“We have surfaced in realspace,” Ji-Min Bin said.
It was unnecessary to state, but many felt it was bad luck not to comment on it; zerospace was, after all, a terrifying place.
The panoramic view of space around them allowed them to see Medical Station 29. The station was colossal, more comparable to a continent than a city, stretching scores of kilometers from her centerpoint.
Much of it was actually a framework that held little, but served instead to connect the numerous rotating habitation cylinders where the vast majority of personnel and patients could be found.
Over eighty such cylinders made up the station, Brooks knew. The population, all told, numbered over three hundred million.
The vast majority were patients. The actual medical staff were a tiny minority, but still numerous by any reasonable standard, aided in their work by endless numbers of drones and minor AIs.
“It is very large,” Kell said.
Urle looked at him, surprised. “It’s a technical marvel. The amount of recycling they do is insane. You can’t beat entropy, but they give it a damn good run for its money.”
“It is a cursed place,” Kell said. His face turned into a scowl.
“It is a place of healing,” Dr. Y said. “For beings with the most dangerous – or challenging – of health issues. In many superstitions, Ambassador, such diseases are often considered to be curses. I assure you, though, that this is not the case.”
Kell looked to the doctor. “You understand medicine. But you do not understand what I mean. This station is cursed.”
“You do not have to leave the ship, if you are bothered,” Brooks said evenly.
“I am unafraid. I can simply feel the nature of this place.” He looked to Brooks. “There are illnesses – and then there are curses. This place has much of the latter in addition to the former.”
Brooks said nothing, but looked forward.
“Have we received permission to enter docking space?” he asked.
“Thirty minutes, sir,” Ji-Min Bin told him. “We have passed through all contact screens and are cleared for approach.”
Urle shifted. “Slower than I expected. But I think they’re being resupplied. I’m detecting a fleet of ships out on the edge.”
“This place is full of sick people and they’ve got fleets resupplying it?” Apollonia asked, frowning. “If something contagious escapes, couldn’t it spread through those to a million other ports?”
“It can’t be fully self-sufficient being outside a star system,” Urle said. His voice sounded more strained than normal. “So it’s a choice. Technically, yes, you are right. That’s why the fleets are unmanned, however, and deliver to outer orbital stations and the supplies transferred from there.”
She listened, but looked more bothered. “Did you say we’re not in a star system? Where are we?”
“Interstellar space. Actually, bordering close to the upper edge of the galactic disk – so it’s very nearly in intergalactic space.”
Apollonia shivered visibly. “In the Dark.”
“That term is associated with superstition in this context,” Dr. Y noted. “Am I correct?”
“Yeah,” she replied. “I guess that’s true. But it doesn’t make it less real.”
Kell looked at her, and she visibly jumped under his gaze.
“She understands,” he said with finality.
Other Terrestrial 