Legend of the Rat-king

Part three:  Gateway Station

As we exited the rift, the screen nearest me showed a remarkable vision.  Here, in the heart of the Sagittarius rift, the sky is almost devoid of the normal sprinkling of bright stars so familiar to residents of the galactic arms.  The empyrean void is nearly unadorned, save the luminous glow of the galactic plane, and the towering form of Gateway Station.

Gateway Station is a tremendous cube, 150km to a side.  The side facing the rift bristles with turrets, missile batteries and deflector shields.  In the center of this face, is a prominent, circular opening that leads to a central shipyard, and around the edge of this gaping maw are circled thousands of high-power laser emitters, the elements of a massive Kugelblitz projector.  On occasions of war between the Reach and the Empire,(which does happen from time to time), it is the system's first line of defense against a direct attack.  This was its original purpose, having been constructed at the close of the Great Reckoning, although it now also serves as the port of entry to ships arriving from the old core worlds.

Inside the station, four titanic cylinders counter-rotate, providing gravity to the residents.  Generally, these are divided along functional lines.  Alpha-cylinder is a parkland habitat with rivers and forests.  It even has a small game reserve where you can hunt some of the smaller dinosaur species for a price.  Beta-cylinder is mostly a high-density residential zone. Gamma-cylinder is given over to industrial activities that require gravity: agriculture, manufacturing, storage, and distribution.  Delta-cylinder is the commercial and entertainment district, a bustling market for goods and services from across the galaxy.

Thousands of ships arrive and depart here every day.  Everything from small shuttles to huge battleships.  Being politically neutral has served Berwynne's Reach well.  I once even saw an AR clip of the Black Swan and the Angel of Annihilation berthed side by side here.  It was not only notable for the peaceful coexistence of bitter enemies, but for the sheer mass and size of the ships.

A few of the old star-gates are still in operation, scattered around the outskirts of the reach.  Most of the original gates were destroyed during the Great Reckoning because they opened to systems that fell to the Empire.  Midori has a gate, as does Bravaxia.  During the last and greatest days of the Planetary League, there was even a gate built to New Albuquerque,
and it is still there.  They all have their entry stations as well, but nothing close to competing with Gateway.

Howard burbled on the floor next to me, indicating he had a message.  "That's odd", I thought,"why didn't they just message me directly?"  Howard unfolded a small screen on his head, holding it up for me to see a message written by my father ten years prior:

Sam,
I hope this message finds you safe and well.  I told Howard to show it to you only if you ever traveled outside the Empire.  If you can, you should take Howard to the nearest Temple of Troniac.  There is more to his, and to our family's history than you have been told. Please understand, this was hidden from you for your own safety.
You are a grown man now, and deserve to know the whole story.
Best,
Dad

With my interest thoroughly piqued, I got ready to disembark.