"Unlike anything I have ever experienced," she says. "The death of a universe is a tremendous source of thanergy and it is... holy. Custom has not made me jaded to that."

"But at the same time, the buildings themselves are as sterile as deep space. The life outside is barely life, and there is no history there, no real depth of lifecycle."

She looks at her notes and drawings. "The saltwater inlet, however--does it connect to the outside world in some way?"