In the star system Viori Sal, there are two planets.
Bistovounaght (apparently I am still pronouncing it wrong) is the home world of the Sheenar, the eldest and most highly evolved of the known races.
Many thousands of years ago, one of their greatest ventures was their establishment of a massive colony on a neighbouring planet, dedicated to assisting other races in their pursuit of knowledge.

Kenglowe loomed ahead of us.
It was not difficult to feel intimidated by the mere sight of it.
We were approaching from an angle that caught us in between daytime (unittime? I’m going to stick with daytime) and evening. 

On the dark side, billions of lights twinkled. 
More than fifty percent of the surface was covered with every type of educational facility that could have ever been thought of and more that could never have been imagined.
Ten percent was made up on dorm-like facilities for faculty and students alike.  There was no work force on the planet, absolutely all of the catering, leisure, maintenance and security personnel were interns at different stages of their learning processes and the teachers that supervised them.
The remaining forty percent was rural or water.  The natural environment kept the planet’s ecosystem in balance, at minimal cost.
Sixty percent of planet was lit up so brightly is was as though the core itself was shining through the crust.  Images of my memories of the Earth cracking, a light from within flashed through my mind.

On the light side, the vast stretches of white and chrome were broken occasionally by a streak of green or a flash of blue.
Patches of cloud could be spotted sporadically across the skies, heavy and dark in places, yet light and bright in others.
The comfort that came from realizing that there was still rain to be found, was enough to bring a smile to my face.

We sat in orbit for at least an auxe. 
Everyone who lands on a Community planet must register and provide personal identification.
Unfortunately, they would not be accepting drivers licenses as proof of who we were.
We were not yet part of the Community.  There were mountains of bureaucratic procedures in place before humanity would even be considered, even then it would likely be many cycles before we could fulfil all of the requirements required.
Any race that are not a part of the Community, are automatically labelled as thulai.
There are currently three other races that are thulai.  They still trade, work and interact with Community races, however they do not have one another’s support without payment, which is the majority of the reason that the Community exists.  At least that is my own impression so far.
The three thulai races are the shtrillan, the pink and the living.
The shtrillan are an aquatic race.  They look bizarre, yet are, by far, the friendliest beings you will come across.  Their heads look like upturned bells with a translucent dome through which you can see their brains and nervous systems.  Their nerves and veins can become luminescent at will.  Their mouths are naturally downturned which gives them a deceptively grouchy appearance.  The rim of their bell like heads are lined with whiskers which, just above their black, oval eyes, look like the eyelashes of an eccentric drag queen.  They have no body or legs, however one firm limb protrudes from their heads which has two short arms, each with a three fingered, webbed hand.  It has been proven that these arms are what used to be roots which tethered the to the ocean beds before they evolved from sentient plants to self-aware beings.  The lower parts of their bodies are almost identical to that of a jellyfish.  A thin, translucent fin encircles up to nine thick tentacles and a host of hair thin tentacles that they use to eat.  Their mouths are purely for communication purposes. 
The pink have absolutely nothing to do with the human-English word for a stereotypically feminine colour.  They were called pink millennia before we had even thought up the word.  They are, quite frankly, fantastically beautiful creatures.  They are closer to birds than bipeds (two arms, two legs).  An average height of between five and six feet and in place of arms they have wings that are twice their height with a talon at the top joint.  Their legs are the same structure as their boy until the knee at which point they become thin, covered in a tough skin and with four talons that lay flat or clasp onto whatever they are standing or perching on.  The feathers that cover their bodies are coloured depending on their individual origins on their home world and can range from simple browns, blacks and greys to vibrant reds and greens.  A few, very rare, bloodlines have a variety of colours throughout their plumage.  Their faces are almost humanoid in shape, however their nose and mouth are still that of a bird, their beaks are a smooth yet pliable skin that is able to bend, enabling them to form words.  They are another race that are telekinetic, before they became sentient, and even after, they were truly fearsome predators.
It is safe to say that they were one of the races that had a noticeable impact on Earth, spoken of as angels or harpies, they found religion and nurtured it which, in no small way, dramatically influenced how humanity’s beliefs became such a divide amongst them.
The living, as you might expect, are another branch of highly evolved artificial intelligence.  There was a breaking point, many hundreds of cycles ago, as all A.I. reached a point in their evolution where they could decide on which path to take.  The alive decided to become biological, to reproduce naturally and exist as an independent race.  Those that did not choose that path, called themselves living as they were not content to simply be alive.  There was no war, no grand confrontation, just an agreement to follow their own paths.  The living chose to remain as machines, they take whatever form they choose and can be either tethered to one platform or body, or move their consciousness from place to place using specific signal relays.  Having no unified form makes it difficult to know when you are interacting with an A.I. or a V.I. (virtual intelligence) and so they are required, by their own kind, to be branded with the living’s identity symbol.

At length, Orthus’s voice rang out, “we have been cleared to land.  As we descend through the outer atmosphere, there will be some slight turbulence, so make sure that you are standing near something that can steady you.  The gravity on Kenglowe is a tiny bit lower than what you are used to, you will feel a little lighter, but unfortunately it won’t be so low that you can bounce around like on Luna (earth’s moon).  You should acclimatize to it quickly and it will also help with your stamina as the local units are twenty-two auxes long which is about forty-one earth hours.”
The group seemed to gasp in collective disbelief and vague despair at the idea of being awake for more than twenty hours at a time.
With a slight rattle we were brought gently back to the floor of the Piti as the planet’s gravity drew us in.  Initially my body felt heavier than I remember it being, however the further we dropped down, the more normal my weight began to feel.  (Which was a relief as the twelve and a half stone I was carting around with me was enough already without adding to it)
For a short while we moved downwards, as though we were in a lift, the unexpectedly level ground rising to meet us alarmingly fast.  With the inertial dampers at work, we could travel in any direction at anything up to the speed of sound without getting the usual feeling of being pushed in the opposite direction.
At, what I am told was, about half a mile above the surface we slowed down.
From that time onwards it felt more as though we were being driven instead of following a programed trajectory.
The area that we had arrived in was lush with local plant life and simple yet elegant water features.  Most of the smooth white buildings were between three and six stories high.  On their roofs could be seen lines of reflective panels, solar panels to be precise, accompanied by multiple micro wind farms.
The ground was paved with an eggshell cream coloured stone, smooth but not slippery.
There were no roads.
We came to a sudden stop next to one of the taller buildings.
Were it not for the difference in height, and a map on my tablet, I still would have difficulty telling which building was which.
The display of the outside on the interior walls of the Piti faded back into the woodland that it had been when we had originally entered it.
At some point in the upper atmosphere, Deia had floated away to the upper deck.  She now made her way down the ramp with Orthus just behind her.
I could not help but notice how much effort everyone was putting into not staring at her.  She had straightened the top metre and a bit of herself and was using the last fifty centimetres to move along.
“If you will all follow Deia,” Orthus said, “she will show you to where you will be staying.”
“You’re not coming?”  I had to force my voice out, no matter how much water I had drunk during our wait for permission, my throat remained dry as a bone.
“I must see a few beings to sort out a few bits for administration.  There will be plenty of that you must all go through tomorrow, however it will be dark soon and it would be best to familiarize yourselves with your temporary accommodation.”
The ramp of the Piti lowered smoothly to reveal our surroundings on ground level.
The air was still and, with the oncoming evening, a certain crispness was setting in.
There was a fresh citrus smell all around us, the scent of the green trumpeted flowers that seemed to surround the base of every short, yellow coloured trees that displayed deep green leaves.
There were Amber coloured lights shining from the undersides of balconies that stuck out over the precinct.  As the sky became darker, the lights got brighter, illuminating the pathways as though the star had not left the sky.
Not the sun. 
Earth had a sun.
The rest were stars.
This was a different star system.
A different planet.
It suddenly hit me.
I was stood on an alien world, trillions of miles from home.
Or rather from nowhere.
This would be our home.
For the next nine local units at least.
Ten units.
Just over a fortnight.
I would never breathe the same composition of air again.
Never see the same sky.
Never hear the sounds of cars of birds.
Never smell the same scents coming from the things that they used to.
Never feel the polluted rain on my skin.
Never drink Irn Bru or eat Cadbury chocolate.
They were my favourites, but they were not the only things I would never consume again.  Home cooked meals would be never be what they were.  Nutritional values were a complete unknown. 
Nothing would ever be as it was.
My life was gone.
As was everyone elses.

Yet a new one had been granted in its place.

I must have spaced out for a while, the overload of new sensory information overwhelming me completely, because when I turned to ask Phoebe what she thought, we were inside, half way up a ramp.
Another ramp, there were no steps anywhere.
The shtrillan are unable to move about without the use of a tall tank-like housing for themselves.  If their tentacles are not extended they feel great discomfort.  These tanks, I am fairly certain that they hover, not even an inch off the ground, hence the need for ramps wherever they might possibly go.
At the top of the second ramp, we were led to a door.
This time it seemed to be an actual door, made of (what looked like) wood with hinges and a handle.
As Deia moved up to it, there was a click of a latch unlocking.
Everyone seemed to be looking for me to go in first, so stepping forward, I obliged.
The handle pulled outwards, more like the one you might find on an industrial fridge or freezer than on the door to a room.  Pulling it seemed to activate an automatic mechanism that swung the door smoothly outwards.
The room beyond was dark, yet, as the door touched the wall, lights began to spring on.  These were not the same strips of lights that seemed to exist everywhere else, they were individual, small, round portals of light emitting from the ceiling as well as a few orb-like lamps dotted around the room.
The room itself was one giant circle.  Ramps lead up either side of the room to where twenty more doors encircled the upper floor.  These over looked a large space which was made up of four different areas. 
A very large dark grey coloured rectangle covered a five metre or so space on the lower wall, in front of which there were several comfy chairs and squashy balls that had a similar structure to the homemade stress balls I used to make from balloons filled with flour.  Fortunately these balls had a much stronger outer material, so far none have burst.
A quarter of the way around the room from the screen was a kitchen area; cabinets, counter tops, a complex sink and a series of strange appliances that would be used to prepare food in the same way a toaster, blender or microwave would.  Within a few of the cabinets were frozen, chilled and heated food storage, as well as a few filled with multiple plastic boxes of completely unfamiliar edible and drinkable substances.
The majority of the floor space was taken up by eight round tables, five chairs at each.  At their centres were bowls of fresh fruit and sweet looking, freshly made cakes.
On another stretch of wall was a long white bench with chairs that looked fairly similar to desk chairs, except instead of wheels they had several roller balls at the base, similar to the original computer mice.  Consoles, when activated at these desks, become like computers, with a control board on the flat section and screens directly ahead of the user.
Taking the lead, I stepped over the threshold.
Following tentatively, twenty-six others followed.
Unsure of how to act in such a situation, we all stood awkwardly crowded near the door.
Deia moved through the group until she took a spot in front of us.
“This will be you home for the next nine local units.  Orientation is first thing in the morning, we will issue a wake up call an hour before the administrator will arrive.  Please take the next ten auxes to get to know your new residence as well as getting some rest and refreshment.  You are more than welcome to leave the building, your tablets have local maps, however until you have become more familiar with the area and the beings that you will come into contact with, I caution you to not wander too far.  Make sure you keep your tablets with you at all times if you do leave, you can use them to signal for assistance if you get lost.
“There is food and drink in the cupboards over there,” she indicated with a tip of her head, please help yourselves.  You can find information and preparation guides on your tablets.  Behind each of those doors,” again she nodded with head,” are your private rooms.  There are two beds in each, you may sleep wherever you like, they are all identical.  You will also find new clothes in the cupboards, they are made from an intelligent material that stretches to twice its size.  If you like your clothes slightly baggy, hold the white tab that you can find on the inside and pull the garment to the size that you would like.  Hygiene facilities are accessible down the ramps inside the rooms.
“Does anyone have any questions?”