Alex was disappointed at first, because they seemed to have emerged in the middle of a thick fog. The transfer tube from the ship entered the colony right along its central axis—in the middle of the “sky,” as it were—and there was nothing to see here but the clouds formed from excess water vapor in Nexus-1’s atmosphere. As the force bubble floated gently “downward,” however, the clouds parted to give Alex his first real view of the colony. And this time he was not at all disappointed.
A vast panorama was spread before him, amazingly green and uncluttered. The ground curved upward on either side like a bowl, and extended off far into the distance until perspective brought the sides together at a point. Directly below, small buildings were clustered about the Welcome Center where visitors f
