Freeport Station

Freeport Station - Front

History:
Humanity's golden age of space exploration had been dulled by what became known as the Solstace wars, a series of violent power struggles between govenrment forces and private corporate armies, waged at the cost of the average citizen. In the midst of the chaos, a small band of people joined together to create a orbital facility where they could escape the cannonfire and bloodshed. Among them was the famous Joshua Warren, whos death would later bring about the revolution against the warring factions. What started as an abandoned husk of a European border station grew and expanded little by little as word spread throughout the underground, and more people traveled to join the colony. Eventually, one of the corporations learned of the station's existance, and moved to sieze the platform for their own uses.

But the people who worked so hard for their sanctuary to flourish wern't about to bow down and simply let the fruits of their labor be lost. Working through black market connections and pitting the corporate factions against each other, a small defensive fleet formed from the citizens of the station who were willing to stand up and fight to protect their home. Using gurella tactics and sabotage, they fatally crippled the corporate expeditionary force sent to capture the station, so that the few ships that did survive stood no chance against the stations's defenders. Fearing a reprisal attack, the station was broken from the orbit of the planet where it had been founded and towed into the depths of a nearby nebula, where it was kept hidden from the outside world.

After the assassination of Joshua Warren, and the subsequent creation of the United Solar Earth Council, the station was moved out of the nebula, it's hull plating glowing a bright white due to extended exposure to the gases of the cloud. No longer needed as a haven from the Solstace wars, the station then became both a historical monument and a waypoint for ships traveling to as yet unexplored systems. The residents chose to remain independant from the USEC govenrment, keeping in spirit with the station's origins. Because of the residents' neutrality toward any outside conflict, and their willingness to accept any weary travelers, civilian, USEC, and outlaw alike, the station became known as a "Freeport", and officially adopted the moniker "Hope's Embrace Station".

Each Freeport station created after Hope's Embrace has a tradition of using some part of the original, now severly corroded, European border outpost in its construction, to embody the essence of what it means to be a Freeport.

Description:
-Freeport Stations are few and far between. They exist as rest points for travelers, showing no affiliation for any faction. Anyone visiting a Freeport goes with the understand that any and all conflicts are to remain outside the immediate area of the station. Any ship under pursuit that hails the station for assistance is given sanctuary, and elements of the Freeport defensive fleet are dispatched to lend aid.

The station itself may first appear somewhat bland, but the interior spaces are cleanly polished and sanitized. Merchants, traders, freelancers and privateers set up booths to sell wares and services in the expansive passageways between the station's main blocks.

The station is capable of docking five heavy ships in it's forward bays, which were originally used as Destroyer class construction bays on a USEC shipyard. The bays were salvaged and converted to allow large cargo transports to dock and transport their shipments to and from the stations' expansive warehouse. Flanking the large bays to either side is a medium sized docking block for smaller ships. Each of the eight bays per block is capable of docking two small ships each. Unlike the large bays which need to be pressurized tp open and close their hatches, the smaller docks utilize a more efficeint energy membrane that covers the opening of the bay, which keeps the atmosphere inside from escaping, but can adapt to allow metallic and organic matter to pass through. Emergency rapid-closing hangar doors act as a backup should the membrane become ruptured.

Freeports also contain small nevarium (an element that mimics other elements) processing facilities, to aid in the repair of damaged vessles that visit the station. Most Freeports employ their own private nevarium harvesters, choosing not to rely on contracts from outside sources.

Perhaps the most impressive feature of any Freeport is the hydroponics plant. In this glass-roofed dome, real food is grown from soil imported from planet surfaces, and small resorts allow visitors the chance to swim in real saltwater or freshwater lakes. Most space-faring people rarely pass the chance up to experience planetside life, as well as taste food not processed from nevarium. The hydroponics dome is supplied from massive water tanks mounted on its underside, and the atmosphere inside is controlled by the station workers.

Most all of the station's critical systems can be found in the center Control Spire. The "ground" floor contains a number of recreational facilities and restruants available to anyone, while the top of the spire is strictly off-limits to the general population. The station's core security force operates out of the base of the spire, where they can react to any conflict within the station within minutes. The security officers of a Freeport have free reign to use deadly force to keep the peace of the station, and permament banishment from the station is considered getting off lightly for infractions.

Most Freeports have adoped distinct designations, although the USEC government, somewhat put off at the Freeport's neutrality toward wanted criminals, insists refering to the stations by numbered code.

Alternate Views:
Alternate View 1
Alternate View 2 (Bottom)
Hydroponics Plant
Control Spire
Commerical Docking Port

Armament:
-Capital Ship Escort (Varies per Freeport)
-Strike Craft Squadron (Varies Per Freeport)
-Point Defense Laser (Many)

Notable Stations of the Line:
-Hope's Embrace Station (Freeport 1)
-Seraphim Station (Freeport 3)
-Warren's Dream Station (Freeport 4)
-Haven Cove Station (Freeport 6)
-Deliverance Station (Freeport 10)