Astarte Station

"Astarte Station is as important to Venus as Luna is to Earth. We just don't put our most important people there, too. Some ancient proverb about eggs and baskets." 
~Allessa Tevanek, Technocrat of Venus 

The First Wonder of Sol

One of the largest stations in Human Space, Astarte Station is ancient, predating the Cozine Disaster by more than a thousand years. It's been updated piece by piece over the years and the old grav arrays have been replaced by pressors, but the general outline and function remain the same. It is the pride of both Venus and Terra, and the cost to maintain it is enormous, but nowhere near as massive as what it cost to build.

The Spin

Astarte Station is immediately recognizable for the ring of massive pressors around the hull. The station spins in a precise rotation. The pressors project a gravity beam when they become perpendicular to the planet, gently but firmly spinning Venus and speeding up its rotation. Before Terraforming, the planet counterspun due to its soupy atmosphere and intense winds. After Terraforming, it was tidally locked to Sol, which caused difficulty in creating the ocean. To remedy this, Astarte Station was constructed and towed into orbit, normalizing the Venusian day and mass was added to Venus's core to make it more even and less unbalanced, which had the happy effect of bringing Venus's gravity up to 9.4, almost undetectably different from Earth. Like a cog driving a cosmic gear, Astarte Station ensures that there is no drift in Venus's climate relative to the sun, and during solar storms it projects a planetary defense screen.

A Growing Population

Much of Astarte Station's functions has miniaturized, and every refit, more of it becomes available as living space. Every time space opens up, more people go, seeking the opportunities available. There are markets, restaurants, and every conceivable method of parting tourists from their money both legal and illicit. There are 9,680 decks, with just under half dedicated to operating and supporting the pressors and the basic machinery of the station. The other 4,918 decks are dedicated to civilian life, primarily surrounding tourism, pharmaceutical business, and of course, crime.

Specs

Orbiter Hull SM 26, Class Z FF-Pentachoron Engine, 9,000 Class 12 Capacitors, Holosuite AI Computer (Known as Harmonia), 12 Microprocessors, SHIELD, Universal Translator, LazComm, Radio Comm, 118,000 Quantix Comms, 3 PsiComms, Omnispectral Sensors, Chemo-Destroying Sensor, Background Radiation Lensing, Scientific Bridge, 12 Cargo Bays, 112 Launch Bays, 1,900,000,000 reinforced cabins with holosuites, 24,000,000 workshops, Defense Pressors, Flak Projec tors, Interceptor Drones, Hardened Carbexene Armor, Defense Screen, Ray Shielding, Shield Drones, 400 MP Laser Turrets, 200 High Beam Siege Cannons, 11 Torpedo Suites, 15 Missile Suites, 1 Extinction-Level Gravity Cannon, 11 Pressors, Repair Drones, Attack Drones, Hardened Subsystem (Engines).

Type

Orbital, Station