Description
As a popular center of trade, the approach vectors to Bordeaux Station are routinely clogged with battered cargo vessels. Despite the amount of currency constantly flowing through the station, its residents see credits merely as a means to an end. The station itself survived the Catastrophe with minor damage but many starved to death without ready access to food, so stockpiled goods are viewed as the mark of a savvy merchant and one who can support their family and business partners in the event of a future disaster.
Chronicle Text
When the Gaule Protectorate first reclaimed this station, they found a people that had discovered they could survive the Catastrophe and govern themselves without the aid of the government. The Protectorate swooped in to rescue their wayward children, loudly welcoming them back into the fold! So loudly, in fact, that they do not here the grumblings of dissent from the shadows. Bordeaux, the patron station of passion, artistry, and the stirrings of revolution!
Arrival Text
Statistics
System: Alpha Centauri A
Affiliation: Gaule
Level: 10
Legal: Weak
Orwellian: Moderate
Areas
Bank
Faux trees in ceramic planters are laid out in lines on the polished stone floor, forming a queue that leads to the armored teller windows set into the back wall.
The bank is a grand and old looking building, built into the foundations of the back of the station. Imported stone makes up much of the decor as well as various faux plants and colorful paintings adorning the various areas that citizens can access. A number of people queue patiently inside a credits vestibule where an android whose name tag reads Ji11 Goodacre offers polite help and advice when necessary.
NPCs
Brig
A rusting wire fence marks the station’s brig area, a leaky regocrete blockhouse stained with grime and oil. Guards with rifles chat among themselves as they walk along the sentinel platforms.
The structure is two stories tall, its flanks dotted with the off-color rectangles of filled-in windows. Visitors with slumped shoulders thread their way through a razor wire maze to approach the structure’s large riveted door. Under the gaze of armed guards, a line forms at a smaller door where documents are passed through a slot. Some raise their voices to plead with the guard on the other side, some merely wait in silence. The door opens and closes regularly as the building swallows and disgorges its visitors.
NPCs
Clones (Cloning Vats)
The entire facility smells of fresh plastic and microbicides. Dust colors the recesses of the soft black floor panels that mark a worn path from the door to the front desk.
The cloning vats sit in the center of an otherwise abandoned building. The corridors leading to the lit chambers are edged with doorways to hollow rooms thick with dust and darkness. A couple of Gaulish military personnel seem to have stopped by to check on their clones but otherwise the facility is quiet.
Available Clones
- Vat Grown clone: 33085 cr
- Premium clone: 99 bonds
Decommissioned Area (The Court of Fools)
The Court of Fools represents the vestiges of the people’s government that had ruled in the Protectorate’s absence. Situated in the deep ruins of Bordeaux, the Court resides for those who prefer life away from the ruling class.
Bright colors festoon the entire area, with faux silks and fabrics draped over the dusty detritus of the old city center and walls that are painted or lit with garish neon colors that represent the locals free and passionate spirits. Often exotic sounding rhythms and voices raised in song bounce around the buildings, pulsing with their rainbow hues and lending the entire area a manic and festive feel. In the main, this is simply a place for the more colorful and independent minded to go about their day to day. Artists and street entertainers can be seen bouncing or dancing through crowds while grinning merchants ply their wares. There are, however, whispers on the dark mesh of revolution and a court that still presides over local affairs, unbeknownst to the Protectorate.
"Galactic Destinations" Introduction
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing the songs of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!– Unknown, ancient Earth
When the Catastrophe struck, each station was affected and reacted in a different manner. It is perhaps this singular fact that has created such a tumultuous state of affairs in trying to reclaim our civilization. Concurrently, it has also given rise to a plethora of fascinating communities and locales for the enterprising traveler to explore! Galactic Destinations is proud to present The Court of Fools, a colorful and unique area borne of the events that occurred after the Catastrophe on Bordeaux station.
When the Catastrophe struck, the Gaule Protectorate that served as military and governance on Bordeaux Station, apparently believing an imminent attack was on the way, scrambled ships and personnel to fly out and meet the ‘enemy’. As the days turned into weeks and weeks turned into cycles, many of those left on Bordeaux began to wonder what had occurred. Had the Military been defeated by some unknown foe? Or was there some other reason they had stayed away? Either way, all they received as answers to their hails was the silent emptiness of space.
The people left behind moved on and life, harsh and exacting an existence as it now was, continued. Some governed, others toiled, and others provided. Life without the Protectorate to take care of them began to seem quite manageable. Then, one day, Protectorate ships landed on the station and the military marched out, reassuring the citizenry that all was well and life would soon turn back to normal as contact with the rest of the galaxy was being restored.
The provisional government of the station was afforded some small measure of respect in that they retained a voice and were free to provide feedback on the running of affairs. By and large, however, the Protectorate had stepped in to their former position as law and legislation for the station. Thus was born the Court of Fools.
The Court of Fools represents the vestiges of the people’s government that had ruled in the Protectorate’s absence. Situated in the deep ruins of Bordeaux, the Court resides for those who prefer life away from the ruling class. Whether its location is a secret, or if indeed the Protectorate turn a benevolent blind eye to the community here seems to be in question. At the time of this article, however, there seems to be a coexistence of sorts, perhaps an awkward one, but a coexistence nonetheless.
Bright colors festoon the entire area, with faux silks and fabrics draped over the dusty detritus of the old city center and walls that are painted or lit with garish neon colors that represent the locals free and passionate spirits. Often exotic sounding rhythms and voices raised in song bounce around the buildings, pulsing with their rainbow hues and lending the entire area a manic and festive feel.
In the main, this is simply a place for the more colorful and independent minded to go about their day to day. Artists and street entertainers can be seen bouncing or dancing through crowds while grinning merchants ply their wares. There are, however, whispers on the dark mesh of revolution and a court that still presides over local affairs, unbeknownst to the Protectorate.
Ronald Reagan, an emperor from Ancient Earth allegedly once said, “The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
Government Center
The Government Center is a squat and rundown building that seems to be in a state of repair. Gaulish Military personnel come and go about their business.
Gaule Military personnel walk briskly between the various rooms of the government center. While travelers can be seen conducting business with the staff, locals seem to avoid the gray, utilitarian building. When they do pass by, more often than not, the looks directed towards those within are accompanied by sneers of disdain. The staff seem oblivious to this as any underhanded looks quickly transform into thin smiles under any type of scrutiny.
Emergency Shuttle to Tau Station: 5090 cr
Inn
The sounds of laughter and singing precede the smells of alcohol and unwashed patrons. Inside, the babble of voices is laced with a variety of accents and intoxicated slurring.
Visitors in work-gear exchange friendly insults and stories with their neighbors whilst cheers and groans slide out of the back rooms as a popular pub game comes to an end. Both teams are exultant and flushed as they set up for another round.
NPCs
Bar (The Madame de Pompadour)
The Madame de Pompadour is a Gaule bar favored by the Military upper classes.
Faux wooden beams criss-cross the upper levels of the rustic Gaule tavern that seems to be the favorite haunt of a number of well dressed military types. Laughter and raucous banter permeate the atmosphere that doesn't quite resonate with the lower class staff who, when they think nobody is looking, look upon their patrons with a thinly veiled disdain.
Menu
Hotel Rooms (Hotel)
The Hotel is a squat building dressed in lively colors that sits next to the Madame de Pompadour Bar.
Sound of merriment from the nearby Madame de Pompadour drift through the windows of the hotel like an invitation to guests to come and join the fun. The hotel itself is a strange dichotomy of lively hues of red and bronze covering an otherwise sparsely decorated area. A couple of fake plants sit forlornly in the corner while a cleaning robot buzzes about the floor, happily chasing motes of dust.
Prices
- 1 day: 80.6 cr
- 5 days: 322.4 cr
- 10 days: 564.2 cr
- 30 days: 1450.8 cr
Lounge
The upstairs area of the Madame de Pompadour is a private and slightly more opulent lounge for the upper echelons of the Gaule military.
The Madame de Pompadour's lounge area is filled with white, faux leather sofas that a number of military personnel can be seen lounging on. Soft music drifts throughout the room, bouncing off walls adorned with fabrics and velvet curtains. A chrome colored serving robot bustles quietly around, taking and delivering orders.
Employment (Job Office)
The line of people looking for work is long. Hungry hands wring as desperation paints down the waxy faces of the hopeful.
Gainful employment is a need for most of Bordeaux. The employment center hums with the desire to contribute and receive payment, the need to exist and survive.
Side Jobs
This is the right place if you are looking for quick and easy jobs.
| Name | Description | Credits | Statistic |
| Brig Custodian | Walk-in work available cleaning prison cells in the brig. | 40 | Stamina |
| Cargo Inspections | Are you trustworthy? Can you count? A shift doing cargo inspections in the Port might be perfect for you. | 40 | Intelligence |
| Credits Loader | The bank is hiring muscled individuals to move credit crates for transport. Load credits to earn credits. | 40 | Strength |
| Repackaging Goods | Are you a fast worker interested in making good credits? Our legitimate business organization needs help packaging our products. | 40 | Agility |
Market
A sea of makeshift stalls and shops, the market caters to everyone from ship captains looking to fill their cargo holds to locals seeking ingredients for the day’s meal.
With so many ships docked, the market overflows into the port. Crews hawk their wares directly to the crowds, pulling crates out of their cargo holds as they’re needed. The mechanic of one lonely mid-bulk transport offers passage for nothing more than a box of soil-grown strawberries. Elsewhere, high class Protectorate officers peruse market wares, oblivious to the sneering looks of some of the more colorfully dressed vendors. Sneers which are instantly replaced with oily smiles the moment an officer looks their way.
The rear of the area is, or should have been, dominated by a large translucent wall that offers a sweeping vista of the planetoid below the station. The effect is somewhat marred, however, by the greasy and oily stains that seem to have built up on the wall after years of apparent neglect.
NPCs
Vendors
Here you can find many things sold by different vendors.
Storage
This storage area clearly sees a lot of use. A floor littered with hundreds of boot prints mirrors the number of people coming in and out of the area to access their valuables. The lockers are sturdy, but show signs of daily use with dents and scrapes along their surfaces
The loud sound of bustle and people conducting their business filters in from the nearby market area only to be enhanced by the volume of voices within this room itself. While some effort is obviously expended to keep the room relatively clean, it does not seem to be able to keep up with the flow of traffic of traders and travelers needing to access their stored goods and possessions.
- Small: ??? cr
- Medium: 483.6 cr
- Large: 1209 cr
Port
The borders of the port overflow with cargo movers and wallowing freighters. Hazard lights flash and voices blare over speakers as frenetic workers swarm around each new arrival.
The press of bodies only increases as new arrivals pour out of the port’s gates, only to be met by an equal number exiting the station. Crew and cargo struggle to remain together, with shouted curses exchanged at a furious pace in the scrum. Away from the gates, the crowds thin rapidly until the bustle of the port fades away to nothing. Those entering the station proper are afforded a view of the darkened ruins pressing in on the reclaimed areas.
NPCs
Shipping Bay
A number of cargo carriers deposit or pick up chrome colored crates throughout the shipping bay.
Ship crew and local workers mingle in this area, checking and transporting cargo to and from various ships. The air is heavy with dust and the acrid smell of ship fuel. Occasionally a high ranking Gaulish officer will stroll through the area causing some workers to pause and look at each other before shaking their heads, chuckling, and continuing their work. The officers seem oblivious to these odd moments.
Docks
Various military looking vessels are berthed at the docks with a couple of civilian cruisers making the rare appearance amongst them.
The docks of Bordeaux house a plethora of old but mighty looking military vessels, all bearing the insignia of the Gaule Protectorate on their hulls. The smaller, civilian vessels that can occasionally be spotted squatting beside them look small and insignificant by comparison. Various personnel and crew-members can be seen hurrying to and fro as well as the odd group of lower class inhabitants, easily identifiable by their gypsy-like garb, who watch the whole affair with mild bemusement.
Local Shuttles
The bulk of travelers utilizing the local shuttles are traders. The waiting rooms hold a number of people patiently queuing to board whichever vessel is ready to next depart.
Ruins
There is a stillness in the majority of the station. Dark windows and dusty streets show how few survive outside the well-lit habzone.
Every door and window in the ruins rests open and dark, with empty food containers and torn wrappers protruding from their cocoon of dust. Footprints break the illusion of timelessness in the empty apartments and still businesses. A flash of white occasionally reaches up from the monotonous gray, curving ribs or skull a bleak reminder of what remains buried. The buildings themselves bear little damage and only the most fragile fixtures have drooped or shattered.
NPCs
Gym (Training Area)
Refurbished machines sit haphazardly between mirrored walls. Yellowed plastics and spots of rust betray the age of the ancient equipment.
The training area faces silvered mirrors on one side and an observation window on the other. Many of the people here watch themselves as they exercise, but the view of the station through the window is difficult to ignore for others. Darkened ruins loom above and in the distance, while below throngs of people can be seen bustling back and forth between the port and the market.
You must have minimum combined physical stats of 39 to avoid injury at this gym.
NPCs
Notes
Bordeaux Station has no Sick Bay. Anyone who dies here will respawn into a clone.
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