Habitat

Written by Barron

"People, we are teetering on the cliff of an age of exploration the likes no one could have dreamed. Thousands of planets, ripe to be settled. Homes and food for the countless people huddled in cramped apartment blocks. Resources and Real Estate for all The Banners looking to expand into the stars.

Manifest Destiny. Enticing Imperialism. A Race to the Stars!

So what is this cliff? What is this barrier that stands between all of us, and the possibility of endless opportunity? Practicality. Cost-effectiveness. That is what our line of orbit deploy-able Habitats provides. We provide you the parachute to jump off that cliff and stake the rich soil below for your own."

— First CEO of Columbus Colonization, LLC.

Revealing the concept for the MK I Habitat

Overview

After the end of the The Melancholic Lacuna, thousands of habitable planets became accessible in the blink of an eye. Companies saw the need to create quick and easy ways for Banners to reclaim and resettle on these planets. The first company to deliver on this idea was Columbus Colonization, LLC. with their introduction of the Habitat line of dwellings.

Habitats are designed to facilitate Stage II Colonization efforts. It has since been licensed and copied by multiple corporations across the Banners for use in Stage II efforts.

From the first structures more akin to metal cans with beds and a kitchen; they have advanced to cutting edge metal cans with all the luxuries of a hub-world station.

Habitats can house anywhere between four to twenty people, and can be dropped with crew inside from a delivery ship on a orbital pass. They are deployed to create a staging ground for establishing the infrastructure for larger scale colonization.

Pictured Right: Concept art revealed with the first Habitat line. Note the removable modular structures at the base of the main facility.

A habitat is constructed of an atmospheric-entry capable titanium alloy, shaped into a cylindrical structure with a reinforced central 'spine' and multiple rooms. It can be one to five stories tall depending on the amount of rooms purchased for the mission.

While falling to earth in one piece, habitats are comprised of segmented wedges and a center support. Each stacked wedge can be separated from the main structure. This allows the colonists to establish a more spread out colony. If space is a concern, it can remain in a single stack configuration.

— Engineer's Guide to Habs

Center Support

The primary spine of the habitat is a reinforced utility shaft that serves several purposes besides keeping the attached wedges in place during atmospheric entry.

• A water well and drill kit comes standard, allowing quick access to ground water tables.
• A utility crane can utilized to move individual wedges around the colony site. If the structure is kept together, then the center crane can function as access to upper floors through a freight elevator.
• Other mission critical components are stored in the center support. This includes but is not limited to; Industrial scale power storage and deployable solar generation array.

Wedges

A wedge is a habitat subsection; a room designed to provide a specific function. Each level of a central support can carry five docking slots for wedges. These wedges can be merged together to suit larger capacity rooms such as barracks. Each wedge contains its own storage compartment, wiring, water piping, and individual supports shall it need to be set up separate of the central support.

Many companies offer already designed rooms called 'templates' which can make constructing and stocking a habitat as easy as ordering food through the net. Custom templates can also be created by the customer to suit every adventure.

Navigate

Stage two colonization is arguably the most crucial stage of the three stage process. Stage one, you are scouting, exploring, scavenging. You are not looking to make a home, but report back what you find and get paid for it. You don't stay, you don't really have a stake in it besides the paycheck.

Stage two colonists, and the Habitat they ride in on, are like the first covered wagons heading west in the pre-advent days. They are the ones heading down to make the land livable. They are the ones who raise the flag for their banner. Their stake is to make a home for themselves and for others. If Stage two doesn't succeed, then you know the stage three colonists would not make it. You wasted so much time, so many resources, and the lives of your colonists.

That's why we made the Habitats, these people need the best chance of survival possible. They are the seed of sophont life on a planet, and our habitats make sure these seeds are as protected as possible.

— Ceo

Access

Difficult. Gaining access to Habitat technology is an expensive ordeal both purchasing and manufacturing.

Complexity

Intensive. Habitats even without the wedge templates are large scale projects and need to be advanced enough to deal with orbital deployment.

Utility

Stage Two Colonization and Habitat deployment are interchangeable terms. The technology spans across all banners.

Manufacturing

Habitats have been licensed, bought, and modified by all banners and several private corporations, but the manufacturing of habitats is trademarked and patented by Columbus Colonization, LLC.

Inventor(s)

Inter-Banner Trademark on original design held by Columbus Colonization, LLC.

Usage Guide

(Sourced and summarized from Habitat Drop Process Letter)

• Habitat is purchased from CC by investor with planet to colonize included.
• CC compiles Stage one scouting information for Investor. Investor uses Information to purchase wedge templates and find drop zone.
• CC organizes and hires Habitat Crew with investors recommendations
• A scouting party is sent planet side before Habitat, finding a suitable exact landing site. If this party parishes or has to be evacuated, the last two steps are recompiled.
• With scouting party success, a Habitat drop site is specified. Crew on board Habitat approves coordinates and Habitat is dropped via orbital delivery vessel.
• Habitat, along with remaining crew, lands on planet using Impact Gel.
• Colonists explore and begin cultivating the land to prepare for Stage Three ship arrivals. At which point the mission is complete.

A sample order for a three story constructed Habitat. Notice how wedges can be of differing sizes. This specific order was placed to colonize the planet Fenu-Tri. See The Columbus Colonization Fenu-Tri Habitat

Wedge Templates

Command

A wedge for surveillance, security, and planning. Command comes standard with every habitat. A central command table stores map data and has constant aggregate surveillance.

All wedges and the exterior come installed with surveillance cameras. Falcon Scout Packs can also be utilized to extend surveillance range. If an E.L.I server was purchased, it will be installed within the Command Computer. If used with lab wedges, Meta or Geo, then surveillance of related phenomenon can be tracked through command.

Airlock

A small entryway which prevents contaminants from entering and regulates atmosphere. Has an air scrubber and an atmospheric regulator. An Airlock is recommended to be paired with an Infirmary wedge in colonies with potential hazardous materials, as Infirmary data helps extend airlock scanning functionality.

Armory

A reinforced cage for storing and maintenance of crew Raiments and Armaments. Contains secure wall-safes for weaponry, cabinets for storage of armor and a workstation corner equipped with an array of equipment for maintaining all three Clades of equipment. Special equipment or nanoforges can be included for an extra sourcing fee.

Bunks

Personal sleeping space for crew members. This space comes divided into 6 quarters. Each 'quarter' comes with a bunkbed, shelving, and two large lockers. Each quarter is divided by insulated partition shutters. These shutters allow each quarter privacy, both programmable in transparency and noise-cancellation.

Common Room

A template that comes standard. The common room gives colonists a wedge to gather and relax. Comes standard with comfy couches, entertainment consoles, chilled wet bar, and digi-brary. Additional entertainment facilities can be purchased for a sourcing fee.

Facilities

Shower, toilets and hygiene room. Contains two shower cells, stock of cleaning supplies, toilets and waste recycle system. Pair with a bio-fuel generator wedge to allow recycling of crew wastes into electricity.

Garage

A triple-wide vehicle bay with a vehicular repair workbench, a recharge station, and equipment for base-lifting procedures. The standard garage wedge comes with a fleet of four grav-bikes and a trailer. Extra units or other standard vehicles can be added by request.

Geo-Workshop

The Geology Wedge monitors tectonics and scans ores. Contains facility for geographical scanning, determining molecular construction and chemical properties of samples. Rock-breakers and a small refinery allows the processing of natural minerals found on the colony.

Infirmary

Facilities for preventative care and trauma for 2. An Osazine Nanoforge grants the ability to turn mechanical parts into doses of Osazine. Biohazard storage allows microbial scanning of samples, which will provide a much safer environment when working with discovered lifeforms. This wedge is recommended if dropping into a planets rife with flora and fauna.

Mess Hall

A gathering place for cooking and eating. Comes with a walk-in cold storage for large amounts of food, a fully-stocked kitchen, and tables and chairs for twelve. This wedge can be upgraded with a more modern and convenient cooking facility for more complicated culinary challenges.

Generator

An extra power supply for the Habitat, complimenting the solar arrays. Generates power from Biofuel using Slurry. Contains the generator and a maintenance supply.

Meta Workshop

For Meta experimentation. Monitors anomalies in Meta-Survey areas. Comes with a synthetic sapphire array for continuous meta siphoning. Comes standard with a Meta workshop to enable experimenting and construction of meta related projects. Also comes standard with a refining station for minerals, removing flaws and creating stable casks.