It took them about a half an hour to back track their way to the hab. After Harl's amazement had passed at the sight of a real life hab, the eight gathered up some of their basic belongings, and began the trek back to the homestead.

Jon had been right about Hannah's reaction to the flora and fauna, as her sheer excitement as they walked was unmistakable. He was glad he had used some of the wood to make her a notebook and charcoal pencil, even if it meant she was stopping every so often to document some "new" discovery.

They eventually convinced her to put it away for now with promises to go out exploring later, as they finally made headway in getting back.

An excited Henny-mae greeted them just beyond the pasture fence, bouncing excitedly as she saw them. Visitors at the ranch were a rare enough occasion, having eight that were all from space was crazy.

"Oh my god, oh my god," Henny-mae said excitedly as she raced up to meet them. "you're all from Earth? What was it like? Is it really like Yobby-joe says?" She quick fire asked them as she bounced along, walking with them.

"Oh," Jon said, not realizing how much of an oddity they might be to someone who had grown up on this planet, "um... it... well... what did Yobby-joe say about it?"

They passed through the pasture as Henny-mae danced around them excitedly and said, "Bobby-joe... he said that the Earth was, like, um... toxic waste dump? And that monsters were like... everywhere? And that's why everyone ran away to come live here. Is that right?"

Jon exchanged glances with everyone, even Harl, who gave Jon a shrug. Jon shook his head and said, "No, no... nothing like that. Well, not exactly." He took a moment of how to phrase it so a child could understand. They got into the house's front yard and said, "well, sweetie, the people living on earth kind of... helped the earth get sick. When we found out that the sickness was going to kill the earth, we all started building big space ships and... here we all are."

That was about all he knew. He realized he didn't really know how much time had passed since they had left. The computer on the Hab didn't have a functioning connection to the mainframe and was telling them they left six years before the last ship launched. Clearly inaccurate. Unless... wormholes!? Jon shook his head at the notion as they climbed the stairs into the house.

In contrast to the hab like exterior, the inside was beautiful as any home. As they stepped through the threshold, Jon felt like he was visiting some kind of wild west historical museum updated beyond his wildest dreams. The plain exterior couldn't possibly tell of the beautiful log cabin-like interior.

They were stepping into a sitting room, complete with a large, deep brown, likely real-leather sofa facing a small coffee table with a holo-TV mounted to the wall. The Holo-TV was much like the tablet Jon had been using. A clear, borderless screen that seemed to be suspended as if by magic from the wall. Magnets actually did it.

Under the TV was some kind of entertainment stand with a machine Jon was unfamiliar with. Probably a gaming console or media player? Both? He was unsure and wanted to ask, but was being led further into the house.

Jon stopped for a moment at the sight of some family photos on the wall and got a closer look. He was amazed because they were more than photos. Each one, though looking like one of those hokey staged family/momento photos, was adjusting or slightly in motion. Like a gif in a frame.

He followed the group then into a large kitchen and dining room area, becoming overwhelmed by the sights and smells. It was the kitchen you'd see in a 1950s documentary, movie, or serial. Bright pink walls, light blue floors, and bright yellow cabinets with matching appliances. On the other side of the room was a large open area with a massive table at its center. Jon counted at least 12 chairs and two benches.

The smell though was something that took Jon back in time to his grandma's house. Something was roasting, meat searing in its own juices with spices he didn't recognize. Earthy and welcoming, it was amazing. He hadn't expected it.

Kartha was at the stove, stirring a large pot with Henny-mae bouncing at one side. On the other was a young woman they had yet to meet. Jon assumed she was another of their children, but her hair was dark like her fathers. She had it pulled back into a ponytail and was wearing a dress similar to her family.

Jon was picking up that they seemed to dress alike, or at least in like colors. He wasn't sure if it should impress or weird him out.

"Well, don't dawdle, and take a seat," Harl said as he motioned to their large table, "I'm going to go get some beer from the cellar." With that, he moved through the room to a door at the other end and disappeared.

Jon and the others slowly filed through the room and found seats. Kartha sighed a little and said, "don't mind my husband. He's dense but means well. Works hard, too, if you couldn't tell." She motioned to her home, Jon realizing she was probably fishing for a compliment..

"Your home is beautiful," Jon said sincerely as he looked around the kitchen. "I mean, this place is brilliant," he looked back to her and flashed her a warm smile.

She smiled back and said, "thank you dear. It's taken its time but, we love it."

"How long have you lived here?" Katie asked, getting comfy in the wooden chair before lightly tapping her hands against the tabletop.

"Fifty years, give or take," Kartha said casually as she moved from the stove to the cabinet and got out glasses before she turned to them and asked, "would any of y'all like a glass for your beer? Or water? Soda? Speak up now before the rest of the brood gets in here."

Jon and the others went a little slack jawed and looked confused, exchanging glances before Jon said, "wh-whoa, really? You don't look a day over thirty."

Kartha waved her hand at him and smiled big. With a slight blush and said, "oh hush up you, you little charmer. I'll be eighty this year." She turned away and got a few more glasses out as she added, "It's not gonna get you seconds any quicker when dinner is ready."

Jon sat back in his chair, bewildered by what she just said. All of them were letting it sink in. None of them could believe it. She had to be joking, right?

Kartha turned back around to call out for drink orders one more time before she realized they all looked more lost than puppies in a box on the corner. It was dawning on her how fresh out of the pod they really were. Before she could say anything about it though, the door to the cellar popped open and Harl emerged once more.

He was holding a large plastic box with a logo on the side the read "Jampton Brewing Company" in the borders. The logo itself was some kind of winking animal holding a bottle and wearing a bowler hat. For a moment, Jon thought it was a dog, but its fur was yellow and had lightning bolts for stripes.

He passed the table and saw the embarrassed look on his wife's face and then looked at the group of strangers at his table, who looked bewildered. "What happened?" Harl asked with a shake of his head as he walked over to set the case of beers on the counter.

"I... they don't know how... age," Kartha said as she realized her mistake, looking away for a moment.

Harl let out a soft sigh and said, "hey, no, it's okay." He moved over to his wife, put his hand on her shoulder, and pulled her into a soft hug. The group at the table shifted in their seats a little and exchanged glances with one another yet again.

Harl let his wife go, his forehead to hers, as he said with softness in his voice, "let's set the kids up in the living room with a movie so that we can fill this lot in on what they've missed. Okay?"

Jon smiled to himself. He wanted someone to love like that. The love that didn't care if eight strangers and two children were watching. That was true love. Kartha smiled and nodded a little as she said, "yeah, yeah h a great idea."

Harl smiled back at her and pulled away to face the group as he said, "alright, you lot, stay here while I help the missus set the kids up. Help yourselves to some beers."

With that, he, Kartha, and the girls moved out into the living room. As they sat there, there was a muffled calling of names that rang out through the halls of the house. From above them there was a movement as feet shuffled around and made their way downstairs.

A few moments later, Kartha and Harl reemerged back into the kitchen. "Give us a moment to serve the kids and then we'll get to y'all," Harl said with a smile as he opened a cupboard and pulled out a stack of plates.

"No, no," Jon said with a wave of his hands, "please, take your time." He was excited as all get-out to be getting information about everything, but he still had manners. Some others at the table twitched impatiently or anxiously, though. Like Jon, they just wanted all of this to make sense.

Narrators Note: Be advised that the following scene may contain a world building info dump.

The diner, as Jon expected, comprised roast beef, but the sky blue mashed potatoes and the red broccoli surprised him. There was also fresh baked bread and freshly churned butter. Though not everyone joined Harl for a beer, Jon, Rocco, Katie, and Nathan did.

It was infinitely better than the MREs. Most of them had seconds, and it surprised the group that there were fresh baked fruit pies for dessert. They were in some kind of food heaven.

As the meal wound down, Kartha got up to clear the table as she said, "well goodness, me, I wish my family appreciated my food like you all did. I wouldn't have so many leftovers to feed the pigs, though."

Rocco got up and helped as he said, "it was lovely, ma'am." He was rounding up plates and cups for her in his massive hands before skirting around the table to take them towards the sink.

"You don't have to do that," she said with a scoff, shooting Harl a bit of a dirty look since he hardly helped with cleanup. She then added a sweet look at Rocco as she said, " stop, you're company."

"My mother would be quite mad if I didn't," he said without thinking about it. He realized what he said as he set the plates in the sink. He shook his head and forced the thought away for now before returning to the table.

Once everything was squared away, Harl pulled out a pack of smokes and offered them around the table. Jon and Katie's eyes lit up a little as they both reached for one. An after meal cigarette was the best, and it felt like forever since they had one. Despite however much time must have had passed since they left earth, cigarettes looked strikingly familiar.

Harl struck up and Jon helped Katie light hers and his as they all settled in for story time. "Alright," Harl finally said as he leaned back in his chair, Kartha bringing him an ashtray, "I'm gonna start at the beginning but, remember, I'm no historian."

He took a deep breath and thought about it for a long moment. "Earth's last year, the year the ark left, was 2099," Harl finally said as he brushed pie crust crumbs out of his mustache, "well... things didn't go right."

Harl leaned in on the table as the group leaned in to listen intently, as he said, "Arc-12's internal systems had some kind of major malfunction with their clocks that threw everything off, even navigation." He motioned off towards his side and said, "they told people it was supposed to be a five year trip but... it took twenty. But that was only the beginning."

The group exchanged glances, trying to take everything in as Harl said, "systems malfunctioned and the arc got caught in the moon's gravity. Worst, it didn't wake anyone up for a long time."

Harl shook his head and said, "natural decay and gravitational forces finally ripped the major chunk of the hab free. Over fifty percent made land fall... just not all together like planned."

"A little over thirty percent landed north of us on the big continent," Harl said as he snubbed out his cigarette and leaned back in his chair once more, "but the other twenty percent landed in harsher climates across the ocean." Harl took a few moments to think about things before he pressed on, trying to bring them all up to speed, to touch on everything he thought was important. 

"Those first few years were tougher than they should have been," Harl said with a sigh as he tried to recall his history lessons, "since most of the ark was still in space and we didn't have a working network. People struggled. But, like humans do, we adapted."

"Oh," Harl stopped for a moment, trying to not forget, "there are two native sentient species living on this planet. One of them is nice as can be. They're helping us adapt and co-exist with them on their planet. The other... is a story for another time."

Jon looked around, and it was clear by everyone's faces that this was all a lot to take in. There were so many questions he wanted to ask and that little bomb shell was just a drop in the bucket.

"Wa-wait," Jon said, wanting to ask a question finally, "what year is it?"

Harl took a deep breath, paused for a moment and said, "well... by Earth standards, it's the year 2899."

Jon slumped back in his chair in disbelief. That couldn't be right. There was no way they had been asleep for almost eight hundred years. He felt like his head was spinning, but it wasn't from the one beer he's had.

He shook his head and looked back to Harl. "I have to ask," Jon said as he tried to keep things straight, "your wife said she was almost 80. How is that possible? Are the years shorter here?"

Harl shook his head and said, "no, no... longer, actually. About two months longer. And, well... this planet is special. The first generation lived normal, human lives, but something in the air, the plants, or water... second just started aging slower and living longer. I'm fourth generation, myself. Kids are going to be the fifth and supposed to live longer than us."

Jon once again flopped back against the chair. This was wild. He was reeling at the realization that the man in front of him was probably almost a hundred years old. 

A chair suddenly skirted across the floor as Pinky shot to her feet and snarled, "this is fucking bullshit! Fuck all this shit!" She stormed out of the room then and, a moment later, they all heard a door slam closed.

Harl sighed some as the group exchanged glances. Katie was next to sigh as she pushed to her feet and said, "I'll go check on her." Jon made eye contact as Katie made her way around the table. "Fill me in later on the rest," she said to Jon as she paused for a moment across the table. Jon nodded at her before she turned and jogged for the exit.

Jon took a moment to look around the group and try to understand how they were taking things. Hannah seemed at a loss, almost crushed by it all as she hunched on her elbows on the table. Rocco and Cindy were leaning back in their chairs with Rocco staring at the ceiling and Cindy looking like she didn't believe any of it.

Jon looked at Nathan, who had his fourth bottle of beer in front of him. Everything seemed to roll off of him like it was nothing, but Jon had the feeling he was struggling like the rest of them. Finally, Alice had a look that could kill. She was staring daggers at Jon. He remembered that first night. How upset she had been that Jon, Rocco, and Cindy had all been podded together. He thought about her loss and then he realized he never asked if any of them had others on the Ark.

A twinge of guilt pulled at the back of his neck and he rubbed it, shrinking a little in his seat. It was a weird and new sensation for him. Feeling guilty about having survived. Feeling guilty about having a loving family survive.

"Harl," Kartha said as she walked up to her husband's shoulder, put a hand on it and looked at everyone around the table in their various states, "I think they've had enough for tonight."

Harl nodded a little and patted his wife's hand as he said, "you might be right. I'll help yah get their rooms ready."

He moved to get up, but Jon suddenly sat forward once more and said, "Wait, no. I don't know about everyone else, but I need to know more." He looked around the table and most of them seemed more than done with tonight. Jon had so many more questions he wanted to ask, but understood. He would have fought to know more but upsetting everyone else further wasn't a good idea.

Jon frowned as Harl raised a brow at him. "Nevermind," Jon said with a slight sigh as he shrank back into his seat once more, "I guess I've waited seven hundred years... one more night wont kill me."