DS13 resides in the Zuestra System which consists of three gaseous planets. This system is located approximately one week from Earth at stardard speed (warp 5). The largest planet, Zystra has only one large moon (Zola) and this is where DS13 is located. The other planets have no moons. Zystra is the third planet away from a large sun. The other planets are: Zena, closest to the sun, and Zyla the middle planet. There is also a very large asteroid belt surrounding the whole system. This would provide a bit of protection for the system should it be needed. And it is also fun to practice flying between!

Deep Space 13 is one of the major recreational facilities in the Federation. It has some of the best and largest playing courts around. Major tournaments of all sports are held here on a year round basis. While scientific studies are carried out here, the major traffic is associated with sports.

Perhaps DS13's most important feature is it's sports facilities. As a center for major tournaments - both UFP sanctioned and private - DS13 boasts full scale courts and fields specialized for two dozen different activities (Parisses Squares, football, gymnastics, Klingon vault-jousting, etc). There are twenty customizable rooms to accommodate everything from the martial arts to Betazoid pole-flying. Three pools are available.

There are six holodecks designed especially to simulate outdoor sporting events such as kyaking, mountain biking, skydiving, hiking, surfing, Romulan fire-chasing and countless others. There are ample locker and dressing rooms, with showers, saunas, training rooms and first aid stations.

A replica of a Betazed hot springs offers a relaxing soak in a botanical garden that is very much like a natural setting. There are meeting rooms provided for the more intellectual crowd. Furnished with a scholarly touch, there are five rooms equipped to handle even the largest crowd of chess players or those seeking to play Cardassian pinochle. The rare Gamma Quadrant game of Chula can also be played here.

With serious players in mind, children are restricted from entering three of these five rooms. A Vulcan board game, Padyn Towers, draws a crowd in the gaming room as well as on the courts. Transformed into a live sport (but with different goals and rules thus sharing only basic design and name), Padyn Towers is played in a

Beneath the surface of the moon lies a network of corridors and structures that make up the facilities of Starfleet's Deep Space Station thirteen. Structures several levels deep lie embedded in the ground, connected to one another by winding tunnels. A few of these tunnels break the surface and are constructed of transparent aluminum to allow a view of the surface. While much of its major centers lie underground, there are three domes on the surface that, through the safety of artificial atmosphere, allow people to enjoy the spacious feel of being 'outdoors'.

It is standard practice for ships to orbit and beam personnel down into the station, but a docking bay and repair center for smaller vessels does exist on the surface. This bay provides services for crafts sized as cargo shuttles and smaller.

Housing for crew and civilians constitute a large portion of the underground construction. Quarters for officers and civilians are available, though separate areas are designated for families with children. Pets are allowed. A few shops provide necessities that replicators cannot provide and restaurants and lounges offer an escape and entertainment that is hard to find elsewhere on the moon. Four holosuites and two recreational centers are available for both staff and civilians.

Besides recreation and entertainment there are a two gardens that offer a refuge for those that wish a more natural setting. The largest dome holds a botanical garden that is well tended and offers a variety of plant life from several different worlds. The second garden, housed in an enormous underground bay, resembles North American Earth with trees and plants of that region. This garden appears to be a truly outdoor setting, complete with changes in weather and seasonal patterns. There are storms, snowfall, wind, and even insects that coincide with Earth's seasonal rotation. While the largest dome houses the botanical garden, one of the smaller domes serves as a senior staff meeting room. The third is used by a joint eatery and lounge.

The senior staff meeting room is off-limits to civilians, but the other two domes are open to all. An extensive library is available to everyone, as are comm ports for keeping in touch with the rest of civilization. A chapel is provided for multi-denominational use, equipped with lightweight furnishings and ample storage space to allow different groups to arrange the settings as desired. In different portions of the station there are rooms that stand empty in case of conferences. These rooms can be utilized for a variety of purposes and are open to civilians unless otherwise specified.

Daycare and school are both provided and a small playground is available in the underground garden. In comparison to other bases, DS13's population is small, even sparse. With a small crew, it offers help and assistance for stranded spacefarers and a place to call home for a special mission ship and its officers.

DS13 does have its uses though. Because of it's remote location and small size, it has been established with science and medical centers to rival any larger base. With technology and equipment comparable to any other station, scientists and researchers are welcome to study and work on the moon. Science and medical projects which require more time and space can be done without the demands of a large population and the hinderance of high traffic. Even before the station's completion, many researchers petitioned for assignment there to take advantage of such a setting.