Xenobiology 1

Xenobiology 1 is a massive research and tourism space station in orbit of Almaishah. Funding is partially through research grants, but much of it comes from tourism, with tours of the planet billed as the only alien safari in known space. It has a massive habitat ring that is 15 stories containing shops, schools, restaurants, labs, hotels and guest rooms as well as condo like habitation areas for residents. Living quarters and schools are all found on the lowest/outer 5 levels, where as shops, labs, restaurants, and recreation tend to be on the upper/inner 10. This is to allow people the maximum time possible at the station's maximum 0.80000g gravity to minimize muscle atrophy and bone density loss from low G environments. At the top level the gravity is only 0.60569, which is still comfortable for most humans, but over time can cause noticeable weakness.

Angular Velocity 1.8311 rpm
Top Floor Radius 161.544 m
Bottom Floor Radius 213.36

Demographics

52% Male/48% Female 12% Under 18 earth years of age

Government

Xenobiology 1 is primarily funded through joint investments from a score of earth based corporations. Each one has a representative on the Corporate Council these serve at the whim of their company and have no terms, term limits, nor are they voted for by any inhabitants of the station. Each hab ring section has 5 representatives on the Popular Council. Representatives on the Popular council serve for 5 local years, and one is replaced each year since terms are staggered. Each council elects one of its members as a Station Executive. For the Corporate Council there is no particular term limit on this, and the council may vote in a new Executive at any time. The Popular Council elects their Executive for the remaining duration of his term on that council, and once that term is up must hold a new election. In a case of a tie in either council when voting for an executive, the executive of the other council will cast the deciding vote. Each executive must sign off on any legislation and both councils must approve any legislation by a simple majority. Members of either council may propose legislation, and once it is approved in the originating council it is passed to the other council. Either executive may veto a piece of legislation, at which point it can be ratified by a 80% vote of each council, although if both executives veto legislation there is no appeal. A security force is operated by the owning corporations jointly. It is called X-Sec, and it is responsible for enforcing station policy, as well as extradition, and customs. While X-Sec is under the orders of the corporations controlling the station, since 2712 internal affairs are investigated by the Popular Council. Crime is handled primarily by means of arbitration courts, and all but the most serious crime is handled by means of fines paid to the injured party. The most serious punishment is transport to a prison colony. These courts are funded by the owning corporations, and arbitrators are selected by joint session of both councils. Defendants found liable but who cannot pay their fines are generally given the option to come up with a payment plan that. The payments will go to the general operating fund of the station, and interest is charged. The plaintiff will then generally be paid the lump sum or in installments (without interest) out of that same fund.

Defences

X-Sec usually has between 100 and 110 officers, and another 20-25 support staff. While typically only armed with night sticks, in event of hostile action or significant civil unrest they also have tasers, riot shields, gas masks, vacuum suits, smoke canisters, stun guns, body armor, and pistols that take either low velocity rubber rounds or high velocity low mass hollow point rounds. X-Sec also maintains a pair of small short range fighter craft with directed energy cannons sufficient to destroy most light craft.

Industry & Trade

While most of the funding for the station comes from earth research funding and tourism, the hydroponics bays in the spherical sections of the hab rings still produce more food stuff than is always needed by the population, and so occasionally food is exported to smaller less well fed stations, or passing ships. Additionally local biological materials, such as bone and wood analogues are turned into furniture or objets d'art and sold at very high price as luxury goods. Virtually no industrial manufacture goes on on the station outside of fabricating spare parts, and all raw materials must be imported.

History

Xenobiology 1 was comissioned in 2694 not long after the discovery of Almaishah. It was built over the next 3 years primarily though funding of biotech companies with some government grants. In 2698 it was inserted into low Almaishah orbit by an Alcubierre drive equipped tug vessel. Over the next 5 years researchers and support staff filtered in. During this time the owning companies also started to lease out space on the station for businesses looking to support a tourist industry so as to take some of the financial burden off of the owning companies. At the current time each owning company has a staff of about 300, consisting primarily of researches, engineers, administrators, and sanitation staff. This staff and their families account for about 45% of the station's population. In 2712 after lesees who did not directly work for the owning corporations objected to their lack of say in station policy, despite living and working on the station, some of them for years, and being vital to the funding and smooth operation of the station. This led to a change in the station's charter which added a the Popular Council and its executive to the stations local government.

Type

Orbital, Station

Population

15 thousand permanent residents, with room for up to 10 thousand visitors

Location under

Almaishah

Characters in Location