Northern Province of Kataan

Batai identifies the Northern Province of Kataan to Picard as the region holding Ressik, a drought-plagued world unknown to him. Parched lands drive communal sapling-planting ceremonies in town squares, where residents plant fragile hope against encroaching desertification. Dust clings to skin and clothes; tension simmers in conversations about survival. Picard's probing questions cut through the collective resignation, marking his dislocation in this vast, dying expanse.