Promise of life (Five minutes freewrite)

The passengers huddle against each other crouched on the steel floor of the big deck, watching wearily as their destination comes into view. All the excitement coursing their veins when they boarded the ship has long been drained by the long dreary journey. It is no longer the time to hope, now that their future is upon them, now it is the time to worry. What if what they've been told was wrong, even the slightest miscalculation could spell their doom. For better or for worse, the ship has given them shelter, deep it its bowels they had little to worry about. When they step out they're going to be on their own.
No words are spoken, only the purr of some distant engines breaks the silence. No wails or cries sullies the solemnity of the moment, as there are no children on board. No one under the age of 14 was allowed on the evacuation ships as children would have been a burden to the mission. No old people either - if they are going to make it they cannot afford to waste any resources.
When the United Council made it's decision it caused an uproar, many among those denied escape admonishing the governing body it was committing a grave mistake, depriving the colonists of their wisdom.
'If you were so wise, why do we need to leave then?'
An answer met with disapproval by many of the elders, shaking their balding heads and graying beards in useless anger.
Theirs was among the last ships to leave, all the prime destinations had already been picked. Little information and no certainties about their new home, but, at least, they have a chance. Or they might all be dead tomorrow - which sort of explains the somber atmosphere and their faces wrought with worry.

A collective sigh of relief escape their lungs as they take their first steps on the soil of their new home. The air smells funny, but it does not burn their lungs. One less thing to worry about. What does give them trouble is the sun rising above the horizon, it's light is too bright for them. Many among them have been born after the Great Night, they have no memories of the sun - all they know is from textbooks. None of them had ever run on a beach, watch the sun go down into a flaming sea or wished upon a star. They shade their eyes as best they can, giggling as they bump into each other, dizzy and amazed by the bright colors the sun reveals. The sun their new home circles around is among the lesser stars, smaller than the Sol they left behind and ten times less bright, but for the colonists used to fumbling in near constant darkness it's the most beautiful thing they had ever seen.

Story written for @mariannewest's freewrite challenge. Today's prompt was: light! Check out her blog and join our freewrite community.

Thanks for reading!

Image is mine.