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Commander Ethan Cole awoke to the familiar hum of his spacecraft’s systems shutting down. The mission had been a success—a long six-month stint aboard the Artemis-9 space station, followed by a routine reentry. As the capsule's parachutes deployed, he exhaled with relief, watching the deep blue planet rushing toward him. Home.

Mara dug her toes into the fine, silver sand, marveling at its unusual texture. It wasn’t quite like normal sand—it shimmered under the twin moons hanging low in the sky. Twin moons? She shook her head. That wasn’t right. There was only one moon back home, wasn’t there? But the longer she stared, the more the second moon seemed real, its pale light mixing with the other to cast an ethereal glow over the water.