Omni and Ubiright. We reached Proxima B Centauri (PBC) a month ago, twelve years after our forced departure from Earth. I will try to remain calm despite the disappointing and infuriating reality of what we’ve discovered here on PBC. I am speaking from my office here in Community 1. Several landing missions were launched under my orders and all resulted in a return to the generation ship.

The individuals were completely captivated by the director’s speech.
- First, the good news. Though scarce, there are some. PBC is indeed habitable; it has an atmosphere that makes the air breathable. It rotates around its axis like Earth. The temperatures are not as extreme as on Earth. Life exists here, in two forms: lush vegetation and a population of powerful beings, comparable to what we once called gods. The first interactions ended with the massacre of the teams sent on-site.

The director then showed videos of combat between humans and beings with humanlike appearance but taller. Each being from PBC was about three meters tall and had a varying number of limbs depending on the individual. The fights showed laser shots from humans passing through the PBC inhabitants without harming them. And the few PBC beings swiftly retaliated, disintegrating the Earthlings and humanoids with a mere swipe of a limb, like a human crushing a mosquito.

The intrigued expressions of the members of Community 5 turned to fear upon seeing the horrific scenes displayed by the director of Community 1, who resumed:
- Our scientists on Earth weren’t wrong. But the hostility shown by PBC’s inhabitants makes any diplomatic negotiation attempt extremely difficult. At this point, it is imperative to stop sending more Earthlings to PBC, unless you intend to condemn them to certain death, as you did with us. Currently, we have enough resources to survive one or two more years. Most of the support systems are nearing the end of their lifespan. Along the way, we didn’t find enough resources to prolong their use. I hope our departure from Earth helped save lives, but as you can understand, this is little consolation for us here in Community 1. This is my final message.

The message ended, and the humanoid’s eyes turned off, dimming the light in the cavern. The people from Community 5 were speechless.

Soraya then spoke:
- Now you understand better why we’re not interested in leaving this planet to go to PBC.
- Yes, it’s clearly sad and alarming, Xiao replied. “For those who arrived and for us as well.”

A brief silence followed. Xiao continued:
- Thank you again for sharing this message. If it’s okay with you and my friends here, I’d like to share this information with the leadership of Community 5. I’d also like to know why you shared it with us and what you expect from us.

Katya and Georges remained silent, fully trusting Xiao’s judgment.
- We shared it because we believe it’s your right to know, Soraya said. “No one should be condemned. Life is so precious, we don’t want you to waste it. Maybe this information will lead you to rethink your plans for PBC. As for what we expect from you, it’s a place for some of us aboard your community. Life here, though pleasant, is still not as good as aboard a community, and eventually on a real planet.”

Those last words from Soraya sparked more reaction among the Community 3 survivors than the newcomers from Community 5.
- Why only a place for some of us? Inès asked, anxious about the answer.
- Because I’m staying here with Monique, Soraya replied.

A collective gasp of shock rippled through the Community 3 survivors.
- My friends, Soraya said. “You still have your lives ahead of you. Monique and I only have a few years left. We are very content here. Passion no longer needs to be part of our lives.”
- In that case, I don’t want to leave either, Fred said, his eyes filled with tears.
- Fred, I understand your reaction. But you know you and all the young ones here must seize this opportunity. Do it for your children.
- I know it’s an opportunity, Fred replied, unable to hold back his tears. “But come with us, don’t deprive our group of your presence.”
- Soraya, if I may, medicine has advanced tremendously in twenty years, Xiao said, very moved despite barely knowing Soraya. “You still have many beautiful years ahead.”
- Xiao, that’s very generous and kind of you. But do the math, there are still at least thirty years to reach PBC. So Monique and I made our choice. As grateful as we are to have lived this long, we believe that letting go is a natural step in the cycle of life.

Tears ran down the faces of everyone present.

Everyone started gathering what little belongings they had. Fred realized:
- We don’t have suits for the two children.

Indeed, all the adults who had been abandoned by Community 3 had kept their suits. But the two children born in the cave had never been in space.

Xiao turned to Fred:
- Here’s a suit for your little one. You just need to place the orb over his head and stretch it slightly.

Fred took the orb and placed it as Xiao suggested. A suit gradually covered the child’s body, starting with the head, then the rest.
Xiao Fred asked:
- What’s your older one’s name?
Fred replied:
- Anika.

Xiao turned to Mei and said:
- Mei, give your backup suit to Anika.

Mei took the backup suit from her belt and walked up to Anika with a smile. Anika smiled back and watched as Mei placed the orb above her head. The suit unfolded like her brother’s, slowly covering her body.

Then the departure began: the heartbreak was total, like a family torn apart by human cruelty in a forced migration.

Inès, crying uncontrollably, held Soraya tightly and seemed unwilling to let go of her embrace.

But true to their word, Soraya and Monique stayed behind in the cave as the members of both communities returned to the surface.

During the ascent, in the midst of the heavy atmosphere, Xiao sent a message to the ship’s commander requesting a rover to transport the additional passengers.

Before landing on Community 5, Xiao said to Fred and Kalina, his wife: “For you and your children, you’ll need to keep your suits on, even once we’re back aboard Community 5.

- Why ? Kalina asked.

Next: Jin meets an activist named Farid, who would like to warn him….
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