Description
Orwell Stronghold is a 'waystation' of Benevolent Dynamics. The entire station is under the sole jurisdiction of the aforementioned independent technocracy and is a haven for the scientific community. This particular station's main purpose is to study the flares caused by the system's erratic suns though a large number of different research projects are also conducted here.
Chronicle text
Known locally as a Benevolent Dynamics ‘waystation’, this facility is under the autonomous jurisdiction of the aforementioned independent technocracy. Officially, Benevolent Dynamics conducts research on the nearby flaring red dwarf of UV Ceti. Unofficially, Orwell Stronghold holds any number of ongoing research projects and scientific investigations. The station’s BeDyne facilitators like to maintain the perception that here is a bastion of truth and discovery to ease one’s travels through the unknown of the Black. Orwell Stronghold, patron station of distantly shimmering lights, guiding you on through the darkness ahead.
Arrival text
Statistics
System: L 726-8 A
Affiliation: Independent
Level: 13
Legal: Strong
Orwellian: High
Areas
Bank
Impressive looking technology seems to be the theme of this bank, with customers quite often requiring very little human interaction to complete their transactions.
Various hologramatic displays and a plethora of similarly lit devices light the entire building up in an almost otherworldly array of neon colors. Customers complete their transactions with minimal interaction and usually with a number of small waves in the air as they interact with interfaces only visible to their CORETECHS. A number of smiling Benevolent Dynamics employees pace the floor but their services are only rarely required, and, more often than not, it is to help someone new to the station in connecting to the systems.
Brig
The local brig never holds people for very long as most serious criminals are transported off-station quite quickly.
BeDyne security tends to deal with anyone causing trouble quite quickly and efficiently, transporting them off Orwell Stronghold with little fuss or trouble. The only real residents of the brig are the occasional scientist who got into a heated (and often inebriated) argument over some theorem and needs a place to sleep it off before being politely but firmly asked to move on in the morning. Blinking displays and robotic wardens keep track of any current occupants and the cells are kept secure with state of the art technology.
Clones
A vast array of clone vats that extend high up to the ceiling and are moved around by an impressive looking robotic device.
A trio of gleaming, robotic arms moves vats around the room depending on their current gestation period and customer needs. Holographic displays extend out of each vat painting their vital statistics and other information onto the air before them. Benevolent Dynamics employees walk around the room, administering to their silent 'customers' occasionally followed by one of the arms like some gigantic, metallic puppy when they require a particular pod moved or brought down.
Available Clones
NPCs
Employment (Employment Center)
A chrome plated building with dozens of holographic displays on its surfaces, advertising a number of employment opportunities within.
The employment center lights the entire area in a neon chromatic glimmer from the employment advertisements that festoon its surface. Locals and travelers often stop to peruse the commercials before stepping inside the building to pursue one of the aforementioned opportunities.
Career Advisory
The career Advisory is a very plain room with a small omni-reality node set in the ceiling. The entirety of people's interaction happens in the digital world.
A strange scene greets most people from the outside of the Career Advisory, as everyone withing the room is simply standing still and staring into the distance with a glazed expression. In truth, Benevolent Dynamics has been making breakthroughs into omni-reality engine technology and has begun utilizing it on their stations. Orwell Stronghold, being what they refer to as a 'way-station', has access to this experimental tech. The career advisory is actually accessed by stepping into the digital realm of the Omni-Reality Engine and interacting with a completely immersive experience to guide and access one through their chosen career path.
Discreet Work
A dark corridor with a hidden omni-reality node is all that one needs for access to discreet work on a Benevolent Dynamics way-station.
Those looking to access some 'off the records' type work on Orwell Stronghold take a turn off one of the corridors of the Employment Center and pretend to lean against a dark and comfy looking wall while accessing the hidden omni-reality node nearby. The arrangement doesn't really fool anyone but is convenient enough to allow BeDyne security to ignore and allow those needing to make a quick credit easy and private access.
Side Jobs
An android oversees the bank of hologramatic monitors that serves to distribute side jobs to various people.
| Name | Description | Credits | Statistic |
| Crowd Control | Dr Miro Kesh is running an experiment on what he calls, 'crowdian motion'. Assist him in selecting his control group. | 55 | Agility x3 |
| Omni-Reality Check | Omni-Reality technology is still in its early stages. Help maintain these new machines. | 55 | Intelligence x3 |
| Robot, Paper, Scissors | An unnamed engineer has fallen behind on their tasks. Will you help them calibrate some robots? | 55 | Agility x3 |
NPCs
Government Center
A hologramatic banner floating above the entrance of the Government Center reads, "Welcome to Orwell Stronghold, a Benevolent Dynamics way-station!"
The interior of the government center is decorated from wall to wall with hologramatic displays of a number of 'ancient' human technologies, scientific discoveries, and famous figures. One wall displays an erratic looking male named 'Albert Einstein,' while a hallway showcases the biography and accomplishments of Maya von Christova, the founder and lead scientist of Benevolent Dynamics. The staff are a mixture of human and android and are always friendly and professional to all travelers in need.
NPCs
Gym
A number of rooms given to helping scientists maintain a good balance of body and mind.
While any number of training types and equipment can be found here, most Benevolent Dynamics staff seem to enjoy the slow and flowing motions of some type of martial discipline. They can be seen following a holographic trainer as they flow from one 'form' to another.
You must have minimum combined physical stats of 48 to avoid injury at this gym.
Inn (The Ada Lovelace)
The Ada Lovelace, named after a historical figure hailed as one of the mothers of modern computing, is one of the more prestigious inns on Orwell Stronghold.
The Ada Lovelace is home to Bar Ada, the Lovelace Lounge and some of the best hotel rooms in the galaxy. Visitors will enjoy the highest tech and some of the most breathtaking views available in this quadrant while being afforded the experience of relaxing and continuing their research at the same time.
Bar (Bar Ada)
A drinking establishment where Benevolent Dynamics scientists come to unwind while they continue to work on their research.
Every surface area of the Lovelace Lounge is, in actuality, a holographic terminal hub. Many of the walls hold displays of scientific theorems and equations that patrons enjoy puzzling over while tables often showcase a more personal quandary that a customer will puzzle over while sipping on their beverage. The ceilings of the establishment are fitted with giant screens that show a dimmed view of the exterior of the station, allowing one to view the occasional flares that plague the system.
Menu
NPCs
Hotel Rooms
The guest rooms of the Ada Lovelace are packed with the latest in high tech amenities and robotic staff.
Auto contouring beds and ceilings that double as hologramatic displays of any required terminal type or even an outside of the station itself are just some examples of what guests can enjoy when they spend a night at the Ada Lovelace. Robotic staff are programmed with the most polite simulated sentience and will cater to a customer's every need.
Prices
- 1 day: 101.80 cr
- 5 days: 407.20 cr
- 10 days: 712.60 cr
- 30 days: 1832.40 cr
You should have minimum intelligence of 16.5 to avoid injury while reading.
Lounge (The Lovelace Lounge)
The Lovelace Lounge can be found in the upper floors of the Ada Lovelace and offers a more social setting for those looking to relax.
Soothing music and a view of the stars, occasionally interrupted by the gently dimmed glare of the star's flares, allows visitors here to really relax and feel a part of the cosmos (the various beverages help to enhance this feeling too). The area is washed with a lulling violent luminescence that, after diligent research, was found to be best at promoting the desired mental state.
You should have minimum social of 16.5 to avoid injury while socializing.
NPCs
Market
The market is a multi-leveled spire of a building with external walkways and moving platforms affording dizzying views of the station below as well as the system without.
The spire shaped building that makes up the market is truly a testament to the scientific ingenuity of the Benevolent Dynamics community that runs this station. Extending high into the upper levels of the station and placed beneath a translucent barrier, shoppers will often stop and stare at their surroundings. The outer levels of the spire are festooned with moving platforms that carry shoppers to different levels while allowing them to take in the vista of the station below and marvel at the system's flaring suns.
NPCs
Public Market
The lower part of the spire building that makes up the Market of Orwell Stronghold is reserved for the Public Market.
Here, travelers of all ilk are welcome to buy and trade their merchandised and scavenged goods. Holographic displays of all types appear on every available surface, affording every visitor with a place to peruse or list items for sale. Some vendors prefer the old school approach, however, and attempt to hawk and cajole their way to a sale, a phenomenon prevalent whatever corner of the galaxy humanity spreads itself too.
Storage
A porcelain white wall splits and rotates out lockers for customers as needed, then returns them back into its recesses once they have finished accessing and storing their items.
- Small (50): 255 cr
- Medium (150): 611 cr
- Large (500): 1,527 cr
Vendors
The bulk of the spire building that makes up the marketplace on Orwell Station is given to vendors of all types.
Hologramatic images will display their wares as smiling vendors ply their wares beneath. Travelers move calmly from one to another high above street level, pausing often to admire the view outside. In general, the entire feeling and experience in this market is far calmer and almost zen compared to other stations.
NPCs
Port
A holographic and smiling image of Maya von Christova, founder of Benevolent Dynamics, greets travelers as they enter the port and welcomes them to "Orwell Stronghold, a Benevolent Dynamics way-station".
Throngs of travelers, both Benevolent Dynamics and other, form an ever-moving stream through the port area. Some head to the docks to access their ships, others to Shipping or the shuttles to continue their journeys, and yet others deeper into the station to interact with the scientific community here.
NPCs
Docks
A large number of the vessels docked here are Benevolent Dynamics research vessels, easily identified by the large array of sensors and scanners on their hulls.
Orwell Stronghold is a Benevolent Dynamics 'way-station', meaning that it is an independently affiliated station governed by the technocratic and scientific community of Benevolent Dynamics. As such, most ships docked at the station are scientific in their capacity as can be seen by the vast number of scanning equipment pockmarking every part of their exteriors. Humans and robots alike can be seen scurrying from ship to ship, performing maintenance on all this highly sensitive equipment and extracting data, in this case of the flaring stars outside.
Local Shuttles
A mixture of shuttles bearing a number of different affiliation logos come to and from the other stations in the system.
The crowd waiting to travel to other stations within the system is a mixture of Benevolent Dynamics personnel and other travelers. The entire area is subject to the seemingly random glare of the system's flaring suns and while some travelers wince when this occurs, most seem quite used to the phenomenon.
Shipping Bay
A wall brimming with robotic arms arranges and delivers packages to and from travelers here.
Ruins
While the ruins of Orwell Stronghold are not as large as some other station's, they are littered with devices and experiments left here by Benevolent Dynamics scientists.
All manner of strange technology and devices can be found littering the broken ruins of this part of the city. Scientific detritus deemed redundant or beyond reclamation is left here and often scavenged for parts by whoever is brave enough to risk the occasional explosion of some part or another. Some equipment will occasionally explode by itself, lending an acoustic counterpoint to the flaring light of the system's suns that randomly dazzles the entire area.
The Wrecks
The Wrecks are an unequivocal no-man's land. Not even the Syndicates have begun to comb through the detritus of pre-cat civilization. It's dangerous here, but not altogether unworthy of exploring. Due to the instability of the Wrecks, and the tendency for unsavory types to skulk around among them, they often prove quite profitable to sift through.
On any given day the Wrecks pivot between desolate emptiness and sparse population by desperate people avoiding prying eyes, bandits, and merchants looking for some cheap and interesting wares. It can be worth your time to pull on a pair of gloves and dig through the debris in the wrecks in search of something useful, just keep your wits about you during your excavation. You never know who's watching in the wrecks.
The Wilds
The Wilds are a desperate warren of blind alleys and deadly corners. With unreliable lifeline systems, the area has become the domain of those to whom danger is mother’s milk. Feral tribes, solitary scavengers, and well-armed Syndicates roam these blood-soaked walkways, unhinged in equal parts by primal terror and the promise of bounties lurking in the rubble.
Syndicates use these bullet-riddled spaces for insecure storage, and many a bandit has been cut down attempting a bold raid on someone else’s well-guarded cache. Once a benign web of service tunnels; every inch of The Wilds now serves treachery and murder. Deep in the festering darkness, heartless animals track their prey guided by primordial instinct. Only fools come here without first securing a serious weapon and a clone back-up.
Security
Both BeDyne security and members of the Kestrel Minority bodyguard firm can be found in the security area here.
While BeDyne security handles the day to day safety of the station and its denizens, the mercenaries of the Kestrel Minority are available for private hire and will guard the safety of anyone with enough credit to secure their services. Both companies seem to be outfitted with state of the art weapons and armor and both carry themselves with an air of complete professionalism.
NPCs
Shipyard
A dirty, grimy place with many shady characters hanging around. This is where you can buy a ship or get one repaired or enhanced.
Sick Bay
The sick bay here doubles as a medical research facility, with Benevolent Dynamics personnel often overlooking procedures and surgeries.
NPCs
"Galactic Destinations" Introduction
We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.
Carl Sagan
Welcome Citizen, to Orwell Stronghold! Here, you will experience a shining bastion of science and truth, for this is one of the Waystations of Benevolent Dynamics! Ever committed to researching the knowledge and technology that will bring back humanity from the brink of extinction and propel us further into the future, Benevolent Dynamics runs a number of such facilities across the galaxy.
Orwell Stronghold caters to a number of scientific disciplines and houses some of the most brilliant minds this side of the Horse-head Nebula. As a Waystation of Benevolent Dynamics, itself an independent technocracy, the station operates independently of Consortium or Gaule jurisdiction. Rather, its sole focus is the development of many of the technologies rediscovered by Benevolent Dynamics after the Catastrophe and distributed indiscriminately throughout all that remains of humanity. A number of upgrades, for example, to your CORETECHS were developed right here on Orwell Stronghold and we have made a number of strides in the behavioral understanding of androids and robots!
To a layman, the station can, at first, seem rather daunting. Flocks of drones buzz overhead while behemothic glittering holo-screens create a dazzling display on many of the station’s walls. Robots and androids are in much larger abundance and even hold positions of responsibility on the station and many of the local areas brim with all manner of the latest technologies.
One might, for example, relax in the Ida Lovelace Lounge where every available surface can be converted into a holo-workspace for that sudden brainstorm or equation that is catalyzed by an alcoholic beverage. Many workstations in the Employment Center, thanks to some of our external field contractors, now utilize Omni-Reality and allow users to log into a pocket virtual space where they can conduct their business in digital privacy.
However long or brief your stay on Orwell Station, Benevolent Dynamics wishes you a continued and extraordinarily pleasant day! For our part, we will stay the course with our mission to bring the gift of science to everyone and use its knowledge to answer every mystery that bars our pathway to the stars and beyond.
Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world.
Louis Pasteur
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