Station Stygian Reaches UAP Universal Astrogational Platform

[AutoFox]

UNIVERSAL ASTROGATIONAL PLATFORM

AFFILIATION
Open market.

MANUFACTURER
Frontier Fabrications Unlimited.

CLASS
Space station.

ROLE
Hyperspace beacon.

COMPOSITION
Durasteel and transparisteel.

DIMENSIONS
Length - 40 meters.

CREW
0-2.

PASSENGER CAPACITY
1.

CARGO CAPACITY
80 standard tons.

HANGAR CAPACITY
N/A.

CONSUMABLES
1 standard year.

SPEED/MANEUVERABILITY
Stationary.

ARMAMENT

• 1x tractor beam projector.

EQUIPMENT

• 1x long-range communication suite.
• 1x long-range sensor suite.
• 2x navicomputer.
  • 1x primary, 1x backup.
• 2x docking ring with integrated docking tube.
• 4x computer probe arm.
• 1x 3-being escape pod.

DESCRIPTION​

The UAP Universal Astrogation Platform is a model of small space station manufactured by Frontier Fabrications Unlimited, a large corporation based nominally in the Satrapy of the Frontier Territories, with affiliated production facilities on worlds across the know Stygian Reaches. One of the most ubiquitous models of space platform in the Reaches, the UAP can be found in the majority of inhabited systems which maintain contact with a starfaring civilization, and in a few with no local population, where they stand lonely watch guiding ships along more remote hyperspace routes. These small stations serve much the same purpose as the coastal lighthouses of many pre-spaceflight civilizations.

UAPs are essentially hyperspace beacons, fixed platforms which provide course calculations for ships traveling through hyperspace. Although conceptually obsolete in much of the old Galaxy due to the ubiquity of shipboard navicomputers, the UAP provides a vital service in the Stygian Reaches, where most ships do not have such sophisticated technology and numerous hazards to astrogation require up-to-date information to keep travelers safe. UAPs are perhaps unique in that they can accommodate a crew, who live aboard the station in shifts and provide sentient oversight to the onboard systems. The station is equipped with robust sensor and communication systems, and usually transmit course instructions via subspace to passing ships; under certain conditions, however, a physical linkage is required to transfer accurate data, which is facilitated by computer probes on articulated arms which can plug into ships which pull alongside.

UAPs can be fully automated, which is often preferable in low-traffic areas of the Reaches. In high-traffic areas, however, or in regions where local conditions result in a high failure rate for automated systems, a crew will be placed aboard to ensure smooth operation.

UAPs are equipped with consumables for up to a year, although crews are usually changed out every 4 to 6 months. Due to the extreme isolation inherent in serving aboard a beacon station, stories of crews turning on one-another or succumbing to mental breakdowns are not uncommon.

LEGALITY​

Legal. UAP stations exist in many inhabited systems.

INTENT​

To create a space station for the Stygian Reaches which functions something like an old lighthouse, complete with keepers.

RESTRICTIONS​

UAPs are only manufactured in the Stygian Reaches, and are generally only used there, being an obsolete concept in the old Galaxy.