During my first day aboard the city-ship called "Urge to Travel" I was given a tour of the immense structure I was accompanied by one of the many holographic avatars of the god-like computer that ran the Space station. The creature looked exactly like a human. It was a hologram, created by a small hovering projector that floated in the centre of the spectral visage. It could speak, and though I regret it now, I never learnt how it sounded as if the sound was coming from its lips. We started at the docking bay I had arrived in. The spacious room was about ten metres high and Seventy meters to a side. It was remorselessly and spotlessly clean. There was a metallic scent in the air. A pair of retracted doors dominated the entrance to the bay. Beyond them seemed to me to be open to space. Puzzled by this I asked the machine how this was done. The image explained that it used something called atmospheric detainment fields to contain the air. When I asked it what would happen if those fields were to fail, the machine replied "Nothing would happen, my exterior fields are currently sustaining an atmosphere equal in pressure to this room. In time it would get colder, but other than that, there would be no change." I was taken aback by the fact that a body only four kilometres across could sustain it's own atmosphere. I asked, "So I could stand on the outside of the ship and breath?" It looked at me and replied "Yes." It nodded its head as I had been told humans did when they wished to emphasise the veracity of their claims. On the other side of the bay were sets of doors leading to small ship hangers and to the main part of the station. The creature led me into one of the lifts. The door opened as we approached. The inside was a decorated lift. Most of the interior surfaces were mirrored. Next to the doors was a panel of buttons at human arm height. When the doors opened again I was astonished to discover that we were in a park of sorts. It was filled with strange green vegetation. I assumed it must have come from the original human biosphere. I was astonished to find such a waste of space aboard a human imperium ship. All the reports had said that they were extremely efficient. Sitting on the occasional bench arranged randomly around the garden were humans themselves. They looked me over and the returned to what they had been doing before my arrival. Many of them relaxed and read from what I would later discover were their common data display devices, one even held a traditional book, not dissimilar to our own. Some of their smaller young played games in the less densely foliaged areas. I recalled their abnormally long maturation period, up to twenty planetary orbits of their home world. Although their planet did orbit closer to their star than our own, it was still astounding. I asked the representative of the computer "why is this here?" It looked at me for a moment, as if contemplating the best way of explaining. "Humans prefer to have fauna populated spaces. It reduces the risk of long term space-sickness." I decided against inquiring further. Looking upwards I could see a quarter dome of transparent material. To one side was open space, to the other, the tall monolithic buildings of the ‘city.’ I told the computer that I would like to continue. It took me again via the lift to another area. This one was quite different. "I thought that you would wish to see the engines" It explained. Outside the lift a ‘catwalk’ (I have never understood the reference) stretched off into the distance. Several cylinders were below us. Noting my interest the creature said "Those are the main photon drives" I looked over the railing at the drive systems below. They appeared to be metallic cylinders with pipes leading into them, one end was connected to the exterior hull. Looking into the distance I saw a different type of cylinder that one had Pipes curving around it and various other attachments. “What is that one?” I asked the enigmatic machine. It looked at me and said “That is the faster than light drive.” I eyed it carefully. Extracted from the Jornal of Sorussa Wee Komaå - First Ronann Ambassador to the Imperium (IY 2734) |
