Star Force: Nexus (SF57) by Aer-ki Jyr

passing the group of Ollofan by as it headed off somewhere.
    “ Here we are ,”
the Human said as they came out into a much larger chamber, this one with
several ponds in it separated by walkways and kiosks. “ This is the center of the quarters habitat.
Food is over there, down that hallway, but it’s in an area outside of this
humidity. That booth there ,” she said, pointing a slender finger to the
right, “ will give you information about
whatever you desire. The other rooms are entertainment zones, with stores being
located in other areas of the city. This is more or less a lounge and a place
for you to interact and rest outside of your quarters…which are this way .”
    The Human led them across the ponds, in which they saw
a few individuals swimming lazily about, one of which actually looked to be a
Human. Two more he saw were lounging on the side of the pool, laying on the dry
land for some reason. What they were doing here he didn’t know, but most of
those he saw were clearly waterborn . He had no idea
what race they were, but intended to stay away from them for now. He just
wanted some place to hide away and get settled, as did the others.
    The Human walked down a tall hallway and stopped in
front of an equally tall door with a lighted strip running from top to bottom.
    “ Touch the light
to open ,” she said, pressing a hand against it, with the spot she touched
changing color, “ and input your access
code. Right now it’s just 000. You can reset it to your liking later .”
    With three touches of her finger the Human opened the
door and motioned for them to go inside. Nizzi followed the others in, seeing a darkly lit room with a small pool in the
corner.
    “ It’s small, but
designed for a single person. The water entrance has a door of its own and is
operated in the same way with the same code. There are a few lounging areas
down there that I can’t take you to without a breath mask, but you can explore
on your own later. Over here is a cleansing chamber, sleep area, and personal
information terminal. It’s not as user friendly as the one back in the lounge
and will take some time for you to learn, but you can communicate with anyone
else in the ADZ through it .”
    “ There are a few
storage areas here ,” she said, pointing to some cabinets on the second
level, which was little more than a catwalk along the ceiling at the top of a
ladder. Obviously this room had been designed for a shorter species than the
Humans and seemed to fit the Ollofan well, though the sleeping area was not
wet, which would be bothersome, “ and a
holographic display here. Clothing and other small items are available as
needed, but everything else you want has to be bought with credits that you
don’t have. These are what we call luxury items. They are not necessary for
living, but can make it more comfortable .”
    “ Whether you
choose to pursue those or not is your own choice. Regardless you will be able
to live here without responsibilities for the rest of your lives, though you
will also be able to move elsewhere within the ADZ where possible. There are
many options, but right now I’m guessing you just want to get settled, or maybe
explore a bit? ”
    Nizzi looked up at her. “ What are the rules? ”
    “ We’ll get to
those shortly. First we need to assign quarters. Who wants this one? ”
    One of the others immediately volunteered, upon which
the attendant assigned him an ID tag. She did the same with Nizzi and the others, then gave them a little time to explore their individual living
areas before they regrouped in a facility in another building. There they were
asked many questions, medically scanned, given foodstuffs and clothing to
sample with the Humans and some other races making quick adjustments were
needed. It took a few hours, then the attendant took them on a brief tour of
the surrounding buildings and facilties , showing them
the stores and communal areas, which were packed with people, then