Interstellar Way Stations

[alex_greene]

Weird dream I had this morning - I dreamed of interstellar way stations in empty hexes between the stars, huge 250 million ton buffered planetoids serviced by 2 megaton tankers and a fleet of support and security vessels to provide services and protection.

I tried to work out costs to build and run such things, and decided that at a certain scale, you stop thinking in terms of money and start thinking in terms of making such objects mere background elements.

 

[Hopeless]

Wouldn't it be easier to locate those worlds wandering out in those expanses of space and use them as your bases perhaps some might be worth used as mining resources?

 

[dragoner]

Not sure about the buffered planetoid, what is the point of that?

Otherwise, I have had fueling stations IMTU forever, even a common company that does them called Fuel Star, and some systems are merely named things like FS9, for fuel station 9. Mostly just an orbital facility and some million ton poly bags, ice is the way to go, higher H denisty than LH.

 

[F33D]

Probably the best bet is to find "wandering" GG. Set up an LHyd processing plant in orbit. Probably only be economically viable in a rift area between two densely populated arms that have need of trade across it.

 

[Greylond]

The Reft Sector book discusses this sort of thing. The Imperium has 2 refueling stations for ships attempting to cross the Great Rift. One is on a rogue plantiod and called Riftspan Station which is 4 parsecs from Filentred and then it is another Jump-4 to Amondiage. This one depends on regular tankers and other supplies. On the other side of the Rift is a way station called Chandler Station, another one that requires a Jump 4 to get to from the Imperium. Chandler Station has some rogue comets nearby that are mined for fuel. The Reft Sector has a page that discusses these stations and is a good source for that info.

 

[AndrewW]

Something like this?

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...unding-committee/story-fnb64oi6-1226542584159

Also the Pirates of Drinax campaign has some refueling stations.

 

[Dave Chase]

And don't forget that if you are truly considering long term you have some below the speed of light auto tankers traveling from the nearest system to that oasis in the middle of no where.

It is just possible that the Imperium has done this in a few places.

Also how do those tankers get back home to refuel, well if it is only a 1 Jump distance it is doable other wise it would be cheaper to make single use fuel tankers or just the Variable Jump tug.

The Tug has engines for the massive fuel haul then drops off all the fuel containers, being a smaller ship (in tons and actual size) it uses its smaller Jump engines for the home trip (which uses less fuel).

Just some options that are possible, depending on YTU.

Dave Chase

 

[Hopeless]

What was the name of that anime series I think it was something like Galaxy Railway.

Having the first few ships dragging behind it a line system that meant any ships coming after it could move much faster as they would only have the two lines one to get there, one to get back then again whats stopping them from establishing a warp gate or star gate ala Stargate, Buck Rogers or Space Rangers so they could make the trip and back faster than normal with less of the fuel required?

 

[Nuclear Fridge Magnet]

These kind of outposts would finally justify the use of the Jump-6 courier ships that first appeared in the LBB supplement Fighting Ships...

 

[qstor]

*raise dead*

Is Mongoose traveller the first appearance of Chandler Station or was it in another edition? I didn't see it mentioned in Travellers Digest.