Gateway Station
Gateway Station is a large space station in Gateway System, at the border between the Starweb and the Claver starbridge network. Long considered the last stop before the mysterious vastness and dangers of Claver space, it serves as a trading post and rest stop for those engaged in Claver-related trades. Its frontier location, and the sheer value of some of the artifacts which pass through it, have given it a reputation for crime.
The station itself is built into a large ice asteroid orbiting Gateway system's largest gas giant. The system's main stargate is placed opposite of it in the same orbit, the mass of the planet serving as protection for the station in the event its wormhole collapses. One large spin drum, rotating for gravity, has been built inside an excavated section; a second drum is under construction. Outside, the surface of the asteroid is littered with docking berths, warehouses, storage tanks, and other necessities for catering to arriving ships. The thick ice shielding the inhabited sections protects them from radiation produced by departing and arriving engines.
Within the spin drum itself is where most of the action happens. Shops, gambling parlors, and other such establishments can be found catering to crews of ships stopping over, while brokerages deal in Claver paleotechnology recovered by scavengers and exploration efforts. The monetary value of the rarest artifacts can range very high indeed, which has attracted an elite clientele and numerous organized crime groups to the station, creating a thriving underworld. A careful peace is maintained between these groups and the station authorities, the latter tending to tacitly tolerate some illegal activities so long as the gangs behind them do not interfere with maintenance of the station.
The Existential Risks Directorate is thought to keep a close eye on activities in Gateway Station, in case any foolish or malevolent person attempts to smuggle a Claver artifact of truly apocalyptic power through it. It is suspected the Directorate is in close contact with the station's major organized crime players, arranging for their lesser smuggling to go unpunished so long as they keep an eye out for things which are truly dangerous.
The station itself is built into a large ice asteroid orbiting Gateway system's largest gas giant. The system's main stargate is placed opposite of it in the same orbit, the mass of the planet serving as protection for the station in the event its wormhole collapses. One large spin drum, rotating for gravity, has been built inside an excavated section; a second drum is under construction. Outside, the surface of the asteroid is littered with docking berths, warehouses, storage tanks, and other necessities for catering to arriving ships. The thick ice shielding the inhabited sections protects them from radiation produced by departing and arriving engines.
Within the spin drum itself is where most of the action happens. Shops, gambling parlors, and other such establishments can be found catering to crews of ships stopping over, while brokerages deal in Claver paleotechnology recovered by scavengers and exploration efforts. The monetary value of the rarest artifacts can range very high indeed, which has attracted an elite clientele and numerous organized crime groups to the station, creating a thriving underworld. A careful peace is maintained between these groups and the station authorities, the latter tending to tacitly tolerate some illegal activities so long as the gangs behind them do not interfere with maintenance of the station.
The Existential Risks Directorate is thought to keep a close eye on activities in Gateway Station, in case any foolish or malevolent person attempts to smuggle a Claver artifact of truly apocalyptic power through it. It is suspected the Directorate is in close contact with the station's major organized crime players, arranging for their lesser smuggling to go unpunished so long as they keep an eye out for things which are truly dangerous.
Location under
Love the idea of a settlement that mainly serves as a Trade hub/Waystation.