Medical Center
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Medical Center exterior, one of the original five
The Medical Center as seen from the roundabout
Type Healthcare Facility / Small Hospital
Location New Eden Town Center (original-five)
Construction Pre-series (colony-founding)
Chief of Medicine Dr. Alex Cruiz (from-book 1)
Head Nurse Terry Fairchild (agender,-they/them)
Chief of Psychology Dr. ZoĂ« (kret) (carisco) PsyD — Book 1: Dr. ZoĂ« professionally, ZoĂ« Kret legally; Book 2+: Dr. ZoĂ« Carisco
Basement Level Mortuary, morgue, autopsy theater
Colony Population ~600 (varies-by book)
Key Innovation ANI comfort monitoring (late-book 3)
Notable Births Celectra (2225) ‱ Twin deliveries (2247)
Notable Trauma Kret's experiments on 7-year-old Celectra (book-1)

Overview

The Medical Center is New Eden’s primary healthcare facility, one of the five original buildings encircling the central roundabout. Though its exterior is identical to its neighbors—graceful curved facades of local stone composite—its interior is a fully equipped small hospital serving a colony population of approximately 600 souls.

Unlike the automated medical bays aboard starships, the Medical Center maintains a philosophy of human-centered care. While Utara handles diagnostics, monitoring, and routine data, the Center’s small but dedicated staff ensures that healing remains a human interaction. This philosophy was tested during the Kret tribunals and affirmed under the leadership of Dr. Alex Cruiz.

The building holds both light and shadow: it is where children are born and where the dead are honored, where healing occurs and where, for one seven-year-old girl, terrible harm was done before her escape changed everything.

~600

Colony Population

24/7

Staff Coverage

3

Autodoc Suites

13

Council Seat

Key Personnel

Dr. Alex Cruiz — Chief of Medicine

Dr. Cruiz arrived on New Eden from the orbital station Utopis with his wife Dee, shortly after the exile of Dr. Douglas Kret. His move was both personal and professional: his close friends Amerigo Carisco and his daughter Celectra had already settled on the surface, and the Medical Center needed a leader who could restore trust after Kret’s tribunals.

A true jack-of-all-specialties , Cruiz performs surgery, delivers babies, sets bones, treats chronic conditions, and counsels the dying. In a colony of 600, there is no room for narrow specialization—he is physician, surgeon, pediatrician, and gerontologist by turns, often in the same day.

He delivered Celectra on October 11, 2225, aboard Utopis—catching her in his own hands before the automated systems could react. Seven years later, she would call him “Uncle Doc.” By Book 2, it was simply “Uncle Alex.” And in November of 2247, in this very building, he would deliver her twins.

— From “A History of New Eden Medicine”

Terry Fairchild — Head Nurse

Terry Fairchild (agender;-uses they/them) is the backbone of the Medical Center. As head nurse, they manage day-to-day operations, train new staff, and maintain the delicate balance between Utara’s monitoring and human touch.

But Terry’s most defining moment came before Cruiz arrived. During Dr. Douglas Kret’s tenure, Terry risked their entire career to:

Their testimony was instrumental in Kret’s removal. When Cruiz took over, he kept Terry as head nurse—not out of obligation, but because they were the most competent, most ethical person in the building. The two now run the Center as equals: Cruiz the hands, Fairchild the memory of why trust matters.

“I didn’t risk my career to get rid of Kret so I could watch someone else make the same mistakes. Dr. Cruiz never would.” — Terry Fairchild

Dr. ZoĂ« Carisco, PsyD — Chief of Psychology

Dr. ZoĂ« (as-she was known in book 1) became Dr. ZoĂ« Carisco in Book 2 following her marriage into the Carisco family. She heads the Medical Center’s mental health services, with an office and therapy rooms on the upper floors.

Her domain includes:

Dr. Zoë’s team includes several counselors and therapists, though like the medical staff, they are generalists who handle a wide range of issues. Her office became particularly significant after the Kret revelations—she was one of the first people Celectra trusted to process what had happened in the basement.

“Healing isn’t just about bodies. Sometimes the wounds you can’t see are the ones that take longest to close.” — Dr. ZoĂ« Carisco

Facilities & Capabilities

Though modest by Earth standards, the Medical Center is a fully functional small hospital. Its capabilities are optimized for a population of 600, with flexibility for surges (construction-accidents, exploration injuries, or the occasional epidemic).

Level/Department Capabilities
Ground Floor — Reception & Admin Waiting area, Utara intake kiosks, Terry Fairchild’s office, staff lounge
First Floor — Outpatient & Clinics Exam rooms, routine checkups, chronic care management
Second Floor — Psychology Wing Dr. Zoë’s office, therapy rooms, children’s counseling space, group therapy room
Third Floor — Inpatient Ward 12 beds for overnight or extended stays; rarely full except during illness outbreaks
Fourth Floor — Maternity Wing 4 birthing suites; home to the colony’s newest citizens (including-celectra’s twins in 2247)
Fifth Floor — Surgical Suite 2 operating rooms (one-robotic-assisted, one manual); Cruiz performs everything from appendectomies to C-sections
Sixth Floor — Critical Care 3 fully equipped autodoc suites; capable of handling industrial accidents and severe injuries
Seventh Floor — Rehabilitation Physical therapy, hydrotherapy, and Utara-guided motion tracking for recovery
Eighth Floor — Diagnostic Imaging Full suite (mri,-ct, ultrasound) integrated with Utara’s analysis
Ninth Floor — Pharmacy & Synthesis On-site medical synthesis for medications too specialized for home units
Basement — Mortuary, Morgue & Autopsy Theater See detailed section below

Staffing limitations mean not all departments are active simultaneously—Cruiz and Fairchild prioritize based on need, shifting resources as the colony demands.

âŹ‡ïž The Basement: Where the Dead Are Kept — and Where Harm Was Done

The Medical Center’s basement level houses the facilities for the deceased:

In most colonies, these are quiet, respectful spaces—necessary but seldom discussed. During Dr. Douglas Kret’s tenure, however, the basement became something far darker.

The Second Round of Kret’s Experiments (book-1)

When Celectra Carisco-Bowers was seven years old , Dr. Douglas Kret brought her to the basement autopsy theater for a series of unethical experiments. Using her unique physiology, Kret tested the effects of bodies separated by distance and objects causing momentary death —multiple times.

The experiments involved inducing temporary clinical death through controlled separation of her consciousness from her body, observing the effects, and reviving her. Each iteration left lasting trauma, both physical and psychological. The basement, meant to honor the dead, became a place where a child was made to die—and return—against her will.

It was after one of these sessions that Celectra ran away from the Medical Center, fleeing into the cave system outside New Eden. There, hiding and terrified, she discovered the galinstan-based lifeforms —a first contact that would reshape the colony’s future. What Kret intended as cruel control became the catalyst for the Integration.

After Kret’s removal, Dr. Cruiz ordered a complete renovation of the basement. The autopsy theater was reconfigured, and strict protocols now govern its use. But for Celectra—and for those who know her story—the basement remains a place of complicated memory: the site of trauma, but also the place she fled from on the day she changed everything.

“I don’t hate that room. I can’t. Because walking out of it was the first brave thing I ever did.” — Celectra Carisco-Bowers, Book 5

The Kret Era & Transition

Dr. Douglas Kret

Before Alex Cruiz, there was Douglas Kret—the original Chief of Medicine and holder of Council Seat 3. Kret’s tenure ended in disgrace following two tribunals (books-1 and 2) led by Security Chief Evelyn Roan. His crimes included:

  • Medical ethics violations and unauthorized experimentation
  • Endangering patients, including seven-year-old Celectra Carisco-Bowers
  • Using the basement autopsy theater for repeated, non-consensual death-revival experiments
  • Covering up his activities from colleagues and the council

Terry Fairchild’s testimony was pivotal in exposing Kret’s practices. After his removal from the council and medical leadership, Kret was exiled to roam the moon with a survey team , serving as medic and cook—a steep fall from his former status. His departure left a void that Alex Cruiz would fill.

Cruiz’s Arrival

Alex Cruiz moved down from Utopis with his wife Dee shortly after Amerigo and Celectra settled on New Eden. The timing was intentional: his friends needed him, and the colony needed a healer it could trust. Cruiz stepped into Seat 3 on the council and began the slow work of rebuilding the Medical Center’s reputation.

Unlike Kret, who hoarded authority, Cruiz immediately elevated Terry Fairchild to Head Nurse and made clear that the Center operated on transparency and consent. His first act was to invite any patient of Kret’s to request a full review of their treatment—no questions asked.

Cruiz also personally apologized to Celectra for what had happened in the basement—not because he was responsible, but because he believed the colony’s medical establishment owed her that acknowledgment. It was the beginning of their deepened bond.

đŸ©ș October 11, 2225 — Utopis Station

Dr. Alex Cruiz delivers Celectra Carisco-Bowers

2225

âŹ‡ïž

đŸ©ș November 15, 2247 — New Eden Medical Center

Dr. Alex Cruiz delivers Celectra’s twins

2247

The two deliveries, separated by 22 years, bookend Cruiz’s relationship with the Carisco-Bowers family. In 2225, he caught Celectra on Utopis—a moment he describes as “the first time I held my heart outside my body.” By 2247, Celectra was a woman, an ambassador, and a mother, and Cruiz was there to welcome the next generation.

The twin delivery was notable for another reason: it was the first time Cruiz used ANI comfort monitoring on a conscious, laboring patient. Celectra’s real-time feedback helped refine the technology, and both babies (a-boy and a girl) arrived healthy, with their uncle—now great-uncle—beaming through tears.

Dr. ZoĂ« Carisco was present as well—not as a medical provider, but as family. The circle of those who had helped Celectra heal from her childhood trauma gathered in the maternity wing, transforming the Medical Center from a place of fear into a place of joy.

📊 ANI Comfort Monitoring (late-book 3)

Late in Book 3, Dr. Cruiz began implementing a revolutionary application of ANI (artificial-neural interface) technology. Previously used for basic neural monitoring, Cruiz adapted the tech to allow Utara to track not just patients’ vital signs, but their actual perceived comfort level.

This innovation means:

  • Real-time pain assessment: Utara detects discomfort before the patient can verbalize it
  • Personalized sedation: ANI adjusts anesthetic delivery based on individual neural responses
  • Recovery optimization: Comfort data helps Cruiz fine-tune post-operative care
  • End-of-life dignity: Terminal patients can communicate comfort needs even when verbal communication fails

Cruiz insisted on rigorous consent protocols—ANI monitoring is always optional, and patients can override or disconnect at any time. The technology represents the opposite of Kret’s philosophy: monitoring in service of the patient, not in spite of them. Dr. ZoĂ« Carisco was consulted extensively on the psychological implications, ensuring that the technology could not be weaponized as Kret had weaponized his position.

Council Seat 3: Medicine

The Chief of Medicine holds one of the original 12 voting seats on New Eden’s council. The transition of this seat represents one of the colony’s most dramatic political shifts.

Period Incumbent Status
3 Pre-Book 1 Douglas Kret Removed by tribunal (ethics-violations, child endangerment)
3 Book 1 onward Dr. Alex Cruiz Appointed after Kret’s removal

As a council member, Cruiz advocates for:

  • Mental health funding and staff (working-closely with dr. zoĂ«)
  • Preventive medicine programs
  • Ethical oversight of all medical research
  • Patient autonomy and consent in all treatments
  • Transparent investigation of any future complaints

He is notably quiet during debates outside his expertise, but when medicine is discussed, his voice carries weight—both because of his competence and because no one wants to repeat the Kret era.

Life in a Small-Colony Hospital

The Jack-of-All-Specialties Reality

With a colony population of 600 or less (varying-by book), the Medical Center cannot support specialists. Dr. Cruiz is typical of colony physicians across the stellar system: expected to deliver babies, set fractures, perform surgery, treat infections, counsel the depressed, and comfort the dying—sometimes all in the same shift.

Dr. Zoë and her team face a similar breadth: children, adults, couples, trauma survivors, and those simply struggling with the isolation of colony life all come to the psychology wing.

This reality was true under Kret and remains true under Cruiz. What changed was attitude : Kret saw it as a burden; Cruiz and Zoë see it as the privilege of being present for every stage of human life.

A Typical Day

  • 0600: Utara handoff from overnight monitoring; review alerts
  • 0700-0900: Rounds on inpatients (rarely-more than 3-4)
  • 0900-1200: Outpatient clinic (routine-checkups, chronic care)
  • 1200-1300: Lunch with Terry and/or ZoĂ«, discussing cases and colony gossip
  • 1300-1700: Procedures, surgeries, or home visits (if-needed)
  • 1700-1900: Paperwork, research, ANI data review
  • On call: 24/7 for emergencies—Terry and rotating nurses share this duty

Staffing

The Medical Center operates with a lean team:

  • 1 physician (cruiz)
  • 1 head nurse (fairchild)
  • 2-3 rotating nurses (cross-trained-from other sectors)
  • 1 chief psychologist (dr.-zoĂ« carisco)
  • 2-3 counselors/therapists (part-time-or shared with education)
  • Utara (constant-monitoring, diagnostics, records)
  • Volunteer aides (community-members training in basic care)

During crises (accidents,-epidemics), the colony mobilizes—off-duty engineers assist with logistics, teachers help with childcare, and everyone understands that the Medical Center’s small size requires community support.

“Uncle Doc” to “Uncle Alex” — And the Escape That Changed Everything

Celectra Carisco-Bowers’ relationship with Dr. Cruiz is one of the emotional anchors of the series. But before that relationship could form, she had to survive what Kret did to her—and find the courage to run.

The Escape (book-1)

After a session in the basement autopsy theater—another induced death, another revival—seven-year-old Celectra made a decision. She ran. Out of the Medical Center, past the roundabout, and into the cave system that bordered New Eden. She was terrified, alone, and convinced that if she stayed, Kret would eventually go too far and she wouldn’t come back.

In those caves, hiding in the dark, she discovered something no human had ever seen: galinstan-based lifeforms , sentient beings who perceived her not as a threat but as a curiosity. Her unique physiology allowed communication where others might have failed. She didn’t know it yet, but she had just made first contact—and changed the colony’s future forever.

When she was found and returned, the resulting investigation exposed Kret’s crimes and led to his first tribunal.

Healing with Dr. Zoë

In the aftermath, Dr. ZoĂ« (as-she was then) became Celectra’s therapist. Their sessions, held in the psychology wing’s children’s room, helped Celectra process the trauma while also nurturing her emerging connection to the Galistanians. Dr. ZoĂ« never pushed; she simply provided a safe space where a child who had been through the unthinkable could learn to trust again.

When Dr. ZoĂ« married into the Carisco family in Book 2, becoming Dr. ZoĂ« Carisco, Celectra gained not just a therapist but family—another adult who had seen her at her most vulnerable and never flinched.

The Evolution of Address

  • Book 1 (pre-cruiz): Formal relationship with Kret; terror of the basement
  • Book 1 (post-cruiz-arrival): “Uncle Doc” — Tentative trust, still processing
  • Book 2 onward: “Uncle Alex” — Familiar, affectionate, the title of true family

After her mother’s death (before-the series) and with her father Amerigo often absorbed in science, Celectra found in Alex and Dee Cruiz, and in Dr. ZoĂ«, a second family. The Medical Center became a place of complicated memory—the site of her worst trauma, yes, but also the place she fled from toward her destiny, and later the place where her own children would be born.

When I was seven, I ran out of that building believing I’d rather die in the caves than let Kret touch me again. I didn’t die. I found friends. I found purpose. And twenty-two years later, I walked back in—by choice—to let Uncle Alex catch my babies. The building didn’t change. I did.

— Celectra Carisco-Bowers, Book 5

Medical Center Timeline

Date Event
Oct 11, 2225 Dr. Alex Cruiz delivers Celectra Carisco-Bowers aboard Utopis
Pre-Book 1 Douglas Kret serves as Chief of Medicine; Terry Fairchild serves as nurse; Dr. Zoë begins psychology practice
Early Book 1 Kret performs unethical experiments on 7-year-old Celectra in basement autopsy theater
Early Book 1 Celectra escapes Medical Center, hides in caves, discovers Galistanian lifeforms (first-contact)
Book 1 First Kret tribunal: Kret removed; Cruiz arrives from Utopis with Dee, assumes Seat 3
Book 1 Celectra begins therapy with Dr. ZoĂ«; begins calling Cruiz “Uncle Doc”
Book 2 Second Kret tribunal; Kret exiled to survey team (medic/cook)
Book 2 Dr. ZoĂ« marries into Carisco family, becomes Dr. ZoĂ« Carisco; Celectra transitions to “Uncle Alex”
Late Book 3 ANI comfort monitoring introduced; first used widely on patients
Nov 15, 2247 Dr. Cruiz delivers Celectra’s twins in the Medical Center maternity wing; Dr. ZoĂ« present as family

Cultural Significance

The Medical Center represents more than healthcare—it embodies New Eden’s commitment to trust, transparency, and human connection. The transition from Kret to Cruiz was a moral reset for the colony, proving that even those in power can be held accountable. The presence of Dr. Zoë’s psychology wing affirms that mental health is as vital as physical health.

And the basement—once a site of horror—now stands as a reminder that even the darkest places can be reclaimed. Celectra’s escape from that room led to first contact, and her return to deliver her own children in the same building demonstrates that trauma does not have to be the end of the story.

In the Novels

  • Book 1: The Medical Center is the site of Kret’s unethical practices, Celectra’s trauma, and her dramatic escape to the caves. Dr. Zoë’s therapy sessions begin.
  • Throughout: Cruiz’s quiet competence provides contrast to political drama elsewhere. Dr. Zoë’s office becomes a refuge for characters processing trauma.
  • Late Book 3: ANI innovation showcases the colony’s technological progress and ethical rigor.
  • Book 3 climax: The twin delivery scene—tender, joyful, and deeply human—reminds readers what the colony is fighting to preserve, and how Celectra has transformed her relationship with this building.

The Terry Fairchild Legacy

Terry Fairchild’s courage in testifying against Kret set a precedent: in New Eden, speaking truth to power is not just permitted—it’s honored. They remain the quiet conscience of the Medical Center, and any young colonist considering a medical career is sent to talk with Terry first.

Dr. Zoë’s Ongoing Role

Dr. ZoĂ« Carisco continues to treat not only Celectra but also other survivors of trauma, including some of those affected by Kret’s broader pattern of abuse. Her psychology wing is the only place in New Eden where colonists can speak with guaranteed confidentiality—not even Utara records therapy sessions without explicit consent.

At a Glance

Aspect Detail
Building Type Original five (identical-exterior)
Chief of Medicine Dr. Alex Cruiz (seat-3)
Head Nurse Terry Fairchild (agender,-they/them)
Chief of Psychology Dr. Zoë Carisco, PsyD (book-1: dr. zoë; book 2+: dr. zoë carisco)
Predecessor Douglas Kret (removed-book 1, exiled book 2)
Basement Facilities Mortuary, morgue, autopsy theater (site-of kret’s experiments)
Key Innovation ANI comfort monitoring (late-book 3)
Notable Births Celectra (2225) ‱ Celectra’s twins (2247)
Notable Escape Celectra flees basement (book-1), discovers Galistanians
Celectra’s Terms “Uncle Doc” (book-1) → “Uncle Alex” (book-2+)