Captain Hesperus
Harbinger of the End Times and Apostle of Ghan
The Earth has had artificial satellites and orbital platforms circling it since the very birth of Mankind's move into space. Some platforms are entirely scientific, like the Daedalus Orbital Research Environment (DORE), while others were strictly military, such as the now-lost Orbital Station: Bastion. Some few are habitats, where humans live 22,000 miles above the Earth. But none of these habitats match Orbital Station: Gateway.
No-one can be sure as to the original creators of the station, the Director AI remains closed-lipped about the circumstances of the station's creation and placement into orbit. Some crack-pot conspiracy theorists claim there is evidence that the station has been in orbit for decades and that it was in fact an experimental terrestrial science and technology-focused city that somehow ended up in space. These theorists don't tend to find much credence, their theories just don't hold water.
But still...
There are some strange things about the station that have still not been adequately explained. For instance, when the station originally came into the public attention, it was when MEDIA Director started advertising industrial and scientific facilities for sale or rent. Alongside that, she also offered housing for corporate staff, as well as retail facilities to support the community. But the station became a focus of attention at the outset of the Tha'Kar invasion. When Orbital Station Bastion fell and Central Europe was being overrun, MEDIA again opened communication, encouraging refugees to leave Earth and fly to the station. There, people would be re-homed and helped to settle down.
When the first refugees arrived, clutching what few possessions they could salvage from their homes, they found a virtual utopia. They found what looked like an Earth city, with free-standing buildings, streets and city utilities, though they were all in an older architectural style, as if it had been built long before the initial offer for companies to begin operating there.
Each family was found a fully-furnished home, be it an apartment or a house, commensurate for the size of their family and these homes, while appearing to be in a quite outdated style, were spacious and comfortable. Each home was rented to the UEF government by the Director AI, so that the new inhabitants could settle in and find peace. The refugees gave back by seeking employment or starting businesses. Many went into the construction projects that Gateway had undertaken to expand itself, building new and larger shuttle bays, spaceship docks and additional wings and rings around the central habitation dome.
Now, ten years after that huge influx, the station has expanded significantly beyond the original domed city, now incorporating several experimental structures conceived by SCIENCE DIrector and kept a closely guarded secret. SCIENCE, when asked, has said that the new structures would be a way to advance human development in as-yet unforeseen ways.
Orbital Station: Gateway is not a part of the UEF, instead the Director AI has indicated that it is an allied, but independent, location in orbit around Earth. Additionally, Gateway has no native population. CIVIC Director has gone on record to state that no one, not even those born on Gateway would be considered native citizens of Gateway. They would be natives of wherever their parents were born. Further to this, the Director retains ownership of almost all of Orbital Station: Gateway's buildings and public spaces. These it rents out at affordable prices, the revenue of which goes to fund the various construction projects the station has running. Some few companies and exceptionally rich individuals have successfully bought their properties, but the prices were rumored to be astronomical. Regardless of that, these freeholders still have to pay for UTILITY Director to provide and maintain their electrical, gas, water and waste services.
No-one can be sure as to the original creators of the station, the Director AI remains closed-lipped about the circumstances of the station's creation and placement into orbit. Some crack-pot conspiracy theorists claim there is evidence that the station has been in orbit for decades and that it was in fact an experimental terrestrial science and technology-focused city that somehow ended up in space. These theorists don't tend to find much credence, their theories just don't hold water.
But still...
There are some strange things about the station that have still not been adequately explained. For instance, when the station originally came into the public attention, it was when MEDIA Director started advertising industrial and scientific facilities for sale or rent. Alongside that, she also offered housing for corporate staff, as well as retail facilities to support the community. But the station became a focus of attention at the outset of the Tha'Kar invasion. When Orbital Station Bastion fell and Central Europe was being overrun, MEDIA again opened communication, encouraging refugees to leave Earth and fly to the station. There, people would be re-homed and helped to settle down.
When the first refugees arrived, clutching what few possessions they could salvage from their homes, they found a virtual utopia. They found what looked like an Earth city, with free-standing buildings, streets and city utilities, though they were all in an older architectural style, as if it had been built long before the initial offer for companies to begin operating there.
Each family was found a fully-furnished home, be it an apartment or a house, commensurate for the size of their family and these homes, while appearing to be in a quite outdated style, were spacious and comfortable. Each home was rented to the UEF government by the Director AI, so that the new inhabitants could settle in and find peace. The refugees gave back by seeking employment or starting businesses. Many went into the construction projects that Gateway had undertaken to expand itself, building new and larger shuttle bays, spaceship docks and additional wings and rings around the central habitation dome.
Now, ten years after that huge influx, the station has expanded significantly beyond the original domed city, now incorporating several experimental structures conceived by SCIENCE DIrector and kept a closely guarded secret. SCIENCE, when asked, has said that the new structures would be a way to advance human development in as-yet unforeseen ways.
Orbital Station: Gateway is not a part of the UEF, instead the Director AI has indicated that it is an allied, but independent, location in orbit around Earth. Additionally, Gateway has no native population. CIVIC Director has gone on record to state that no one, not even those born on Gateway would be considered native citizens of Gateway. They would be natives of wherever their parents were born. Further to this, the Director retains ownership of almost all of Orbital Station: Gateway's buildings and public spaces. These it rents out at affordable prices, the revenue of which goes to fund the various construction projects the station has running. Some few companies and exceptionally rich individuals have successfully bought their properties, but the prices were rumored to be astronomical. Regardless of that, these freeholders still have to pay for UTILITY Director to provide and maintain their electrical, gas, water and waste services.
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