Forty Thousand

The Forty Thousand refers to the people living aboard the Daban Urnud, the great visiting vessel. Accounts from a Laterran witness describe a community of roughly forty thousand, drawn in broad terms from four origin worlds: Urnud, Tro, Laterre, and Fthos. Within the ship they are often spoken of collectively as “the Forty Thousand.”

Life and Environment

The living heart of the ship is a rotating “Orbstack” of sixteen hollow spheres clustered around an axis to provide pseudogravity. Each sphere is described as a bit less than a mile across and half filled with water. Families live on houseboats afloat on those waters, growing food on the roofs. When the ship is not under acceleration, doors between neighboring spheres can be opened for free movement; under thrust, these connections are closed. Most of the Forty Thousand rarely, if ever, see the exterior of the ship and know only the interiors where they live.

Organization and Factions

Day‑to‑day life and advancement are shaped by the ship’s Command, with education emphasized from childhood to sustain the vessel’s mission. Competition for positions runs across the four communities. In current accounts the population is split between an alliance called the Pedestal (identified with Urnud and Tro) and an opposing faction referred to as the Fulcrum; Laterre shows internal division between the two. These names arise in descriptions provided by a Laterran informant.

First Known Use

The term is used in discussion of life aboard the Daban Urnud during preparations to approach the vessel, contrasting the everyday experience of residents with the external view of space operations.

Current Status

The Forty Thousand are aboard the Daban Urnud near Arbre, with political loyalties currently described as divided between the Pedestal and their opponents known as the Fulcrum. Their daily life centers on the Orbstack’s water‑world spheres, houseboats, and intensive schooling, as described by a Laterran witness.