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HRogge

While I wait for some feedback, I plan to create a couple of wiki entries for things and persons from "The Gas Station" story... here is the first one.

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Aurora Station

{{shipbox
|shipname=Aurora Station
|shipimage=
|caption=
|hull=
|length=
|width=
|height=
|mass=
|drivetype=none
|driverating=
|weapons=none
|manufacturer=ESA/JAXA, some help by Catgirl Industries
|owner=ESA/JAXA
|flag=European Union/Japan
|faction=Daneverse
|registry=Aurora-01-Pan
|datelaunched=Autumn 2018
|purpose=Helium-3 mining on Saturn
|crew=24
|supcrew=
|auxvehicles=Saturn Skipper
|status='''Active'''
}}

Built into the icy depths of the Saturn moon Pan, the Aurora station is the farthest known outpost completely owned by a Daneverse faction. The European Union and Japan started building the station in December 2017, making multiple supply runs with their fleet of ISVs to bring hundreds of tons of cargo to Pan. ESA and Jaxa had decided to hire a the Catgirl Industries space station Jenga to support the astronauts, but the station itself was designed as a pure hardtech construction which could be used as a forward base around Saturn later without Fen involvement. But someone else had different plans.

On April 19th 2018 an unknown faction attacked the construction site with a powerful kinetic weapon system. While the attack was partly deflected by a shot from Jenga, it still injured many astronauts and damaged a lot of equipment. One astronaut, Ms. Sarah Meier, had to get an emergency biomod to be rescued. Still, with the help of the catgirls and a lot of improvisation, the station was finished in late 2018.

Helium-3 mining

Aurora is part of the European Union’s and Japan’s plan to reduce their dependency on fossil fuels and nuclear fission. It is the job of Aurora’s crew to gather Helium-3 in the atmosphere of Saturn and deliver it back home with the help of the ISVs.

The station is home of an aerodynamic spaceship that use a fusion powered ramjet to dive through the atmosphere of the gas giant and gather the precious gas in its tanks. The vehicle was assembled on the station during its construction time and gathered the first Helium-3 in late 2018, which was instantly transported back on the Ferdinand Magellan to Earth.

There is enough space for a second Saturn skimmer on Aurora and the station crew is already thinking about adding a second hangar to house two more of them.

The station

Aurora is a series of tubes deep under the ice of Pan. While the original plans had called a placement of the station at a depth of thirty to fifty meters, the attack on the station forced a modification of the original layout.

The main entrance tunnel is a steel clad cylinder that leads to the hangar for the Skimmers 60 meters below the ice. Another tunnel, not parallel to the first one to mitigate any potential accident, connects the hangar to the rest of the station another 60 meters deeper below the surface. All of Aurora’s infrastructure and living space is down there, fueled by its own fusion reactor. Together with the nearly infinite amount of ice to melt and process the station can hold out on its own for a long time on its stocks.

Aurora was designed to house 32 people permanently with up to 12 additional temporary guest. Because of the damage the equipment took during the attack on Pan, ESA and JAXA officially limited it to 30 people at the moment.

The station is equipped with the latest 3D rapid prototyping hardware Europe and Japan could built in 2017. With the large storage of raw metals they bought from the Fen, the station is able to repair and duplicate most of the technology on board. One part of the local science program is about finding ways to produce replacements for everything on board, including the 3D prototyping machine itself.

The only part of the station that is on the surface of Pan is a set of large communication antennas, which allow the astronauts to get a direct connection back to Earth via radio. A smaller second tunnel connects the communication and sensor array on the surface through a curved tube with the station below the ice.

Aurora 2

While the Aurora station does not contain any Handwavium, except for the biomodded Sarah Meier, the statement is a misdirection at best. Faced with a lot of damaged or even destroyed equipment during the construction of the station, its first leader Eric Hunt decided to choose a more drastic way than he could ask Earth for.

Aurora 2 is is single Module of the space station Jenga that has been buried alongside the Aurora station to be used as an independent second living space for the crew of Aurora. While most esoteric Fen-technology has been removed from the module, it is still capable of providing artificial gravity and life support for the whole crew. In addition to this it contains a small communication room that can be used by the crew to access the Interwave and get readouts from a series of sensor satellites in above and below the rings of Saturn near Pan.

Trivia
  • Both tunnels from the surface to the station are normally closed by two large doors, one at the surface and one at the bottom. They also both point towards Saturn to make it impossible for long range bombardment to fire down the tunnel.
  • The tunnels and the hangar space are not filled with an atmosphere, but the crew is discussing to add this feature to the hangar.
  • Captain Eric Hunt is thinking about monetizing their access to their 3D printer by accepting orders from the Fen.
  • The sensor satellites are on loan from Galactic Republic on Coruscant. As part of the agreement, they receive copies of all sensor data.

HRogge

Second one, this one for Eric...

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Eric Hunt

{{Infobox Character
|name = Eric Hunt
|birth_date = Varies
|birth_place = Birmingham, Earth
|residence = Aurora Station, Pan
|nationality = British
|employer = ESA
|occupation = Commander of Aurora Station
}}

»We are delivering the fuel for cheap and clean energy for our home. That is more important than quoting this stupid regulation. So shut up and get to work!«
- Eric Hunt to a new crew member of Aurora

»One day the hero of Saturn will come back to earth... and then he will answer for a few irregularities.«
- heard in Brussel

Eric Hunt is a British Astronaut who is the commander of the Aurora station of the Saturn moon Pan.

He arrived at the moon on board of the ISV Thor Heyerdahl in December 2017, coordinating the construction of the station for ESA and JAXA. When the terror attack happened on April 19th 2017, he got additional authority to decide about the amount of repairs and modifications that were necessary to finish the job. The fact that the station was finished within the original planned timeframe gave him the reputation as a clever manager and diplomat to the local Fen.

Eric Hunt stayed on board of Aurora since the then, making it his personal job to keep the Helium-3 mining on Saturn running smoothly, denying any suggestions by ESA to transfer command of Aurora to someone else away. Rumors say he made a few powerful enemies back on Earth who want him back, but ESA doesn’t want to push the issue because some Fen factions are rumored to have job offers for Hunt.

Eric bought additional help of Catgirl Industries during the construction of the Aurora station, but it is unknown what he offered them in return. Despite all the repair materials and working hours, he is said to still have a favor he could call in.

Mundane Attributes:
  • They are guidelines, not rules. Hunt is known to ignore a lot of rules if it helps to move his current mission forward.
  • Miracle Manager. Never tell your superiors how you did it unless they specifically ask about it. Most of them care more about success than the details.

Trivia:
  • Eric likes to race around the rings and moons of Saturn with a small waved spacecraft he acquired in 2020.

HRogge

wikified...
Quote:...some Fen factions are rumored to have job offers for Hunt.
-Sometime Around 2025-
Kazuo Jenkins (On Interwave Vidphone): "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse..."
*several minutes later*
Alex Xanatos: *deadpan* "He refused, didn't he?"
Kazuo Jenkins: "... Dammit!"

HRogge

DeputyJones Wrote:
Quote:...some Fen factions are rumored to have job offers for Hunt.

-Sometime Around 2025-

Kazuo Jenkins (On Interwave Vidphone): "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse..."

*several minutes later*

Alex Xanatos: *deadpan* "He refused, didn't he?"

Kazuo Jenkins: "... Dammit!"

*SNICKER*

I think Hunt showed enough "mental flexibility" that he would easily find another job... but only if someone gives him a good reason to look for a new one. *G*

(also... HURRAY... someone replied to something 'Gas Station' related since I finished the story)
I really did enjoy the story! Had me inches from the screen anticipating the discovery of whodunit...
...Of course, I'm also near-sighted, but that aside...

HRogge

DeputyJones Wrote:I really did enjoy the story! Had me inches from the screen anticipating the discovery of whodunit...

...Of course, I'm also near-sighted, but that aside...
Thank you. Smile

I am thinking about giving ESAs catgirl also a wiki article... would you think that is a good idea?
If they're an identifiable group within the ESA, why not?
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

HRogge

robkelk Wrote:If they're an identifiable group within the ESA, why not?

Sarah is the only biomod employed by ESA, maybe even the only biomod employed by a larger Daneverse space agency... Wink

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Sarah Meier

{{Infobox Character
|name = Sarah Meier
|birth_date =
|birth_place = Cologne, Earth
|residence = Aurora Station, Pan
|nationality = German
|employer = ESA
|occupation = Crew Member of Aurora Station
}}

{{quote|Oh damned, why do the cute ones always get sharp claws!|30px|30px|Masuna Soetsu about Sarah, shortly after her Biomod}}

Sarah Meier is an ESA astronaut recruited for their Interplanetary Space Vehicle program. She left Earth on the Thor Heyerdahl in November 2017 towards Saturn. While ESA had planned to recall her back to Earth after two years, the terror strike against [[Aurora] Station changed everything.

Sarah was on the surface of Pan during the attack and got hit by a tiny remainder of the projectile, which nearly sliced of one of her legs. When she was brought to [[Jenga] only a minute later, it was clear that impossible to stabilize her before she would bleed to death. Only a quick emergency [[biomod] with a [[catgirling machine] saved her life.

After a short burst of panic, Sarah began to get used to her new biomod and continued to work at the Aurora Station construction. She became the contact between the Astronauts and the catgirls on Jenga, learning more about Fenspace and Handwavium during this time.

When Aurora Station was finished, Sarah stayed on board and officially became the pilot of the first Saturn Skimmer vehicle. In addition to this, she has been the keeper of Aurora 2 since then, doing some small maintenance jobs with some tips by the members of [[Catgirl Industries].

==Mundane Attributes==
* '''''Mental Flexibility.''''' While the events around her emergency biomod were stressful and traumatic, Sarah became used to her new body quickly.

==Wavium Abilities==
* All the normal abilities associated with catgirls created with the catgirling machine

==Trivia==
* '''''One of a kind!''''' Sarah Meier is the only known biomod employed by ESA.
* '''''Can we go faster?''''' Sarah enjoys flying. The faster it feels like, the better.
* '''''What is this SCIENCE! about?''''' Since Aurora Station became online, Sarah has been toying with the idea to experiment with Handwavium herself.

==Stories==
Sarah Meier is featured in the following stories:
* The Gas Station

{{Mundania}}
[[Category:Characters]

HRogge

Saturn Skimmer One

{{shipbox
|shipname=Saturn Skimmer One
|shipimage=
|caption=
|registry=
|hull=
|drivetype=Fusion powered jet engine, Ion Drive
|driverating=
|owner=ESA/JAXA
|purpose=Helium-3 gathering on Saturn
|datelaunched=Late 2018
|crew=1 or 2
|status='''Active'''
}}

{{quote|Like a jet plane, just with fusion power!|30px|30px|Eric Hunt about the first Saturn Skimmer}}

{{quote|I don't think you have built anything that can fly that fast in atmosphere!|30px|30px|Sarah Meier to a Fen}}

The Saturn Skimmer One is the first of a series of hybrid space/atmosphere vehicles that are used by [[Aurora] Station to gather Helium-3 in the upper atmosphere of Saturn.

While the vehicle has wings as control surfaces, it mostly relies on its fusion powered jet engine to keep its altitude in the atmosphere. Transfer between Saturn and the Aurora Station on Pan is done with a pair of Ion Engines that run on internal reaction mass.

The front of the Saturn Skimmer One has a large intake that captures atmospheric gases for the engine. Parts of this gases are sent to an internal system that separates the Helium-3 from the rest of the gases, liquify it and stores it in the ships tanks.

==Trivia==
* '''''No Handwavium, sorry.''''' Similar to Aurora Station and the [[Interplanetary Space Vehicle]s the Saturn Skimmer is a hardtech craft.
* '''''Maybe for safety?''''' The Aurora Crew is thinking about adding a small waved gravity drive to the second Saturn Skimmer to be able to get it back to the station when the hardtech drive fail.

{{Mundania}}
{{Space Ships}}