Xi'xotel Trade Post

© Solid Clouds 2015

© Swift / Star Trek: Uncharted Frontier

## Summary

Xi'xotel Trade Post - Outrigger Station in Federation Standard – is an unaffiliated space station in the Varcon System, Valorus Sector – Starfleet Designation SU-E-K16. Though its origins have been lost to time, rudimentary examinations by Task Force 11 in 2373, have determined parts of the structure to be over two-hundred years old.

The station is administrated by a semi-government comprising of the major ‘trade’ organizations operating there. Starfleet uses this term carefully, as contraband and illegally procured items are frequently available commodities, on the station’s markets. At least thirty-three organizations are known to do business on Xi’xotel. Among them many members of alien species from the expanse that Starfleet has not yet been able to study.

Circling Varcon in a moderately eccentric and inclined orbit, ranging from 30 to 49 astronomical units (4.5 to 7.3 billion kilometers; 2.8 to 4.6 billion miles) from its main star. Well beyond the outermost planet of the system, the station’s proprietors live in an uneasy peace with the Valoran, who claim Varcon as their territory. It is very likely Xi’xotel has been in this system, before the Valoran ever even achieved warp-capability.

## History

Outrigger Station was discovered by the USS Sukhothai in 2372, shortly before first contact with both the Edda and the Valoran. Despite having met several different new species, on a short away mission to the station, they were not considered first contacts, as no official government representatives of any of these races were present. Task Force 11 was, however, alerted to the nearby location of both the Edda and the Valoran home systems, by traders of Xi’xotel.

Task Force 11 supported minor trade relations with the outpost and some of its factions throughout their documented tenure. Mostly dealing with convenience goods, such as provisions and mechanical consumables. They had, at least on one occasion, bought antimatter, from the station’s refinery. Which had subsequently been declared too impure for Starfleet regulations.

In 2374, an away team from the USS Liberty, intent on conducting further trade with the leading conglomerate on the station, discovered several pieces of Starfleet-Issue equipment and machinery among the wares. How they were procured remained a mystery. It is known that at least one vessel of the original Task Force 11 was destroyed in the Expanse. Some of these components could have been scavenged from the lost wreckage. No explanation was ever given.

## Layout

The basic shape of Xi’xotel Trade Post follows a mushroom, or umbrella shape, that has developed through decades of adding to the existing structure. It is unknown what the original configuration looked like. Over the years many different alien technologies, as well as retired spaceships, have been built on to the station.

The topmost spires house the administrative offices as well as space traffic control facilities. The umbrella largely consists of landing pads and bays, as well as cargo storage facilities. Located below is the main trading concourse as well as habitation, bottomed out by life support and various reactor units, in the trunk of the facility.

Despite comprising of many different technologies, Outrigger Station doesn’t support Federation standard docking ports, or any adaptable means of creating a seal with Starfleet airlocks. Exchange between Starfleet ships and the station rely solely on transporter and shuttle transit. Which is standard security protocol with unaffiliated alien environments anyways.