5-003: GRRAS Elevator Bank 000

Pushing the trolley is within Chris’ skill set.

While there are a lot of weapons in evidence on GRRAS they seem to be the province of the Legion Guards and the Wardens.  Oliver could probably have been armed for the trip departing the ship, but should not carry weapons around the station in future.  There were lots of Legionnaires about in the docking bay area, but only those on guard duty were carrying.  Oliver’s eidetic memory allows him to note the codes being spoken.

Oliver is unlikely to notice anyone taking a particular interest in him (but give me a roll); the ratio of female-to-male Legion members is about usual.

  

The Elevator

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.

  

  

  

Exposition – Gender Roles in the Dominion

Fyi, it’s roughly 58% male 42% female across the Legion (the differential likely being due to something about boys being attracted to guns…).  But there are variations within areas of the Legion, for example:  At the Officer level it’s roughly 50%-50%, Naval spacecraft crews have higher-than-average proportions of women (particularly among long-range patrol craft).  

The Dominion might be a controlling, militarised dictatorship, but it is an egalitarian one and the idea that one sex is superior to another is not generally part of the social paradigm.  Were an individual to hold such a view it would likely be considered somewhere along the continuum of:  Eccentricity -> Odious Personal Habit -> Mental Illness.  Precisely where on the continuum would likely depend on the individual’s social class and the degree to which those beliefs translated to actions.  There is a lot more social homogeneity with regard to feminine and masculine roles, with a pragmatic acknowledgment that there are biological differences between the sexes.  For example (noting that the Dominion generally has a high level of social pressure that people work and contribute somehow):

• Women have to have time off to carry and give birth to children (TL 9 allows for children to be transplanted to artificial wombs if needed, but that’s not generally considered an efficient use of resources when a live womb will do the job just fine);
  • Regarding child rearing, it’s as common for fathers to help raise their children as mothers, but it’s more likely the kid will go into a state-run crèche for 7 Cycles out of 10 and the parents will go back to work.  
• there are a small number of jobs (mostly in the lower-tech common habitats) where males’ generally higher strength and endurance is an advantage and these tend to have higher proportions of males
• there are a small number of jobs where females’ generally lower life-support requirements and adaptability to long-term close social conditions is an advantage and these tend to have higher proportions of females

[end side bar]

 

Level 100

On level 100 the elevator stops and the doors open.  This is a very large lobby area.  To the left 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 quite busy.

The Wardens escorting the group do security deployment things and the group is led straight across the lobby to platform with a waiting a passenger pod being guarded by yet another Warden. The Senior Warden and the guard exchange recognition codes and everyone files into the pod.

The pod is capsule-shaped and runs by an internal electric motor driving wheels along three tracks spaced around the pod’s diameter.  There are doors at either end on both sides.  Inside are two rows of ten seats along the sides of the interior with luggage bins in the middle.  A control pillar by each door indicates the pod is currently under ‘Warden Priority.’  The Senior Warden pushes a touch-screen button for ‘Vizierate Main Offices’.  The doors close and the pod rolls away from the platform and into a tunnel.  The pod has view windows, but the tunnels are mostly dark, with only a red light zooming past periodically.

  

Vizierate Main Offices      

Presently the pod begins to slow, there is a sense of a slight direction change and the pod emerges from the tunnel and pulls up at another large travel pod station.

An illuminated sign announces this as ‘Vizierate Main Offices (000-100A-02550+0020)‘

A pair of Wardens are waiting on the platform.  The Senior Warden again exchanges recognition codes and leads the group off the platform into a foyer area.  It’s a big foyer area, 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.

The Senior Warden leads down the left-hand corridor toward where Oliver remembers Frederick’s office to be.

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 would make travel faster, but the Warden leading the group declines to use them, continuing at a purposeful, steady walk.  There is some other traffic, but people give your armed escort a wide berth.  

It’s a long walk, about half a kilometer, before reaching a cross corridor marked only as 000-100A-03050+0100.

The Senior Warden turns left and presents his tags to the security doors.  They open and beyond is the foyer to Frederick’s suite of offices.

Vizant Melody is standing up from her desk waiting.  She and the Senior Warden exchange authorisation codes.

She address the Senior Warden and says, “Thank you.  If Vizier Richard is happy, we can take it from here.”

She looks at Dicard, who shrugs and nods.

At that, the Warden escort withdraws and the security doors close behind them.

Melody says, “He’ll be ready for you shortly.  If you’d like to take a seat in the waiting lounge in the mean time?”

She gestures to a room just off the entrance area, with large couches, a low table and a small kitchenette at the far end.

Dicard will lead the way into the lounge and help himself to a water.  Chris follows and wheels the trolley in, leaves it slightly awkwardly just inside the door and flops down onto a couch, putting his feet up on one of the tables.

Would Oliver like to do or say anything?    NB: I’ll probably spend a few posts like this and the last one scene-setting and then we’ll get a bit more interactive.