The Van Serai Hotel was a disused hotel situated on Darknon Station. It served as a residence for various unauthorized inhabitants, largely individuals who arrived at Darknon Station as either runaways, outlaws, or drifters and subsequently remained there. From time to time, a spacer would opt to rent a room for the night rather than stay in the confined living spaces of their starship.
This hotel formerly overlooked the vibrant main area of Darknon Station. After its official operation ended, the windows were obscured by plastic panels and tarpaulin sheets, and several of the higher floors were shut off. The hallways slowly gathered dust, but the majority of the doors were still in working order, providing a degree of security for the room occupants.
The squatters, generally harmless, exhibited symptoms of varying degrees of mental decline. Many simply lingered in the rooms or the lobby, dressed in tattered and inadequate clothing. The sounds of their groaning or incomprehensible muttering gave rise to tales that Van Serai was under a curse, although most spacers disregarded these stories. Platt Okeefe occasionally found the squatters useful. On one occasion, she compensated a squatter to remain outside the room of a rival. For a small additional sum, the squatter groaned and mumbled throughout the night, preventing Okeefe's rival from sleeping and ultimately causing him to be late for a scheduled cargo collection. Okeefe took advantage of her rival's lateness and completed the pickup herself.
