Home is Where You Left It

Steve Cantwell returns to the sun‑scorched ruins of his childhood village on Sirius’s second planet, the dust‑laden mud‑brick houses standing as silent witnesses to a life he once knew. The relentless heat of the desert presses against his skin as he pilots his unicopter from Oasis City, only to find the well‑square empty and the water he draws turned bitter and poisonous. The desolation forces him to confront memories of raids, loss, and the fragile hope that once sustained the settlement.

In the shadow of the community center, an ancient Kumaji—skin darkened by the relentless sun—emerges, his voice trembling as he recounts the sudden exodus of the colonists. With the well poisoned and supplies gone, the survivors face a desperate trek across five hundred miles of unforgiving sand toward Oasis City. Steve must decide whether to aid the dwindling people, navigate the uneasy alliance with the native Kumaji, and grapple with the moral ambiguity of a conflict that blurs the line between villain and hero.