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A couple of weeks later, the Stephen Hawking arrived at the planet and settled into orbit around Proxima b, The enthusiastic crew-members crowded into the ship’s observation lounges, the first humans to see an exoplanet with the n***d eye, while the sophonts manned critical operational posts so that none of the humans would miss out. All extreme emotions subdued by their programming, the androids would observe the planet when the initial novelty had worn off. They were interested in seeing the planet, but found that humans could be very excitable; they didn’t mind waiting an hour or so to take a look. The planet wasn’t going anywhere.
Down in the shuttle bay, Captain Bryson, Franz, and Chief Medical Officer Simon Hillerman were making last-minute equipment checks before setting off on
