No matter how many times she made this climb, she was still astounded by the view. This time felt extra special though, and not just because it was the last time.
Her journey finally came to an end. Fifty millennia gone in a blink. She wondered where her next post would take her. Hopefully to another caretaker world. A fraction of the silence she had experienced on this world would have been enough to calm a traumatized heart.
Staring at the world around her, she wondered what these people would do with it. Would this valley be filled with a small town that would grow into a metropolis over several hundred years? Trix never had a chance to see what was done with the worlds.
That was what she signed up for though. An eternity of pushing the button, watching the arrival of that world's people, and then being transported to the next world to start the process over again.
The flares that ripped out of the signal facility were beautiful to behold. The worlds with oxygen always had the best shows in the sky.
She stepped onto the patch of grass her data-pad designated. The transport would start soon. She had always seen a few groups transport in first. Their backs were the only thing she had ever seen. Never a face.
The first group transported in at the typical distance away. Their smiling faces filled Trixi’s vision as they finished materializing. Their faces? Then another group appeared, this time twenty feet away. She had never seen so many groups. Where was the transport?
The beings started setting up their temporary shelters. Makeshift kitchens came to life. Still no transport. Trixi was starting to feel uneasy. Being this close to them instilled a feeling of slight claustrophobia she didn’t know existed.
Trix started to pace in her small area, a wear path already showing. She checked her data-pad. She was in the designated area. Where was the transport? As if someone heard her thought, a makeshift housing and kitchen setup materialized beside her.
Walking over to her domicile tube, she checked the data-pad once more. The area designation had disappeared. No further messages appeared.
The housing unit finished unfolding. Trixi looked at the bustling community that was now thriving around her. No one looked at her in a negative way or in a way that said they thought she didn’t belong. What made this even more astounding was that they were completely different species.
Trixi entered the house. The voices faded away outside. She walked to the kitchen table where a greeting card stood waiting. Trixi opened the card. Only two words were printed:
“Welcome Home.”