Fieldberg Station pre-launch tour

Fieldberg Station is now populated by a full compliment crew, who are busy completing the build process ready for launching the station into full operation.

The habitation facility, shielding, energy generation and storage, matter storage and conversion, wharf and logistics facility, control tower, life support, and basically every station system is now fully operational.  The station only needs a few more minor infrastructure and human comfort additions before being totally operational.

It also needs the defense matrix to be built and brought online, relieving FRG Thor to be able to patrol the rest of the Empire.

Matter Conversion Battery uses plasma-suspension ovens to compress and encapsulate matter signatures

Stairwell access to the sub-levels of the matter signature storage cryovats allow inspection while gravity-bound

Habitation facility has it's own dedicated cargo pod bay and docking ramps

Cargo pod bay can store up to 12 standard cargo pods, with access to the maintenance bay up a ramp

 The maintenance bay just up from the cargo pod bay is used primarily for the storage of machinery being operated on, and small manufacture and repair tasks to be done under cover from solar radiation and micro-asteroid bombardment.

An external mesh gangway connects the maintenance bay to the airlock leading into the main habitation facility.

Decontamination (and standard hygiene) shower cubicles within the habitation facility.

A small spartan triple-bunk crew quarters bolsters the personal quarters already located on the original mining outpost, bringing the total crew capacity to 6

A small mess hall and food combinator provides meals and waste disposal services to the crew

Tight hallways and humming servers are something you get used to quickly on Fieldberg

The central AI is one of the most powerful computers in the empire at this point in time

Upstairs in the con tower facility another airlock leads directly into space, with an observation port to the right and the traffic control tower to the left

Traffic control tower is a three man facility, with a Communications Officer, Traffic Monitor, and Master Controller

Master Controller has a separate darkened room that oversees the docking and cargo operating areas

The 180 degree up down view of the cargo docks gives the Master Controller unparalleled views of the station from within a pressurised area

The view allows the Master Controller to see all docking activity first hand, including wharf cranes, containers being docked and unloaded, and any other activity, while keeping all AI-fed relevant data within field of view by a myriad of feeds

Right side of the Master Controller's view shows vessels approaching the docking area.  Here a container dropped by a recent transport vessel waits to be docked by an WDU, containing supplies for the finalisation of the station build

The Shield Dome is a self-contained shield unit delivering both capacity and charge in very large quantities

Two huge matter signature storage cryovats have enough space for mind-blowing amounts of matter signatures, allowing the station to stockpile mammoth quantities of matter

One of the main walkways on the station, looking back between the energy batteries (right) and cryovats (left), towards the mining outpost and connecting gangway

Access to the generators for maintenance is via a series of gangways and stairwells to help protect maintenance crews from both asteroid impact risk as well as drift risk

Generators are lined up with three levels of maintenance access with dividing stairwells

The Pisces-Class generator banks provide huge quantities of energy to the station to drive both the matter conversion as well as the upcoming defense matrix

The station viewed from underneath shows a lot of the underlying structure, cabling, and fluid conduits

Life support, fluid recylcing, and power conduits writhe their way around the superstructure between the critical systems

Top view of the station shows the small connecting gangway between the mining outpost section and the processing plant section

The station is effectively operational, although it is still undergoing systems tests and requires a large defense matrix to protect the sizeable investment this station represents to the empire.

The matrix is said to include a double-redundancy shield, armoured deflection battlements, anti-missile cannon batteries, torpedo racks, several large beam turrets and a compliment of three fighters. Already some citizens have taken residence in local space under the protection of Thor, knowing that this station will represent one of the best protected parts of Dry Empire... Fieldberg Station is likely to therefore fulfill a secondary purpose of forming a commercial hub within the empire.

The Library

As time went on I found that one thing tended to lead to another.

For example the build of FRG Thor required me to use particular types of components (for example shield capacitors), which in turn required particular types of materials (for example Rammet and Sertise capsules).

As I had since breaking free of the now obliterated Gundabadt, I had been purchasing materials and even components from the nearby Trading Guild station, however the station was having supply issues due to pirate blockades in a nearby system, and were unable to provide me any more than I had already purchased.

As a result, I was reaching a point where more and more items were now unable to be built or purchased, and the only way I would be able to build these items for any more vessels and expand my budding empire would be to mine and process the minerals myself.  Or destroy the blockade.  If the Trading Guild couldn't despatch the blockade, then clearly I would have no chance, so really, the only option was to find, mine, and process the necessary minerals myself, and use them to manufacture my own items.

But I was new to this, having been a process slave in Gundabadt I knew nothing about minerals, asteroids, what they looked like, where they could be found, et cetera.

I would need to begin exploring, sampling, and cataloging my discoveries.

I knew this would require a huge amount of processing power, and so the concept for a Library addition to my shipyard station was born.

Databases and servers whir and blink as they wait to absorb, catalog, and as required present compiled information about the discoveries I made.

Everything from asteroids found, mineral content, resources, capsules, refineries, technologies, building techniques, blueprints for ships, research, starbase and asteroid field locations, and a host of other information would be fed into these servers and processed by their AI into a range of useful information.

Connected to the main deck of my shipyard and the basic factory I had previously built, the library is almost as power-hungry as the entire shipyard and factory to date, warranting the addition of another 2 3x3x3 power generators.

To protect the delicate servers from random pirate fire, the Library has a much denser structure than the rest of the shipyard's facilities, and is wired directly into the power grid.

This Library Wing adds a further 10x5x10 structure to the basic factory and power/shield generator grid structure connected to the shipyard, and is helping to form a small station attachment to the entire structure.

With the docking arms (completed with ship maintenance systems and cargo siphons) added to the station some weeks ago, the entire shipyard complex is becoming much more like a small station now.

Dubbed "Dry Station", my shipyard was almost a small port nowadays.

Pirates seemed to give me wide berth these days, although occassionally a sniper or two would sit outside the range of my homing missile turrets and pepper Dry Station with long shots... but they did little more than give me a smirk if one managed to actually strike the base instead of sail by through empty space.

FRG Thor

With the resources gathered from the destroyed Gundabadt Station by SVG Excavator, I began construction on my biggest build to date - my first frigate, FRG Thor.

Early build of FRG Thor showing armour, basic fuselage nose rocket launcher and some computer systems installed.

She was planned to build on what I had learned about missiles from my turret building, by multiplied many times over.  I discovered that by altering the composition and layout of missile systems that I could fire massively powerful rockets at a target and inflict considerable damage.

Thor, therefore, would house the single biggest rocket launcher I had ever seen.

But not only would she be a rocket frigate, she would also boast some impressive shielding, radar jamming, and be supported by side, rear, upward and downward firing homing missile bays as auxilliary weapons.  In addition to all this I intended to build some very small missile-killer turrets... although I was concerned that I may not be able to program them to differentiate between my missiles and those of the enemy which would be pretty useless to me... worst case I would outfit them to be EMP weapons instead.

Although Thor would be completed automated, I was building her to also operate with a crew and serve the needs of human passengers.

When focusing on building a particular section, I place work lights so that I can easily see what I'm working on.

The work lights make all the difference to a dark or shaded hull.

The rocket launcher installed into Thor's nose measures 38m from nose to core room, and consists of 16 columns feeding into the final chamber, and costs 444750e to fire, doing 44750 damage over a 12 meter radius up to 3.2km from target.

View from Thor's incomplete rear through what will be the engines, crew facilities, support modules, escape bays, bridge, power storage, and core.  Visible in the nose section of the fuselage is the mostly completed front systems, detailed in the below images.

Forward of the Core (the top of which is visible at the bottom of the image) are 9 5x5x5 power/shield combination generators, granting a total power output of 90058.4e/sec recharge, shield cap of 18809 (+643s/sec).  Further shields will be added to the frigate.

The lower three decks of the cone will be entirely energy storage, granting an estimated 1.3 million energy storage, allowing Thor to fire her energy-hungry cannons several times before depleting her energy reserves.

Deck 4 is a missile systems inspection and engineering deck.  Full access to the entire length of the missile systems is on this deck, plus supporting systems like haudraulics and computers.  Some systems still need to be installed.

Deck 5 is to inspect the lower part of the Combination Generators and the systems linking the generators with the missile systems.

Deck 5 inspects the upper part of the Combination Generators and also accesses much of the super structure holding it all together.  Again some systems still need to be installed, mostly between the deck and pressure hull.

Deck 6 looking back towards the nose.  At the nose end are most of the computer systems driving the link between the Combination Generators, and it is also possible to watch a rocket for a split second as it fires out from beneath your feet towards a target... although it passes out of view very fast as you're basically looking down at the muzzle.

Deck 7 is not really a deck but more of a series of crawl spaces.  This deck will allow close-inspection and repair of critical systems and will be the perfect place for a Xenomorph to set up camp.  Currently it's open and unpopulated. This image shows the view from the bow to the stern, with much of this gap being filled with goodies in the coming days.

While the Core is functional, it is still under construction.  It must wait for all other critical systems to be installed before it can be finalised.

Above the Core and towards the stern, at the top of the frigate is where the Bridge will be.  Above that will be an observation deck (completed), which will be sealed behind a blast door to protect the bridge in case the observation deck becomes damaged and loses pressure.  This image shows the view upwards into the ramp leading to the observation deck from what will be the Bridge.

View back down the ramp of the Observation Deck back towards the yet-to-be-built Bridge.  The Core can be seen, which is basically at the center of the frigate.

View from the gangway in the Observation Deck, looking forward and slightly to port.

Observation Deck as seen from outside, with stern shown to the left of image.  Behind the Obs Deck can be seen the Officer's Escape Boat assembly.  This is designed to accomodate the full compliment of officers on the Bridge, and be accessed rapidly in the event of an emergency, and jettison straight upwards from the rear of the frigate and away.  Other crew have different (and closer to them) escape boats located elsewhere on the frigate.

My little collection of ships is growing.  Note: Gustav never got rebuilt after pirates decimated my base so long ago... although I do still have the plans for her if ever I want a small battle scout again.

Shipyard with FRG Thor under construction and SVG Speeder (and her homing missile turrets) acting as an outward turret emplacement during the built. My basic factory is shown on the right attached to the shipyard, busilly producing paint and converting minerals into capsules, among other things.

FRG Thor's internal computers and systems are visible and accessible from outside (which serves a purpose) but protected from attack by her shields and automated close-quarters defenses, and mostly tucked behind gauss mesh which when on active duty will have 40,000 volts passing through it at all times.

FRG Thor at about the halfway point in production.

Although Thor's armour and hull are in place, she still needs to have her Omni-direction Missile Defense System installed, as well as a bunch of blast doors and greeble and such.  She also needs all crew compartments and operational systems fitted in the center and wings, and her thrusters and other critical and support systems installed in the aft.

I expect Thor to be quite a powerful little boat once completed... and I look forward to hunting down more pirate stations and expanding my little patch of space.

Excavator absorbs Gundabadt

SVG Excavator's maiden voyage was to undertake that which had created the need to upgrade SVG Speeder in the first place - salvaging the battered remains of Gundabadt Station.

I ensured she was well supplied, all systems were operational, and she was fully ready and able to fly. Once all checks came back green, it was time to ease out of dry dock, slowly starboard and upwards to clear SVG Speeder which remained stationary where she had been throughout the build process offering a small amount of turret protection to SVG Excavator while she was without armour and shielding during the initial stages of build.

Unlike CRV Alannis, SVG Excavator's engines did not penetrate the structure from bow-to-stern, but were instead stern-fitted shallow-mount uni-directional fusion outlets.

She was slightly larger than Alannis, but had less shields and thrust, in favour of her primary function - salvage cannons.

Once clear of the shipyard and Speeder, I set the navigation computer to the coordinates of the now derelict Gundabadt Station, and engaged her engines full throttle.

She was about as clunky as Speeder, due to her greatly increased mass, even with the Unidirectional Shallow-mount Fusion Outlet engines (which provided much greater thrust than Speeder's naked thruster module engines).

My rapid-mobility ship "Taxi" can be seen top right, used to quickly get between shipyard, trading guild station, factory, other ships, or even to retrieve pirate wrecks left drifting after coming into range of my automated defenses.

When I arrived at Gundabadt I tested out Excavator's salvage digitisation cannons and was very impressed to see the station melting away before my eyes at a far greater rate than was possible with Speeder.  The entire station was converted to digital mass signatures and stored in my personal storage bank in just under 6 minutes... over 30,000 scrap alloy and a further 30,000 scrap crystal circuits.  A large cinnibar asteroid in orbit around the station was added to my hold within another 2 minutes.

SVG Excavator performed admirably. I had not yet had a need to test her out under fire, however she performed her primary duty as a salvager with great efficiency.

Another successful build.  Soon I would take her out to the asteroid fields to retrieve some more materials, especially some of the rarer elements needed to construct some of the more higher end technologies like shield capacitors and rechargers.  I had depleted the local trading guild's supply of these items, and other ships would need me to construct my own which meant obtaining the required elements...

Gundabadt was gone.  Nothing remained but digital mass signatures of scrap in my hold and some drifting atmospheric molecules where it had once been in space.

This was my space now.