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First Impressions
Day 1: Arrival in New Liberty
I’ve seen cities across the Terran Core, but nothing could prepare me for New Liberty. I arrived just as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden light across the towering skyscrapers. I’ve read about this place, a beacon of human achievement on Terra Secundus, but to see it in person is surreal. The city stretches endlessly upward, a jungle of glass and steel, its skyline dotted with vibrant digital advertisements that pulse like neon constellations.
I took the mass transit skyway to my apartment in the Quartz District, and it felt like something out of a dream. Hover vehicles zipped between buildings, their sleek designs reflecting the light from massive, holographic billboards. Every few moments, a sky bridge would appear, linking one skyscraper to the next, as people walked along in their own world, casually passing hundreds of feet above the streets.
Above, two of Terra Secundus’ three moons glowed faintly in the night sky, casting an ethereal shimmer across the cityscape. They made everything feel… otherworldly. In the distance, the third moon, a larger and darker one, loomed like a silent observer. It’s strange to think that something so massive, something once invisible from Earth, is part of everyday life here.
Day 2: Exploring the Streets and Skyways
Today, I set out to explore. The streets are a mix of old and new, reflecting Earth’s urban heritage blended with designs native to Terra Secundus. On ground level, the city bustles with life with vendors selling food from every corner of the planet and beyond, musicians playing strange but mesmerizing instruments, people from all backgrounds and nationalities moving with purpose.
The mass transit system is like a city within a city. Sleek, maglev trains shoot along invisible lines between buildings, moving at dizzying speeds. I hopped on a transit pod to the Central Plaza. As we raced through the sky, the view of the city below was breathtaking. The skyscrapers’ reflective surfaces glinted in the light of the two moons, and massive advertisements rolled like waves across building façades, displaying everything from fashion to interstellar tech.
I’ve also noticed the small details that make this city unique. The sky bridges, for instance, aren’t just functional. They’re lined with digital art displays that change with the time of day, projecting serene, abstract shapes that complement the city’s futuristic aesthetic. Some bridges even have interactive holograms for pedestrians—places where the bridge lights up with every step, creating an effect like walking on water.
Day 4: Evening in the Pulse of New Liberty
Tonight, I saw New Liberty in its full glory. As the moons rose high, the city transformed. Digital billboards lit up, covering entire skyscrapers in cascading light displays, some showing scenes of distant worlds, others projecting intricate patterns that seem to ripple across the city’s surface. It’s as if the city itself has a pulse, beating to the rhythm of life around it.
I walked to the top of a viewing platform in the Sapphire District, where you can see the entire metropolis stretched out beneath you. Hover cars darted through the sky, their lights creating trails that blended with the bright glow of advertisements. The distant hum of the city filled the air, a low, constant murmur that made me feel part of something far bigger.
The moons shone brightly tonight, casting a soft, otherworldly light on everything. Their pale glow mixed with the neon lights from the city below, creating colors I’d never seen before—soft blues, silvers, and purples, all blending in a way that felt both futuristic and ancient.
Day 6: Reflection
Each day, I find myself more captivated by New Liberty. There’s a balance here, a harmony between nature and technology that’s unlike anything on Earth. The city is a machine, but it breathes. Its people, its buildings, its lights, moving in sync, creating a living metropolis that feels alive in a way I can’t quite put into words.
Terra Secundus was once a barren planet, and now it holds a city that could rival any capital on Earth. New Liberty is more than a city; it’s a testament to humanity’s resilience and vision. As I look out at the skyline from my apartment, the moons shining down on this gleaming labyrinth, I can’t help but feel that this place, with all its strangeness and beauty, is where I’m meant to be.
Lian Vega