The Rat's Nest
The Rat's Nest is located in the largest of Sechler's orbiting stations. It is a huge restaurant, able to sit nearly a thousand customers in it's various rooms. There are two rooms that can host live entertainment and the accommodations range from clean dive to mid-scale. Madison Wingate , the owner, provides a place where everyone in a crew or their passengers can gather. As Sechler has a hugely high law level, anywhere on the station is safe except for hand combat, so the weak will usually be found with someone who can provide protection, at least until the station police can be on the scene.
While the Nest itself is perfectly law abiding and above board, even the Navy knows that it can't stop two people from talking at a table in the back of one of the rooms while sipping a fermented beverage. About the only customers that are not regularly hosted at the Nest are flag officers or those with a noble title, they preferring one of the more upscale restaurants. There is basically two levels of accommodations: officer country and crew services. There is no difference except in the types of food and drink that are available and the prices attached to them. The officer rooms tend to be quieter.
The staff at the Nest is generally discrete, service is competent, the restaurant is clean and orderly. Any physical disagreements are highly discouraged by staff and other customers. It's open at all times, catering to any manner of ship times, although the predominant and most busy time is during the local evening hours.
Since the whole system supports the Navy and the 73rd Fleet , all employees are there by choice or are trying to find a way to another part of the cluster and a new life. Therefore, many of the staff are former Navy, usually one-termers who don't have enough cash to leave Sechler at the end of the service commitment. Those who want to stay can make a life in the business, although many will be looking for ways to move on and the Nest provides the perfect environment for contacts. Working passage on a short-crewed ship, replacement for a crew member that quit, was fired, or otherwise left a ship, and occasionally the odd deserter that has managed to evade the military.
In general, the Nest provides a place for crew and captains to exchange information about what's going on in the SubSector, trade information, the invariable rumor for a strike it rich scheme. Just about any ship that is docked at the station and stays for more than a couple of days will have at least one member of the crew visit the Rat's Nest. Some captains consider this such a well worth effort that they will provide a stipend for crew to visit and get a handle on the news.
Comments