Some of the humans who hadn't entered the small world stood freely by the windows, watching as the mining planets grew more and more distant.
Tears welled in their eyes.
For the first time, it felt real.
The terrifying days of mining, full of fear and exhaustion, were finally behind them.
No more sleepless nights, dreading the moment they'd be captured or killed by aliens.
No more grueling days, waking before dawn to be driven to the mines, their bodies subjected to the radiation of the ores, exhaustion gnawing at their very souls.
No more collapsing from fatigue, only to be whipped and beaten by alien overseers, left to die from severe injuries.
"You're really not going to absorb it? Once we leave, you might not get another chance," Amalia asked.
Standing aboard the battleship, she turned to Kenny Lin, assuming he would absorb all the energy from the mining planets into the Yin-Yang Pearl.
Yet, to her surprise, he had suggested leaving without doing so.
