Kessel Station

## Origin and History

A little over fifty years ago, a group of scientists independent from the Corporations of the Dominion or the blacksmiths of Olympus discovered an enormous breakthrough in technology, something that would change the face of space travel as we know it: a warp core capable of faster than light travel. Also knowing that this information, in the greedy hands of the corporations or in the maniacal clutches of so-called Gods, would bring even greater strife upon the universe, they decided to study and develop it in secret. They set up a waypoint at the very edge of the system, moving funds and supplies through backchannels and black market deals. They took on only those with discretion and no loyalty to either side, engineers, laborers, hopeful colonists, doctors and scholars of every stripe. All of them were brought to what would become Kessel Station, a final outpost at the edge of the system and safe from the influence of any parties hoping to control them. Along with the massive space station, which would become a monument to their mysterious mission and ideals of independence, they constructed a single ship to house the warp core. They labored tirelessly on the ship, the station, and the core until all of their labors paid off. As the final pieces were laid in place, all those that wished to travel into the great beyond boarded the *Horizon*, and disappeared into parts unknown never to be seen or heard from again. The station would bear the name of the project lead, Nadori Kessel, who captained the *Horizon* on her first and final day.

The station housed those who were left, who continued to live their lives far from the struggles of Earth and all her colonies. Over the years, others would come upon the station, bringing shipments of food, weapons, luxuries, and seeking a place to do their business without the exorbitant taxes, stringent regulations, and all the other obstacles presented by the powers that be. Kessel Station turned away no one, no matter which group's flag they flew. Terrans, colonials, Olympians, pirates, they were all equal under Kessel's banner. As long as they respected the law of neutral ground, and did not bring their conflicts into the station, they were allowed to conduct whatever dealings they wished. Kessel Station become a popular destination for enterprising merchants, smaller companies that could deal on the fringe, corporate agents seeking an untapped market, Olympians who were not so keen on the war effort, pirates who sought a sanctuary away from the bounties on their heads, every type of person imaginable could find a home there. Kessel Station was a safe haven, and would forever hold the mystique of all the strange and terrible things that lay beyond the edges of Sol, among the twinkling stars deep across the inky black abyss of space.

## Government

Kessel Station, being independent of all other forms of government and control, elect their power to a group of station administrators known as the Overseers. In the favor of balance, representatives are chosen from each of the presiding groups on the station: one Olympian delegate, one Terran delegate, one IAH delegate, and one station-born delegate. The Corporate Dominion, being a business conglomerate under the auspices of the Coalition of Terra, is not given their own representation. The Terran delegate is assumed to work for the interests of Earth and the corporations as best they can. Elections are held every five years, though most Overseers hold their positions for long periods of time, or extremely short ones if the people do not approve. There is almost never any middle ground. Members of the Overseers who lose elections are given half of their previous pay for a duration of years equal to their time in office and are given housing on station for them and their immediate family in perpetuity.

Laws are made by votes of the Overseers, where a majority is required. The only way to override a vote is by declaring a station-wide emergency, which brings the decision out of the hands of the Overseers and directly to the hands of the people. Polling places appear everywhere across the station, and the citizens themselves are given the right to make the decision that their representatives cannot. If this happens five times in one election cycle, the members can be summarily dismissed without opportunity for re-election.

## Resources

Kessel's greatest resource is, strangely enough, its impartiality. Though this practice of neutral ground, they have a hand in everything that passes through the station, and inevitably back into the rest of the system. Cheaper prices on goods, a greater selection where the Dominion does not control the output of all products, goods from both sides of the war, and open-mindedness amongst the inhabitants and visitors of the station provide a great wealth both metaphorically and literally. In this vast expanse of empty space, where nothing else valuable exists, is it this system of free trade, and the diversity of Kessel Station's people, that are its most valued assets.

## Society

All people are welcome aboard Kessel Station. It is the only place in the solar system where this is absolutely true, and all groups are able to intermix and mingle without prejudices and persecution. Olympians live, eat, drink, and fuck alongside and often with Terrans. Corporate executives do dealings with independent miners without proxy, and trade goods with scum and pirates. So long as an individual doesn't cause any undue trouble, everything proceeds smoothly. People who are born on Kessel Station proudly wear their heritage as a badge, a people brought into this world without the ravages of war, the agony, and pain of its destruction. This breeds a society of hope, prosperity, and happiness. It is a rich meshing of cultures into something completely unique, that one cannot truly see anywhere else within Sol.

## Geography

Kessel Station is divided into several enormous sectors, each devoted to a certain function. The station, even after decades, is still being expanded and constructed to fit the rapidly growing needs of both its inhabitants and the thousands of travelers that arrive every single day.

### **The Docks**

The station features countless docking bays, for ships of every class, size, and make. The scanning procedure for incoming ships is fairly simple, and goods are rarely ever confiscated. The general rule is; if you aren’t smart enough to get your goods on station, especially if they’re illegal, you don’t deserve the benefit of said goods. New people come onto the station at every hour of the day, and working the docks can be a stressful position. The Docking bays are all equipped with shielding, and emergency blast doors, to contain ships and maintain the atmosphere and pressure in the docks if the shielding ever fails.

Docking Bays are identified using a simple system of alphanumeric locator codes. Each alphabetical section, A-Z, denotes a single docking bay. The numerical values, which can number into the hundreds for each bay, denotes the specific docking section. Finally, every dock corresponds with a five digit code that is assigned to the docked ship once procedures are complete, and the number is given to the captain. This code is used to access the appropriate docking bay, section, and to initiate disembarkation. This aids in the prevention of ship theft on the station.

Kessel Station Docking Authority handles all matters related to docking and cargo. They track all incoming and outgoing ships, scan and inspect ships for contraband (that isn't hidden well, of course), and direct traffic around the station to coordinate docking operations, refueling, and to facilitate supply shipments in an expedient and efficient manner. Members of the Docking Authority enjoy a fairly high level of job security and satisfaction, and many former pirates are employed by the organization to assist in ship inspections, with their extensive knowledge of all the basic hiding places for contraband goods.

### **Entertainment Districts**

The entertainment district always has a show going on, a performance of the arts, a holo-vid of days gone by, a production of some famous director with an all-star cast. Street performers do their best to awe and inspire passersby into giving up a few credits for the moments of entertainment they provide, so they can feed families with what meager means they have. Clubs play all sorts of music throughout every part of the day, giving the illusion of a night lasting forever. Alcoholic beverages are the order of the day, concocted in millions upon millions of ways, just to give each and every person their perfect buzz. Dancers of every colony, planet, moon, sex, race, and even some more interesting denominations cater to the interests of many. The red light district served as the ultimate way to explore a more...carnal experience. Bars serve as a place for world-weary to rest, gossip to spread, and business to be conducted, whether it be over a drink or two, or over a game of cards or billiards.

It is organized into a set of crescent rings, extending several levels up through the station. Elevators are positioned strategically to carry you to your destination, while taxi services and trams to other districts supply station-wide travel arrangements. Directories to all venues are spaced intermittently across each level of the rings, and can be uploaded into personal HUDs and key-PCs for quick reference and waypoint plotting. Advertisements are plastered across walls and windows, playing from kiosks and directories, or even on mobile advertising units that roam the rings. They are capable of performing a cursory examination of the search history on your local devices and building a profile that appeals to your interests. These are hard-coded to appeal to potential customers in a very specific fashion; customers of low means are only ever advertised products available in the lower, cheaper rings, while the wealthier are redirected to higher rings in an aggressive fashion. In the Red District, safe search protocols are switched off, allowing these platforms to ascertain information about a customer's deeper desires.

#### The Blue District

Low-end entertainment for those without greater means. Basic holo-theaters play a rotating assortment of holo-vids in a standard two-dimensional format. The films are usually many months behind current releases, but the prices are very cheap in comparison to the newest, cutting-edge immersion technology and hottest flicks of the season. Comedy Clubs are a popular fixture in the lower districts, with fresh faces trying out their sets and hoping for a shot at stardom and laughter. Many theater companies find their starts here, playing cramped venues with low budgets for costumes, sets, and quality of acting. The bars are mostly dingy affairs, serving watered-down swill and station-brewed beer that could pass for dirty-dish water if it weren't carbonated and had some semblance of taste enhancers. ***The Smugglers' Rest*** is a popular establishment for pirates, scoundrels, and the smugglers that it's named for, and while it doesn't look like much, it serves its specific set of clientele in a manner befitting its moniker. Still, the less fortunate citizens of Kessel Station have made great use of the space, pooling together credits to host raucous viewing parties for sporting events, that often spill out of their establishments and into the streets. There are also an enormous amount of homeless stationers that beg and panhandle down in The Blue, and pickpockets run amock. There are even rumors that the local branch of the Black Market Exchange Guild can be found hidden within the depths of the lowest district, here prying eyes usually do not gaze.

#### The Green District

Middle-ranged entertainment options abound in The Green District, which is the most popular and populous of the four entertainment districts. The holo-theaters play current, popular films as well as many older, vintage ones at specific venues. They also feature a full three-dimensional experience that almost puts you inside the action, supplemented by motion-sensors in the seats and headset. Musical performances by well-known artists and bands are common at the Ventris Amphitheater, with enough stadium styled seating to house fifty-thousand. Chain restaurants are extremely popular in the Green, alongside self-professed gourmet eateries for the every-man. Night Clubs are another incredibly lucrative and enjoyed feature of the district, the thrum of electronic music melting into the very bones. The freedom of trade on the station allows recreational drugs easy access into these spaces for increased enjoyment if one is so inclined. Lastly, the Green District is known for the infamous Pub Crawl, a challenge for any brave enough to walk the Green Mile, hitting each one of the seventy-six drinking establishments on the road, each with its own specialty. One of the most notable locations on this journey of intoxication is **The Event Horizon.** The host a half dozen billiards tables, three low-stakes poker tables, and serve a cocktail named 'The Black Hole, because it creates a hangover no one can escape. Those able to complete this journey are the stuff of Kessel Station legend... and only five people have ever been able to do so in the station's fifty-year history.

#### The Black District

Access to The Black District is not necessarily restricted, but all those who enter its sacred halls of indulgence are scrutinized heavily. Only the finest things are available here, to those with enough credits to spare. The holo-theaters here are fully immersive, striking all the senses with visceral reality, and sometimes showing films that no other eyes will ever see, lest they can find a way to pay for the privilege. The bars only serve top-shelf products and the clubs are thrashing masses of drug-fueled dancing that rage for days on end without reprieve. There are eateries of the highest order, hosting culinary stylings from across the solar system and talents attributed to many popular names, where prices aren't even listed on the menu and are not for the faint of heart. Four enormous casinos serve clientele who prefer to wager their money than simply spend it, with slot machines, virtual roulette, blackjack, poker, horse racing, and a robot fighting circuit. Five-star hotels with all-inclusive experiences keep locals and far-off guests alike pampered and predisposed to everything Kessel Station has to offer. One can spend hours, or even days enraptured in the enticements of The Black District, and fortunes can turn a prince into a pauper if one isn't careful.

#### The Red District

This district is age locked, preventing anyone who is not of appropriate status to enter. When the elevator hits the bottom of the shaft, the trademark red light is cast over the interior and age verification is taken again. The door opens, and become a portal to a more sensual side of Kessel Station. While the other districts are present to procure average entertainment, food, drink, and drugs, the experience the Red offers is focused on a single aspect of life: pleasure. The pleasure of a sexual nature, most specifically, though the interpretation of that desire is very, very wide. Kessel Station does not permit any activities that are considered reviled by most of common society, which has brought up some contention amongst particular groups. Children, for example, are not on offer nor are they catered to. Animals as well are not something one can acquire for these purposes in the Red District. Other than that, ones' orientation and preferences don't much matter. In the Red, you shall seek it, and you shall find. Exotic dance clubs feature male and female talent alike, presenting the flexibility and litheness of their bodies for paying onlookers, whose drinks are made particularly strong to coax more money out of them. Rose is practically pumped into the air, with everyone's sex drives running like an overheating drive core. Private rooms are available to get more well-acquainted with the dancers, though there is a specific divide between those that do provide sexual services and those that don't.

Brothels that cater to specific tastes are typically advertised very heavily with appropriate imagery and decorum, while those aimed around more of a general enjoyment are frequented by those who seek to try new things, or anything for the first time. Similar private settings are available, as well as small or large group sessions that you pay for both by the head and by intervals of thirty minutes. There are also a number of shops in the district that cater to the values and lifestyles that the Red celebrates, purveyors of goods that are not deemed appropriate for the Trade District far above. The Red is a paradise of desire, and fulfillment to those with a wide range of tastes, but can be considered by some to be a bit too accepting of all kinds, and too tame in their experiences provided.

### **The Arboretum**

For those who wished to relieve themselves of the industry and metal shackles of the station, the arboretum served as a refreshing change of pace, evocative of the lush jungles and dense forests of Earth long gone. Lakes, rivers, and ponds filled with pure water pour into the district and serve as a part of the station's water recycling system. Innumerable forms of life are spread across its entirety, outside of established passageways, and roaming what could be considered the 'wilds' of Kessel Station. Beasts imported from Earth roam, categorized by their natural habitat and placed in the appropriate bio-dome. Each of the bio-domes is connected to the next by tunnels which display exhibits on extinct flora and fauna, preserving their memory for all of time. Representatives of the Terran Wildlife Reserve, a group of Earth-based environmentalists that seek to save as many species as possible from the wars ravaging their home planet, run the Arboretum and use it as a space to try and breed animals at risk of extinction. They also serve as escorts on exploratory safaris, which can be staged through the various ecosystems. Every biome imaginable is represented in the network of bio-domes that stretched through this part of the station.

### **Living Districts**

The living districts range from a poor slum community for the beggars, thieves, and scum to a skyscraper-filled metropolis of penthouses relegated to admirals, corporate executives, and those who fashion themselves as the elites of humanity. Even so far removed from the rest of the system, the struggles of everyday life and the class system is felt. The slums' poorer residents grovel and beg all across the station when they're not being abused and contained by the more zealous members of stations security. Rumor has it that the thieves and smugglers of the station turned themselves into an impromptu guild, organizing into a vast network that also happened to run the local black market. Sadly, the destitute slums don't see a credit of that amassed wealth, even if it was probably being accounted for all around them in shady back alleys, and creepy warehouses. For the middle class, there are small, studio apartments for most, along with more spacious living quarters relegated to those of a slightly elevated status. The accommodations are pleasant enough, and your living quarters could be designed and arranged perfectly to your liking, with all sorts of goods, furniture, and services. The rich practically have gilded gates, guards patrolling the streets all day, every day, watching for scum or squatters. This was the pinnacle of living out in the deep cold of space.

#### Sharpe's District

One of the more low-end residential districts on the station. Apartment buildings are stacked one after the other, with little room for transportation beyond walking. Criminal activity is at an utmost high here, where the cramped lifestyle, crowded walkways, and general air of misery make a great cover for illicit activity. Station security has all but abandoned the poor and destitute that live there, except to occasionally make raids against suspected criminal activity that goes beyond the bounds of what Kessel Station will tolerate.