"The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."

- Christopher McCandless

Madhya Pradesh, India. June 14th, 2038. 1300 hours.

The air was thick with heat and dust at the Madhya Pradesh station, and the tension in the crowd was almost palpable. Long lines of colonists stretched out across the station, their chatter mixing with the drone of buses and the clatter of luggage. Vinay stood with his mother and older sister, Riya, their few belongings packed into two small bags, each bearing the marks of years of wear. His mother’s hand rested on his shoulder, a firm yet comforting weight that kept his nerves in check as they slowly shuffled forward.

The Indian government’s weight limit on luggage had meant hard choices—most of their possessions had been left behind, along with the memories tied to them. The family heirlooms, books, and toys of Vinay’s childhood were locked away in their empty house, vulnerable to the chaos of a city in turmoil. Rumors swirled of looting and squatting as soon as people abandoned their homes. Yet, here they were, standing in line for a chance to escape to a new world—a place beyond imagination and despair. The hope that lay beyond the portal was tempered with the sadness of what they were leaving behind.

Ahead, the registration checkpoint loomed, reminding Vinay of the airports he had only ever seen on television. It was the same hurried, anxious energy—but instead of boarding a flight to another city, this was a gateway to a different world altogether. The thought sent a shiver down his spine. The dream of interstellar colonization was something he never thought would come in his lifetime, and now it was both thrilling and terrifying. He clutched his bag tighter, glancing at the dull blue sky above as if to etch it in his memory.

"Next!" an officer called, beckoning them forward.

They handed over their identification cards, and a man in a uniform quickly checked their information against a list on his tablet. The process was quick, clinical, almost like they were little more than names on a spreadsheet. Once the officer nodded in approval, they were directed toward the waiting buses, which continuously shuttled colonists back and forth to the portal.

Vinay followed his mother and Riya onto the bus, squeezing into a seat by the window. His heart beat a little faster as he settled in, his fingers tracing the edge of the windowpane. "Has Papa called yet?" he asked, not looking at his mother but rather at the bustling station outside, where riot police in helmets and shields stood watch. Beyond the barricades, crowds surged against the barriers, people desperate to make their way inside.

“No,” his mother replied, her voice calm but laced with a weariness that Vinay recognized all too well. “But he promised he’d call. I’m sure he’s just busy at work. You know how things are these days.” She gave a faint smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Vinay nodded and turned his gaze back to the window, where the dust-covered scene blurred as the bus began to move. He pulled his phone from his pocket and hit the record button, trying to capture everything: the crush of people, the buses lined up in an unending queue, the soldiers in their dark uniforms standing like statues. Others on the bus did the same, recording on phones and cameras, documenting the moment they left Earth behind. It felt surreal to think that soon, this would be nothing more than a recording—an artifact of their last day in their homeland.

(Real footage btw)

He held the phone steady as the portal came into view, its light blazing bright against the fading afternoon. It shimmered like liquid silver, a gigantic frame of energy that seemed to hum with the promise of new beginnings. As they drew closer, Vinay’s breath caught in his throat. His mind raced back through his memories: swimming in the Ganges with his friends as a child, the festivals of color and music that filled the streets during Holi, his grandparents' funeral during the height of the COVID pandemic. Each image flickered in his mind like the fading embers of a fire.

He swallowed hard, feeling a sudden, sharp pang of loss. Even if this was a step toward humanity's salvation, it was also an end. They were leaving behind more than just a place—they were leaving behind an entire world of history, culture, and identity.

Vinay’s mother reached over, touching his arm gently. “It’s okay to be scared,” she said, as if sensing his thoughts. “We’re all scared. But we’re together, and that’s what matters.”

He nodded, though his eyes remained fixed on the portal. The bus rolled forward, and for a moment, the light grew so intense that he had to squint against it. He closed his eyes as the blinding radiance washed over him, clutching the strap of his backpack. He held his breath and waited.

Then, just as suddenly, the light was gone. The bus emerged into a strange, vivid landscape on the other side of the portal. The sky was a shade of deep blue unlike any he had seen on Earth, and the air smelled of unfamiliar greenery and damp earth. It was a new world indeed, a place where human civilization was about to take its first, tentative steps.

It wasn’t just the people around him who were embarking on this journey—this moment was being mirrored all across the planet. Thousands of miles away, other portals were coming to life, flickering with the same ethereal light, and humanity was beginning its first steps into a future beyond Earth.

In China, the first wave of colonists boarded vehicles bound for "New Zhongguo." The scenes in Beijing were chaotic, with families bidding tearful goodbyes and government officials barking orders to keep the lines moving. Chinese flags fluttered in the breeze as the buses made their way toward the portal, carrying engineers, scientists, and laborers who would build the foundations of their new homeland. The images broadcasted to television screens showed colonists waving to the cameras, holding signs that read “We Will Rebuild” and “For the Future.”

In the United States, the gateway to "New Washington" stood in a wide expanse outside of Houston, Texas. American colonists streamed through, many of them dressed in the colors of their home states or clutching small mementos of home. Soldiers, doctors, and teachers—all walked with the same nervous determination as the buses approached the glowing portal. Reporters narrated the historic moment live, speaking of the hopes and fears carried by the new settlers. Many wondered if they were stepping into a new chapter of American history or the beginning of a great unknown.

Europe’s colonists were preparing to cross into "Nova Europa," a joint initiative supported by the EU. The portal was set up in rural France, and the scene there was more solemn, with many families clutching religious symbols or photos of loved ones left behind. The uncertainty of it all hung heavily over the crowd, but as the first buses started to roll through the portal, a wave of applause rippled through the crowd, as if to drown out the doubts and fears that had plagued them for months.

Southeast Asia’s colony, "New Nusantara," began its colonization efforts from Indonesia, where a massive crowd had gathered to watch the first waves depart. The sun was setting, casting a warm glow on the line of buses waiting to enter the shimmering portal. The people chanted blessings and prayers, hoping that this new world would grant them a chance at survival and prosperity. For the passengers inside the buses, every breath felt like the last they would ever take on Earth.

In Brazil, the portal to "New Santo Domingo" lay near São Paulo. The mood was almost celebratory, with music playing and families cheering from the sidelines, waving Brazilian flags and tossing flower petals at the passing vehicles. But beneath the surface of the festivities lay a deeper anxiety—no one knew what awaited them on the other side. The videos and images that flooded social media captured the spirit of hope and resilience as Brazil’s sons and daughters disappeared into the portal's light, stepping into a future where they would build a new civilization from scratch.

The African Coalition sent their first wave of settlers to "Lamu," a new colony whose portal lay near Nairobi, Kenya. The African colonists came from all corners of the continent, carrying with them the legacy of diverse cultures and histories. Many of them sang songs of freedom and endurance as they walked toward the buses, the sounds echoing like a chorus of defiance against the uncertainty that lay ahead. As they disappeared into the portal, the reporters back on Earth spoke of a new dawn for Africa—one where their people would carve out a place in the cosmos.

Around the world, portals flickered to life as governments coordinated the massive movement of humanity to a dozen new colonies, each one with its own name and identity. Images and videos flooded news outlets, showing the blinding light of the portals, the anxious faces of the departing, and the tears of those left behind.

The United Nations estimated that around 65 million people had left Earth in the first wave of colonization, but this was only the beginning. The ultimate goal was to evacuate 9.2 billion people—everyone who could make the journey to safety. The future of the human race hinged on this massive, unprecedented migration, and as the news anchors reminded the world, failure was not an option.

They showed footage of settlers waving to cameras, the first human footsteps on alien soil, the anxious faces of those still waiting for their turn to cross, breath taking view of prefabricated housing that may resemble a cross between a concrete jungle and refugee camp with the size of a metropolis.

The Indian colonists around him leaned forward, pressing their faces to the windows in awe, but Vinay sat back, closing his eyes for a moment. He thought of the house they had left behind, the cluttered streets of his childhood, and the crowded, colorful neighborhood that had once felt like the center of the universe.

As the bus continued along the dirt road, leading them deeper into the strange new land, Vinay opened his eyes to face the unknown, determined to carry a piece of Earth with him, wherever this path might lead.

He smiled to himself, a bittersweet twist in his chest. This was no longer his home, but its legacy would live on inside him—forever bound to his heart like an old, beloved song.

For Vinay, it was easy to feel like a small part of something infinitely larger. As he glanced back at the portal fading into the distance, he could only imagine the stories unfolding elsewhere—the lives left behind, the sacrifices made, the hopes carried like fragile glass. The bus lurched forward, and he realized that his own story, like that of millions of others, had now truly begun in this strange and uncharted land.

The indomitable march of humankind had started on that day, and nothing—not fear, nor uncertainty, nor even the loss of their ancestral home—could deter humanity’s quest for survival.

Author's Note

Yeah, I ripped that name off from Halo.
We're gonna go Covenant mode with this one 🗣️ 🔥 🔥 🔥

Anyway, here are the names and locations of all the UN colonies.

"New Pangaea" is the name for the entire landmass.