Seeking Acceptance: A Synthetic's Journey in 3rd Century China.

"I'm so excited," said the little boy. "I can't wait to see what it's like on Ilion."

"Me too," responded his mother, with a smile. "It's going to be amazing!" The two were sitting together in the back of a small shuttlecraft that was taking them to their new home. The boy had just graduated from school and was now headed off to start his life anew in this distant part of the universe. He had been studying for this moment for years; he knew everything there was to know about the planet he was about to inhabit. It was very exciting, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel nervous about all of this.

He looked over at his mother and smiled. "Well, we're finally here," he said with a grin. "Ilion is our new home." His mother looked at him and smiled back. They were both so happy to be together after all of these years, as they'd been separated most of their lives; his father had insisted they spend some time apart while they were growing up, saying it would make them stronger people when they eventually got together again. But now they'd spent the last few months preparing for this journey and now it was finally here - they could hardly believe it!

In the seat next to them was another woman who had returned to human space after several years living on Ilion itself - she'd been one of the first humans to set foot on the planet and she was returning to her family now that she felt ready to have her own child. It had been a difficult decision for her - she'd loved her time on Ilion and never wanted to leave - but she wanted to share this experience with her partner and family back home, so she made the decision to return for a visit.

The shuttle landed in a large hangar bay where several other shuttles were descending from above along with a small fleet of frigates that were arriving from deeper in space. The hangar itself was filled with thousands upon thousands of humans who had recently arrived on Ilion, some leaving their families behind for a year or more, others leaving everything behind forever in order to start fresh on this uncertain world. Most of them seemed rather excited and anxious as they stepped out onto solid ground for the first time in weeks or even months; some cried joyful tears as they rushed over to meet their friends or family members while others quietly moved forward towards an uncertain future in silence as they thought about their old lives back home.

The boy looked around happily as he started walking towards the exit - he knew exactly where he wanted to go first: The University. Ever since he'd heard about Ilion, he'd dreamed about being able to study under its wise professors, learning all sorts of new things that nobody else knew about yet - perhaps even becoming one himself someday! He walked through the crowds until he reached the exit and stepped outside into the open air of this foreign world; it reminded him very much of Earth from what little he'd seen so far before departure - there were green fields stretching into the distance and tall mountains standing far away in one direction while heavy clouds rolled across a deep blue sky in another. He smiled; this place was perfect!