"Jalun has no atmosphere," the man said. "There is no oxygen anywhere on this planet except what we bring here and produce ourselves. Every breath you take inside this hangar, inside the station, and inside every facility you visit during your stay is supplied by our life support systems. I want you to understand that very clearly, because it affects everything else I'm about to tell you."
He paused and looked across the crowd, making sure he had everyone's attention.
"The greatest danger to oxygen here is fire. A fire consumes air, and in an enclosed environment, it can consume a great deal of air very quickly. Because of that, our systems are designed to respond to fire immediately and without waiting for human approval."
He lifted a hand and gestured toward the walls of the hangar, where Ning could now make out heavy seams in the metal that looked like they might conceal sliding doors.
