“It’s not the big city,” Emma murmured, careful to keep her voice low lest the hum of other commuters take offense.
Her unofficial guide to the planet Hostis laughed, drawing a few curious glances from others on the trolley. “Ah, but it is!”
She blushed and hastened to add some detail. “I like that. It’s efficient enough that I have anything I need within a five minute walk without being overwhelming.” Emma’s mouth watered at the reminder of the corner store’s fresh burratarata, the specialty cheese from the pygmy space cows that had propagated across the colonies. “And it’s close enough to the farms that produce comes in regularly.”
Benj nodded. “At least for now, the plan’s to keep it that way. No need to develop supercities, like Old Earthers did. Keeps people in touch with the resources. Plus, keeps us in better harmony with the locals.” He paused, leaning against the hanging leather strap attached to the trolley’s rail. “You’ve been here…what, a week?”
“Ten days.”
“Enough time to adapt to the time zone and explore, not enough to venture past the spaceport’s outer zone.” There was no judgment in Benj’s tone, merely assessment. “Well, hang on. Let me comm the boss. It’s time for your tour.”
Scandalized, she let go of her own leather loop and tried to stop him. “I can’t call in! I just got here.”
“No, no,” Benj clarified. “We do this for everyone. You’re a little ahead of schedule. I’ll have him verify that you’re officially off today for local acclimation.” He grinned and waved the comm in her direction, eyes sparkling cheerily. “And now, so am I! Thanks.”
The trolley stopped and she stumbled, having given up her loop. Benj caught her with his free arm, comm still in hand, then deftly swooped her out of the way of the commuter traffic.
“But…”
“Quick, grab a seat on the bench before it fills up. We’ll do a couple more stops, then walk back.” He steered her toward a wooden bench, nudging her toward the window.
As the trolley continued with its new round of passengers, he leaned over and pointed to a oddly sprawling architectural monstrosity. Doors were inconsistently sized, as were windows and rooftops; one even looked to have perches on its disparate peaks.
“It looks like seven different buildings smashed together,” Emma ventured. “I quite like it, though I think I’d get lost quickly.”
He nodded. “Normally, the different races on Hostis have their own hospitals, which makes sense given colonization patterns. Only in the capital is the demand from each great enough to require a hospital catering to the needs of all races.” Benj winked. “So far!”
***
This week’s prompt about Hostis’ hospitals came from AC Young, while my prompt on squid with sprinkles went to nother Mike. Find them all, over at More Odds Than Ends.
