The synthetic avatar turned with fluid, effortless motion, her dark navy suit catching the crisp ambient illumination of the lobby as she gestured for the 1,240 pioneers to follow her.
"If you will follow me, please," her voice echoed smoothly across the pristine floor.
As the massive group began to move, a quiet, rustling murmur rippled through the ranks. They glanced at their wrists, then at the seamless, metallic doorframes they were passing under, waiting for the flashing lights, diagnostic hums, or physical checkpoints they had prepared themselves for.
The full announcement had explicitly detailed an exhaustive, mandatory medical and environmental scan upon arrival. Yet, they had simply stepped off the shuttle, walked down a hallway, and entered the lobby.
"Excuse me," a line cook near the front called out, voicing the quiet confusion of the crowd. "When do we go through the arrival scan? Are we supposed to line up in a medical bay first?"
