Jump Bridge Economics

[Linwood]

Since Behind the Claw has introduced jump bridges I’ve been wondering about the economics. How big is a jump bridge station? What volume of traffic would they handle? How much does fuel cost? Would they be vulnerable to pirates?

 

[Anonymous]

From the notes I did on tug pods you want 1K dtons (not counting fuel sales tankage) to support light traffic - adventure classes jumping in and out at the rate of a few per day, including a bay to contain a 400 tonner for repairs and enough staterooms to rehouse that 400 ton ship with full passengers. Everyone else can just pull up along side and use the fuel hose direct to the tanks (not included in the 1000 dtons).

Likely you have a lot more capacity and facilities than that, and tourists will want to see the jump bridge.

I’d imagine a security patrol would be present, because you likely die if the promised fuel is not available. Supporting the gazelle squadron was NOT factored into the 1000 tons.

Edit 1: i would expect these things to grow into cities eventually, with permanent residents.

Edit 2: the remote nature of the jump bridge means backup infrastructure is necessary. The calculations above did NOT assume an isolated jump bridge, but a base in a regular system.

 

[Condottiere]

I'll assume that a jump bridge is a waystation in an empty, sort of a last gasp gas station.

I'll speculate this works out better for three or four parsec routes, where you have jump factor two based freighter traffic.

For monojumpers, you probably have two tankfuls, and establish a lighthouse.

 

[Linwood]

With a curmudgeonly lighthouse keeper?

 

[Condottiere]

A young virile one, visited by nubile cos(mic)maids.