There was the sound of heavy machinery operating- the ticking of gears rotating, the sliding of metal behind the wood and the locks disengaging. The door opened into a round room with a clear dome that looked out into the night sky. It didn’t feel any colder, but it looked like it should. Around the room were dozens of monitors built into consoles with buttons, keyboards, levers and toggles. In the middle sat an technologically advanced recliner chair with joysticks on both armrests and a helmet on the seat.

A disembodied female voice spoke. “Welcome to the Observatory.”

“Glad to be here. Who do I have the pleasure of addressing?”

Though I knew it was an A.I., there was a definite sense of girlish pleasure that answered me. She almost sounded bashful. “My name is ’Ana.”

Curiousity drove me to ask about the place and test Ana. “I’m new, what do we observe here?”

“Space and time.”

“This place looks amazing, but I’m a mite curious about that chair. Why is it there?”

“To control the lasers, of course.”