The Grand Hall of Novaheim was alive with celebration, every corner glittering with the reflection of a thousand small, perfect lights. Sawl Osei stood at the front, his uniform sharp and unblemished, as if he'd just stepped out of a holoscreen ad for Novaheim's finest. It wasn't the first time he'd been in the spotlight, but today was different. Today, he had reached the pinnacle of Novaheim's expectations. He had earned his promotion to Exemplar, a title that carried weight in this perfectly ordered society. He was, without question, at the top of his game.
"Sawl," the Chancellor's voice boomed, smooth as velvet, "you stand here today as the embodiment of what we have strived for. Perfection. Order. Enlightenment. Your achievements speak for themselves, a living testament to Novaheim's highest ideals."
The applause was enthusiastic, though familiar. Sawl had heard it countless times before. The ceremony was almost too predictable, too easy. This was Novaheim, after all. Everything was polished, from the walls to the people who filled them.
And yet, amid all this perfect order, a strange unease tugged at Sawl. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. He had worked hard for this, and he was grateful for the recognition, but there was a quiet voice inside him that kept whispering, Is this really it?
The Chancellor's voice continued, drawing him back to the present. "And now, as our newest Exemplar, you will embark on a mission unlike any before. To Earth."
At the mention of Earth, a faint ripple passed through the crowd. It wasn't a loud reaction, just a collective shift in energy. Earth. He had heard that word often enough, but it still carried a certain weight. To Novaheim, Earth was a relic, a place people still lived, sure, but it was outdated. Their technology, their philosophies, their beliefs, all behind the times. Still, the Chancellor's words cut through the air, drawing Sawl's focus back to him.
"Of course, Earth isn't like Novaheim," the Chancellor continued, voice dipping into a more playful tone, "It's charming, in its own way. A place where old habits linger. People still believe in their... spiritual crutches. Isn't that just adorable?" He raised a hand and waved dismissively. "But we've moved beyond that, haven't we? We, Novaheim, have transcended the petty limitations of the past."
Another round of polite laughter followed, though Sawl couldn't shake the slight unease still lingering in his chest.
"And yet," the Chancellor continued with a dramatic flourish, "it was once our home. Can you imagine? Hundreds of thousands of years ago, we were no different from the people down there now." He let out a short, amused laugh, as though the idea of them sharing anything in common was laughable. "But we saw the truth. We understood the great purpose. And we chose to evolve, to ascend."
Sawl's thoughts flickered back to Earth again. How far had Novaheim really come? In some ways, they were worlds apart, and in others... maybe they were missing something. He glanced at his fellow officers, their faces glowing with pride, but he couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was being overlooked.
"The first ships," the Chancellor continued, his voice now taking on a nostalgic tone, "set sail from Earth long ago, propelled not by the engines of science, but by the purest form of belief. It wasn't technology that brought us here, it was faith, faith in a higher purpose." He paused, as though savoring the weight of his own words. "And when the time came, we left Earth behind. We knew that to truly evolve, we had to sever ourselves from the past."
Sawl felt a twinge of discomfort. The story the Chancellor was painting wasn't exactly wrong, but it felt... incomplete. The people of Earth hadn't just been abandoned. Hadn't they tried to reach for the stars too? Hadn't they also sought a higher purpose?
"We built Novaheim in the image of our ideals," the Chancellor went on, eyes gleaming with pride. "A place where logic reigns. Where the distractions of emotion, spirituality, and tradition have no place. Our ancestors came from the ancient lands of Atlantis, where wealth and technology were unparalleled. They built this station with their own hands. Using the riches and knowledge passed down through the ages. What they started, we've perfected." He gestured grandly toward the vast expanse outside the windows, where Earth sat like a distant jewel, still spinning beneath them. "We've moved on, far beyond anything they could imagine."
A light chuckle ran through the crowd. "And yet, Sawl," the Chancellor added with a wink, "you will be the one to go back. To retrieve data, the last remnants of Earth's quaint ideas. It's almost... charming, isn't it?" His smile grew, knowing that the crowd was with him.
The laughter rippled through the room, but Sawl stood still, the joke hanging awkwardly in the air. There was a sharpness to the Chancellor's words that didn't quite sit right with him. Earth had moved on, sure. But had Novaheim really evolved? Or had they just buried what had come before?
"And once you've completed your mission," the Chancellor added, "we'll all remember just how much better we are."
As the ceremony wrapped up and the crowd began to disperse, Sawl found his thoughts drifting back to the words of the Chancellor. Earth. It was a world still very much alive, full of people who were just as real as those here in Novaheim. They had their own ways, their own history. To dismiss them so easily, was that really the right thing to do?
Later, back in his quarters, Sawl stood before the large window overlooking the vast expanse of Novaheim. The city glittered beneath the stars, and beyond it, Earth hung quietly in the distance. A planet full of life, people, animals, nature, all carrying on, in their own way, below him.
Primitive, he thought again, the word echoing in his mind. Old. Behind the times. Novaheim never failed to remind him how far beyond Earth they were, how much more advanced they had become. And yet, something about the idea of Earth still nagged at him. Something about it felt... important. He wasn't sure what, but there it was, just at the edge of his awareness.
He leaned closer to the glass, eyes narrowing. He had been told it was just a data collection mission, nothing more. But the more he looked at Earth, the more something about it seemed... valuable.
"What's left of it?" he whispered, more to himself than anyone else.
A soft breeze swept through the room, and a piece of paper from his desk fluttered into the air, swirling lazily before landing at his feet. He bent down to pick it up, but as he did, the room around him felt... different. Lighter, somehow.
He stood, looking out at Earth one last time before he turned away. There was something there, something still waiting for him. He didn't know what it was yet. But it was starting to feel like he was the one who had something to learn. And the mission? Well, it felt less like a simple chore and more like the beginning of something much bigger.