Utility Shell

A utility shell is a form of modular space station or cycler. Designed to be easy to transport and assemble on-orbid, utility shells are an Evermornan innovation that sees frequent use by both private and public operators throughout the Cobalt Protectorate, especially in the Core Region.

Purpose / Function

Regardless of the shape it takes upon assembly, a utility shell is designed to provide its contents concealment from external perusal, protection from micrometeor impacts, radiation, and hard vacuum, and (potentially) a shirt-sleeve environment for storage, refits, repairs.

Architecture

The individual modules that make up a utility shell are triangular - or, rarely, pentagonal - sections of hardware designed to be assembled into regular polyhedral shapes. These modules are standardized and may be connected to one another at the edges via servo-controlled joints, allowing for both self-assembly and the provision of bay doors leading into the shell's interior.
Utility shells vary greatly in size and shape based on the number of modules used in their assembly and the requirements of their operators. Each module measures roughly 50' on a side. The largest utility shells on the market are icosahedra just large enough for a Tetrain Class Cruiser, like the CKV Mercury Sable, to tumble about inside to provide centripetal gravity; the radius of the inscribed sphere formed by the pressurized membrane (see below) is about 300'. On the other end of the scale, some Elegies and spaceborne HLAl operate out of utility shells that are tetrahedra only four modules in scope.
Each utility shell wall module consist of two layers of protective metal or composite armor separated by a honeycomb of inflatable storage compartments. Like the General Purpose Module, these compartments are typically comprised of an ultra-strong graphene-based fabric and are designed to be filled with water ice for both storage and protection purposes. Larger membranes stowed along the interior surface of each module may be sealed and inflated to fill the entirety of the eventual utility shell, providing an airtight environment that can be pressurized for human inhabitation. The outermost layer of each module is coated with heat sinks to provide limited cooling for any inhabitants (but see below).
Standardized utility ports, including water, gas, electrical, and data ports, allow for the passage of each resource from one side of the module to the other in either direction; external radiators, solar panels, broadcast antennae, and multispectral scopes (often weaponized) are common attachments on the exterior of utility shells, while various tools and life support systems are common interior attachments. Utility shells that spend a significant amount of time in their assembled state often become festooned with upgrades to the point that they can no longer be safely disassembled, becoming permanent space stations in their own right.

Defenses

A fully-stocked and assembled utility shell is about as durable as a free-standing structure can get in the irradiated vacuum of space. The structure can withstand significant impacts and enjoys a great degree of redundancy. Damage restricted to one or two modules can be repaired, but it is often easier to simply replace or remanufacture the module in its entirety - especially if the operator has access to a large enough auto-factory. Weapons can be mounted to the surface of a utility shell to enhance its defensive capability. The one major defensive drawback to a utility shell is its weight, which, without significant considerations on the part of the operator, precludes the mounting of propulsion systems larger than those that might be required for station-keeping; one thing a utility shell is very bad at is dodging incoming fire.

Tourism

The interior of utility shells are generally mysteries to the Sealed Kingdoms at large. Utility shells may be used occasionally in emergency circumstances to house refugees, medical crews, rescue equipment, service bays, and more, but the vast majority utility shells are never meant to be visited by anyone but their owners and any cohorts thereto. In other circumstances, utility shells might house server farms, storage centers, or other places not generally meant to be visited on a regular basis.
An especially paranoid and reclusive sort of asteroid colonist choose to establish permanent residences within utility shells, stewing in isolation from the rest of the universe. These 'shack-dwellers' are often crazed and physically atrophied, owing to the complexity involved with stabilizing a utility shell spun up for artificial gravity, but they are also often the best tinkerers, salvagers, and guides to be found in a given star system. For this reason, newcomers will sometimes risk the ire of distant owners and the stench of unwashed spacers by stopping by a utility shell and seeing if it holds such a recluse willing to provide some information in exchange for raw materials, hard-to-get luxuries, or novel devices.

Type

Orbital, Station