Chapter #3Welcome to Space Station 42 by: hedkrakka   Your character has been selected for a position on the human space station 42. Before we get to deciding who she is, perhaps we could take a moment to decide what kind of station she will be serving on.
Is this a research station? Humanity is a relatively recent addition to the Galactic community, but has proven to be quite ingenious. Dangerously so, many believe, but it hasn't stopped many species from establishing embassies and research treaties with this oft-times disturbing species. Is the MC a brave, or perhaps nervous, scientist heading for such an opportunity? Or is she merely a functionary, there to enable the facility to continue to function and the research team to conduct their work without worrying about such matters as food?
Is this a diplomatic outpost? Humanity entered the stars at a rather terrible time, often referred to as the War in Heaven. Two of the great empires of old had begun a Galaxy spanning conflict, with the victor claiming the whole of inhabited space as their prize. However, neither race had expected the rise of the Earthlings. Even after their homeworld was enslaved, the Humans continued to fight back with a tenacity none had been expecting.
Defeat, casualties, enslavement, nothing seemed to end the human will to be masters of their own destiny. As their partisans bled their enemies white, the free worlds constructed massive fleets, bending their every ounce of brilliance and cruel ingenuity to developing an unstoppable force. It took three generations (by human measurements), but at long last the Earthlings reclaimed their home and shattered the Empires of Old.
On the one hand, the Galaxy breathed a sigh of relief, as a hundred species no longer lived in fear. On the other, the millennia old order has ended, and the universe stands on the edge of an unknown future. Many fear the Earthlings will install themselves as the new overlords of inhabited space, while others fear they won't. Then what?
The Earthlings first move in the wake of their shocking victory was a rather unorthodox one. They constructed Space Station 42, a sprawling monolith capable of supporting a population in the millions. They then invited all species able to do so to send ambassadors and establish embassies. They claim the aim is peaceful coexistence, but who knows what these maniacs truly have in mind?
Is the MC one such ambassador? Or perhaps she's an aide, or minor functionary? Perhaps a reporter, eager to find a story to wow her fans back home? Or maybe she's just a general nobody, hoping to make her way in this strange new world?
Is this a trade outpost? The worlds of the Galaxy are loaded with many lavish resources and untold treasures, but the distribution is anything but even. Many species rely on things which are exceedingly rare HERE, but very common over THERE. And if one group's trash is another group's gold?
Well, that's where the real money can be made.
Wolden-Dorff Dressler understands this simple truth better then anyone. Arguably the most successful corporation in the Galaxy, they were the ones who developed a cost-effective form of planetary terraforming, what is often referred to as a Shake-and-Bake colony. They've pioneered new mining practices, efficient FTL technology, established the Util as the Galactic currency, and are largely responsible for humanity's expansion across the stars.
They've also been accused of starting proxy wars, debt slavery, chattel slavery, occasional genocide, extremely exploitative work and environmental practices, and talking on their cell phones while in a movie theatre. They of course deny all such accusations, and such is their wealth and power in human space that the Federation government refuses any calls to investigate the monolithic corporate giant.
Indeed, many worlds and systems are owned outright by the corporation, and the bulk of the Federation's Utils and raw resources are owned by either WDD or a subsidiary, but the real jewel in the Board's crown is their massive and complex network of trade outposts. Lying on the nexus points of the slip stream tunnels and equipped with large merchant fleets, nearly every good in human space is transported on a WDD vessel, for a fee of course. As befitting their importance, the stations are lavishly appointed, and the posts on board are high paying and fiercely contested.
However, Space Station 42 is not one such station.
42 sits at the entrance of the dark nebula known simply as Nowhere. The nebula proved to simultaneously be shockingly rich in intelligent life and distressingly bare in any valuable resources. Public outcry against WDD's vile business practices, whether true or not, has at last forced the glacial Federation congress to issue a law forbidding the corporation's direct interference with the other intelligent races of the Galaxy.
This has left Space Station 42 in a bit of a rough spot, as it represents a considerable investment with no real means of making a return on it. What few resources are within reach are now off limits in the wake of the new law, and there aren't many opportunities for expansion in the area. Many in the corp are calling for the potential money sink to be shut down, while others wish to keep the facility running even at a small profit, at least until the company recoups its investment. So far, there are no voices saying that this backwater can be made profitable.
Or is there one?
Perhaps the MC is the new station master, getting her foot in the door by accepting the post no one wanted, eager to prove she can bring this place back in the black? Or maybe she's lower down the corporate ladder? IT? Security? A mechanic, perhaps? Or maybe an independent, opening a small business on the station's docking ring? The only limit is your imagination, after all.
So, which is it?  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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