Derelict B42

Derelict B42 is a Bernal sphere habitation station built in the frontier of human civilization. While officially it is known as Derelict B42, it is known locally by a variety of names such as ‘Island Três’, ‘The Big Fat Zero’, and ‘Whatyabuyin’. One of the perpetual struggles of the station’s nascent and inexperienced leadership is deciding on a name for it. B42 orbits an ice giant called Mirror, approximately the size of Saturn, and is positioned within its magnetosphere, protecting it from cosmic radiation and allowing it easy access to the gases within Mirror. B42 was initially chartered and constructed to exploit the resources within Mirror, such as oxygen for other stations and habitats and methane for fuel. While the endeavor proved lucrative for the corporation, the remoteness of B42 made transport of raw materials and finished goods troublesome at best, with many convoys being beset by and pirates looking for an easy haul. These raids were relatively bloodless, as the transports were typically automated. UNSC and mercenary forces occasionally engaged these pirates, scaring them off with flights of missiles and barrages of naval gunfire. 
However, this would change with the onset of the , and the staff of B42 was quickly recalled from their posts on the station as part of the general evacuation from the frontier. Despite orders from their board of directors, the workers aboard B42 had collectively decided to sabotage and destroy the extensive mining infrastructure on the station. The detonations left much of the station uninhabitable and useless, denying the Covenant a potential resupply point on their march throughout UEG space. 
Unbeknownst to both the UEG and the , B42 was quickly colonized by the disparate illicit factions operating in the region. It had made the ideal staging ground for an Insurrectionist hub or interstellar crime group as it was long considered destroyed and far from any point of strategic importance. The relationship between these early groups was exceptionally rocky, with violence breaking out between Insurrectionists and various crime groups, threatening to undo the meager work that they had done to make the station at least somewhat livable. 
The Human-Covenant War had passed the people of B42 by, a modicum of stability coming over the station by the war’s end in 2552. Two years later, it was recontacted by the UEG. There was much debate over the proper course of action to this recontacting, and the leadership of B42 had decided to respond amicably to the recontact, hoping to find support in the repairs of the station. Following negotiations, the UEG had agreed to send an aid convoy laden with supplies, after the convoy's arrival the station would agree to be placed under UEG jurisdiction. 
After nearly eight years, the promised aid never arrived at Derelict B42, and much of the population had concluded that help would never come. They had quickly taken matters into their own hands and set to doing their best to maintain their home with the meager resources available to them. The present authority, known as the Island Três Collective Congress struggles to keep the peace and ensure that all aboard are working towards the station’s safety and stability.
== Overview ==
B42’s livable spaces are spread throughout the primary habitation sphere of the colony, with the first re-settlers congregating around hydroponics pods, water reservoirs and air purification units. Others had settled where the solar mirrors provided the most light, with B42 being far from its star, natural light was a luxury that was desired by many. Elsewhere in the station, artificial ultraviolet and conventional lamps ensure that the population receive a healthy amount of light, though even these are notoriously inconsistent in their operation thanks to neglect. While light may be a luxury, resources have always been the priority for the population. The remote nature of B42 meant that it was often at the end of any logistical train, and while somewhat self-sufficient, it was still reliant on shipments of machinery and spare parts to ensure the continued operation of life sustaining systems. Much of this machinery was intentionally destroyed to deny the Covenant, or had simply degraded thanks to lack of maintenance. 
In the early days of the resettlement, scarcity of resources had driven many people to violence, with cliques and factions forming between the groups of criminals, pirates, and Insurrectionists. Pirates had banded together in opposition to the Insurrectionists, who had intended to establish law and order aboard B42. This had led to a small-scale shooting war between the two factions, while the Insurrectionists had claimed they fought for ideological reasons, it was clear that the war was merely over resources. The fighting was relatively limited in its scope, with both sides afraid to damage B42 further, and due to a general lack of access to heavy weaponry on both sides.
Despite this, the human toll of these skirmishes were high, as both sides had launched often indiscriminate attacks on each other. Despite the care taken in avoiding damage to the station, it nonetheless occurred, leading to many deaths and injuries due to pierced bulkheads and damaged power stations. After continuing for several months, the conflict had died down into a stalemate as leaders grew weary and tired of the prolonged fighting. A truce was hastily drawn up and a relative peace settled within the station. This desire for peace was also spurred on by a total lack of communications within a several lightyear radius of B42, leaving many to believe that they may have been among the last humans in existence. Sobered by this information, the faction leaders had decided to unite rather than continue the war. While not all grievances were simply pushed aside, survival had taken priority over revenge, especially since outside assistance was likely to be meager, if it arrived at all. 
This disconnection from the rest of humanity led to an atmosphere of self-reliance and discipline among the population, with each person on B42 expected to be able to care for themselves, and those around them. Everyone on B42 is capable of basic damage control at the very least, with education on station maintenance and repair being taught during childhood. Professionalism and teamwork are other traits valued by the people of B42, with the station only operating on the collective effort of everyone aboard it.
== Points of Interest ==
The largest population center aboard B42 is Brambletown, home to approximately nine thousand people of the station’s population of around twenty thousand. Central to Brambletown’s economy and infrastructure are the hydroponics array positioned in the middle of the town. Most of the people living in Brambletown make their living working on maintaining these pods. Various terrestrial crops are harvested here, ranging from staple grains to genetically engineered fruit. No other city on the station can boast as many hydroponics farms as Brambletown can, making it critically important to the continued survival of B42’s populace. While this had made the town quite wealthy during the early days of B42’s resettlement, it had also made Brambletown a priority during the battles on the station. Brambletown traded hands between pirates, Insurrectionists, and independent groups three to four times during the station’s conflict as the warring factions sought to supply their soldiers. The battles that raged in and around Brambletown had left much of the city’s infrastructure in shambles, and the populace had struggled to rebuild once peace had returned to B42, while some scars of the war remain today, Brambletown is, by and large, restored to its pre-war condition. Almost everyone within the city was affected in some way or another by it, but they’re eager to move past 
Today Brambletown is the closest thing to an upscale city on B42, with various amenities, namely natural light, afforded to the population. Brambletown’s also well known for their cuisine, and people flock to the city for a taste of its dishes.
The second largest city aboard B42, Forgeport plays host to approximately seven thousand individuals, living among the fabrication plants and loading docks. Much like its larger counterpart, Forgeport was settled around infrastructure critical to life aboard B42, in this case it was the extensive manufacturing facilities that dot the city’s landscape. The machinery that once ran ceaselessly to keep B42 well provisioned with mechanical supplies has grown quiet, despite the best efforts of both pirates and Insurrectionists to restart them. The sabotage inflicted on the factories is still being repaired, with some of the more complex machinery being deemed lost causes and abandoned. 
Similarly to Brambletown, Forgeport was also coveted by many of the factions on B42 and the fighting for it was likewise intense. However unlike Brambletown, the people of Forgeport were somewhat more prepared for conflict, and had used their factories to pump out simple body armor and improvised explosives, along with and rifles. Forgeport put up a spirited resistance that ensured their independence but left many residents dead or displaced and many of the town’s buildings destroyed. 
Being one of the few neutral towns left on B42, the leaders of the Insurrectionist and pirate factions had picked it to hold peace talks, where the current leadership arrangement was hashed out by. Forgeport had soon become the de facto capital of B42, with the Island Três Collective Congress holding monthly meetings to decide on policy. Rebuilding is still ongoing throughout many of Forgeport’s districts, with more and more factories being brought back online, Forgeport is set to be fully restored by 2560.
Faber is the third largest town on Derelict B42, with around two thousand people residing in it. The town is somewhat unique compared to its other counterparts, as it also plays host to the only spacedock left on the station. Prior to the Human-Covenant War, there were five other docking stations that surrounded the exterior of B42, servicing transports of all makes and models from the interior of the UEG. After it’s outbreak, the staff of B42 had destroyed four before fleeing and leaving the last one to be destroyed remotely. While this had effectively sealed the station off to all parties, the rugged ingenuity of a pirate band led to them repairing one dock. The town that sprung up around it was named after the leader of this band, Faber Rasmuss. Faber’s band had maintained something resembling a port authority on B42, taxing newcomers and maintaining their vessels while docked. While many were loath to pay the pirates, the settlement of Faber had a near total monopoly on the tools and materials needed for starship maintenance and the capability to seal the docking port permanently. Bolstered by this money, the town had slowly expanded as people had flocked to it for work. Maintaining the only way in or out of the station had also earned the people of Faber a great deal of influence. When war fell upon B42, Faber was left relatively untouched by the conflict, as neither of the factions wanted to risk damaging the dock or alienating their only connection to the outside world. Hundreds had fled for Faber for safety, leading to further growth of the city. After the war wound down, Faber was placed in the spotlight once again as they had received diplomats and envoys from both the UEG and various corporate entities. 
== Figures of Interest ==
The Island Três Collective Congress is the de facto government of Derelict B42, with authority over the usage of all production facilities and the distribution of their goods. The ITCC is composed of a variety of smaller bodies which represent the various townships and small cities that make up B42’s population. A central body mediates discussions between these groups and do their best to ensure that deliberations result in a fair outcome for all involved. While this doesn’t always occur, the ITCC also does its best to support smaller communities with materials and personnel. The ITCC also maintains a small corps of peacekeepers to prevent conflicts from flaring up into full blown battles and to provide first responder services. In addition to the peacekeepers, the ITCC also manages a group of specialized deep space workers tasked with the dangerous and difficult task of repairs and rebuilding outside the station, where debris clouds are the thickest and the terrain is especially treacherous. These teams are equipped with industrial grade worksuits with redundant life support systems and communications to ensure that a worker survives the worst situations they may find themselves in. 
UEG contact with the ITCC has been limited, but what interactions have occurred have been largely positive. Insurrectionist ideology was largely left by the wayside as survival took the highest priority.
Itzel Yao is a community leader, a retired Insurrectionist fighter, owner and sole proprietor of The Last Pit Stop, a restaurant in close proximity to Faber and its spacedock. The Last Pit Stop serves all kinds of fare, from replicas of Inner Colony cuisine to making long haul spacer meal kits. The Last Pit Stop also offers complimentary medical and mechanical assistance to any visitor or native to Derelict B42 with no questions asked. Itzel Yao herself was once an Insurrectionist cell leader, having served during multiple high-profile Insurrectionist military actions, such as the ones on Mamore and Venezia. While she was beloved by her troops, she was despised by her UNSC enemies, leading them to place a bounty on her head. Much of her cell was destroyed during their retreat from Mamore during the Insurrection, and they were left cut off from the greater Insurrectionist body. Itzel and her cell had wandered the spacelanes looking for a place to settle down once more. They had found it in B42. Throughout the station’s early days of resettlement, the cell had worked alongside fellow Insurrectionists to restore critical function. When war had broken out, Itzel and her troops were dragged into the conflict, and they had staged several bombings and raids against pirate forces. Tired years upon years of fighting, Itzel retired to found her restaurant. 
Itzel is a middle aged woman, well built from her years of military service and looks somewhat older than she is. Easy going and laid back, it’s hard to earn her ire, but equally hard to lose it should one anger her.
Terrance Pasternak is a longhaul spacer from the Inner Colonies, once working aboard a ship contracted by the UEG to deliver materials and resources to and from the frontier of UEG space. As a junior spacer, Pasternak was often tasked with the most arduous, tedious, and dangerous of jobs on a cargo freighter, ranging from extravehicular repairs to reactor maintenance. While dangerous, this had also given Pasternak an unparalleled amount of understanding of starship repair and maintenance. Pasternak and his ship were conscripted as convoy escorts and merchant marines at the turn of the Human-Covenant War, putting both his and his shipmate’s skills to the test. During a routine run to the Outer Colonies, Pasternak’s convoy was beset by Covenant commerce raiders, and a fierce deep space battle had commenced. Pasternak, now a deck chief, had struggled to keep his ship from being destroyed by superior forces. After hours of fierce fighting, the Covenant heavy corvettes were driven off but at the cost of nearly all the escorting and several civilian transports. Uncertain that they’d make it back to Inner Colony space, Pasternak’s captain had instead decided to attempt to locate the closest surviving Outer Colony, stopping off at B42 to take on extra supplies. 
Pasternak and his crew had decided to stay aboard B42, after receiving news of the Outer Colonies’ fall. Eventually, they had become respected staples on the station, with their skills at spaceborne repair out matching even the most experienced of B42’s crew. This reputation had lead to Terrance becoming a de facto member of the ITCC, managing their repair work teams.
Margareto Touati is currently the leader of the ITCC’s peacekeeping unit. While it serves primarily as a self-defense and police force of the station, it also operates as the station’s general first-response unit, providing medical assistance and mechanical maintenance work to any who need it. No matter the crisis, the Peacekeepers are on the scene. Margareto had once served in the latter half of the Human-Covenant War with the Marines, seeing action on various fronts including Reach and in the Solar System. After her service, she and a host of other UNSC service members had volunteered to work in rebuilding efforts all throughout the Outer Colonies, with her unit assigned to work on space habitats. B42 was first on her crew’s docket. While they were tasked with the rebuilding of B42, the remoteness of the station had resulted in work being slowed or stalled thanks to a lack of materials. Touati and her workers had eventually integrated into the population of B42, using their skills to develop their influence with the people. With a serious lack of professional soldiers and mechanics, the ITCC had accepted them into their administrative structures. Touati was made the Chief of the Peacekeepers. 
It is no secret that the Peacekeepers are stretched to the brink, with them scrambling to solve dozens of issues every week. From malfunctioning machinery to shortages of food to remnant Insurrectionist attacks, Margareto struggles to get her personnel into the places they’re needed. No-nonsense and quick thinking, Touati is driven and focused to ensure the survival of her new home. Amjad Bennani is the closest thing to a diplomat that Derelict B42 has, being among one higher ranking ITCC personnel. Amjad is one of the few individuals who had decided to return to B42 after it’s evacuation. Prior to the Human-Covenant War, he had served as a middle manager on the station, directing personnel and resources to a variety of tasks to ensure that life on the station had run smoothly. This job entailed a careful balance of the desires of both those above and below him, making sure the c-suite executives were pleased with the state of the station while ensuring the laborers were treated fairly. Amjad was on the first transports off the station after the war, despite his insistence to allow workers to evacuate first.
While the corporation B42 once belonged to had been destroyed during the Human-Covenant War and few surviving executives had cared to recontact the station Amjad was the exception. He had spent a considerable amount of time searching for the station, and upon finding it had rushed to it, hoping to help rebuild it. Amjad had returned to a war-torn station, still recovering from both the Human-Covenant Wars and the smaller local war, and while others would have simply abandoned the station to its fate, he had chosen to participate in its slow recovery. Bennani had played a major role in the talks that stabilized the station, and to this day is a trusted advisor and skilled negotiator for both the ITCC and for the smaller townships on the station.
== Culture ==
Years upon years of separation from the UEG has resulted in a markedly different culture among the residents of Derelict B42. The culture of B42 is quite similar to cultures found in other deep space habitats, such as the one found in the Rubble. Many ideologies and subcultures are found within the halls of B42, and even flourish thanks to this carefree mindset. As long as people pull their weight and keep the peace, the Collective Congress leaves people be. In recent months, the Collective Congress has found little reason to deploy their Peacekeepers in force, but ideologically motivated attacks against the ITCC were common in the past. Similarly to the late Rubble Security Council, the Island Três Collective Congress is composed of representatives of B42’s residents, who are allowed to vote on proposals presented by Congressional representatives. 
While spacer culture has a wide variety of superstitious beliefs, the culture of Derelict B42 is arguably the most superstitious of any stationbound people. Vacuum suits or tools that have proven especially reliable or useful are believed to be somewhat alive, and treating these tools well will ensure that they continue to prove useful. Conversely, treating these tools roughly or neglecting maintenance will result in poor performance or failures during critical moments. Painting tools and suits in fluorescent colors is also a common practice, with good luck charms or slogans being popular among spacers of any kind. Vacuum suits are as much fashion statements as practical clothing. As suits are typically passed down family lines, especially old suits are typically covered in this kind of graffiti, and it is considered extremely disrespectful to clean these paintings. 
Street food has always been a staple of Derelict B42’s culinary history, food items that could be eaten and prepared quickly and easily were ideal. This resulted in a variety of finger foods being developed, with burritos and kebabs being especially popular among the first wave of workers before the Human-Covenant War. Even wealthier natives of B42 prefer these simpler dishes to more complex ones. During the resource shortages of B42’s war, this tradition of finger food would continue with civilians attempting to make what little food was available to them, and soldiers needing quick and easy rations. While recovery of MREs and nutrition bars had alleviated the food shortages, they were notoriously tasteless and difficult to consume. During the war years, spices and chefs were especially valuable along with hydroponics stations and food stores. 
The ITCC’s relatively loose regulations had led to some degree of tension between the UNSC and the ITCC. Its history as an Insurrectionist bolthole had also not availed the Congress to the diplomats first deployed to recontact the station. Despite some holdovers from the Insurrectionists wanting to resume hostile action against the UNSC, the Collective Congress had no interest in fighting a war they were guaranteed to lose. Instead, the Congress had intended to appease the UNSC by offering them their services as a way station further into the frontier, in the hopes that the profit accrued by corporations would lead to direct rule of B42 being less of a concern for the UNSC. The UNSC has also dispatched convoys of supplies and heavy machinery to B42, though some have suspected that these have been purposefully delayed.