I’ve never had to arrive in a strange town before. It’s one of those life events that can feel very unfamiliar to many people on Sevrin. The vast majority of us live and then work in the same town or city for all of our lives and tourism really isn’t a thing for most of us. The climate is so equitable that we have little need to search for the sun and there’s not a huge amount of culture and certainly no antiquarian relics or ruins.

Eastleigh is nestled on the plain that spreads north from the major river of the Eastern Continent. Beyond the edge of town, to the north and west, are hundreds of square kilometres of fertile farmland. To the east lies more than 10,000 kilometres of unbroken ocean on the far side of Sevrin.

The quayside where the Morning Star had berthed this morning is a bustling hub filled with smaller transports, support vessels and passenger craft that were all there to help maintain and harvest the vast ocean beyond the horizon.

The town itself is well-planned, with broad tree-lined streets and numerous open areas of greenery. The buildings are, if anything, even more low-rise than they are in Sevrin City.

The buildings of the research centre are located right on the northern edge of town and, apparently, accommodation is just a couple of blocks nearer to the centre. Sarah has already left by the time I walk down the gangway and onto the quayside.

“Nexima, do you know where I’m supposed to be going?”

<Yes Aidan. There’s a vehicle for you just off to the right. The third one in the queue. All your belongings are already in the cargo space.>

“Oh, okay. Let’s go then.”

I walk in the indicated direction, assisted by a thoughtful indicator in my vision. I really have never had much experience of the use of personal vehicles, even for things like this. I know that I couldn’t walk with all my possessions, but it still seems a little odd to be getting into a cab.

As I make myself comfortable in the vehicle the driving system AI’s voice startles me out of my confusion.

<Good morning, Mister Quilliam. Are you ready to proceed?>

“Yes, thank you.”

The drive to my new apartment block takes less than ten minutes, maybe three or so kilometres in total. It gives me a good chance to see a little of the town as I am driven along. There are a few people walking to work and, at this relatively early hour, groups of school children are out and about on their way to their lessons. It slowly begins to feel just like any other day at home.

As we come to a stop it is apparent that my building is a sprawling three-storey affair set back from the street and surrounded by gardens and trees. We’re a couple of blocks back from the sea, but the sound of gently breaking waves is readily apparent, pushed along by a gently blowing breeze from the east.

A blonde-haired woman in what I’d consider office clothes and a dark-skinned man in more casual attire approach the vehicle as I get out.

“Welcome to Eastleigh,” the woman says as they stop in front of me and she offers her hand. “Jane Crowe. I thought you might need a hand to get your stuff organised. This is my husband, Paul.”

I shake hands with them both and finally begin to relax a little. I had feared that I would have to cart all this stuff around for myself. “Thank you so much for being here. I did wonder how I’d manage without a little help.”

“No problem,” Paul informs me. “The kids have gone off to school for the day and we both remember what it was like arriving here from the city.”

“I believe you’re in 306?” Jane tells me. “Let me show you the way.” She leads me towards the front entrance and the door opens as I approach. We enter the elevator and head up to the top floor.

It turns out that my apartment is in the west corner of the top floor. There’s a large lounge with a kitchenette off to one end. The bedroom and bathroom are on the opposite side. To the south the wall is completely glass, opening out onto a small balcony. It is already furnished – as I knew that it would be – and only needs me to bring in my bedding and household equipment.

With three of us lugging boxes, it really doesn’t take very long. I’m in no rush to unpack. I have plenty of time to organise myself and really just want to find my way around and get settled in.

Paul excuses himself after I thank him once again for the help and leaves me and my new boss together on the balcony. He tells me that he has some work to do at home and wants to make sure that he is finished before the children return from school.

“So, Aidan, do you think you can get settled here?” Jane asks. “I really do know what a big step this is for a first job, fresh from the end of school.”

“I think so. Leaving home; leaving my dad in particular, is a big change for me, but I’m looking forward to it.”

“Well, I’ve nothing planned for you for the rest of the day, but I do have to go to the lab. Why don’t you walk up there with me and get the lay of the land. I’ll show you where the shops and amenities are on the way.”

“Thank you, Jane. That sounds like an excellent idea.”

The whole area has a very campus-like feel to it. The buildings are similar to each other and the layout is clearly geared towards people walking between their apartments and the research facilities that are just a little further north. There’s a small shopping area about 200m from my building with a supermarket and a couple of eateries that both clearly offer take-away food as well as the option to eat in. Jane tells me that they are both very good and that there are a few other choices within fairly easy walking distance if I don’t want to cook for myself.

Just a few hundred metres to the north, we cross a main road that I’m surprised to see has a very high number of vehicles driving along, for Sevrin at least. On the far side the bulky shape of the main research building stands four stories tall.

It still seems to fit into the landscape very well, with gently curving walls and grounds that are planted with many trees and plenty of open space.

Jane leads me in through the main entrance and guides me up to the second floor. “I’ll drop you at your office for now,” she tells me as we walk along the corridor. “I’ve got to work for the rest of the day, but I want you to get settled in at your new place.”

“I’m happy to work.”

“No, not today. We’ve made you work enough on the ship for you to be entitled to have a bit of a rest day. Jordan should be back in the same time-frame as us for at least the next couple of weeks and he’s due to speak to you tomorrow. I’ve also arranged for you to meet a few of the other members of the faculty in the morning.”

“Thank you, Jane. I do need to do a little food shopping and I should get unpacked and settled in.”

“Yes. Just remember we’re here to work, but we’re not slaves to the task. If I think you’re doing too much, I will make you stop and take a break,” she tells me with a slightly stern expression. “The last thing we want is for people to get burned out or stressed by the amount of work that they think needs to be done.”

“I noticed that there are a lot of vehicles on the road. Far more than I am used to seeing. Is that normal here?”

“Yes. The town is spread out quite a bit more than Sevrin City. There are cabs available for personal use at all times, as we don’t have any mass-transit lines here. You saw that we are pretty self-contained on the campus, but you’d need to get a cab to go to the theatre or the medical centre.”

“It sounds more like Earth than Sevrin.”

“Yes, a little. We have much more contact with the people of Earth, I guess. Some of their habits rub off on us, just as some of ours do on them.”

“Is the Singularity Link the only thing that is studied here. Nothing I’ve seen really tells me much about it.”

“No, there are three other totally unrelated faculties in the building. Honestly, I’m not even sure that I know what they are researching really. Each group tends to keep to themselves work-wise. There are plenty of social interactions though.”

We turn left at the elevator door and enter a corridor with a sign above it that simply states ‘Singularity Link’. My office turns out to be about fifty metres down on the left.

“This is you. The door should be coded already.” I depress the latch and the door opens to my touch. The office is bigger than I expected. There’s a large desk and a separate work table. The desk is dominated by a terminal. There is also a small couch and a coffee table obviously designed for cozy meetings and discussions.

“This is all a bit more than I expected,” I tell Jane. “I’m the new guy, not the head of research.”

“Don’t worry. They’re all the same, even mine,” She reassured me quickly. “I’ll get someone to give you a proper tour in the morning. Restrooms and the cafeteria are further back on the right. I really need to get going.”

“Thank you again, Jane. I’ll get off to the supermarket shortly anyway. What time do you need me tomorrow?”

“If you can be here for nine, that will be fine. I’ll see you in the morning, Aidan. Have a good day.”

“Yes, see you tomorrow.”

I take a seat at the desk – my desk – and contemplate the room around me. This is really happening. I have an office in a research facility and am now officially a working scientist. Well, something of an apprentice one at least.

The room is large and comfortable, but a little sterile. I’ve a few things at home I can bring with me if I can find them in the right box. Maybe I also need a couple of plants to break things up a little. I assume that I’m allowed. Oh, I know who to ask.

“Argus, I’ve made it as far as my office.”

<Welcome, Aidan. I saw you arrive a few minutes ago. Can I help you with anything?>

“Just a little housekeeping. Am I allowed to have plants in here?”

<Yes, of course. You can change pretty much anything you like. Just let me know if you need to alter anything else. There are other offices free if you don’t like the view.>

“Oh, no, everything is fine. I just need to make it feel a little more like home. Thank you, Argus.”

<Argus out.>

I could sit at my desk and contemplate the blank terminal all afternoon, but it really would be a waste of what is soon to become valuable time. I really do need to get home and unpack at least some of my belongings and there isn’t even the hint of anything to eat or drink in the apartment.

Reluctantly, I get up from my chair and head back outside. At least the building has a simple enough layout that I’ll not get lost too easily. Once outside I walk briskly down to the shopping centre and grab as many essentials as I can carry in one trip. I think momentarily that I should get a cab and do a proper shop, but, honestly, old habits die hard and I’d rather spread it out over a couple of days than be driven just a few hundred metres.

It takes me a good couple of hours to feel as if I’ve accomplished anything in the apartment. I manage to find the bedding and make the bed. It’s nice to be able to put all the cookware and tableware exactly where I want and also decide for myself where all the foodstuffs are going to live.