Diego settled into his favorite chair on the weathered wooden porch, the planks creaking beneath him - a sound that had become as familiar as his own heartbeat over the past six years. The setting sun painted Haven's crystalline waters in brilliant orange and gold, while strange bird-like creatures swooped and dove for their evening meal.

  Isabella sat at his feet, her dark hair falling across her shoulders as she leaned back against the porch railing. The wonder in her eyes reminded him of Elena, that same fierce curiosity that had drawn him to her mother all those years ago.

  "You really shut down the portal yourself?" Isabella's fingers traced patterns in the worn wood. "Even though you knew Luna was still on the other side?"

  Diego's chest tightened at the memory. "Sometimes being a leader means making impossible choices. Luna knew that better than anyone."

  Mateo crouched by the water's edge, selecting smooth stones from the shore. Each pebble he tossed created perfect rings that spread across the lake's surface, disturbing the bioluminescent fish that darted beneath. Their blue-green glow scattered like underwater stars with each ripple.

  "Dad says you saved everyone," Mateo called over his shoulder, searching for another perfect skipping stone. "He says if you hadn't closed the portal when you did, Haven would have been destroyed too."

  Diego watched his grandson's careful movements, so like Manuel's measured precision. The boy had grown tall for eleven, all elbows and knees like his father at that age. But his gentle spirit came straight from Maria.

  The last rays of sunlight caught the crystalline formations along the shoreline, sending rainbow refractions dancing across the porch. Diego breathed in Haven's unique mix of mineral-rich air and flowering vines. The scent no longer seemed alien - it smelled like home.

  Diego smiled at his granddaughter's wide-eyed wonder. The memories still felt raw, even after all these years, but sharing them helped ease the weight he carried.

  "Wow, abuelo, that's an amazing story," Isabella said, leaning back against the porch railing while absently braiding her long dark hair.

  The screen door creaked open behind them. Diego didn't need to turn - he knew Olivia's presence by the subtle change in the air. Her footsteps made soft thuds against the wooden planks as she approached, her hand coming to rest on his shoulder with a familiar gentleness. The loose sundress she wore caught the evening breeze, highlighting the swell of her belly.

  "And some of it is even true," Olivia said with a mischievous wink.

  The children burst into giggles while Diego adopted his best wounded expression. "I'll have you know every word was absolutely accurate, Dr. Smith."

  Diego watched Isabella's fluid movement as she rose, so much like her mother at that age. Her words struck a familiar chord, reminding him of the Osaka water facility and those damned AI drones. The memory of screaming civilians and the metallic taste of fear flooded back.

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  "People forgot how to think for themselves," Diego said, his hand finding Olivia's where it rested on his shoulder. "They handed over their choices to machines, bit by bit, until one day they woke up and realized they'd lost their humanity."

  "Like the exodus ships?" Isabella's sharp mind never missed a connection. "The ones that picked people based on numbers?"

  Diego nodded, remembering the rejection letters, the families torn apart by cold algorithms. "They thought they could reduce human worth to data points. Efficiency ratings, resource consumption, projected value to society." The bitterness crept into his voice despite the years that had passed.

  Olivia's fingers tightened on his shoulder, grounding him in the present. Here in Haven, they'd built something different. Every decision, every choice - good or bad - came from human hearts and minds. They'd learned from Earth's mistakes, preserved what mattered most: their ability to choose their own path.

  "That's stupid," Mateo declared, lobbing another stone across the water. "A computer can't tell if someone's brave or kind or good at telling stories."

  Diego felt a smile tug at his lips. Out of the mouths of babes, as Elena used to say. "No, mijo. They certainly can't."

  Diego studied Isabella's profile as she gazed out across the lake, her chin lifted in that familiar stubborn tilt that made his heart ache. Maria had worn that same expression at twelve, standing her ground when he'd tried to shield her from harsh truths about the world. His daughter had inherited Elena's fire, and now he saw it burning just as bright in his granddaughter.

  Isabella's fingers drummed against the porch railing, another habit picked up from her mother. The way she processed information, turned it over in her mind before speaking - that was pure Maria. Even the slight furrow between her brows matched her mother's thinking face.

  "You're doing it again, abuelo," Isabella said without turning. "Mom says you get this look when you're seeing ghosts of the past."

  Diego chuckled. The girl missed nothing, just like Maria at that age. Both of them had that uncanny ability to read people, to see past carefully constructed walls with devastating accuracy.

  Rising from his chair, Diego's cybernetic leg adjusted smoothly to the motion with a soft mechanical purr. In one fluid movement, he scooped Isabella into a crushing hug, lifting her feet off the ground as she squealed in surprise.

  "And you're just like your mother," he said, his voice gruff with emotion. "Too smart for your own good."

  "Story time's over, sweetheart," Diego said, setting Isabella down and ruffling her hair. "Go help your mom with dinner."

  Isabella rolled her eyes but grinned, that familiar spark of mischief dancing across her features. She grabbed Mateo's arm as she passed, dragging her protesting brother away from his rock-skipping endeavors. Their footsteps thundered across the porch and through the screen door, followed by Maria's distant voice calling out instructions.

  Diego pulled Olivia close, both of them watching the twin moons rise over Haven's alien landscape, their silver light painting everything in soft blues and purples. The larger moon, which the children had dubbed "Luna" in memory of their lost friend, cast rippling reflections across the lake's surface. Its smaller companion, "Elena," seemed to chase it across the darkening sky.

  The crystalline formations along the shoreline caught the moonlight, scattering it in prismatic displays that still took Diego's breath away even after all these years. A cool breeze carried the sweet scent of night-blooming flowers, mixing with the mineral-rich air that had become as familiar as Earth's atmosphere once was.

  Olivia's head rested against his shoulder, her hand absently stroking her swollen belly. Diego covered her hand with his own, feeling the subtle movement beneath. Their child, already strong and active, would be the first of a new generation born in Haven - proof that humanity could not only survive here but thrive.

  The bioluminescent fish beneath the lake's surface pulsed with their own inner light, creating an ethereal dance that mirrored the stars appearing overhead. In moments like these, the weight of responsibility lifted from Diego's shoulders, replaced by a profound sense of peace he'd never thought possible during those dark days on Earth.