GRRAS, Dominion Space

Introduction

Grand Riddle Research and Academic Station (GRRAS), sometimes pronounced ‘Grass’ is a restricted and secure facility operated primarily by the Vizierate. GRRAS is located in the same system as Way Station Riddle around the star Jugar.

The station was first authorised in 374 under the reign of Overlord Kate, however, it took some time for the station to be constructed and become operational, and was not opened formally until the reign of Overlord Chesley in 399.

The station itself is built into a small asteroid that contains a number of separate and isolated research facilities.

The station as a whole is administered by the Vizierate with a Minor Vizier in over-all charge.

It is protected by a garrison of the Legion.

Certain support services are operated by the Bureaucracy.

The Asteroid

GRRAS is a carbonaceous asteroid, roughly cylindrical in shape, about 2km in diameter and about 10km long.

It is set to spin slowly on its axis and generates spin gravity of 1G at 1000m from the central axis. (angular velocity = 5.6739168915611255 °/s, tangential velocity 14.854279686339557 m/s)

At this radius the floor is effectively flat. One degree of arc is a circumferential distance of ~17.5m, across this distance the floor rises in curvature by approximately 15cm. (ie ~ 8mm rise per metre)

In any case the inner floors carved out of the rock tend to be long and narrow, built along the axis rather than around the curve, so the curvature effect is minimised.

The asteroid is comprised mainly of pyroxene and olivine rock with deposits of iron. The natural rock is mostly a grey-green colour but much of it is covered up. In the centre at one end is a large docking bay (300m across). Surface gravity at the docking bay is approximately 0.15G, but this area uses grav plates for most passenger travel areas.

In the shower, on level 100, the water doesn’t fall straight down but deviates about 8cm by the time it hits the floor.

Directions at GRRAS

GRRAS has a slightly complicated internal 3-dimensional layout and so wayfinding on the station can be a little confusing.

The station has a series of circular levels, inboard to outboard, which are described in distance from the centre of spin.
- ie, because of the spun-gravity ‘down’ is from the centre to the outside radius of the station.
- The level designator is also a measure of the unaugmented gravity in G at that level
- The level designator may be suffixed with various letters indicating the type of gravity present at that location
  - A = Spin Gravity (Artificial)
  - N = Augmented by Grav Plates (Normal)
The outboard interior is partitioned off into isolated Sectors, demarked by degrees around the cylinder, with the main Sector considered Zero degrees.
- Though the docking bay is not so partitioned and is demarked with a ‘D’ when noting locations.
- However, the Docking bay is (somewhat arbitrarily) divided into sectors for different uses
Within sectors, habitats are built as a series of linear corridors or rooms along the cylinder with right angle cross corridors.
- This design is to facilitate adaption to the centripetal forces caused by the station’s spun gravity, it means floors tend to seem flat even though they’re actually slightly curved, and the right angle cross-corridors have predictable spin forces along the corridor and not at odd diagonals.
- Locations along the cylinder are described in metres from the main Elevator or ‘Zero’ ring and may be referred to as Zones.
  - Distances aft of the main ring are shown with a – sign and those forward with a +, though only a few locations are built forward of the zero ring.
- Locations away from the centre of each sector’s main corridor within a sector are noted in metres with a + in the direction of spin or – for the opposite direction, these are sometimes (somewhat incorrectly) referred to as Segments.
  - Spinwards is to the right when looking aft.
  - Confusingly, docking bay locations are all marked from the main elevator, not their local sector designator.
  - Though most segments have a main corridor that lines up with the segment’s position designator, there are a few places where this is not the case, however the main sector corridor is still considered to exist there for wayfinding purposes.

In abstract: [D]<sector (degrees)>-<level (dekametres)[A|N]>[+|-]<zone – distance from zero ring (metres)>[+|-]<segment – distance from main corridor (metres)>

Figure: GRRAS Wayfinding

For example:

Intersection D030-016N-00080-0078 – an intersection on the Docking Bay ring
- D-for Docking-bay location
- A docking bay sector, 30 degrees in direction of spin from the main elevators
  - D030 is designated for use by Vizierate ships
- Level = 160m from centre of spin
- N = grav plates are present
- Zone = 80m from the zero ring back along the cylinder
- Segment = 78m against spin (widdershins)
Vizierate Main Offices (000-100A-02550+0020)
- Main sector, 0 degrees from the main elevators
- Level = 1000 m from centre of spin
- A = spun gravity only
- Zone = 2550 m from the zero ring back along the cylinder
- Segment = 20m spinwards from main sector corridor

Simple Mud Map

Docking Bay
Level 100	Main Concourse (00000) — Vizierate Offices (02250) — Bradbury Residential Complex (04850) — Lowell Recreational Area (05600) — Suffolk Small Food Court (08000)

Interior Descriptions

Docking Bay Levels

Docking Bay

The bay is a cavern cut into one end of the asteroid that is GRRAS, it is in the shape of a cylinder about 300m across, one end open to the stars and extending perhaps a kilometer into the rock. The Snark looks small nestled into its dock along one side of the great space.

Ships in the bay are attached by docing tubes that, from the perspective of someone debussing from a ship, end in a set of dual airlock doors. Beyond the tube is a wide corridor, almost big enough to rate the description ‘concourse’. The gravity changes orientation at this point and there is a curved ramp leading down to the floor and the docking tube is now above. Along what is now the ceiling of the corridor are thick viewing windows, showing the cavernous docking bay.

At least one radial ring runs around the circumference of the docking bay. Emergency pressure doors with yellow warning decals stand open but ready. A sign on the wall reads: Intersection D030-016N-00080-0078.

Refer 5-002

Docking Bay Concourse

A large open space below (in terms of gravity) the radial corridor with a ramp from the cross corridor leading downwards. There are several levels of catwalks around the edge. The concourse is usually moderately busy, mostly on the lower floor, there are a few clusters of shops and facilities, but it seems mostly functional in design.

At the same end as the docking bay opening, there is a cluster of many elevators of various sizes. Some are big enough to load cargo containers into. A large illuminated sign identifies this as Elevator Bank 000.

In front of the elevators is a Legion security checkpoint that looks well enough armoured to defend against an artillery barrage.

Refer 5-002

Elevator Bank 000

The Elevator starts on level 016 and takes about 2/3 of a

Moment

to go down to level 100.

A graphic on the wall of the elevator reminds passengers that GRRAS is a spin-gravity environment (with partial Grav plate support) and an accompanying sign warns people to take appropriate care.

Refer 5-003

Level 100

Level 100 is where the station’s spin gravity gives 1G, and is where most of the facility is located, this arrangement is common to all sectors.

Sector 000 – Main Sector

Sector 000 is the largest area of the station and general access.

Level 100 Elevator Lobby

This is a very large lobby area. To the left of the elevators as one exits are a series of platforms for small passenger pods that disappear into tunnels in the wall. In the centre is a Legion Security station, adjacent to a Vizierate Warden Security station and a large information booth. The lobby is usually quite busy.

Straight across the lobby from the elevators is a travel pod platform.

Vizierate Main Offices

Usually accessed by Travel Pod with a large station here. An illuminated sign announces this as ‘Vizierate Main Offices (000-100A-02550+0020)‘

As GRRAS is a Vizierate-run station the Vizierate presence is sizeable. The Main Offices is a sprawling network of corridors and rooms about 2.5 km from the Elevators on Level 100. Note that station operations is not located here.

Immediately off the travel pod platforms is a large foyer area. The foyer is decorated with lots of polished marble, glass and metal and done in a palette of purples and greys. The ceiling has been cut into the rock in a high vaulted arch and there is quite a sense of open space (incongruously, more space ‘inside’ the office foyer than ‘outside’ on the travel pod station.) A large piece of abstract sculpture hangs in the space above the foyer.

Across the foyer is a reception desk staffed by a couple of uniformed Vizants and a security station staffed with more Wardens.

There are two wide and high corridors leading off the foyer, one left and one right.

Cross corridors intersect the main corridor every 50m or so, some signed meaningfully, others with nothing but an alphanumeric designator. Most end in large pairs of security doors not far along their lengths, obscuring what might be beyond. There are motorised travelators at regular periods along the main corridor between the cross-corridors that make travel faster. Given its sheer size the place often seems a little empty, though the main corridor usually sees some traffic.

For an example of size, from the foyer to the offices of ViC Special Projects is about half a kilometer (000-100A-03050+0100.)

Sector 270 – Legion Cast

The Legion Cast is located in Sector 270.

Docking Bay Entrance

The entrance to Bank 270 on the Docking Bay level is much more modest than the cavernous space that leads to Bank 000. There is a significant Legion presence here and a blocky security station. By the signage, this is the location of the Legion Cast. People attempting to enter this area will be required to show their ID tag.

A bank of elevators lead down, like most things, the Cast is on Level 100.

Level 100 – Outer Lobby

There is another security station in this mostly-bare lobby. It contains a travel pod station and one wall is decorated with Legion regalia.

Inner Cast Entrance

Presently, the travel pod arrives at a stop not dissimilar in overall appearance to the Vizierate offices: a relatively small and functional pod station opening into a grandiose facade that showcases the Legion’s might.

The ceiling rises a good 50m above them as they alight the pod. Ahead, carved in black stone that Oliver suspects is not native to this asteroid, is an entryway surrounded by imposing columns and a broad, tall staircase. Oliver wonders if it is supplemented with compensating grav plates because it’s a truism of physics that altering the vertical distance in a spin gravity environment also changes the gravity.

A giant flag of the Legion surmounts the impressive entryway at the top of the stairs, and off to one side, the emblem of the local garrison is displayed in lesser but still demanding prominence.

Entrance Hall

Inside the entrance, for all its cavernous size, the foyer is sparse; plenty of columns and stonework but very little else here. It is a wide and echoing space. Felicity leads Oliver past the central reception desk to one of three security checkpoints leading left, right and straight ahead.

After presenting their ID tags to a scanner overseen by a pair of Legion troopers in combat armour they are permitted to advance though the right hand point.

Unlike the Vizierate offices, which limit their grandeur to the foyer, the long stone corridor inside this facility is high-arched and continues its impressive display of black, polished stonework with decorative columns continuing along its length.

Also unlike the Vizierate offices, there are no travel walkways to speed the journey and it seems a long walk to their destination.

Recruit Testing

Presently, Felicity stops at an impressive double door labelled ‘Recruit Testing’ and numbered 270-100A-03570+0120.

She presents her tag and the doors swing open (another minor architectural difference – doors in the Vizierate slide but here they seem to swing.)

She leads Oliver through to a space that for the first time is devoid of the resplendent stonework and is instead a rather ordinary set of offices with a rubber mat floor and grey walls similar to the Legion Cast Oliver was in at Zebulon Station.

GRRAS