Star Trek: Discovery: Somewhere to Belong by Dayton Ward

Author:Dayton Ward
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: 2023-05-30T00:00:00+00:00

23

The grass was real, as were the trees and other foliage. At least, that was what Hugh Culber’s holo-tricorder told him about the grounds on which he stood. An open expanse of green space nearly one hundred meters in diameter, the park was a welcome contrast to the clusters of buildings towering above the trees that formed the glade’s perimeter. There were other smaller plots of trees scattered around the area, including a larger patch at the park’s center. All around him, Xaheans of all ages enjoyed the open space. Children ran or played games, adults reclined in chairs or on blankets or just lounged on the grass itself.

Lifting his face toward the sky, Culber felt a warmth he could believe was generated by the representation of a sun displayed in the artificial sky above the tallest structures. High overhead, Sanctuary’s extensive support lattice extended up from the central core, weaving in and around the habitat’s sprawling interior. Each massive strut hosted its own collection of buildings and green spaces. Some of these appeared upside down from Culber’s vantage point, owing to the variable gravity regions inside the sphere. This, along with the gridwork of the facility’s enormous outer shell, rebelled against the illusion that he was standing on the surface of a planet.

“This is incredible,” said Joann Owosekun, standing a few paces from Culber. Her infectious smile beamed as she took in her surroundings. “It reminds me of the terrestrial enclosures on Watchtower-class stations.”

Next to her, Keyla Detmer replied, “I think those were bigger, but even then you still knew you were on a space station.”

“Yeah, but this place has a couple dozen of them.” Owosekun pointed to the large tree at the park’s center, which to Culber resembled an aged oak. “On Earth, something that big would be centuries old. Do you think they let it grow naturally, or terraformed it?”

On Culber’s opposite side, Adira Tal said, “I suppose they would’ve had time to do it either way.” They shrugged. “We had small arboretums on our generation ship, so we grew our own flora. We also experimented with genetic modification to accelerate development.” Turning to the pair of officers from the Xahean Ministry of Security assigned as the away team’s chaperones, Adira asked, “Were the trees and other vegetation planted and allowed to grow naturally?”

The Xaheans, one female and one male, and dressed in matching gray uniforms, glanced to each other before the man replied, “I believe they were genetic alterations, planted generations ago when Sanctuary’s construction was complete, then allowed to grow naturally.” He gestured to indicate the green space around them. “Areas like these have always been a part of our environment.”

“It’s really very beautiful,” said Detmer.

With no particular emotion or warmth, the female officer replied, “It’s our home.”

“And we’re grateful to you for sharing it with us,” said Culber.

His reply seemed to land with her. For the first time since being introduced as their security escort while visiting Sanctuary, her expression softened and Culber thought she might be relaxing just a bit.

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