The three-day flight seemed interminable, but upon her arrival at the New Hope spaceport her ego was stroked when she was met by two of the foremost citizens of New Hope, Dr. Finch, and Peter. Now this was appreciating her importance! They escorted her to Dr. Finch’s sleek silver sports car. As he piloted the car, Dr. Finch gave Aluna a detailed medical analyses of Arrin’s condition, but she only half listened, for she was taken aback by the beauty of New Hope. She’d expected it to be an ugly, inhospitable place since everyone knew it was an undesirable planet, being too small, with no rich metals, and imperfectly terraformed.

“This is such a beautiful colony,” she gushed, interrupting Dr. Finch in mid-sentence.

“Isn’t it?” Peter said. “God has created many...

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