An instant later, Reath could see it, too: a tunnel leading from the boxy, utilitarian ring straight into the central globe of the station itself. As the three of them walked through the tunnel, he realized it was transparent, creating the illusion that they were suspended in the blackness of space. He’d never experienced anything like it, strolling through a sea of stars. Vertigo threatened him for a moment, but it soon vanished in sheer fascination. Reath was drawn by both the spectacular view around him and what he saw ahead—an abundance of green.

They emerged into the central globe, which included booths and kiosks on multiple layers of walkways. They might’ve once been shops, laboratories, all open to the glassy sphere that formed the body of the station—and all covered in vines.

And ferns. And moss. Even a couple of trees. Plant life spilled over every beam, climbed up every wall. This was more flora than Reath saw in a year on Coruscant.

“How—” Reath murmured as they stepped out, stems crunching beneath their feet. “How is this possible?”

Dez gestured toward the blazing light at the core—a small array of supercharged hexagonal power banks, suspended in energy fields. “Self-generating light and heat, fueling the station. The plants took care of the rest themselves.”

“It’s beautiful,” Affie breathed, walking forward with her face turned up to the light.

Reath couldn’t disagree. Instead of something menacing and diabolical, he’d strolled into an orbiting garden. “I bet the station had an arboretum,” he mused as they walked forward. “To supply oxygen and food, and help travelers relax—all those things—and after the station was abandoned, the plants took it over.”

“Sounds about right to me,” Dez said, then inhaled deeply and smiled. The air was not only breathable but also smelled wonderful—fresh, sweet. “Look there. Turns out the plants have had some help.”

Following Dez’s pointing finger, Reath glimpsed movement within the greenery. A small droid emerged—an antique 8-T gardening model, which looked a lot like the “head” dome of an astromech let loose on its own. The thin metal instruments protruding from one of its panels appeared to be busy pollinating some bell-shaped flowers in shades of orange and violet. Another 8-T appeared, closer by, busy at the same task. They took no notice of intruders; their programming was solely about taking care of plants. It appeared the droids had done their job admirably.

“Should we do a botanical survey?” Reath asked. “Catalog all the life-forms here, find out if any are unknown to us at present?”

“Eh, that’s droid work,” Dez said. “And not particularly urgent. Personally, I’d like to get a better look at the other things sentients left behind…starting with that.”