The shuttle trip from Imperial Station to Xi’an was uneventful but Marce watched via his tablet anyway, looking at the surface of Hub as the shuttle zipped up the termination line from Imperial Station at the equator to where Xi’an hovered, ten degrees north. Marce watched Xi’an grow larger and larger in his tablet, making out the stream of specks that represented the traffic moving to and from the habitat. Farther up and down the terminator line of Hub were other, smaller habitats, which served as homes for the workers who built starships in nearby floating docks. Marce did not see any of those in his tablet.

The shuttle landed and Marce and Verson made their way to the train which traversed the whole of Xi’an, and Marce again found himself plastered to the view, looking at how the landscape went out, above and around him as the interior surface of the cylindrical station looped around to meet up with the train on the other side.

“Your first time at Xi’an, sir?” Verson asked.

“First time in a habitat like this,” Marce replied. “I’ve lived my whole life on End. On the surface of a planet. It’s nothing like this.”

“What’s it like, sir?”

“Flat.” Marce kept looking at the ground rising up at him. “Even our foothills are flat compared to this. I don’t know how anyone here looks up without wondering why they don’t fall right down to the other side of the station.”

“Well, it’s because Xi’an rotates,” Verson began.

Marce laughed at this. “I understand the physics of it. That’s not what I mean. But there’s a difference between knowing something intellectually and the animal portion of your brain telling you to grab hold of something.” He looked at Verson, who had a polite smile on his face. “You grew up in a habitat like this?”

Verson nodded. “I’m from Ancona. It’s an associated nation here in the Hub system.”

“Right. So you’re used to this.” Marce looked back out the window. “I’m… not.”

“Do you think you’ll ever get used to it, sir?”

“I hope I will,” Marce said. “And I kind of hope I don’t, too.”

They left the train at the palace station and Verson led Marce to a landing for people who had business at the imperial palace. Because Marce had an actual appointment with the emperox, Verson led him to the front of the line, annoying everyone who was waiting. Marce mouthed his apologies as Verson directed him forward. Another presentation of documents, another scan, another brief questioning, and then they were through, and Marce was handed off to a young woman, Obelees Atek, who worked at the palace proper. She gave Marce a pass to affix to his blouse, and then started walking, inviting Marce to follow. Marce waved good-bye to Verson and walked after Obelees.