The wide hallway leading from the top of the lift still had patches of exposed pipes and wiring in the walls, with no signage or paint to speak of. The single group of workers present in the corridor was occupied fiddling with the electronics behind the wall – too occupied to even pay attention to the royals.

“Is this the average state of the hallways in the ship so far?” Queen Vraxi asked.

“No, certainly not. My apologies if this hallway's state is troubling. I'll guide you through some nicer sections before we're finished today.”

“Excellent.” Just as she'd hoped.

The passage opened up into a four-way intersection that looked far more suitable for the general population. Although the walls still hadn't been detailed, none of the ship's internals were exposed, and the floors had been carpeted with a soft material to improve traction for carapaced feet.

“The left passage leads to a cluster of guild workshops, the right leads us to an electronic library, and just ahead is the plaza.” Voddox led the group straight forward. “Naturally, we have hundreds of these public facilities and plazas throughout the ship.”

“Good. I want every citizen to have ample opportunity to thrive in the Grand Devotion.”

“And thrive they will,” Voddox assured her.

As the group exited the hallway, Vraxi's eyes met a spectacular sight.

“Here we are!” The overseer spun around to face the queen, holding out his two left arms towards the plaza. “One of the mothership's leisure areas.”

Circling around a grand fountain in the middle of the giant, domed, multi-level room were tiled floors, murals painted on pale walls, and hanging tapestries featuring famous symbols of genofexian unity. Plentiful water features bordered walkways and shop entrances, surrounded by trees rooted in verdant soil. Empty storefronts lined the upper walls, the occasional electronic sign showed a bright graphic welcoming residents to the Grand Devotion, and there were even a few public computers set up in compact booths on either end of the plaza. On the ceiling far up high was a cluster of warm floodlights illuminating the area – a fair imitation of Ytti's star.

The main difference between the ship and the planet's surface was the mechanical ceiling replacing the teal sky. It was an effort in futility to perfectly mirror Zetomerxy's living conditions inside a spaceship, but this plaza was proof that Vraxi could come close enough.

“Wonderful.” She clasped her hands together. “A part of me never expected to experience this moment.”

Even Fortress commented on the plaza's extraordinary appearance.

“Are the weather systems installed yet?” Vraxi asked, turning to Voddox.

“I was hoping you'd ask.” The overseer produced a folding device with several screens from his right pocket. “This, of course, will all be automated when the ship is operational, but...”

At the press of a button, Vraxi felt the smallest tickle on one of her upper shoulders. She looked down – a tiny raindrop. Shortly after, a gentle mist surrounded the genofexians.

“Wonderful, wonderful! It's like I'm home.” Vraxi spread her arms out and looked up into the air.

“By all means, you are home! But I'm pleased to see it's to your liking, Mother.” Promising not to get the royals too wet, Voddox turned the rain off and showed them how the cluster of lights could move across the ceiling – again, eventually automated – based on the orbit and rotation of their home planet.

“We aggregated as many of Ytti's weather patterns as we could manage,” he explained. “Of course, we left out the hurricanes and floods, but your residents will continue experiencing wind, snow, and rain as they do on Ytti. We'll be implementing weather systems in the Grand Devotion's 'outdoor' areas.”

“My hearts gleam upon hearing such words.” If this is the quality of work being put into this section of the ship... I can't wait to see the rest.

“More good news, too: the engines and subsystem controls have finally been installed after... three years, was it? By far the most challenging components of the mothership. But the Grand Devotion's internals are more or less operable now.” Voddox quietly trailed off, mumbling about how life support wouldn't work until the hull was fully sealed.

“Any updates on the commercial and residential districts?” Vraxi asked.

“The last of the commercial districts finished construction on time just a few days ago; workers will be bringing in supplies to begin the detailing today. Some residential districts are still under construction, but we have enough homes built for all of Zetomerxy's population. Although, some of them aren't furnished yet.”

It was still good news to the queen. She had hundreds of questions to ask Voddox – what about this subsystem? Or that one? Could residents live, nay, flourish in the ship? – but she wouldn't have nearly enough time to ease every such concern. Thus, she settled with one query:

“Could the Grand Devotion launch?”

“I... don't think I would recommend it.”

“That isn't what I asked.”

“Sorry, Mother. Yes, with the engine and subsystem controls installed, the Grand Devotion could now launch.”

“Good.” Then today is the day my people will know.

“If I may, I would like to show you some of the completed residences,” Voddox said.

“Certainly. As much as I would love to bask in this splendor, time is essential today.”

“Come this way, then.” The overseer led them far across the bright plaza, into another relatively drab spaceship hall. The majority of the corridor was dark grey, but a small group of workers clad in white jumpsuits was actively painting and inscribing text into the leftmost wall.

When one of them noticed the royals, they snapped their fingers, getting the others' attention to look at the queen and king. None of them had a ruxvy for verbal communication, but they also seemed reluctant to sign anything.

I should've brought a change of clothes, Vraxi thought.

“Awoken again,” she signed a traditional morning greeting to them, hoping to imply the workers didn't need to remain quiet due to her mourning robes. “Continue your great work.”

The workers were suddenly far more willing to reply, eagerly signing, “we rise together” – the counterpart to “awoken again” – while a couple responded with a simple wave. Both groups then continued on as they were.

Out of the corner of her vision, Vraxi noticed Fortress fidget. The queen put a hand on his shoulder, waiting until he looked over to begin discreetly signing.

“It's fine. Those workers have no idea who you are,” she told him. “Relax.”

Fortress rolled his shoulders. “I'm simply not used to this. Apologies.”

“No need.”

Voddox guided the group to the nearest tram network access within the ship. Zetomerxy made good use of tramways as its primary mode of transportation, and Vraxi figured it would be prudent to bring along as much familiarity to the Grand Devotion as possible for its future residents' sake. Plus, they worked well, and she liked them.

The interior of the tram was a plain, beige box with pale blue seats and a distinct lack of windows. Probably wouldn't be much of a view anyways, the queen thought. She sat down near the middle of the vehicle, leaving a spot open for Fortress on the left and many surrounding seats for her attendants. Voddox sat on the opposite side, fumbling around with his multi-screened device before setting the tram into motion.

As they traveled to a distant section of the ship, Voddox produced some digital pictures on one of his device's many screens. He showed Vraxi pictures of different completed ship sections: hallways, workshops, laboratories, parks, and the enormous recreation of Ytti's forests and climate within the ship's 'outdoor' section. Upon asking, the overseer showed her the completed administration bays, command deck, security offices, and one of many engine bays.

“This is only one of the small reactors,” Voddox commented, showing her a picture of a grandiose engine room. “If we have time, I would like to show you the main engine and power supply.”

“If we have time,” the queen answered. She knew she didn't have the time to inspect the entire ship, but Voddox's pictures were a reassuring sight nonetheless.

Inspecting the progress photos was an effective way to pass time during the tram ride, and before she knew it, the vehicle decelerated to a halt.

“Here we are,” Voddox announced, allowing the royals and attendants to exit first.

Vraxi and Fortress stepped into a wide, semi-circle lobby with stairwells and exits in every direction. Unlike the hallways she'd entered the mothership from, everything was adequately furnished and labeled; the queen could tell at a glance which passage led to a block of residences, or a bathhouse, or a dispensary for basic survival amenities. Pale floors with beige walls was a homely colour combination, and with sufficient lighting throughout the lobby, Vraxi found herself delighted by the room's atmosphere.

“Good,” she remarked. “Very good.”

The overseer seemed pleased. “If I may, Mother,” he said, taking the lead. “Up this way, we've prepared a home for your approval.” He led the royal entourage up one of the many staircases, stopping in a hallway full of open doorways covered by dark curtains.

“Right in here.” He held out his arms towards the entrance on his left.

Vraxi's attendants waited outside as the royals brushed past the thick curtain and stepped into the residence.

The room was carpeted and painted with calm, cool hues. Standard furniture was all neatly arranged – including a clothes rack, sink, desk, wall-mounted electronic screen, and cocoon-shaped bed suspended from the walls and ceiling. In the corner was a small toilet, encircled by another dark curtain.

Vraxi looked over the room, her gaze eventually landing on the cocoon bed. She sat down in it and laid back, resting her eyes. “These rooms are bigger than the average spire home, aren't they?”

“Indeed. Is that a bad thing?” Voddox murmured.

“Certainly not. If we're to sway the minds of those who feel uneasy about living in space, an upgraded home is one way to do it.”

“Personally tested and approved by the queen,” the king said. “Could be worth mentioning.”

“If only I had the time to ensure the quality of every little detail in the ship.” She returned to her feet, deciding that she was satisfied with the state of the residences – assuming they would all be as neat as this one. “With that in mind, if there's any other major progress nearby you could show me, Voddox, now would be the time.”

The overseer pushed a couple fingertips against his forehead. “From here... I'm not sure. The closest would probably be the engine bay, but it's still not exactly a short trip.”

“Right. I wish I could, but for the time being, I'm content with these progress updates.”

Voddox squinted his eyes shut in a gleeful display. “Great! It's been an honour, Mother. I wish you, King Vasis, and your attendants–”

The ship began vibrating. And then the vibrations escalated to a strong rumble. Wearing gold platform sandals, Vraxi stumbled and struggled to stand, prompting multiple attendants to rush into the room and support her. Fortress held his hands against a nearby wall, easily keeping his footing.

“Another quake?! Of all times, not now!” Voddox exclaimed, doing his best to keep his balance as the tremor intensified.

With three attendants holding her steady, Vraxi fervently looked around as though to ascertain the cause of the rumbling.

“Not again,” she muttered.

Despite the quake's intensity, it was short-lived, dying down after only a few more intense moments. After recovering from the sudden chaos, everyone appeared unharmed, if a bit startled.

One thing Vraxi knew for certain – the recurring quakes plaguing Zetomerxy were not natural phenomena, and there was one person she knew to meet with to get to the bottom of it.

She faced the overseer. “Thank you for your time, but I must leave. I have an urgent matter to attend to.”

“...The tremors?” he peeped.

The queen raised one of her left palms beside her head – an affirmative gesture.