Section Fifteen Secure Testing Bay

The secure testing bay known as Section Fifteen is a prefabricated metal compartment bolted to the freighter’s bulkhead, its walls lined with retrofitted diagnostic consoles and a single large viewport showing the corridor outside. Fluorescent strips flicker overhead, their sickly yellow light reflecting off exposed pipes running along the ceiling. A recessed alcove houses the security scanner—its casing dented and control panel cracked—while ventilation grilles whistle with recycled air that carries the acrid tang of overheated wiring. The space is barely large enough for two, forcing Ringway to lean over Berger’s shoulder as he points out the system’s failure. A muted alarm bleats intermittently from the console, ignored by both men, underscoring the slow rot within the ship’s operational integrity.