Loyalists’ Rock Downport and Outpost

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Locations
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World Locations
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Loyalists’ Rock Locations
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Loyalists’ Rock Downport and Outpost

Contents

Downport

Traffic control directs pilots park the shuttle on an apron, These are large open areas surrounded by high concrete berms that give some protection from the weather and help block some of the radioactivity that occurs as a result of using the thrusters.

A transfer vehicle is despatched. It’s a broad vehicle that rolls on four low fat treads with an extensible boarding tube on its upper deck.

Transfer Garage

The transit bus has been making its way across the occasionally lit spaceport landing area between high hangar berms, following a row of guide lights.

It approaches a large, blocky building, in the side of which a door opens and the bus enters, redeploying its boarding tube to an entry airlock inside the garage.

There is a large viewing window inside the garage, the Legionnaire points at a figure visible within, “There’s usually at least one about when a ship lands.”

Outpost

The Loyalists’ Rock Outpost comprises a series of rectangular buildings of various storeys connected together. There are very few external windows, there being mostly nothing to see outside and it’s very cold (ie liquid methane seas cold) so the designers didn’t want heat leakage.

Excluding the spaceport landing area and and hydroponics farm, the entire outpost could comfortably fit inside a contemporary shopping centre.

A Tour of The Outpost Narrated by Taxi-Cart Driver Gary

He sets off along the hall that is the Downport Concourse, and down what appears to be a dual walkway/roadway – Lia will discover there’s no distinction here, nor road markings and all the walkways seem big enough to carry small vehicles.

“So, this is the main travelway between the spaceport and the main buildings, this is our longest straight stretch and there’s no truth to the rumour that Little Barny likes to race Tansy from the Admin Bureau up and down here in Red Shift.

“We pass into the first of the main buildings here and this is our shopping and business area.”

The travelway widens out and there are various doorways with small signs and occasional display windows. Lia and Garry reach an intersection and he points.

“Down there’s our community building and left to the residences and this way is the power and services building. “

Once across the intersection he points again, “If you’re staying over, this is the hotel.”

It’s another non-descript doorway with a sign that does seem to be the hotel the Legionnaire told her about.

“You probably won’t have time to check out the museum either, which is there,” he points at another door on the left, this one with a sign that says Loyalists’ Memorial Museum (re-live the history of the True Blood Uprising!)

“Up here on the right is the other access to the Residential building and down to the left is the Outpost Management building.”

The cart crosses another intersection, “so up ahead is our main surface access, the big vehicle airlocks for going outside.”

The air grows cold as the cart proceeds down a tunnel and then into a large open area with a number of sealed ground vehicles and AeroStats of different types are parked. Huge doors at both ground level and overhead give testimony to the truth of Gary’s words.

Passing beyond the vehicle bay the air grows warm again, and Lia’s scent-accustomed nose picks up traces of organics mixed with chemicals from ahead.

Hydroponics Farm

The cart comes to a set of double doors that open and close and open and close for it. Beyond, the travelway continues, but Lia is now in a space that resembles a gigantic warehouse, the roof feeling quite low for the size of the floorspace. On either side, stretching rows and rows deep are racks and tanks and floor planters full of greenery, all fed by tubes and leads arrayed on a latticework of scaffolding and roof-borne trusses. Organic smells mixed with chemicals permeate this area, and a network of ducts and vents blows warm air through the area.

“So this is our hydroponics facility. As I understand it, we’re pretty self-sufficient for food here and it’s mostly fresh. We eat pretty well as a rule.”

The cart crosses an intersection.

“Down there is the livestock pens, big goat population here but we also have a piggery and a chicken farm and lots of fish.

“We even stock our little lake in the community building with fish. The Ag Bureau seeds the artificial lake with different sorts of fish, and they have different feeding habits and preferences. The trick is to find the right bait in the right place at the right time with the right sort of gear set up. Mostly it’s done for sport but some sorts of fish the Ag Bureau lets you keep and you can take them home and eat them, or a couple of the cafe’s will cook them up for you.”

The cart leaves the hydroponics building and enter another, smaller one. Garry pulls up in front of a doorway with a sign stating that this is the Agricultural Bureau offices.

Agricultural Bureau Offices

Inside is a simple reception area with an office visible behind it.

The room is empty except for a single figure at a terminal near the back.