Lore/Setting

Setting / Lore

This section aims to provide a brief overview of the setting that Beestation takes place in – it is not a comprehensive lore document and serves as a high-level requirement that the game and future lore must adhere to.

The Beestation Universe

Beestation takes place on-board Space Station 13, one of many corporate stations in orbit around the colloquially named Lavaland, a highly volcanic and almost habitable planet which orbits Auri Ortis. Auri is an axillary system which orbits the core Geminae Ortis star system, these two interlocked systems forming a dense bubble of space that offers an expandable buffer zone to the advanced civilisation unable to cross the stars that humanity finds itself in.

Humanity is highly developed technologically, and has overcome much of the challenges of space travel, however faster-than-light travel over long distances is impossible with the current understanding of technology. As such, despite being relatively close, the Auri star system is a developing region of space showing a lot of potential for long-term profit, if a company can withstand the lack of returns over the roughly 23-year gap between transfer windows.

Space Station 13 is owned and managed by Nanotrasen, a power-house in technology related industries with several subsidiaries providing anything from defence related technologies, gene-operations, and unproven high-risk industries. It is the third station owned by Nanotrasen to orbit Lavaland, with the first being a small (now unmanned) monitoring station, and the second being Space Station 11, operated by Nanotrasen’s defence company which provided security during the construction of Space Station 13.

Not everyone is friendly in this region of space – due to the distance from government oversight, shady activity is common, ranging from corporate-mafia organisations to adventurers who risked it all and were forced to make money the only way they could.

Space Station 13

Space station 13 is a station created to research and utilize plasma, a poorly understood material with exceptionally useful qualities. In its base form, it is a highly flammable and efficient fuel source; it’s chemical composition make it useful in the manufacturing of high-energy electronics and superconductors; and it is believed to break the physical boundaries of materials that were previously thought possible, which could lead to it unlocking currently impossible technologies.

The station consists of several departments:

• Executive: The Captain of the station is a Nanotrasen appointed executive. They have an executive officer serving as their right-hand man, as well as a team of lawyers to keep the rest of the station in check.
• Security: Operated by Nanotrasen’s subsidiary company, Stronghold Security. The company was originally formed to separate Nanotrasen’s riskier endeavours after a fatal accident. Its board consists of previous Nanotrasen managers and executives ‘promoted’ to C-suite positions to move them out of Nanotrasen’s more important projects. Despite high-levels of performance, this method of political promotion harbours animosity between Nanotrasen and Stronghold executives to this day.
• Science: A highly trusted and experienced department operated by Nanotrasen themselves. They deal with classified research, the experimentation of plasma, and provide advanced technology to the rest of the station – the types of machines that can’t be ordered from another station through cargo. The research documents they produce are extremely valuable to other companies, and even those working closely with Nanotrasen wouldn’t be against getting their hands on a few of them for inspiration.
• Engineering: Engineering work is provided by a small contracting company, one of the few companies that can maintain the highly advanced reactors and thrusters on board Space Station 13 – they didn’t create the reactors, but they are trained in its bespoke maintenance. It is rumoured to be in talks with Nanotrasen regarding a buyout.
• Supply: Supply is managed by a shipping company operating multiple supply stations in orbit of Lavaland. Due to the still developing nature of space around Lavaland, they possess what is essentially a monopoly over station supplies and operate the cargo imports/exports for virtually all stations in the region. This company is headquartered in the Auri system itself, as an attempt to bring in continual returns without needing to wait for a transfer window.
• Medical: Run by a private medical company that provides medical services for a large number of other companies and individuals. This company typically operates with a policy of working with anyone to increase profits. They offer a variety of health packages, from basic treatment to full monitoring and recovering. Their flexible payment plan lets you pay in instalments, making healthcare more affordable for everyone!
• Service: A group of low-ranking civilian personnel renting out space on the station to provide necessary services such as catering. They are far too low ranking for company politics to be of importance to them, and are typically more worried about making enough money to pay their bills on time.

While relatively independent, each department is still very much pro-station and needs the station to function and survive.