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System - Marduk
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BOB Hello there Sir

Reference Manual: Halberd Salvage and Rescue

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Reference Manual: Halberd Salvage and Rescue

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BOB (LINK)

Image - Marduk Highport

BOB The orbital component of Marduk's starport is officially named Marduk Highport, but is usually referred to as Marduk High. It is not a large facility but has been refurbished several times since it was built in the early 700s, with some sections expanded or entirely replaced. The highport consists of a central business, recreation, administration and accommodation section with four docking sections. Each serves a different function.

BOB The Restricted Arm is used exclusively by the highport operator's own vessels. These are all sublight (non-jumpcapable) vessels which carry out routine maintenance, convey supplies and equipment from the downport, and undertake similar utility tasks. There are also a couple of rescue cutters which can be used to assist vessels in distress, as well as berths for the Highport Defence Squadron. This consists of two 400-ton system defence boats and a dozen or so fighters. The Highport Defence Squadron represents a fairly modest combat capability and could not take on a major warship. It is more than enough, however, to ensure that a pirate raid on the port results in enough damage to the attackers to be unviable. The squadron mostly serves as a deterrent but occasionally has to intercept a suspect ship getting too close to the port and its shipping lanes.

BOB The defensive craft are backed up by batteries of missile launchers on the port itself, creating a defended region around the port. However, neither the defence squadron nor the missile batteries have any responsibility for the planet (other than the downport) nor for protecting vessels beyond the station's missile range. An attack on some distant part of the planet would normally be ignored (it happens quite frequently) and there might be no response to an attack on a ship unless it managed to get well within missile range. Missiles are expensive, and the port authority's remit is to protect its own property and ships that are within the defended zone, and nothing more. The Commercial Arm caters to medium-sized merchant ships and liners. Its passenger terminals are well appointed and comfortable, creating a good impression among visitors. Most ships stop over for a day or two at least, granting passengers a chance to get outside the ship and enjoy entertainment not available aboard. The Commercial Arm has a modest array of shops, bars, restaurants and entertainment facilities, and for many visitors this is enough to occupy their stay. However, those intending to stay for more than a couple of days, or who desire greater variety of food and entertainment, usually take a shuttle to the downport. The shuttle service runs to and from the Commercial Arm, making transit quick and convenient. The Commercial Arm also has auction houses where cargoes are bought and sold, along with the offices of the port's few freight and cargo brokers. Relatively little cargo changes hands here however; most goods are shipped through to destinations outside the Oghma Cluster. Bulk freighters and similar very large ships are handled by the LVA or Large Vessel Arm. The LVA can dock only two ships at a time, but it is very rare that more than one will be present at any given time. Most bulk freighters simply refuel and move on, a process that takes a few hours plus however long the crew require for portside liberty. There is no money to be made hanging around backwater ports like Marduk, so most ships stay at most a day before moving on, and grant their crew an extended liberty at major ports where there is largescale trading or bulk unloading to be done. On rare occasions, large military ships (generally from the Imperium) come through and use the LVA facility if they choose to dock. Most do not, however, and instead make use of the LVA's extensive shuttle terminal, which is also used by freighters that prefer to take up orbit near the station and make whatever transfers are needed by shuttle. Small ships and general freight vessels are directed to the Main Arm, which handles the largest number of ships of any of the highport's facilities. Facilities in this part of the station are more basic than the Commercial Arm, since people who travel aboard free traders and similar vessels tend not to be as well off as those using larger commercial vessels. Once aboard the highport, visitors can transfer to the main section or cross to the Commercial Arm and take a shuttle to the surface. The highport enforces a 'sidearms only' weapons policy, which translates to a ban on any weapon larger than a handgun or of greater destructive power. Pistols and most hand weapons are legal, but any gun held in both hands or capable of automatic fire is prohibited. The same rules apply at the downport, and there is no mechanism in place for weapons to be transferred planetside aboard the port's shuttles. The only place to go on-planet, at least according to the port authority, is the downport which has the same weapon prohibitions as the orbital station.

Story: 1.07a. Marduk Highport

BOB Marduk Downport was custom-built on an artificial island raised from the coastal seabed for the purpose of housing it. The island is significantly larger than required for a starport, and also houses a small town of a few thousand people plus a small (maritime) port.

BOB The starport component rarely sees actual starships. Far more commonly, ships proceed to the orbital port and personnel who want to go planetside take a shuttle from there. However, GeDeCo ships do sometimes proceed directly to the downport, and sometimes a vessel is granted permission to land if requested. It is normally necessary to either present a landing code (in which case no further questions are asked since the landing has already been authorised by GeDeCo) or give a good reason why it should be permitted. The downport is still fairly busy, with shuttles going to and from the orbital port every hour and transport barges carrying freight and supplies both ways. Most of this freight is food being sent from the surface to the highport, or imported items such as spares for the port's machinery being brought down from orbit. Security, in terms of customs inspections and related legislation, is fairly light at the downport since almost all traffic comes in through the orbital facility or else has been cleared as a trusted vessel by GeDeCo. There is no real dividing line between the downport's reception terminal and Marduk Startown, as the settlement is called. The Startown receives a lot of visitors and has a wide range of entertainment facilities. Indeed, much of its income is generated from passing trade, and there is little industry beyond what is needed to support the portside business. The exception to this is the extensive fishing fleet operated out of the maritime port. Much of the food served in the restaurants of the orbital and planetside ports, plus the supplies bought by passing starships to replenish their galley stocks, comes from the fishing fleet. This consists mostly of industrial trawlers, with a few smaller vessels, and operates over quite a wide area. A deep-sea trawler can be at sea for a couple of weeks at a time, but will almost certainly not visit any of the island groups inhabited by locals. The indigenous population are generally left alone for the simple reason that there is nothing to be gained by visiting them and since they are often hostile, a visit can be perilous. Occasionally a boat is lost. The sea is always dangerous, and there are rumours of giant squid-like creatures from the deep that may attack a vessel. There is, however, no proof that these creatures actually exist or that they pose any threat if they do. It is known that while raiders from Oghma will not attack the port or anything near it, they have occasionally raided a fishing vessel for its technical crews. A small maritime transportation fleet also operates out of Marduk Startown. This plies an area between the downport and a natural harbour on the mainland coast. The region around it is simply known as the Near Coast and has a scattering of small settlements. These are not inhabited by locals; they are farms and ranches run by personnel from the downport and provide food for the startown as well as the ports, with a fair amount left over for sale to passing starships. The Near Coast is the only mainland area that has been tamed or even explored. Away from the farmed region the mainland is a wilderness.

Image - Pandrisha Advert

BOB The Travellers' ship (whether it is their own or a liner they are travelling aboard does not make any difference at this point) arrives in the Marduk system after a week in jump and proceeds towards the highport. Traffic control makes contact quickly and efficiently, directing the vessel to a berth on the appropriate arm. The port is not particularly large but is clearly in good repair and well-maintained. A couple of utility craft are busy around the port, and there may be a fighter or two on patrol. Traffic is fairly light, with just one or two ships in system. It is standard practice for passengers to be given a quick 'how to stay out of trouble at this port of call' briefing by a crewmember or automated announcement before disembarking, and smart Travellers tend to do something similar aboard their own ship. The briefing for Marduk is fairly straightforward, with the following key points: * Transit to the planetary surface is by way of highport shuttles only. * Sidearms and hand weapons are permitted on the port and groundside, but nothing heavier. Similarly, light personal body armour of a discreet nature is acceptable but anyone trying to come in with cloth or heavier armour will be refused entry. * The same rules apply at the downport and its associated city, and there is nowhere else to go onplanet. * A fairly standard list of probitions on stealing, violence and murder are in place. * There are no unusual restrictions on items brought in, but licenses are required to sell sensitive goods such as weapons, starship parts, advanced electronics and the like.

BOB First impressions are generally good. The port's customs and security people are smartly dressed, polite and efficient, and unless the Travellers are deliberately difficult then getting through customs is not a problem. The port does have some good weapons and contraband scanners; it would be very difficult to get anything illegal through but it could possibly be done with a Very Difficult (12+) Stealth check. Customs and entry is quickly handled and the Travellers are then free to explore the orbital station or head straight down to the planet. The port has a couple of hotels and some longer-term accommodation available, plus the usual assortment of shops, bars and restaurants. There is enough here to keep visitors amused for a couple of days, but little more than that. Anyone seeking a greater variety of entertainment - not to mention fresh air and a chance to go outside - is directed to the downport shuttle service. If the Travellers want to spend some time at the orbital station, there is no reason not to let them have some fun. Side adventures might present themselves, or the Travellers might make some useful contacts. However, sooner or later they will proceed planetside and the adventure can begin in earnest.

BOB The highport-to-downport shuttle service is safe, cheap and efficient (Cr50 each way), though the craft are not high-performance models. Transit to the surface can take two to three hours, with coming back up taking about 50% longer. The variance stems mainly from the fact that the highport is not in a geosynchronous orbit; it would not be possible to go 'straight up' or 'straight down' even if it were; shuttles loop around the planet in a series of descending orbits that pass over most of the world's uninhabited continents and seas. The shuttle has a small cargo bay, passenger area and crew section separated by internal bulkheads. Normally only the passenger area is accessible to non-crew, and operations are sufficiently routine that no stewards are carried. Nor do the crew interact with the passengers except to pass on announcements when necessary. The whole setup is as mundane as a bus service, and usually about as exciting. The shuttle Pandrisha is by no means new, but seems well-maintained. The passenger area has airline-style seating for about two thirds of its length, with a small common area with a drinks-and-snacks machine. Apart from the toilet facilities there is nowhere to go from here - the hatches to the cargo area and the bridge are routinely kept locked in flight. Full details of the shuttle can be found on below.

BOB There are three other passengers, as well as the Travellers. Two are humans (a middle-aged man and a young woman) and one is a Vargr. The Vargr population of the Trojan Reach is small compared to the number of humans, but there are still significant numbers living in mixed populations or Vargr-only enclaves on various worlds. The passengers are detailed here:

Spacecraft - Shuttle Pandrisha

NPC's

Image -Evan Gar'Harzvn Sanderson

Image - Phynan Trevix

Image - Karine Lukowiak

Table: Trade Goods

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