Libertatia

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Spacecraft Registry
L5 Station Libertatia
Libertatia.png
Station Libertatia, with a Pirate vessel docked
Spacecraft Characteristics
Base HullCustom (partial ring)
Drive TypeReactionless thrusters
Drive RatingStation-keeping only
Armamentclassified
Primary ManufacturerSpace Pirates
OwnerSpace Pirates
Flag of RecordFenspace Convention
FactionSpace Pirates
Registry NumberL5-O
Launched2011
PurposeFaction point-of-presence
Primary CrewMelody Albator (Governor)
many others
Other Crewapproximately 340 people
Operational StatusActive
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Libertatia is the Space Pirates' original home base, and still serves as the faction's point-of-presence in Cislunar Space. The Pirates had great hopes for Libertatia - hopes that were never realized.

History

Station construction began in 2011, during the "glory days" of the first big colonization wave at L5. The station's design wasn't unusual: simply a wheel with a projecting hub in the middle. But that suited the Pirates just fine - all the better to blend in until they hoisted the Jolly Harlock.

But then came the Boskone War. The Space Pirates fared poorly, with so many of them lost in early Boskonian raids in the Main Belt. They had to choose: continue building Libertatia or defend SSX Base? The sound tactical choice would have been to retreat to Cislunar ... but Space Pirates never retreat. Nearly every faction member who knew how to use a sword or a hammer ended up in Royal Freeport - including the faction's leaders. Libertatia was left to fend for itself as best it could. It fared reasonably well as a liberty port for Great Justice members from factions that didn't have their own facilities in Cislunar[1] and an emergency repair dock.

When the war ended, so did Libertatia's usefulness to the Convention. It wasn't abandoned, but nobody wanted to re-start construction - the Pirates were moving back into the Main Belt as fast as their ships could take them there, and station Colony (right next door, as far as the Solar System is concerned) was a larger and better-equipped drydock facility. The station had a few lean months before they finally decided to follow the lead of so many other struggling facilities and open themselves up to tourism. This hasn't been the gold-mine they had hoped for - there were too many other "tourist traps" in the Fenspace Convention by this time - but it was enough to keep the bills paid.

Barely.

Layout

The station is divided into five sectors: "Above Decks", "The Spokes", "Portside", "Starboard", and "Below Decks".

Portside and Starboard are the two arcs of the wheel that had been completed before the Boskone War broke out. Each has five jetways for docking ships. Portside is maintained with artificial gravity for the comfort of tourists; Starboard is left in zero-G for ease of handling cargo.

The Spokes connect Portside and Starboard to the station's core. They are both accessways and commercial areas - the shops in the spoke connected to Portside sell souvenirs, overpriced snacks, and other items designed to appeal to tourists, while the stores in the spoke connected to Starboard are where the locals do their shopping.

Above Decks is where the attractions can be found. VIPs are allowed to board Libertatia at the Old Drydock that is at the exact center of the station - they are charged a large fee for the privilege of not having to walk past the vendors in The Spokes. Most of Above Decks has artificial gravity.

Finally, Below Decks is where the locals live and the station is administered. It's kept in zero-G so that every surface can be used productively; this allows 340 people to live in the station without stepping on each others' toes.

Current Events

Libertatia's governor, Melody Albator, has a thankless job: She has to keep the station running without giving up its independence in local politics. She has been both allied with and acted against various parties on Central Station, Clarke County, Stellvia, Genaros, and Island One, depending on Libertatia's needs at the time. This has left both Albator and Libertatia with a poor reputation across all of the blocs and interests that make up L5 politics.

The station is better-received in the local entertainment community. The administration is on good terms with their counterparts at Space Station Three and Disney's World; their assistance is sometimes the only thing that keeps Libertatia from turning into another Over The Rainbow.[2]

And they have a friendly rivalry with Lief Erickson, based upon which station better represents "real pretend" pirates.

Notes

  1. Their willingness to serve alcohol to anyone who knew enough to know what to order didn't hurt here.
  2. Nobody in Fenspace's entertainment industry wants to see a "theme park" fail; the industry is still so new that the failure of one would affect them all ... or so goes conventional wisdom.