The airlock doors opened, and Apollonia was amazed.

This wasn't one of the rickety tubes that swayed and seemed like it might fall apart at any moment as she'd always known from her home system. This tunnel was a literal tunnel, six meters wide and solid. Off to the side was even a gravity-generated pathway for them to walk down. She headed towards it automatically, enjoying greatly the sensation of freely walking she'd had since coming aboard the Craton. But the Captain instead floated down the middle, with Urle and Dr. Y at his side. Kell was also with them, along with a few other attaches she'd been introduced to, but whose names she had already forgotten.

She should stick with the group, she thought, and adjusted her path to match theirs. It was weird going from the gravity to non-gravity again, a step out and you just began to float.

Using the railing in the middle, she followed the Captain's group. The tunnel was probably twenty meters long, and at the end another door had opened.

A woman was there with two attendants, waiting. Even from here, Apollonia could tell her stern expression, and felt a nervousness rise in her gut.

Or was it the woman? As they moved down the tunnel, it seemed like the lights were getting dimmer.

No, she thought. They weren't dimmer, but things felt different. The shadows seemed more stark, more cruel.

Her feeling from her first sighting of the station came back. They were deep in the Dark out here, and this was a cursed place. Ambassador Kell had said it, and when it had, she'd felt it.

Yes, she thought. This place was cursed.

"Admiral-Doctor Urle," the Captain said, as they closed with the severe-looking woman.

Wait, Urle? That was the first mate's name, Apollonia realized.

The woman's face did not change. She nodded just slightly and spoke. "Captain-Mayor Brooks, welcome to Medical Station 29. You may call me Verena."

"Very well, Verena, if you insist," Brooks replied. "I need not introduce you, save perhaps to one - I would like you to meet Apollonia Nor, formerly of the colony New Vitriol in the Begonia system."

Something was wrong, Apollonia thought. The Captain was gesturing to her, the doctor was staring, and she knew she was supposed to talk.

But she felt dizzy. And the woman, the doctor - she was not right.

Their eyes met, and Apollonia felt herself shudder.

Those eyes. They were hollow. Empty of soul.

She was of the Dark.

"Ms. Nor?" Brooks said. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she managed to breathe. She did not want to mess this up, she did not want to fuck up the very first thing she was supposed to do with these people, she did not want to go back to New Vitriol . . .

"Ms. Nor," the doctor said, moving closer. "I have heard about you already."

Her proximity made Apollonia feel worse. "Oh. That's good."

The doctor swept her eyes over the rest of the group.

Dr. Y moved forward. "A pleasure to see you again, Dr. Urle - Verena, if you prefer. It has been too long."

Verena accepted that, and her eyes moved to Executive Commander Urle. They hung there, and no one said a word for a long moment.

"It's good to see you," the first mate said, his voice soft.

"I am glad you are here," she said. But that was all.

What was going on? Apollonia thought. Could no one else see what she was seeing?

Oh. Of course not, she realized. Her head was swimming so much she could barely think.

Something came next to her, and she nearly screamed until she realized it was Ambassador Kell. He - it - whatever it was - was looking at her intensely.

She realized that the Ambassador saw whatever it was that she was seeing. And it didn't know what to make of it anymore than she.

Verena was talking, and Brooks had started to follow her. Apollonia forced herself to move. No one but Kell seemed to have noticed her discomfort.

When she crossed onto the station, she felt pain shoot down her spine. It went down her legs, through her arms, leaving her feeling weak.

"Oh god," she said.

She didn't remember moving more, but was drifting towards a door that the others had entered. Kell was still watching her, but saying nothing.

They were in it now, and something was happening. A pleasant voice chimed over a speaker.

"Prepare for return to Earth Grav Normal. Please hold onto the railings and stand with feet pointed towards the red floor."

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It felt like they moved, and then suddenly their feet were on the floor.

And she fell. She could not stand up any longer.

"Nor?" Dr. Y said, his voice alarmed. But to her, it sounded distant, fuzzy.

She was looking up at his metal face. She had blacked out, but only for a moment, she thought. They were still on the elevator.

"Are you feeling ill?" the doctor asked.

"Take me back to the ship," she said. Her voice was weak, her muscles not wanting to work.

"It may be gravity orientation sickness," Verena said. "We have treatments for that-"

"Take me back to the ship!" Apollonia screamed. Red clouded her vision, and she could not have told them why she wanted out of here so badly. But she knew that she did not want to spend even one more minute in this cursed place, near that woman without a soul.

*******

As Apollonia screamed again, Brooks stepped over. She had passed out before he even reached her.

"What's happening to her?" he demanded. "Is she all right?"

"I do not know, precisely, but she has gone unconscious," Y replied quickly.

Brooks leaned in to help him hold the woman, but the mechanical arms of the Doctor were stronger than he could ever be, and he realized it was pointless.

Dr. Y placed his hand on her head, his fingers spreading out. He had innumerable medical diagnostic tools built into his body specifically for emergency situations like this, Brooks knew.

"How is she?" he asked.

"I can detect no serious medical conditions," Y noted. "I was quite thorough in my prior tests. I believe that something about entering the station has simply given her a great shock."

Brooks was not sure he bought that - though he had to admit that Apollonia had had a very secluded life. She had barely known gravity for much of her life.

"I have an emergency team on their way," Verena said calmly.

"I believe the best course of action would be to return her to the Craton," Y said.

Brooks nodded. "I agree. Take her back, if you would, Doctor."

Verena frowned. "Are you certain, Captain? This is a medical station."

"I am," he replied. "She is comfortable with Dr. Y."

"Immediately, Captain," the AI said, picking her up in his arms.

"I had hoped to learn more about this CR," Verena commented.

"You still will get a chance, but she wants off here, and I'm not going to force her to stay," the Captain replied.

The doors opened and they stepped off, while Y waited. As soon as they were off, the capsule began to slow - no longer matching the rotation of the habitat cylinder and returning to zero-g.

Brooks watched it, part of him wondering if he should go back with her.

But he still had a job to do here.

Verena's face was neutral as he turned back to her, and it bothered him even though he knew why.

"Apologies are unnecessary," Verena said. "Let us continue on. The rest of your staff should speak with the organization department head regarding the cloned individuals you have brought. We will head to my office."

Brooks had not been going to apologize; Apollonia had done nothing wrong, in his mind.

*******

She felt cold. A blanket was over her shoulders, but it didn't help.

Dr. Y had brought her back to the ship - practically carrying her. Not the most dignified way to move, but she didn't feel any remorse over it. She'd been only barely awake for most of it, remembering others talking, but their words had been vague, mere sounds without meaning to her mind at the time.

Staying in that place was worse than some embarrassment, and she had no hesitation admitting that.

And that woman - 'Verena'.

She'd never been very religious, the whole gospel of the Dawn had fallen on deaf ears. Hard to believe in it when the same people pushing it thought you were some sort of hellspawn, but she knew the stories, the legends. The opposite of the Dawn was the Dark, the stuff of deep space, of night time, of caverns into the Earth where horrible things lived.

She still felt afraid thinking of those things.

That woman was as close as she had ever seen in a human. She was a human, she knew that. But that woman was a black hole inside - a void.

Y had brought her to a small medbay near the hangar, and she now sat with her legs dangling from the side of a patient chair that could lay back to be a bed. She considered laying down and taking a nap, she felt tired enough to go right to sleep. But she didn't think she could calm down enough for that right now.

The doctor had left - he'd offered to stay, but she'd told him she wanted to be alone. He'd accepted that, and she'd gotten a hot drink, tea, and was sipping it.

Why did anyone like this stuff? It tasted awful.

She'd always seen it on shows, distinguished, smart people drank it, and she'd always wanted to try it. Ever since she'd come on the ship and tasted it, she'd disliked it.

But it was warm.

The door opened, sliding into the wall with a soft hiss. She looked up, expecting Dr. Y-

It was Dr. Logus instead.

"Hello, Apollonia," he said warmly.

"Leave," she said to him.

A look that was probably hurt went over his face, and she felt a twinge of guilt.

"I'm here to see how you are. I heard you had an incident on the Medical Station."

"I'm fine now," she said, watching him over her tea.

"But you did wish to leave very quickly, yes? Something was bothering you."

She took an exaggeratedly long drink of her tea, just to give an excuse not to answer the man.

But he went and sat down.

"I can't talk to you," she said.

It only seemed to encourage him. "I noticed you've been avoiding me. Would you tell me why?"

"No," she said. "Just leave."

The man took a deep breath. She thought he was about to stay, but he rose to his feet.

"I can't - and won't - force you to talk to me," he said. "But I am only here to try and help, Ms. Nor. Before I go, is there anything you will let me do for you?"

She said nothing, glaring still. But she couldn't keep up her rancor; the man was being so clearly earnest, and she felt guilty at treating him this way.

But she still couldn't talk to him.

"Just go," she said, softly.

The man turned and walked out the door.