Nope, not a tour

C2 appeared next to the wall opposite the window he’d created, the one showing the planet below.

“Let me introduce you to your new home.” The robot announced, and once again, the wall next to him became transparent.

This time, while the large purple gas giant loomed as an overwhelming presence in the background, the objects in the foreground drew the eye. First, and most obvious, was the massive structure. It was composed of half a dozen rings attached to a central tubular shaft, which was the size of a large skyscraper, though several times taller than any Earth structure. The rings, rotating around the central shaft, were lined on their inner surface with transparent skylights which revealed the lights of a thriving city. Several dozen ships were attached to the rings, docked to the rings’ outer edge, while several larger ships had attached themselves to the central column at gaps between the rings. Whatever structure they were on appeared to be floating between two of the rings, though it followed the rotation of the ring above.

“Look at that thing. It’s like a whole city just floating in space.” Jacqueline observed.

“Why aren’t we attached to it at all? Is this room just floating here?” Sarah asked.

“Look at all the different ships!” Serena said, awed. “That one. God. It’s beautiful.”

In the gap between the two rings was a ship, one the size of a small cruise ship. It was reminiscent of a scorpion’s stinger or an ornate spearhead, with a central prominent point that curved into wings that came to their own points like a crescent moon before sweeping back to where a pair of engines could be seen. In the middle of the craft’s top surface was a large dome that would have appeared to be a cockpit on a smaller craft, but was nearly two hundred feet from end to end, its interior darkened and invisible. The whole vessel had a sleek, almost organic feel. It was black and white, and the whole thing was covered in elaborate, swirling patterns of glowing etchings, as though the ship were a massive art piece that had somehow escaped its museum.

“It almost looks more like some kind of magical vessel than a spaceship,” Delia observed.

“Behold the space station Terminal Insigne, in orbit around the planet Fegeris VII. Don’t worry, there won’t be a quiz on that. We won’t be staying here long. And there is your ship, courtesy of Harem Hotel: Intergalactic. It is a Zephyr Class Luxury Cruiser, complete with all the bells and whistles, including a full complement of cutting-edge weapons, a faster-than-light drive, and a luxurious, multi-dimensional interior tailored to your needs. Technically, this craft is from another galaxy, which is even more advanced than this one, where it is considered a pleasure craft. Still, we determined that its capabilities fall just below this galaxy’s 95th percentile for functionality in most categories, putting it on par with the more powerful craft available here. So, don’t get worried that we’re sending you off in a ship that’s a piece of junk, but keep in mind there are still a few kids on the block with better toys than yours.”

“Now, normally, this is where we’d pop over, and I would give you a tour and assign sleeping arrangements, and tell you all the first round’s date night order. But, unfortunately, it seems I’ve misplaced the keys to your vessel. Whatever will we do?” C2 said in mock distress.

“Which gives us a perfect opportunity to give you all a Special Challenge!"