Sappire Station

View from Orbit

Sappire Station is a space station that orbits within an asteroid belt of the Sappire system. It is very unusual in structure being composed of the wrecks of two Clone Wars era Venator star destroyers joined side-by-side.

Surface

There is no surface feature on Sappire Station.
The interior of the station uses the facilities that are parts of the ships, with some additions. The primary trade area is on the ship Vambrace. The ship bay area provides ports and ship facilities for merchants. At the end of the bay, close to the command tower, is the market where trader buy and sell goods. Around the market can be found the service industries for the merchants.
The bay area on the Cobalt Star has been sealed and there is currently an effort to turn it into a large terrarium, full of plants, soil, and artificial sunlight. This effort is in its infancy but already includes a large amount of soil covered decking and there are several biologists working to grow grass and trees. Eventually the permanent residents will move into the Cobalt Star and benefit from the work done in it's main bay.

Population

When operational the Venator class battleships could house over 7,000 crew and up to 2,000 troops, as well as space for 7,000 tons of cargo and docking space for almost 600 vessels. Space within the station, consisting of 2 Venators, is available for everyone. The population of the space station resides in housing constructed around and within the docking bays, as well as nearby quarters.
At any time there are about 40,000 permanent residents and as many as 5,000 transients (crew and travellers). Many of the permanent residents have families and the station owner has created medical and educational services for them. In addition there are cargo bays within the station that have hydroponics set up to provide food.
The station is owned and maintained by Preston Willis, the original creator of the station. He's an older human, overweight but jovial. He gets along with most folk, and cares about the station, considering it his creation. He's been known to be merciless dealing with anyone and anything that jeopardizes the station, and it's permanent residents.

Industry

The primary industry of the station is trade and ship maintenance. The starship facilities within the station are able to repair and enchance almost any form of vessel equal to or smaller than a frigate.

Culture

Station culture is focused on two areas, trade and station maintenance. Many of the residents support the trade business, either as brokers or as service providers. Within the ship there is a thriving tourism-like service system composed of hotels, restaurants, casino's, and brothels. All of these are intended to provide for the traders that come to the station and take some of the wealth they have. It is suspected that a black market exists within the station but it is unclear how to get access to it.
The rest of the residents are part of the station maintenance crew. They are responsible for making sure ship systems necessary for life support remain running. Entire families are dedicated to specific support systems. In addition to a merger salary for their work they are also provided room, board, education, and medical services. Food comes from a commisary that provides for the maintenance teams and is run by the station owner.

History

Shortly after the end of the Clone Wars the sector settled into a sort of lull. The region was trying to recover from the conflict that raged around, and sometimes, through it. Into the area came swarms of scavengers hoping to find some wealth in the remains of war.
Preston Willis was a bulk freighter merchant. He owned a large freighter that flew the Hydian Way, taking large shipments to and from Terminus. His business had been good but he'd had to fortify his freighter to fend off the pirates that preyed on ships during, and after the war. As a result he had a large frieghter with a skilled crew, and ship systems that could defend against small craft. On a run to Terminus he got word of a large pirate force that was intercepting ships just outside the system. Determined to avoide them he set a route through the Dalicron system and ended up in Sappire. Passing through the system he was alarmed to detect two Venator class battleships within the asteroid belt. Preparing to jump away his sensor officer told him the ships were not transmitting. In fact, they appeared to be inactive.
Preston approached one of the ships and found that it had suffered great damage to its drive systems, destroying them and making the ships unrestorable without great effort. He docked his freighter to the ship named Vambrace and did some exploring. It was clear that others had been there before him but there was much still left on the ship. After days of exploring he and his team met to discuss the status of the ship and the possibilities of using it for some purpose. After considerable thought, and arguments amongst his crew, Preston decided to turn the ship into a large space station. Using the goods he had on his ship as his starting investment, in 17 BBY, he sent out a signal inviting merchants to Sappire Station.
From that point on the station grew and grew, eventually having the resources to pull the other Venator, named Cobalt Star, next to it and securing both as a single station. Some of the ships defensive systems were repairs, or replaced, and the station was protected. Over the years the station has continued to grow but is still mostly empty.

Notable Features

Main Bay

The main bay on the Vambrace is a seven hundred meter long chamber with docking bays along each side of a central shaft. At the end of the shaft is a multi-story market that sells goods of almost all types. Outside the market area, in the warren of ship passageways, can be found hotels, restaruants, casinos, and brothels.

Grid Location: H-23

Climate: Standard breathable

Gravity: 1 g

Common Hazards: None

Atmosphere: Breathable

Temperature: Standard

Moons: None

Diameter: 1 km

Length of Day: 24 hr

Length of Year:

Starport: Excellent

Population: 30,000

Government: Charismatic Dictatorship

Law Level: 5 - Moderate

Major Exports: Trade, Ship Services

Major Imports: Agriculture