Fieldberg Station nears completion

With the influx of raw materials being brought in from the mining outposts springing up throughout the system in the relative safety created by the removal of raider stations, Dry Station was rapidly collecting far more than it could handle on its own.

The bottle neck needed to be addressed not only to handle existing supply, but anticipated growth.  Dry Empire would, after-all, move beyond the system to neighboring stars in the future and this would require growing raw material processing to meet demand for construction materials, fuels, weaponry, hulls, food stuffs, and a host of other products.

To convert such large quantities of raw materials into usable resources required a processing plant of a quantitatively higher order.

One of the mining outposts built nearer to Dry Station was selected as the base platform, and a design was chosen for a separate linked processing platform being produced while the mining outpost's existing infrastructure was used as a logistics and work platform during the construction process.  Ultimately it would be modified and included in the overall design, but during the initial stages of construction the 3 man mining outpost was used to house work crews, organise the details, store supplies, deal with shipping traffic, etc.

FRG Thor was designated to oversee the construction, a good indicator of its value to Chairman Broez.

The empire's most powerful vessel is assigned to escort the station during construction.

The station is built around a platform design consisting of large alloy I-Beams spanned by light-weight fluro-illuminated structural supports.  This basic platform design is strong, cost-effective, and provides a good base for larger structures that would otherwise need a structural integrity to avoid damage caused by inertia tearing smaller weaker components apart... for example in the event of a rogue impact or an attack.

One of the Pisces Class generator modules being moved into position.

CRV Alannis occasionally visits the site to buffer defenses as construction continues.

A battery of 8 Pisces-Class triple generators (three sets of 3x3x3 per Pisces) will provide the processing plant with power generation to dwarf even FRG Thor's power matrix.

The processing plant has a few key components, being:

• 2 large matter signature storage cryovats
• Matter conversion battery
• Battery of energy storage cells
• Battery of Pisces Class 3x3x3 (x3) energy generators
• Central processing AI unit
• Central processing and habitation module
• WDU rack
• Fluids purification plant (life support module)
• Shuttle Bay
• Observation port
• Traffic Control Tower
• Logistics area (wharf and cargo container storage area)
• Defense matrix (specifications currently classified)

The human areas are some of the last zones to be completed, followed by the shuttle bay and the logistics area.

Construction of the platform draws to a close, with the plant expected to be operating within 6 months.  It will be defended by an unprecedented defense matrix, and is expected to be the single highest trafficked platform shortly afterwards, providing an input and output that will dwarf Dry Station's current traffic load.

Processing Plant "Fieldberg Station" during the final stages of construction.

Currently the Fieldberg Station has the central processing AI, energy generators, energy storage, matter signature storage cryovats, observation deck, stage 1 habitation facility, and WDU control facilities operational... as well as the initial mining outpost infrastructure which remains unaltered.

The final stages of the habitation facility will allow the crew to move in, the modification of the original mining outpost, and will greatly accelerate the final stages of Fieldberg's construction.

Milk Run

Journal Entry 811;
recording entity - Seargent Frit Fatham

Date: 021412

As a maintence engineer in DEEME, I'm given special priveledges.
For one, I have my own quarters on Dry Station... the only one in fact.  All other personnel live aboard their own particular vessels.

It's good to wake up to a view.  Looks like SVG Excavator is back from the outer sectors.

The shipyard at Dry Station has been occupied building a new design of frigate... a support vessel with a new experimental jump drive that should really speed up my job, among others... and ultimately allow Dry Empire to expand into more sectors by drastically reducing travel costs and times.

I have a call out to one of the mining posts today - apparently it was damaged recently by a rogue roid impacting it.  Pirate troubles are few and far between these last few months, but that hasn't reduced my own workload, it seems.  As more things are built, more things get damaged and need maintenance.  It's only a matter of time until I'm running a crew.

 

One of the very best perks of my position is my private run-about... an Ajax Keelboat affectionately named "Green Meanie".

 She has tan synthetic leather seats. Yeah baby.

As I pull away from Dry Station I always inspect my own quarters. The last thing I want is for some structural stress crack to open up the structure like a grenade and blow me out into space while I sleep.  It's right next to Green Meanie's dock, so it's just instinct really, to check it out on the way in and out.

Not much for privacy, but I wouldn't trade my creature comforts for curtains if they were solid threns.

The airlock accesses a small external passageway to the library.  There's an internal door too, but it's permanently sealed until the library is pressurised... no immediately plans for that, but apparently Chairman Broez intends to at some point, or there's little reason to include an internal door between pressurised and vaccuum-filled sections of Dry Station...  Either that or there's a little red button in his quarters that allows him to open that hatchway if ever he decides my services are no longer required... heh.  Good thing I'm good at what I do, I guess.

The WDU's always get a little cranky when I pass through the shipyard area... but I've got to inspect for maintenance issues now, don't I?  Nothing to do with getting a sticky beak at the progress of the ship being built, of course.

Dry Station has grown so much since I was hired by Chairman Broez...

I lay in a course for Sarafrey Mining Outpost, and increase the tint on my LCD visors, putting Green Meanie into overdrive as she heads almost directly at the sun.

I pass through the outer asteroid belt, which is studded with 6-point turret emplacements... they always get a bit twitchy if you hang around too long, so a quick inspection is enough for me in this unshielded boat without disarm codes at the ready...

Several hours later I reach Sarafrey and approach the dock... hailing the station's operator to inform them I've arrived to carry out the inspection and repairs.

Already I can see some of the damage to the infrastructure... shouldn't be hard to fix in zero gravity with the aide of the station's WDU... just some simple combinating and welding... no big deal.

One of the lateral I-Beams got hit pretty badly it seems.  Again a reasonably easy fix, if time consuming.

The main habitation facility appears to be structurally intact.

Airlock systems functioning fine.

Internals are fully pressurised, and the station operator reports no issues.  I have to check it all out thoroughly for myself though, while I'm here.  The operator is a twitchy fellow that prefers to just let me go about my duty, staying in his quarters till I'm done.  Pretty typical for operators of stations like this - they live out here alone for so long that interacting with people tends to make them uncomfortable.

External airlock to the drone facility was a little glitchy, but turns out it was just a small wiring issue - fixed it as I inspected it.

The drone control facility was grubby and scattered with trash, but otherwise functional.  Not my job to recommend different life-style choices, although the conditions would certainly go down in my report...

Structurally the habitation facility appeared in pretty good nick.  I've seen far worse.  Micro-asteroids cause the most damage usually... smashing into the most unexpected places and leaving tiny holes no bigger than a pin-prick that leak fluids, atmosphere, sever wires, and sometimes ignite combustables.  Cheaper to risk the entire facility and crew than to install shields, apparently.

The cargo bay had a light out, but the doors functioned well. Cargo pods were scattered hap-hazardly and again there was clutter everywhere.  I carried out the necessary repairs over the next two days, prefering to live in my suit and Green Meanie than to interact too much with the station operator. Stam, his name was. He seemed to prefer it that way too.

Repairs were completed without incident, and it was good to return home.  I'll spend the next day filling out paperwork.

Glad I've got my quarters and don't live out there like those mining outpost operators...

Ajax Keelboat is downloadable (available in white and green) and available for public use for free.  Simply put the file into your "blueprints" folder (eg: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\StarMade\StarMade\blueprints) and you will have access to this station in-game under "Catalog" menu.

Sarafrey Station - Mining Outpost

Journal Entry 702;
recording entity - Corporal Stam Harvey

Date: 021312

I don't see much out this way.  Its not a job for someone that likes new things... or people... or eating stuff that resembles food... or running water... or any comforts of modern society at all really...

Ol Yella keeps me company during the work shift. We grind rocks together with the tunes hammering to drown out the monotonous sprinkling noise of dust and gravel raining onto the thin hull.

The station's AI who I refer to as Kibbles is one of those induced personality types, always trying to breach the human-AI relationship issues... some left over gimmick from the era of long-term space habitation for individuals causing mental issues... back before they engineered folks to be able to handle this kind of work.  Kibbles is cute, we get along.  But damn if only it would leave me the hell alone when I was trying to watch a flick... wow. Some programmer's sense of humor I guess.

 I like living out here alone, even though there's room for three.

 It's quiet.  It's home.

So imagine my surprise when Kibbles notified me we were being hailed by one SVG Excavator.  In her usual "personality-driven" way... thinks it's funny...

SVG Excavator was piloted by a Private Jon Marksberg, asking for sanctuary for repairs.  Some bit-ma-bob blew up in the engines and she needed to dock somewhere for repairs.  Great, it's been about four and a half years since I spoke to someone face to face... makes me nervous but it's in my contract to assist passing vessels so I ordered Kibbles to enable the docking protocols and the rest was without my supervision.

The cargo hangar of the habitation module had the parts SVG Excavator needed to complete repairs, according to Kibbles.  I'd have to dig them out of the back, but Marksberg could help me move the cargo pods, so it wasn't going to be as much effort as it looked at first.

SVG Excavator docked and Marksberg spent an interesting couple of days at Sarafrey.  My agrophobia was quickly overcome - Marksberg was quite sociable and pleasant and seemed to understand the mentality that I'd developed being out here alone for so long, and didn't judge me for it.

He showed me wonderful things... not least of which was his amazing salvage ship Excavator.  What a beast... put Ol Yella to shame that's for sure.  Dry Empire was adding a new ship to its already formidable fleet - he even showed me a picture he had of it in halfway through construction... a large support vessel of some sort that was said to be capable of reaching stations and systems throughout the empire using a new form of drive that allowed it to warp to locations, saving many hours of flight time.

When Marksberg finally had to leave I had mixed feelings... it was great to get my space back but it was also a shame to see him go, along with the flood of new information, ideas, and news that he had brought with him.  We agreed that I should buy myself a runabout and travel to Dry Station some day...

Yeah... some day...

Sarafrey Station mining outpost 001a is downloadable and available for public use for free.  Simply put the file into your "blueprints" folder (eg: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\StarMade\StarMade\blueprints) and you will have access to this station in-game under "Catalog" menu.

Work Drone Utility

FRG Thor had taken me a very long time to build, as every digital matter signature needed to be combinated manually, every hull rivet driven in by hand, every weld put down by me meter by meter, and every computer wired and programmed between coffee breaks... It was very slow going as a one-man job... even with the wonders of modern technology at my disposal.

It was time for help.

I created a new work drone that could assist me in collecting materials from the digital matter signature storage facility, and combinate them into the correct format as determined by plans and blueprints, altered in real time as required.  The drone could be operated manually, remotely, or be fully automated while I stirred extra cream into the next coffee.

The base unit is a robotic simple AI with 4 cameras, flashing danger lights, work lights, and 3 attachment points.

The basic initial setup for the WDU includes a power-generation device, fusion welder, small fusion reactor, and a portable digital matter combinator and storage device.

With no defensive or offensive abilities, the WDU is created entirely to assist with building and maintaining infrastructure.

The Work Drone Utility was born, and I immediately set it about creating another 5 just like it.

I watched with delight as the first generated the second, then they both generated another, and so on... geometrically getting faster and faster with the building until finally the last Work Drone Utility took around a quarter of the time that the first one had built the second.  It was poetry in motion.

The rapid consumption of Threns and Mattise in the build forced me to locate my first Tekt and Jisper asteroids.

It left me free to mine or dream up new concepts for the growth of my budding empire while my automated work force went about carrying out my instructions.

The first task I gave my new work force (apart from creating itself) was to create a rack and reload system on the Dry Station infrastructure that would both serve as storage for the units when they were not being operated as well as a place where they could obtain instructions and digital matter signatures for their projects while in operation.

The WDU rack fits 6 units, with the option to easily expand to cope with many others in the future.

Digital Matter Signatures and instructions are transmitted into the docked WDUs via a new cable link

The Work Drone Utility (WDU) has greatly improved my build speeds, and the work sites are always clearly visible even from a long distance due to the collection of flashing orange danger lights the WDUs emit.

WDU is downloadable and available for public use for free.  Simply unzip the folder into your "blueprints" folder (eg: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\StarMade\StarMade\blueprints) and you will have access to this machine in-game under "Catalog" menu.